The Forgotten Empire: The Fall of the Confederation: Book 8

Chapter One

Deep in the Confederation on Bator Prime, the Neutral Races of the Confederation—Lormallians, Zang, Morphene, plus the fence-riding Zynth—were meeting. Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull sat, observing the others around the table. Zynth Councilor Conn seemed to be more at ease with each meeting. Ardon and the others still refrained from mentioning the Humans in any significant way during their meetings with the Zynth. Those discussions would wait until after the Zynth left the star system.

Currently Conn discussed their improvements to their defensive grids. “Thanks to your help, we have strengthened our defensive grid around our home planet of Zynthian. We currently have no worry that anyone will attack us, but we want to be prepared. We are still trading with the Morag, Druins, and Lamothians, as well as the three of you. We would be happy to trade for things your races might need from the others as well, in return for more defensive grid elements.”

“We have what we need for now, but thank you for bringing up that option. It may be needed in the future,” replied Ardon. He didn’t want anything to do with the Lamothians, Druins, or Morag. Trade with the Human Empire was much more beneficial than with the remaining members of the former Great Council of the Confederation.

Ardon also knew that soon the Morag would be destroyed. If only the Neutral Races could remain safe until then, they could breathe easier.

“I have put a lot of thought into how we might govern our territories more fairly, doing a good deal of research in the archives here on Bator Prime to see how the Great Council was originally set up to be run. It seems the Morag twisted the way it was meant to be run. From its inception, each race would have a representative on the council. One who would look out for their interests. This was the way that the Visth and their United Worlds Alliance have been set up. This was also how the Human Empire governs its area of space. It appears to be a very successful format.

“I plan to travel to the Human Empire and their House of Worlds to observe how it works myself. To see if we can replicate it here. I don’t expect any of you to follow suit, but I would like you to consider it. Not traveling to the Empire so much but rather modeling the future of our governing body after the successful format the Humans and Visth use. I do understand that it would take a good deal of effort to set up and a long time to gain the trust of those races we have oppressed for thousands of years, who also consider our area of space their home.”

Zang Councilor Crea responded first. “I will inform the Zang leaders of your proposal. I expect it would take them a while to come around to your way of thinking. Perhaps it would be beneficial for me to travel with you to this House of Worlds and to see it myself. Do you think the Humans would be agreeable to that?” As he finished speaking, his wings fluttered behind him.

“All we can do is ask,” replied Ardon.

Conn said, “We are not ready to change our ways. We are also not ready to model anything after what the Humans do. I understand that the Humans are no longer enemies of the Zynth. However, it will be some time before we consider them friends. My race is not ready for what you are suggesting. Perhaps in time we will be, but that time is not now.”

Morphene Councilor Klug, whose current form resembled more of a reptile at the moment, said, “We would consider it. I would like to hear what the two of you learn from the Humans and the Visth first though. I am not interested in traveling to the Human Empire myself, but I will take what you say into consideration.”

Ardon nodded and said, “Thank you all for your consideration and your honesty. I know we have a long way to go before we can successfully implement any of these changes. Right now we are still building up our fleets in preparation for a Morag attack. I am glad the rest of you are less worried about that than we are.”

After a couple more hours of trade talks and a few other minor disputes, the council meeting of the Neutral Races of the Confederation adjourned.

Councilors Klug and Crea stood to get some refreshments, while Ardon walked Conn out to his transport vessel. “I am glad that the Zynth are a part of our council. I value your thoughts and suggestions. Please do not be distressed by our alliance with the Humans. It does not threaten you in any way.”

“I understand that. It is a new way of thinking that we have not quite got used to yet. I am sure, in time, it will get easier.”

“Yes, I am sure you are correct. I will see you for our next meeting in two weeks,” replied Ardon.

“When will you make your journey to the Human Empire?”

“It will probably be a few weeks yet. I have more arrangements to make first.”

“I hope your trip is as successful as you expect it to be,” replied Conn.

“Me too. Enjoy your voyage back to Zynthian. I will see you in two weeks,” responded Ardon.

As Ardon walked back into the council chambers, his mind wandered to what would be taking place over the next couple weeks. The next time he saw Zynth Council Conn, the Morag would be defeated.

-

Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters checked his holographic display and monitored the fleets’ progress through hyperspace. It would only be another day before they arrived at their rendezvous site in the Lormallian star systems. He was aware that multiple races had already arrived. Derrick looked forward to seeing how many allies and allied ships would be there and would be willing to join the Humans in their attack.

Another thing Derrick was anxious to see was how efficient the weapons and energy shields of these allied races would hold up. He didn’t want them being cannon fodder. He wanted them to have a legitimate chance of coming out of the battle alive.

Derrick’s gaze shifted to the tactical display and all the green icons represented there. He couldn’t help but smile. This was a large Human fleet. Yet Derrick knew the Morag would have the Humans outnumbered, but, with the help of all their allies, the Humans would have the upper hand. Derrick hoped that, with so many different races and languages involved, it wouldn’t be too cumbersome to get orders across to the different fleets. That’s one hurdle that must be addressed before they headed to their target.

As Derrick went to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat, his mind wandered back to the Empire and to his wife, High Princess Layla. He wondered what she was doing now. He was again thankful that he and Admiral Cleemorl had arranged to send Cleemorl’s wife, Cheryl, to be with Layla while Derrick was gone. It was one less thing Derrick had to worry about.

-

Admiral Dylan Cleemorl had his fleet stationed at the periphery of the Human Empire, awaiting the arrival of the Creetin fleet. This new ally of the Humans was being chased by at least one Morag ship, and they all assumed more trailed behind it. It was imperative that they persuade the Morag not to exit hyperspace. It was also important to hide the fact that the Morag were following a Creetin fleet. Thus far, all considerations pointed to the Morag likely believing they were chasing a Human fleet.

How would they persuade the Morag ships to not exit hyperspace? Cleemorl had fifteen battlecarriers full of attack interceptors. Once the Creetin fleet got close, all the Human attack interceptors would deploy. When the Morag ran long-range scans, which they no doubt would do, over two thousand ships would show up on their screens.

There was the slightest chance that the Morag might risk it and would exit hyperspace, so Dylan had two hundred battlecruisers and fifty dreadnoughts ready to eliminate the threat.

Cleemorl was confident the Morag would not exit hyperspace. They didn’t have the ships to defeat what would show up on the scans. Plus, from a long distance, they couldn’t determine the type of ship found yet. The Morag also couldn’t afford to lose the entire task group either, no matter how big or small it was. The Morag were a logical race. The outcome was almost certain.

“Admiral, the Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius states that they are thirty minutes away from exiting hyperspace at our location,” said the communications officer.

“Good. Tell Ephenius we are ready for them. Also send word to the carriers to launch the interceptors. I want them spread out across the area. If they form into their squadrons, the Morag might recognize the pattern. Then they’d realize most of our ships are interceptors. We don’t want that.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Cleemorl watched the viewscreens in the front of the Command Center. He smiled as the attack interceptors launched and spread out between the battlecruisers and dreadnoughts. His gaze shifted to the tactical display. It was full of green icons. “Bring the fleet to Condition One. The Creetins will exit hyperspace first. Then we will wait and see if the Morag follow them. Prepare to fire at the Morag as soon as they exit hyperspace.”

The minutes seemed to slow, as the fleet waited for the Creetins to arrive. Would the Morag follow them out of hyperspace? Cleemorl glanced at the clock. Five more minutes.

“Admiral, I have ships exiting hyperspace,” said the sensor officer.

“That should be the Creetins. Scan to make sure they are not Morag.”

“We are receiving communication from Ephenius. He thanks us for being here to defend them,” said the communications officer.

“Tell Ephenius that I look forward to meeting him and that we are prepared to destroy the enemy fleet, if they too exit hyperspace,” responded Cleemorl.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius was relieved to see all the Human ships waiting to destroy the Morag. He would love to see it, but, if the Morag exited hyperspace, they would realize they had not been following a Human fleet after all. Then the Morag would send a fleet to destroy the Creetin worlds in their star systems.

A lot rode on what would happen over the next ten minutes. Ephenius moved his fleet in behind the Humans. Then he hoped, for the future of his race, that the Morag would back down from this fight.

-

Morag Commander Kano noted on the consoles before him that the Human fleet had exited hyperspace. They were in the periphery of the Human Empire. Kano’s reinforcements were ten minutes behind him.

Run the long-range scans of the system and see what the Humans have waiting for us, commanded Kano.

Over 2,500 ships in the system, Commander. That includes the ones we were following.

Communications, confirm with the task group following us the number of ships they have, commanded Kano.

They report two hundred, Commander.

They would be drastically outnumbered. What should they do? The only thing Kano could do was ask Admiral Voxx and hope Voxx didn’t command them to their deaths.

After conferring with Voxx, Kano had his orders. They must know if it was a Human fleet that they had followed. Voxx had assured him that a majority of the ships showing up on the long-range scans would be the attack interceptors.

It was Kano’s duty to drop out of hyperspace and scan the system and the ships present there. Once he did that, he could jump out. Yet, by the time his hyperdrive had time to recharge after this long hyperspace jump, his ship would be destroyed.

As for the rest of the ships, they would continue on their path and wait for word from Kano. He had his orders. These orders would undoubtedly lead to his death, but he had no choice but to follow them.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius anxiously watched the tactical display. When alarms sounded, his heart rate accelerated. This was not good. Panic rose inside him.

Ephenius now gazed at the viewscreen at the front of the room. One lone Morag ship had emerged. The Human fleet immediately jumped to that location and obliterated the Morag ship. Did that ship have enough time to scan the system? The fate of Ephenius’s race lie in the answer to that very question.

Moments later another two hundred Morag ships emerged from hyperspace. Ephenius sat down in complete despair. While it was very satisfying to watch his enemy being destroyed, he also knew that now his star systems would be in immediate danger.

-

Admiral Cleemorl had been surprised that the lone Morag ship had exited hyperspace. Why would it do that, knowing it would be suicide? Of course this was the Morag we were talking about. Although usually suicide vessels belonged to other races.

“Let’s destroy that ship before they realize who they were following,” commanded Cleemorl.

The ship lasted less than three minutes before it was incinerated in a wave of accelerator cannon fire. Was that enough time to get the scans done? Cleemorl let out a deep breath. Would more ships exit hyperspace? The more Cleemorl thought about it, the more he was confident that more ships would exit hyperspace, especially if the first ship hadn’t finished its scans. “Prepare for more enemy ships to exit hyperspace.”

The fleet returned to its formation and waited. The other ships, if there were any, would be farther behind. How many ships they would have, Cleemorl didn’t know.

The anticipation of the unknown kept the Command Center quiet. Cleemorl felt the tension in the air.

“Admiral, we have ships exiting hyperspace,” called out the sensor officer.

“Let’s jump over there and destroy them, before they have the chance to report back to their leaders,” commanded Cleemorl.

The battlecruisers and dreadnoughts jumped out to the enemy fleet and launched their accelerator cannons at the enemy. In less than five minutes, the entire Morag fleet had been eliminated.

Cleemorl sat down in his command chair in relief, although he had lost twenty-seven battlecruisers and six dreadnoughts. The loss of Human lives was much more significant than that. He tried not to think about that part but couldn’t shake it. Each battlecruiser held a little over 800 crew members. Each dreadnought carried a little over 1,200. Over 28,000 thousand people just lost their lives in under five minutes.

It was little comfort to think the Morag had lost significantly more than that. They had lost 201 ships, plus the crew they held. As for the Creetins, if even one planet were destroyed because of this, that would be billions of lives lost. In war, everyone loses.

-

Ephenius was in shock. What should he do? If he had only left his star systems a few minutes earlier, that Morag ship couldn’t have followed his fleet. Now he feared the Creetins would pay a very high price.

He sighed heavily. Not much he could do. Ephenius resolved to destroy as many Morag planets as the Morag did of the Creetins. Maybe they would get lucky, and the Morag fleet didn’t have the chance to do the scans, since they had to fight for their lives. One could always hope.

-

Admiral Cleemorl contacted the Creetin military leader. As his face came on the viewscreen, he resembled a praying mantis and stood nearly six feet tall. Cleemorl had seen a lot in his years, but this was the first time he had laid eyes on a Creetin.

“I am sorry our plan did not work out the way we thought it would,” Cleemorl said sincerely.

“We will make them pay for any retribution they enact on my race. This opportunity to defeat the Morag once and for all would not be possible without the aid of the Humans,” Ephenius responded.

Cleemorl was thankful the translator worked so well with so many different languages. He didn’t know what they would do without it. “What will you do now? Do you need any supplies from us?”

“We will finish recharging our hyperdrives, and then we will be on our way to the rendezvous location. It is more important than ever that this attack go our way,” Ephenius replied.

“We are confident it will. With the help of so many races coming together to defeat the Morag, I don’t see how we could fail. Good luck. It was a pleasure to meet you,” Cleemorl responded.

“You as well,” replied Ephenius.

When the transmission ended, Cleemorl stood and activated the holographic display. It would take the Creetins three days to get to the rendezvous location from here. They would probably be the last to arrive.

Cleemorl’s now familiar pang of jealousy stirred within him again. He shook his head. “We will remain here, until the Creetins enter hyperspace. Then we will head back to the Hagen Star Cluster.”

-

Once the Creetins had made their repairs and had recharged their hyperdrives, they entered hyperspace. As Ephenius examined his maps of the Confederation, he determined they were a few days out from the coordinates that the scout ship stationed in their home system had given them. These coordinates were to an uninhabited system in the Lormallian-controlled area of the Confederation. No doubt they would be the last to arrive.

Ephenius contacted the Human scout ship stationed in his home system. “Has there been any enemy activity in the area?”

“No, nothing yet. If anything shows up, I will inform you immediately,” replied Captain Finel.

Ephenius sat down in his command chair and then thought over the battle they had witnessed between the Humans and the Morag. The weapons the Human ships possessed were very powerful, indeed. It made even more sense now why the Humans must take advantage of the superior weaponry they have while they are the only ones with it.

Ephenius was sure that, somewhere in the Morag star systems, scientists were working on developing these weapons. Once that occurred, it would be much harder to eliminate the Morag. The allied fleet must press forward, while they still had the advantage. The window of opportunity would likely shrink quickly.

It was the perfect time to launch an attack on the Morag. The Humans had been eliminating targets in the Confederation for weeks now. Hundreds of Morag ships had been destroyed. The allied fleet must attack the Morag quickly, so the Humans and their allies did not lose their advantage. The Humans had the better weapons and, with all their allies coming together, would have the numbers too.

Ephenius closed his eyes. He needed to focus on the future and how they could be useful in the upcoming battles. If the Humans had the superior weapons, what would the Creetins add to the arsenal? The Creetin scientists had also been hard at work over the last few years, trying to develop weapons that they could use against the Morag.

These new weapons had been equipped on all the ships he currently had with him. They had not tested these weapons on other ships, only asteroids and space debris in their own star systems. He hoped these weapons would be effective in eliminating Morag ships. In about a week, they would find out. Effective or ineffective, he would have his answer.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx had received the scans from the task group that had exited hyperspace in the periphery of the Empire. Commander Kano had not had the time to scan the system before his ship was destroyed. Voxx had been forced to send the task group in to attempt to scan the system. They had been unable to finish the scans before they were destroyed. The Humans had eliminated another 201 Morag ships.

What he had discerned from the Morag in the ships and from the scans was that the fleet that they had followed was not Human. What race it actually was, he could not tell from the information he had. Were they Creetin ships? Surely they could not have built up a fleet of six hundred ships without the Morag knowing it.

If, indeed, they had, what were they doing going to the Human Empire? Did they intend to join their alliance? To his knowledge, the Human Empire only had Humans. Now the Visth and their alliance might take in the Creetins, but they would be foolish to try to go against the Morag. The Creetin star systems were in Morag-controlled space. They had no hope of being independent. They would stay under Morag control.

Voxx decided it might be a good idea to send a few ships to the Creetin systems to ensure nothing was going on, to confirm no other ships were in their twenty-two star systems. He quickly contacted the ships he needed and sent them on their way.

Voxx would soon discuss the situation with the Morag High Council. See what they would have him do. Also they might have an idea of what these ships might be doing. It didn’t make sense for them to go all the way to the Human Empire. If they planned to attack the Confederation, they had gone the wrong direction. Voxx growled under his breath. They did not need more enemy ships here.

Then Voxx relaxed a little. If these ships did have in mind to attack the Morag, they would be destroyed. If these ships were any race, other than Human, their energy shields would be weak, and their weapons would be ineffective. It might be a good idea to remind all races within the Morag-controlled star systems that to go against the Morag meant certain death. This would ensure no races got any crazy ideas to attack the Morag, while the Humans had them on the defensive.

On that note, Voxx examined his holographic display. The Humans had not been spotted in a few days. They were hopefully retreating to the Empire for repairs. Voxx would take this opportunity to reshuffle his ships again and to prepare more traps for the Humans. He was confident that the Humans would return, and, when they did, Voxx would be ready for them.

Chapter Two

Admiral Collison was almost to the rendezvous location in the Lormallian star systems. That last battle with the Morag had taken a toll on him and his fleet. Collison had quickly sent ahead all damaged ships to the mobile repair yards . They needed as much time as possible to get as many repairs done as they could. All ships would be needed in the battles to come.

Collison had stayed behind in the Barsoon home system to help Barnes and Carrie plan for the next attacks. With significantly fewer ships in Collison’s combined fleet, they must carefully select their targets. No star systems with military bases would be selected. They had done that before and now did not have enough ships for any surprises the Morag might have up their sleeve.

Once a few targets had been picked out, Collison’s fleet and the Barsoon fleet headed to the rendezvous location. Collison was anxious to get there and to see how many allied ships they had to work with. He was also looking forward to planning the attack in more detail with Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters and Rear Admiral Martinez.

It felt like months since Collison had left the Solar System. The last time he had seen Martinez, he was a relatively new Rear Admiral and had trained under Rear Admiral Mendoza as well as Collison himself. Martinez had proved himself in battle though and would be a good asset on the attacks on the Morag. Martinez was bringing his entire fleet, plus the extra ships that had been stockpiled for this very mission.

A smile spread across his face, when Collison looked at the tactical display. The Barsoon had sent two thousand warships to help defeat the Morag. Not all the ships had all the upgrades that the Humans had developed for them, like a stronger energy screen and greater weapons. However, Collison had been amazed at how many ships the Barsoon had upgraded. They were very efficient workers.

If a few of the other allied races sent even half that many ships, this Human alliance would crush the Morag quickly. The anticipation built in Collison the closer they got to the rendezvous coordinates. How many allied races would show up? How many ships would they bring?

Collison was aware that they needed to attack Morag Prime as quickly as possible. With as many ship-making abilities as the Morag had, the Humans needed to strike while they still had the numbers advantage. Not to mention the weapons advantage.

Collison had no doubt that the Morag had their top scientists hard at work developing accelerator cannons and particle beam cannons. Once this happened, the Humans would pay a much higher price in lost lives to defeat the Morag. The Humans must push forward while they had the advantage.

This was one of the reasons Collison decided to return to the rendezvous spot. He wanted to ensure that they did not lose their tactical advantage by wasting too much time on planning and practicing. Time was their friend right now, but, if they tarried too long, time would become their enemy.

The Morag could already be installing the new weapons on their new ships. The Human scout ships were watching for the Morag to test these weapons, but it was probable that the Morag would go to an uninhabited star system to do so. Collison was confident the Morag would want to surprise the Humans with their advancement in weaponry, not giving them a heads-up. Therefore, no testing would be done in a system where they expected a Human scout ship was likely watching.

Collison would light a fire under this allied fleet to get underway as soon as possible. It could mean the difference between winning the war and losing the war. They were so close to winning. He could practically taste it.

-

Rear Admiral Drake had accompanied the damaged ships to the supply fleet. They had arrived in the Lormallian star system where Proxy Seven was located a couple days ago. Since then the mobile repair yards had been hard at work, repairing as many ships as possible. They had had to prioritize the ones that they could repair the quickest. Those got yard time first. The ones that needed significant repairs must wait.

Drake was anxious to get to the rendezvous star system. He wanted to know what went on. He was curious to see how many allied races showed up and what type of ships they had. Not to mention how strong their weapons were.

It would be a monumental task to coordinate this attack with so many different players helping. They weren’t even sure how many other players there would be. He did not envy Admiral Derrick Masters or Admiral Collison. A lot rode on their shoulders. The fate of humanity. Not a light load, if you asked Drake.

As the newest to be added to the ranks of rear admiral, Drake’s role would be less than the others. He did have a lot of experience fighting the Morag, so at least that was on his side. He had not only been fighting the Morag but doing it on their home turf. His confidence grew the more he thought about it. He did bring a lot to the table. Collison would know this. Maybe Drake’s role in this battle would be more than he had initially thought.

When Drake had exited hyperspace in the Lormallian star system, he had been surprised at the number of Lormallian ships there. Captain Avery, who was in charge of the supply train, had informed Drake that this would be the fleet the Lormallians sent to help the Humans destroy Morag Prime.

Drake’s confidence in their victory increased even more after that. The Lormallians had the same firepower as the Morag. So they would be an even match. The Lormallians probably had the most superior weapons—when compared to all the other races who would ally together against the Morag—except for the Humans.

Drake was aware that the Lormallians had a lot riding on this victory. The Morag had the Lormallians pretty high on their hit list, right below the Humans. This was the Lormallians chance to defeat their greatest enemy.

Drake would take all the repaired ships and make their jump to the rendezvous coordinates in two more days. The others would stay behind for repairs for now. They would join the allied fleet as their repairs were completed. Drake didn’t know how he would contain his growing sense of excitement. Two more days and a lot of his questions would be answered.

-

At the supply fleet, Captain Avery sat back and propped his feet up on the console in front of him. He laughed, as he remembered the last time he had taken this position. He had been enjoying a nice steaming cup of coffee, when the sensor alarms had sounded. Avery had jumped and had spilled his cup’s contents all over him. He had even yelped as the hot coffee hit him. He shook his head. Those alarms had rattled him.

Thankfully those red icons had quickly turned to green. Then he had been notified that Rear Admiral Drake had arrived with ships that needed time in the repair yards from their recent attacks on the Morag. To hear that had been such a relief. Avery then went to change out of his wet clothes.

Avery laughed again under his breath. No surprises today. He had a large Lormallian fleet stationed in the system, at least for the next day. Then they would leave for the rendezvous point. Drake would leave the day after that. Avery needed to soak up the feeling of safety while he could.

The thought had crossed his mind that Admirals Masters and Collison might decide to reposition the supply fleet closer to the battles. This made Avery nervous. He wanted to remain in a friendly star system. Not move to one where he was not so safe. Safe, that was a relative word. No matter where he would be, he would be safer than those putting their lives on the line in the actual battle. He had spent a lot of time in the Confederation and, as of yet, had not seen any enemy ships.

When the Morag had followed Collison’s fleet before, the supply fleet had been moved to another star system to keep out of harm’s way. Avery grew used to his level of safety and wasn’t quite ready to give that up. He would go wherever he was commanded to go, however. Even if that meant stationing in a system where one of their newer allies were. Perhaps the Barsoon or the Creetins.

With this thought, Avery pulled up the holographic display to analyze his options. It would benefit him to have a plan. He remembered Collison saying that the Barsoon were bringing two thousand ships and leaving another two thousand ships in their star systems to help protect it from the Morag. Avery thought that sounded like as good of a place as any.

He would be closer to the battle, and the repaired ships could more quickly return to the fight, for this would not be just one battle to destroy Morag Prime. All of the Morag shipyards, military bases, large and small, and the warships must be destroyed. That would be an endeavor that would take more than one day. This would be much more long-term than most of the crew were thinking.

Avery decided to discuss his idea with Rear Admiral Drake, since he had had the privilege of meeting with the High Queen of the Barsoon. Drake could also discuss this with Collison and Masters when Drake arrived at the rendezvous point.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes was finalizing her plan of attack. They didn’t have a large fleet left, but they did have enough to continue their attacks, as long as they carefully selected their targets. Barnes went over the latest reports from the scout ships. According to those reports, her best targets remained on the outer rim of the Morag-controlled systems. Her first target was only a five-hour hyperspace jump from the Barsoon home system.

After they destroyed the targets there, they would move on to another system some fifteen hours away. That would allow her crew time to rest in between battles. Barnes wanted to keep the Morag busy all the way up until the attack on Morag Prime. This meant that she must keep up attacks for at least another seven days. Could her small number of ships make it that long? With careful planning and a little luck, she thought that they could.

Once she shared her plan with Rear Admiral Carrie and the rest of the fleet, they made the plan to enter hyperspace in one hour. All the repairs and the maintenance work that they could get done had been completed since they had returned to the Barsoon system. Now it was time to fulfill their mission.

-

Captain Tanner on scout ship 112 reviewed all the footage his drone had captured from its maiden voyage to the surface of Falton Two. He had spent hours studying, over and over again, the footage from the two Humans on the balcony. He was no expert on Royals, but this one did definitely look like Prince Aiden Starguard. It couldn’t be though because he had been banished to Earth and had descendants there. Prince Andrew himself was a descendent of Prince Aiden.

Tanner needed to send this footage to Golan Four. He was worried that the transmission might be intercepted though, something he didn’t want getting out. Perhaps it was only someone who resembled the prince. So how could he safely send this footage to Golan Four? The easiest way would be to leave the system and to send it to another scout ship. None of the other scout ships knew of even the existence of Falton Two though.

Tanner let out a deep sigh. Even if this were up to him, and that was a big if, Tanner couldn’t do anything about it. This Aiden lookalike seemed to be on good terms with this other guy, who stood with him on the balcony. Tanner had concluded the other man was Emperor Rowan, ruler of Falton Two. Tanner had come to this conclusion partly by what he wore and then also by the way he carried himself.

Another thing that Tanner had observed with the drone was that the two Humans were talking, talking out loud. This meant that one of them wasn’t telepathic. Tanner concluded that, based on what Professor Charles Wright had told him, the emperor would be telepathic, which led Tanner to believe the other man did not possess this special ability. That tidbit of information would favor the thought that it might be the banished Prince.

One thing Tanner needed was more information. He couldn’t afford to leave the system to send his message. The plan had been for the Human fleet to stop by Falton Two, after they destroyed the Morag. Tanner would keep digging and would find out as much as possible between now and then. That way, when Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters arrived, Tanner would have some answers for him.

Admiral Masters had known the banished Prince, so maybe Masters could tell if it was, indeed, the Prince or not. For now, Tanner decided to operate under the assumption that it was not Aiden, but Tanner did intend to try to find Aiden again with the drone.

The next drone flight was scheduled to take place in another hour. This time the flight would be in broad daylight. Maybe Tanner would get lucky again and could capture more footage of the two Humans. This time he planned to get even closer, so that he could hear what they were discussing. Maybe this would help Tanner solve his newest mystery.

What were the chances the two of them would be on the balcony again? Maybe Tanner would get really lucky, and a door would be left open. Then he might explore inside the building some. Tanner smiled. This might just get even more exciting. However, before his next drone flight, he needed to get a bite to eat. If this next flight went well, it might last a while.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie brought the fleet to Condition One. They would exit hyperspace in the next ten minutes. Carrie went over her targets again, for the hundredth time. The scout ship had reported thirty-seven warships in the system and two shipyards. No military bases had been found on the planet or the terraformed moon. Carrie and Barnes had both agreed to stay away from the terraformed moon. They did not have the ships to attack it if it were home to a military base.

Carrie thought she would do scans herself, while they were there. They had seen these bases firsthand and knew a little more about what to look for. She had some concern over the latest Morag shuffling of ships. It seemed the Morag strategy was to create chaos. They were trying not to be predictable in their moves or decisions. That made her job much harder. The Morag were a very logical thinking race, so usually it wasn’t too hard to determine what they were doing. Now though, with this newest Morag chaos strategy, it left more room for doubt.

The scout ship of this system had followed a large group of warships out of the system in the latest shuffle of Morag warships. When the scout ship had arrived at the destination system, where another Human scout ship was, he had turned around to return to this designated system. This meant that his system had been unmonitored for fourteen hours.

Did the Morag set another one of their traps in this system? Carrie hoped not, but they would soon find out.

The plan was to face the defending fleet together and to then split up to hit the two shipyards. What would they do if the fleet didn’t engage them? They would destroy the shipyards and then target the planet. If these ships behaved like the others in the previous systems, they would pick that time to destroy the Human fleet.

Maybe Barnes and Carrie wouldn’t have to wait that long though, since their Human fleet was down so much in numbers. One thing was for sure. They would soon find out what the enemy warships would do.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes confirmed with her long-range scans the information the scout ship had reported. She was a little nervous about the target. She assumed she would be from now on, with what had happened in the last couple star systems. What other surprises would the Morag have up their sleeves this time? This was her mission, and she would fulfill it.

As her fleet exited hyperspace at their target system, Barnes felt the tension in her shoulders. She even had a slight headache from all the stress. The alarms sounded, and Barnes shifted her gaze to the tactical display. Yes, only thirty-seven enemy ships. She was surprised when all the ships disappeared and then reappeared in weapons range. The Humans had been caught off guard. They had not expected the Morag to attack.

Barnes quickly commanded the fleet to engage the enemy. The viewscreen at the front of the Command Center showed two battlecarriers targeted by the enemy ships. Barnes had her ship change its targeting to the enemy ships taking aim at the carriers. The threat was soon eliminated.

The tactical display now showed only three enemy ships remaining. The fleet had done a great job eliminating the Morag ships. The three remaining ships entered hyperspace and ended up on the far side of the star system.

The remaining Morag ships must be dealt with. The Humans could not afford to be followed. For now though, they would move on to their next targets. This meant splitting the fleet in two. Barnes would take half the ships and destroy the nearest shipyard, the one that orbited the planet. Carrie would take the other half and head to the shipyard that orbited the terraformed moon.

While there, she would take very detailed scans of the surface. Even if they had no intention of attacking the moon, they still wanted to know if a hidden military base was there or not. They may return later with more ships to eliminate it.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie jumped to her target. She and Barnes had discussed that they would use the attack interceptors to destroy the shipyards. This would preserve the fleet until later. The more targets they could hit over the next week, the better.

The fleet stopped short of engagement range of the shipyard. Carrie took in a deep breath. This shipyard was another one of the larger ones. Why then was it less protected? Why not have more ships in the system? Carrie couldn’t even begin to understand the Morag’s strategy.

Soon the viewscreen filled with attack interceptors. They formed into their squadrons and moved in to destroy the shipyard.

-

Lieutenant Garland and what was left of her squadron, plus a few new members, headed toward the shipyard. Garland hoped this shipyard did not possess any interceptor killers. They would soon find out.

The shipyard began its bombardment of the attack interceptors, once they moved within range of their weapons. Garland noticed that the antimatter missiles were detonating at medium range from the shipyard instead of on impact. They would steer clear of that area. She commanded her squadron to move closer to the shipyard, before launching their first two weapons.

Garland maneuvered her interceptor around multiple fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles. As the missiles flew by, she cringed, hoping they did not detonate close to her or her squadron. She realized she had been holding her breath and slowly let it out. It was now time to launch their first wave of missiles at the shipyard. Hopefully it would take down the energy screen.

Her interceptor shook beneath her, as the first two missiles headed to their target. Garland intensely watched, as the first wave grew closer to the shipyard. Thankfully the targeting of the enemy firepower had switched from the interceptors to the incoming missiles. This allowed the interceptors to move closer to the shipyard without the worry of dodging the enemy firepower.

The initial wave of missiles reached the energy screen and caused it to light up brighter and brighter, while it tried to dissipate the amount of energy impacting it. Garland narrowed her eyes, as more and more missiles hit the screen. When the last few hit the screen, it finally failed. Garland was beginning to think that they might have to launch more of their missiles at the screen to destroy it. Now they could use the rest to eliminate the shipyard.

Once the energy screen failed, the shipyard renewed its attack on the interceptors. Garland quickly launched her remaining two missiles, as did the rest of the interceptors. The second wave of missiles was now inbound to the shipyard. As soon as the shipyard switched its targeting again to the incoming missiles, the interceptors turned around and headed to the safety of the fleet.

When Garland reached her battlecarrier, she turned her interceptor around to see if the shipyard had been eliminated. All that remained were glowing pieces of wreckage. A smile crossed Garland’s face. One less shipyard for the enemy.

Once inside the carrier, Garland was relieved to know she had lost none of her squadron in that attack.

-

Carrie had watched the attack unfold on the viewscreens at the front of her Command Center. Once the second round of missiles hit the shipyard, a chain of explosions began. The shipyard had then fractured into multiple pieces. These pieces were then pulled by the planet’s gravity toward the planet itself. Then the defensive grid began to break up the pieces even further. They had been successful. None of the pieces had hit the surface.

One target destroyed. Now Carrie would take a few ships to hunt down the three remaining Morag warships. Hopefully she would take them by surprise.

As Carrie and the small task group dropped out of hyperspace near the three enemy ships, the Humans fired immediately. One of the enemy ships succumbed to the attack, but the other two escaped.

Carrie sighed. So much for a surprise attack. They couldn’t afford to let even one enemy ship survive that could follow them when they left this system.

The only thing she could do was hunt them down. She doubted two enemy ships would attack the Human fleet if it attempted to target the planet.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes watched as her group of attack interceptors moved in to attack the shipyard. This shipyard that orbited the planet, Morag Eighty-Eight, was not as large as the one Carrie had to destroy. The attack interceptors should have no problem destroying it.

In the back of her mind, Barnes was still worried about those Morag ships that remained in the system. They would be a thorn in her side. First though, time to destroy this shipyard.

Barnes sat forward in her chair, as the attack interceptors closed the distance to the shipyard. The shipyard was doing its best to destroy the incoming threat but was not having much success. Thank goodness for the maneuverability of those interceptors.

Once the interceptors reached the designated coordinates, they launched their first two missiles. Barnes was glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of those. When the fusion-tipped missiles struck the energy shield, it began to overload. Before all the missiles had hit the energy screen, it failed, allowing the rest of the missiles to hit the shipyard. The attack interceptors then took that opportunity to launch their two remaining missiles.

Barnes smiled. That shipyard had no chance. A giant explosion engulfed the entire shipyard, blasting pieces in every direction. Their target had been destroyed; mission accomplished.

While the attack interceptors returned to their battlecarriers, Barnes assigned a task group of ten ships to hunt down the remaining Morag ships. Barnes checked her tactical display and was glad to see Carrie had already taken out one of them.

Barnes watched as the task group made their short jump to the enemy ships’ current location. Unfortunately the enemy ships made their jump before the task group arrived. Barnes narrowed her eyes at the viewscreen, deep in thought.

Barnes watched as this same scenario played itself out again and again. She needed more task groups. She quickly divided her fleet into groups of six ships. Each would jump independently of the others. Hopefully that would be too many for the enemy to keep up with.

The luck of the Morag would run out eventually.

Barnes saw that Carrie had likewise divided her fleet into more groups too. That just had to work. After approximately ten minutes of this strategy, the Morag’s luck finally ran out. Both remaining enemy ships were eliminated. Barnes let out a big sigh of relief and leaned back in her command chair.

“Order the fleet to enter hyperspace. Let’s head to our next target.”

Chapter Three

Admiral Collison neared the rendezvous coordinates. As he approached the system, he couldn’t help but run some long-range scans of the system. He waited with anticipation, until the scans came back.

“Admiral, over three thousand ships show up on the long-range scans,” called out the sensor officer.

“Those must be the allied races. I know that Rear Admiral Martinez and Admiral Masters have not arrived yet. It could possibly be the Visth and the United Worlds Alliance. I guess we will see when we exit hyperspace,” replied Collison.

Collison looked forward to seeing the other races’ ships and weaponry. He also looked forward to meeting the military leaders from the other races. Since he was the first Human Admiral to arrive, he planned to meet their new allies himself. As long as his translator device would work for all those represented, he would be good.

A smile spread across Collison’s face as he exited hyperspace. Alarms sounded, but Collison was not concerned. These foreign ships would register as the enemy, since they were unknown to his ship’s systems. Collison stood and looked intently at the viewscreens in front of him. One zoomed in on the ships in the system.

“Admiral, I register forty-six different types of ships,” said the sensor officer.

“Send out a message to all ships, letting them know who we are,” Collison commanded.

“Yes, sir. I am ready to broadcast your message whenever you are,” said the communications officer.

Collison nodded at the communications officer, indicating he was ready. This message would not only be voice but would also be video. He stood tall and proud and said, “Greetings, allies. I am Admiral Collison from Earth. I have been here in the Confederation for over a month now, hitting targets all over the Confederation space.

“I have recently returned from the Morag area of the Confederation, where we have been destroying targets. I have left part of my fleet there to continue their attacks. Another part of my fleet is also being repaired for the upcoming mission.

“It is good to see so many races represented here today. I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with a representative from each race to start planning our attack. The other Human fleets will arrive later today, but I would like to get started as quickly as we can. Time is something we do not have a lot of. I would like to meet on my flagship in two hours. Thank you.”

As the screen faded to black, Collison sat back down in his command chair. He was relieved to have that done. Now he needed to identify which races were here and do a little research on them to prepare for the upcoming meeting.

-

Captain Tanner on scout ship 112 had his drone nearing the palace on Falton Two. They had decided to name the building as the palace, where they had spotted the two men talking on the balcony. Even if it might not be the literal palace, it was easier to refer to it by name.

The drone flew in broad daylight this time. This did make Tanner a bit more nervous, but they had to take a few chances to get some answers.

As the drone neared the palace, Tanner slowly circled the building. He moved closer to the windows to get a peek inside the building. Tanner and his crew were also working on a map of the inside of the palace, based on what they could see from the windows. Most windows only gave them a peek into one room, usually smaller office-type rooms. Various people seemed to be hard at work inside.

The drone approached two large windows. When it was close enough to get a glimpse inside, Tanner saw a massive room, with columns lining what looked like a walkway. Through the windows, it was hard to see much detail though.

Tanner moved the drone around the palace and approached the balcony, where they had spotted the two mystery men talking. Tanner felt his heart beating quickly in his chest. He wiped the sweat from his hands. Soon the drone had a clear view of the balcony. It was empty. No one stood out there.

However, a large double door stood wide open. Should he take the chance and take the drone inside the building? Maybe for just a minute to see what was inside? Tanner couldn’t resist the temptation.

The drone slowly made its way through the double doors and into the palace. Tanner took in a quick breath. Wow. This room was beautiful. It looked like it was part library and part office space. The room was large, with red rugs over what appeared to be marble flooring. Two walls were lined, top to bottom, in books. Large tables were positioned in the middle of the room. A few smaller tables were on one side of the room.

Tanner moved the drone closer to the nearest wall of books. Perhaps he could get close enough to see what books this library possessed. Not that any would be familiar, but it might give him some information. He had the drone scan a few shelves of books. He would take the time to review the footage later to see the specifics.

Tanner turned the drone around and noticed a massive map on the far wall. He flew the drone closer to get a better view. On the map, he found Falton Two. He also noted where Morag Prime was. A few other planets on the map were labeled that he did not recognize. He made a note of it. This was something else he planned to look up later.

He moved the drone to get a better view of more planets on the map. As he neared the edge closest to the windows, he was shocked to see Earth represented on the map. What did they know of Earth? It didn’t seem to be labeled in a way that would make it apparent if they saw Earth as a friend or a foe.

Now Tanner was curious to see if Golan Four was represented on the map or the Hagen Star Cluster. He felt like an explorer on the verge of some big discovery. Many more planets were named that were not familiar to him. Of course so many planets were in the Confederation that Tanner didn’t even begin to keep track of all their names.

He tried to recall how many inhabited worlds were in the Confederation. Possibly sixty thousand or more. Tanner shook his head. That was a lot of planets. Not even counting the uninhabited planets of course. He made more notes that he could use to look up later on his holographic display. Tanner also took multiple photos that he would study later.

The drone moved farther from the map to get an overall vantage point. Tanner noticed a man, sitting at one of the small tables near the wall of windows—where his double doors were located. He did a quick check to confirm they were still open. Tanner was relieved to see that his exit was still viable for now.

With time growing smaller, before the drone needed to head out of the palace, Tanner moved the drone in closer to the man at the table. He was not one of the men from the balcony. This man was older. He had gray hair and wore a red outfit with silver accents. Tanner moved the drone in even closer to see what the man was looking at. The man looked up at that moment, and Tanner froze in panic. Could he sense the drone? The man looked around, like he had heard something, and then resumed his activity.

As Tanner slowly moved the drone ever closer to the man, Tanner understood he was taking a significant risk. He just had to know what the older man was looking at. What Tanner saw surprised him. It appeared to be plans for a warship.

Tanner quickly took photos of what he saw and then knew his time was up. He needed to get the drone out the double doors before his exit closed. With more than a little reluctance, Tanner moved the drone through the doors and back outside the palace.

Tanner used the remaining time to look in a few more windows. When he neared the top floor, he came to what appeared to be a group of bedrooms. Tanner jumped when his drone came face-to-face with one of the mystery men. This was the one Tanner had thought was the banished Prince.

Tanner held his breath. Could he see the drone? The man did not change his focus or look directly at the drone. Tanner took many photographs, as he moved the drone around the window. He did his best not to move the drone into the Prince’s direct field of vision. Was this the banished Prince?

Tanner left the drone positioned at that window, until the battery indicator light signaled that it was time to head back to the ship. Even if Tanner hadn’t positively identified the man, he did now know where his room was. Maybe Tanner would learn more on the next drone flight.

Who was this man, and what exactly was his role here? If it were the banished Prince, how did he get here? Did he know these Humans had special abilities? So many questions.

Once the drone was safe on the scout ship again, Tanner relaxed a little. He would have hours of footage to review and study. Not to mention all of the pictures to peruse. The books, the map, the design for a warship that the older man had been looking at, the bedroom where the banished Prince was.

Even if this man turned out to not be who Tanner thought he might be, Tanner would probably always now refer to this man as the banished Prince. Tanner had to admit that he hoped that man really was Aiden Starguard. What a family reunion that would be, one thousand years in the making.

Tanner decided to grab a bite to eat before starting his perusal of the drone footage. He had plenty of time to study it.

-

Collison didn’t do his usual meeting routine. He wouldn’t serve any food at this meeting. Food was a good icebreaker but not today. No way he could please every race represented here today. He expected over forty representatives to arrive at his ship in the next few minutes. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous.

At least one familiar face would be here. The leader of the Barsoon military, Commander Kyran would be in attendance. Collison had spent many hours with him in the Barsoon home system.

The others would all be new to Collison. He took a deep breath to steady himself. He wanted to be at the airlock, when each of his guests arrived to greet them.

When Collison received word that his first guest had arrived, he headed to the right door to greet his guest. Collison prepared himself mentally not to show any shock at what might be on the other side of the door. Collison had glanced through the data compiled on what was known of some of the allied races coming today, but many he had not found any information on.

He did not want to offend any allies with any shocked facial expressions. Collison also gave a quick lecture to the entire crew about not offending their guests. Most of the crew had been restricted from the area to be on the safe side. Some people were better at hiding their true thoughts than others.

Collison heard the airlock release, and the door opened. He put a smile on his face and stood tall and proud. He would represent his race today, and he wanted to give off an excellent first impression. They did not need more enemies.

In walked a humanoid with a blue tinge to his skin and no hair on his head or arms. He stood slightly taller than Collison. The humanoid’s eyes were a deep purple, and his head was larger than a Human’s. When Collison extended his hand to shake the newcomer’s, he noted his guest had hands similar to his, although a bit colder. “Hello and welcome to my flagship, Mercury. I am Admiral Collison.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. I am Leader Banoka of the Vindimu. We brought three hundred warships to help fight against the Morag. I will admit I would have liked to bring more, but many had to remain in our home system, in case the Morag aggress against my people. We have been building a fleet of warships to one day use against the Morag for over one hundred years now. I am not sure how well our weapons will compare to others, but we hope to be an asset to the fleet in some way or another,” Banoka responded.

Collison was once again thankful for his translator that hung around his neck. He had a few extras, if one of his guests needed one, but was relieved that Leader Banoka of the Vindimu had one himself. Collison led Banoka down the corridor to the larger meeting room. “Where are your star systems located? In the Morag-controlled area?”

Banoka answered, “Yes. We have seven inhabited star systems on the farthest side of the Morag-controlled portion of the Confederation. We have always made an effort to meet the Morag’s quota of goods from our star systems, so that they would leave us alone. We witnessed what the Morag were capable of with our neighbors. We learned from their mistakes.

“All the while, deep underground, we were building a fleet. We have over one thousand ships ready to guard our star systems, once this attack commences. If need be, I can summon a few more to join us. We have four different types of ships represented here today. When we have the opportunity, I would be privileged to show you what each type is capable of.”

“That is great news. The Human Empire similarly built ships underground, right under the noses of the Confederation. With the help of Earth and the Solar System, we have built quite a fleet of ships ourselves. The rest of our main fleet will arrive this afternoon. I am sure this meeting today will be one of many,” Collison said, with a smile. “I look forward to seeing your ships, and thank you for bringing ships here to meet us and to join us in our attack against Morag Prime.”

Collison ushered Banoka into the conference room. “This is my second in command, Captain Billingsly. He will keep you company, while I meet the rest of our guests. Please make yourself at home and feel free to ask Billingsly any questions that you might have. He will answer them to the best of his ability.”

Collison introduced the two and then walked out the door and back down the corridor. One down and who knows how many more to go, Collison thought, with a bit of chuckle under his breath. He thought that the first introduction had gone well.

When the airlock door opened the next time, Collison was relieved to see the Barsoon Commander Kyran. He walked with him down to the conference room and introduced him to Captain Billingsly and Leader Banoka. Then Collison made his trek back to the airlock door again to greet his next guest.

This continued for well over an hour. So far, none of the allied races had intimidated him.

As the airlock door opened one last time, Collison took in a sharp breath. Standing before him was a massive ape-like being, similar to the Morag, yet smaller, with green eyes, whereas the Morag had red eyes.

“Greetings, my name is Admiral Grumot of the Monroy. I realize we look similar to the Morag, but I assure you our behavior is much different.” An endearing smile crossed Grumot’s face.

Collison let out a sigh of relief. “Welcome to my ship. The others have already arrived and are waiting in the conference room. Thank you for coming and for joining us in our fight against the Morag.”

“We have waited a very long time for this opportunity to free ourselves from the Morag’s rule. They see us as subservient to them, since we are not an aggressive race, like they are. They see us as inferior. I have waited, as have my people, for the chance to prove them wrong and to show them that we are a people to be reckoned with. Not to be used as servants and workers for the Morag’s purposes,” Grumot revealed, as he walked beside Collison down the corridor.

“I believe you will find a roomful of like-minded individuals here at the end of this corridor. I hope that, even after this battle is over, we can build a strong and mutually beneficial relationship,” Collison suggested, as they walked through the doors of the conference room.

After Collison made the introductions, they all sat down to begin their meeting. “We are still expecting a lot more ships and allies to arrive over the next couple days. The Visth and their United Worlds Alliance will arrive tomorrow. Later today, the largest portion of the Human fleets will arrive. The Lormallians will arrive tomorrow as well.”

Collison heard the rumblings from a few of the representatives. “I know that some of you may be a little uncomfortable with the Lormallians, since they were, up until recently, a part of the Seven Races of the Confederation that ruled this area of space. They were also, until recently, an enemy to us Humans as well.

“Since the Confederation fractured, the Lormallians have proven to be a great ally to us. They are also the ones who have supplied us with enough telepathic nullifiers to protect all of you and your ships from the Morag’s telepathic interference. Without this device, this battle would not be possible. I can assure you that the Lormallians are our allies, not our enemies. Our enemies remain the Morag, Druins, and Lamothians. For now, the Lamothians are not a threat, as they rebuild their civilization.”

“It is hard to trust someone you have feared and hated your entire life,” commented Herin of the Nort. “Even to put on the device that the Lormallians have made is not something most of us are comfortable with.”

“I understand your concern. Perhaps when the Visth and their alliance arrive, they can help ease your minds. They have been manufacturing the telepathic nullifiers and will bring a large supply of them. If you have questions about the device, I am sure they would be more than happy to answer your queries,” Collison replied.

“Today I wanted to take the opportunity to get more familiar with everyone and to demonstrate a few of our battle formations that we will practice over the next few days. We do not plan to be here in this star system for very long. We know we must strike while we have the weapons and the numbers advantage.

“My fleet is still in the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation, destroying more targets as we speak. The more we can weaken them before our attack, the better. Plus we are keeping them busy. While they are busy worrying about where we might attack next, they will not be worried about attacking anyone else. We will catch them unprepared. They will not be expecting us to attack their precious Morag Prime. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing that planet become a wasteland.” With that, cheers erupted all across the room.

The meeting continued for another couple hours. As the meeting ended and Collison mingled more with the representatives, his hope for a prosperous future grew.

More and more ships showed up every couple hours. They agreed to meet again the following afternoon. By that time, the large Human fleet should be here, as well as the Visth and the United Worlds Alliance fleets.

Today they would begin working on a few battle formations. Thankfully the Barsoon had already practiced this with Collison’s fleets and could help the others.

Collison walked the representatives to their transport vessels and chatted with each one on the way. Once they had all left, Collison returned to talk with Billingsly. “I think that went better than I expected,” said Collison.

“I couldn’t agree more. What a diverse group of representatives. Let’s hope their ships and weapons are effective. I don’t want to make new friends only to watch them be slaughtered by the enemy,” Billingsly said.

“We will wait until Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters arrives with Rear Admiral Martinez. Then we will have our allies demonstrate their weapons capability,” replied Collison.

“I guess it doesn’t make much difference in what they show us. We can’t improve their weapons or their defenses in the time we have,” remarked Billingsly.

“True, but we will have an idea what help they can be. Other than only an intimidation factor,” Collison added.

“We should be welcoming Masters and Martinez soon. The last update had them five hours away. That was before the meeting.”

“Let’s go get another update on the Human fleet, plus see what other ships have arrived since our last update,” responded Collison.

-

Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters monitored the consoles in front of him. They were almost close enough to run the long-range scans on the rendezvous system. He could barely contain his excitement.

The Visth and their alliance would not arrive until the next day. So whatever showed up on his scans now wouldn’t include them. In his last update from the supply fleet, Rear Admiral Drake mentioned that the Lormallian fleet had not left yet. Many of the allied races would be wary of the Lormallians, since they were, up until recently, a part of the seven races who ruled the Confederation.

For this reason, they had decided the Lormallians would not join them until right before they left for Morag Prime. Hopefully this would help the other races feel more comfortable.

“Admiral, the scans are complete from the rendezvous star system. Currently over five thousand ships are in the system,” reported the sensor officer.

A smile spread across Derrick’s face. “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to see that many allied ships on the viewscreen. Let’s just hope the ships are more advanced and not primitive.”

“Should we let Admiral Collison know we are getting close? So we don’t cause any alarm?” remarked Major Keela Nower at sensors.

“Yes, inform Collison that we will exit hyperspace in the next fifteen minutes,” commanded Derrick. “Let’s not cause a panic when we show up.”

Derrick continued to monitor the consoles and the information displayed on them. After a few minutes passed, it was time to prepare to exit hyperspace.

Derrick took a deep breath and stood before his command chair. His gaze was focused on the viewscreen at the front of the room. As the fleet exited hyperspace, Derrick looked forward to seeing his viewscreen covered in friendly allied ships.

Soon Derrick got exactly what he wanted. Filling his viewscreen were over five thousand ships. Derrick sighed. If only these warships were advanced in weaponry and defenses, they’d be set.

Finding out the answer to this question would be one of his top priorities. He planned to meet with Admiral Collison as soon as possible. The faster they could get this show on the road, the better. They had the tactical and quite possibly the numbers advantage on the enemy. They needed to make good use of this while they could.

-

Admiral Collison stared at his tactical display. He felt so much relief with over 2,700 Human ships now in the star system. Collison couldn’t help but smile.

If they only depended on the races they already knew who possessed sufficient weapons capabilities like themselves—the Barsoon, the Visth, and the Lormallians—Collison was confident they could face the Morag in a fleet-to-fleet battle.

It didn’t take long for Admiral Masters to contact Collison, wanting to meet. Collison was on his way to the transport vessel to meet Rear Admiral Martinez and Admiral Masters to bring them up to speed. Collison also needed to impress upon them the importance of moving on their target quickly, before they lost their advantages. Hopefully they would be on the same page and would follow his lead. Collison would soon find out.

Chapter Four

Human High King Bramdon Starguard sat, staring at the Morag on the other side of the glass.

“What do you think they will do with us?” asked his beautiful wife, Claire.

“I am not sure. They kept us this long in cryo, so no doubt they have a purpose for us. It wouldn’t make sense for them to keep us all this time only to execute us now.”

“How long do you think we have been in cryo?” she asked.

“I have no idea. I hope that eventually the Morag will give us some information.”

“Did you see the hatred the others had in their eyes, when they came to see us a few days ago?” Claire asked.

“Yes. This Morag here seems to be planning something. He appears to be deep in thought. I wonder what role we have in his plan. Whatever it is, I doubt we will like it.”

“Do you think any of our children are still alive?”

“Who knows. It depends on how long we were in cryo. In this place we are now, there’s no way to tell how much time has passed,” replied Bramdon.

“Maybe that Morag will tell us? It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“He can probably hear everything we say. If he wanted to give us any information, he would.”

-

Addonis, the current leader of the Morag High Council, watched the two Humans on the other side of the glass. They had been gifted to Morag Prime by the Falton Two leaders. Addonis was slightly curious to know what they were talking about, but he didn’t have his translator on him. These two Humans were curious creatures. Maybe he could get these two to unknowingly reveal valuable information that he could use against the Human Empire.

Addonis made a note to bring his translators the next time he came to check on them. They would need them too in order to understand him. Maybe he could use these Humans in ways he hadn’t thought of before. He needed to give it more consideration first.

Time to go to the Command Center to get an update on the status of their area of the Confederation. The Humans were attacking again, although with a small fleet. No doubt they would soon be eliminated, and his worries would be for nothing.

-

Morag Commander Senel neared his first Creetin star system. The long-range scans had come up empty. He and his task group would make an appearance in each system though. If the Creetins were up to something, Senel’s presence in their star systems would make them think twice about their plans.

As his task group of twenty battlecruisers and five battleships exited hyperspace, he confirmed no enemy ships in the system. Senel would spend a while here, recharging his hyperdrives. A little intimidation would do the Creetins good.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius received word from his star systems that a Morag task group was in the system containing Amoritian. No Creetin ships were currently in the system, as all ships were now in hiding.

All Ephenius could do was hope that the Morag ships were only making the rounds and would find no cause to attack any planets. Maybe Ephenius could request the Human fleet in the Morag area of the Confederation to destroy this enemy task force. If this group of ships had in mind to search each of their systems, the Humans might make it there in time.

The only way he would find out would be to ask. He sent word to his leaders back home to contact the Human scout ship stationed there and to request help from Rear Admirals Barnes and Carrie. Hopefully the Humans would honor his request.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes reviewed the information one last time that they had received from the scout ship stationed in the star system where their next target was located. Fifty-one Morag warships patrolled the system with three shipyards. Only one inhabited planet and one terraformed moon were in the system. The scout ship did suspect a Morag military base was located on the moon but not a massive one. Barnes intended to leave it alone for now. They would destroy the ships and the shipyards. The base could be destroyed later, when they had more ships.

The plan was to protect the carriers and hopefully to eliminate the enemy ships first. Then they would split up and go after two of the shipyards. Barnes would take one shipyard, while Carrie took the second one. After that, one of them would hunt down the rest of the fleet, while the other destroyed the remaining shipyard.

“Rear Admiral Barnes, we are receiving a message from the scout ship stationed in the home system of the Creetins. They are requesting our help in destroying a Morag task group there,” said the communications officer.

“How many ships does the Morag have?” asked Barnes.

“Twenty-five, ma’am.”

“Let the scout ship know we will head in that direction after we finish our targets. We should be there in about eighteen hours. Tell them to keep us updated on the enemy task group’s movements,” replied Barnes. It sounded like a pretty easy target. If there was a way to help them, Barnes thought it was in their best interests to do so.

First though, they would destroy the targets in this system.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie sat forward in her chair, as the fleet exited hyperspace. Alarms sounded, and Carrie’s gaze moved to the tactical display. Carrie watched as the red threat icons disappeared. “Here they come,” Carrie shouted. “Prepare to fire!”

The Morag ships appeared near the Human fleet and took aim at their battlecarriers. The Human fleet quickly neutralized the enemy ships. Carrie had watched two of the Morag ships enter hyperspace, before they could be destroyed.

One look at the tactical display confirmed that no enemy ships were currently in the star system. Would those two ships return? Carrie would keep an eye out for them. She was sure they would try to follow the Human fleet when they left the system.

The tactical display did show that the Human fleet had lost sixteen battlecruisers and four dreadnoughts. Two battlecarriers had been damaged and were currently working on repairs.

Carrie assigned a small group of ships to stay to protect those two carriers, while the rest of the fleet headed to their targets. The remaining carriers were split evenly between Barnes and Carrie.

The task group Carrie was in charge of quickly jumped to their first target. This shipyard orbited the planet, Morag Sixty-One, and was an average-size shipyard. The carriers deployed the attack interceptors, while the fleet stayed just out of weapons range of the shipyard.

The shipyard began its defense and launched its fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles. Carrie cringed as a few of the missiles detonated near one of the squadrons, destroying nearly half of it. The attack interceptors continued to move in, until they reached their designated first launch zone.

Soon a massive amount of missiles headed toward the shipyard. This time the interceptors didn’t wait long before launching their second round.

As the interceptors turned to fly back to their carriers, the missiles began impacting the energy screen of the shipyard. Its screen eventually failed, allowing a few of the missiles to hit the shipyard.

Once Carrie realized the shipyard was not destroyed by the interceptors’ attack, she moved her fleet to finish it off. The shipyard’s weapons were still working to eliminate the incoming firepower. The fleet launched two rounds of accelerator cannon fire and then jumped to a safe distance from the shipyard.

From there, Carrie watched as the shipyard was obliterated. One shipyard down, two to go.

-

Barnes moved in to eliminate her target. The shipyard she would destroy orbited the terraformed moon. From the scans that Barnes had done, the shipyard was currently near where the military base was on the moon. She would keep a close eye on the base, as they destroyed this shipyard.

As soon as the attack interceptors launched from their carriers, alarms sounded. Barnes felt her heartbeat speed up. She felt slightly nauseous. “What do we have?”

“I have Morag interceptors killers launching from the surface of the moon,” replied the sensor officer.

“How many?”

“Over one hundred and counting,” replied the sensor officer.

“Let Carrie know I will need her assistance as soon as possible. Let’s have the fleet move in to destroy the shipyard. The interceptors will have their hands full with the interceptor killers,” commanded Barnes.

One viewscreen showed the interceptor killers entering the space above the moon. The attack interceptors immediately began targeting and destroying the small enemy ships.

The fleet launched their accelerator cannons at the shipyard and then quickly moved out of weapons range. From there, they watched the accelerator cannon fire smash through the energy screen and into the side of the shipyard. Large explosions began and soon engulfed the entire thing.

If only Barnes could help the attack interceptors destroy the interceptor killers. She hated standing on the sidelines, knowing they could do nothing to help.

A thought crossed Barnes’s mind. If the interceptor killers already launched from the base were all the extra ships the base had, then now the base became a viable target. Surely if more ships had been housed there, the time to launch them would have been simultaneously as the interceptor killers.

The viewscreen showed the number of attack interceptors increased, which meant that Carrie had arrived with her interceptors. Barnes really disliked being a spectator, so she quickly communicated with Carrie about going ahead and attacking the base. She was on board with it. At least that would give Barnes’s crew something to do.

Barnes’s fleet moved into position above the base and began targeting the defensive grid in the area. Part of the fleet protected the rear, where the carriers were busy reloading the attack interceptors. Barnes kept an eye on the tactical display, as she continued to hope that no more enemy ships appeared.

The main viewscreen showed the attack interceptors enthralled in their battle with the interceptor killers. It looked like the number of enemy vessels was decreasing quicker than the interceptors. Thankfully they did outnumber the enemy ships. Barnes hoped they didn’t lose many interceptors and their crews.

The number of defensive grid elements was quickly falling. With the interceptors wrapped up in their dogfight with the interceptor killers, the fleet would be tasked with destroying the base. It shouldn’t be an issue. As of yet, no more enemy ships had shown up on the tactical display.

Barnes took aim on the base, and the fleet fired multiple rounds of accelerator cannon fire at the surface of the moon, where the military base was located. Large debris clouds filled the air. A few of the projectiles had been shot down by the base itself. However, enough had slipped through and had hit the surface, quickly destroying the base.

With that target eliminated, they now only had one shipyard to go. Carrie would stay behind and protect the carriers, while Barnes jumped over to the opposite side of the planet and took out the shipyard.

Barnes planned to jump near the shipyard, launch a few rounds of weapons fire at it, and then quickly jump out of harm’s way. Hopefully she would not lose any more ships.

As the fleet jumped in near the shipyard, the shipyard quickly fired its weapons at the advancing fleet. The fleet launched four rounds of accelerator cannon fire, which it could do in two minutes, and then jumped out of the way of the enemy weapons fire.

While the projectiles quickly made their way to the doomed shipyard, Barnes leaned forward in her chair. Would this be enough, or would they have to jump back over and launch more projectiles at it? She would soon find out. The projectiles slammed through the shield and into the side of the shipyard, causing catastrophic damage. The entire shipyard was destroyed in one massive explosion. Even as far away as Barnes was, the blast wave shook her ship.

As Barnes prepared to join Carrie, the sensor alarms sounded. Barnes’s heart sank. Are these Morag reinforcements or the two ships that had exited the system earlier? Barnes’s gaze quickly shifted from the viewscreen to the tactical display in front of her. Two red threat icons now showed on the screen. “Let’s go hunt them down,” commanded Barnes.

The task group jumped out to the enemy ships’ location and fired on them as they exited hyperspace. One large explosion eliminated one ship, but the other had jumped before the projectiles could destroy it. Barnes had her task group follow. It only took a couple jumps before they neutralized the threat—one less thing to worry about.

The tactical display now showed no more red threat icons. The interceptors must have finished defeating the interceptor killers. Barnes checked in with Carrie to confirm all the remaining interceptors had made it back to their carriers.

Carrie gave her the all-clear, and the fleet entered hyperspace.

Once in the safety of hyperspace, Barnes evaluated their losses. The hardest hit were the attack interceptors. They had lost a little over three hundred of them. Barnes had ordered them to consolidate, so that they could send the two damaged battlecarriers back to the supply fleet. Those ships would be needed later. As for the rest of their losses, they had lost twenty battlecruisers and six dreadnoughts.

Now the fleet would travel to the Creetin star systems to eliminate the Morag fleet there. It would be an eighteen-hour hyperspace jump to where the enemy fleet was now. Carrie expected that the Morag fleet would move before they arrived, but, with the help of the scout ships, they would know where the Morag had been and where they were likely headed next. Their hours were dwindling. Soon that Morag task group would be no more.

-

Morag Commander Senel was ready to move on to the next Creetin star system, a three-hour hyperspace jump from their current location. He doubted he would find anything, but he had been ordered to search each system for any suspicious behavior. If he found any, he had been instructed to make an example of the nearest Creetin planet. Senel really hoped he would find something to give him an excuse to destroy a planet or two.

The Creetins could be exterminated for all he cared. Who needed more insects in the galaxy? A few less would be fine with him.

-

Derrick sent a quick message to Layla to let her know he had arrived at the rendezvous location. He sent it through the scout ships, so that it was less likely to get intercepted by the enemy. Once that task had been accomplished, Derrick walked to the conference room. He looked forward to seeing and talking to Admiral Collison. While Derrick was the highest-ranking military leader here, Collison had much more experience fighting the Morag in enemy territory.

As Derrick entered the conference room, he smiled at the table of food laid out for them. He took in a deep breath, savoring the smells. He slowly let it out. He would wait for Admiral Collison and Rear Admiral Martinez to show up, before digging into the food. In the meantime, however, he would scope out the food to see what would soon be in his belly.

When Derrick had finished perusing the food, the other two guests had arrived. They wasted no time filling their plates and digging into the food. After they had had their fill, the serious talking began.

Collison brought them both up to speed on Barnes and Carrie. Then he filled them in about the meeting he had had with the representatives from the allied races already here.

“I am looking forward to seeing all their weapons capabilities,” Derrick mentioned. The others all agreed.

“I set up a meeting for us again tomorrow. I believe the Visth and the United Worlds Alliance will be here by then. After that, I hoped to have each race demonstrate their weapons capabilities. I know there’s nothing we can do to improve what they have now, but I, for one, would like to know what we have to work with,” Collison said.

“Me too. The Creetins will arrive later tomorrow evening. Their weapons capabilities are unknown as well. From the updates I received from Admiral Cleemorl, the Morag fleet did exit hyperspace to engage our fleet on the periphery of the Empire. The enemy was quickly destroyed but may have discerned that they had been following the Creetins and not Human ships. If that is the case, the Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius believes the Morag will retaliate against his people,” said Derrick.

“Yes. Barnes and Carrie received a request from the Creetins to come destroy a small Morag task group that had appeared in their systems. So far, this Morag task group has only scanned the system and the planets and has not attacked them in any way. That could always change. Barnes and Carrie should arrive in about fourteen hours, depending on where the enemy fleet is at that time,” said Collison.

“Good. I like that they are responding to that call for aid. That will go a long way in strengthening our alliance with these other races as well,” replied Derrick.

“When do we plan to leave here for the Morag area of the Confederation?” Martinez asked Collison.

“I think we all would agree that this needs to happen quickly. The longer we wait, the more time the Morag have to build more ships and to develop more weapons. We must strike while we have the advantage,” Collison replied.

“I agree. The Visth arrive in the morning, then the Creetins in the evening. When do we expect the Lormallians to arrive?” asked Derrick.

“The Lormallians and the rest of my fleet that has been repaired will be here the next morning. Rear Admiral Drake is there, waiting on the repairs. He will bring them the same time the Lormallians come. I will say that many of the races here are uncomfortable with the Lormallians. I am hoping the Visth will help ease their worries,” said Collison.

Derrick responded, “I can see how they might feel that way. For so long, the Lormallians have been our enemies as well. Now we will fight together alongside them against our common enemy. I would be lying if I said I was not worried about it a little myself.”

“At least we know their weapons are adequate. They have the same weapons as the Morag. We know they can destroy Morag ships. Their shields are as good as ours. It’s in their best interests to join us in destroying the Morag,” added Martinez.

“Yes. I agree that they are now our allies. They will be a great help in this battle. I also believe this will help our friendship grow stronger too. We must decide on our plan of attack. Once we see the weapons capabilities of the others, we can make our final decisions on where they will best fit to the most advantage,” said Derrick.

Collison suggested, “Maybe some of the smaller ships can help eliminate the interceptor killers. The Morag have been using them more and more, as we have continued our attacks. My guess is that they’ve ramped up production of them, since we have used the attack interceptors in destroying their shipyards, military bases, and planets. I have no doubt the Morag have a significant amount of them stationed at Morag Prime.”

Derrick nodded. “We have more supply vessels that will arrive tomorrow to help restock more attack interceptors in the battlecarriers. Where will we stage the supply fleet?” Derrick asked.

Collison replied, “I am not sure. That is something we should look at and decide. It would be beneficial to have the mobile repair yards closer. Still more ships here need repairs too.”

The meeting continued for some time, as they hashed out the details and the plans for the attack. When the meeting adjourned, Collison and Martinez headed back to their flagships.

-

When Collison returned to his flagship, he was greeted by Captain Billingsly. “How did it go?”

“It went well. Our plan is to head to Morag Prime in two days. The journey to Morag Prime is four days from here. So the battle will begin in six days,” Collison replied, with a smile.

Billingsly returned a smile. “I am looking forward to it.”

“In the meantime, we must figure out where to stage the supply fleet,” replied Collison.

“What about the Barsoon home system? Drake had mentioned that as a possible location for them to stage,” replied Billingsly.

“That’s a good idea. Let’s see what other options we have, but I like the sound of that one,” replied Collison. “Let’s check in with Rear Admiral Drake on the progress of the repairs on our fleet.”

“Yes, Admiral, right away.”

-

Rear Admiral Drake monitored the progress of the repairs on the fleet. They had so many ships that needed repairs. No way they could all finish in time. The priorities had gone to the ships that could be repaired the quickest. Those needing major repairs had to wait.

Collison was on the same page as Drake about moving the supply fleet closer to the battles. It would put them in more danger but would also put them three days closer to the battle. Ships could return to action much quicker this way. The main battle to destroy Morag Prime would be relatively quick compared to what would follow. The rest of the Morag fleet would be hunted down and the shipyards and military bases destroyed. They had a lot of targets to destroy. It would take time. Many ships would be repaired during that final part of the fight.

Drake needed to leave behind a larger task force to protect the supply fleet. He would consult with Captain Avery while he was here. They needed to figure out how large a task group Avery would like to have and also how many ships they could spare for this purpose. Drake could get this done while he was still with the supply fleet. He would schedule a meeting with Captain Avery immediately.

Chapter Five

Morag Commander Senel examined the long-range scans from the next Creetin system. No ships showed up on the scans. As his fleet exited hyperspace, no alarms sounded. Senel sighed. He was hoping to find an excuse to exterminate some of these Creetins.

Senel would search the planet carefully to find any trace of wrongdoing. Were the Creetins building warships? If so, where were they doing it? He resolved to find out. Senel would spend a few hours here, scanning the surface and observing.

If the Creetins were doing things they shouldn’t be, Senel would figure it out. Then he would be the one to exact the Morag’s revenge. It would be swift and harsh.

-

Morag Councilor Addonis had decided to speak to his captives. Perhaps he could learn something from them. As he approached the secure area where they were held, he hoped they could give him a solution he hadn’t thought of. Nothing like asking his enemy how to defeat themselves. It was crazy enough that it just might work.

Once he reached the holding location where the two Humans were, Addonis put the two translators on a small pass-through area, where the Humans could access them.

Addonis was slightly annoyed that he must communicate out loud instead of telepathically. He might as well begin. This could take a while. “I am Morag High Councilor Addonis.” Addonis had also decided to tape this little meeting. He might use parts of it later.

The male Human replied, “I am High King of the Human Empire, Bramdon Starguard. This is my wife, Claire.”

Addonis waited to see if this Human would continue to talk. When he didn’t, Addonis asked his first question. “If you were me, how would you suggest I keep my enemy away from my home?”

Bramdon was silent for a while. “Maybe I am not the one to ask. I was not successful in keeping my enemy away from my home.”

Addonis narrowed his eyes. This Human might be more intelligent than he had considered. “Do you know who now rules your precious Human Empire?”

“I do not. I am not even aware of how long we were in cryo,” replied Bramdon.

“To my recollection, it has been over one thousand years.” Both Humans looked surprised at this revelation.

“Who rules my Empire?” asked Bramdon.

Addonis smiled. He could get a lot of information from this Human. “Someone else was also in cryo for over one thousand years.” He saw hope enter both of their gazes.

“Who is it?” Bramdon asked.

“How do I keep the Humans out of the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation?”

“Why only the Morag-controlled part of the Confederation? Why not all of the Confederation?” asked Bramdon.

Addonis sighed. He studied the male Human. “My priority is my people. Your Human Empire and their allies are attacking my star systems.” Addonis watched the High King’s facial expressions. Addonis could tell Bramdon was shocked and alarmed.

“Perhaps you could negotiate with the leader of this group and make a deal. One where they stay out of your area, and you stay out of theirs.”

“Would you make that deal if you were the leader?” asked Addonis.

The man was quiet for a few moments. “I guess it would depend on the situation. Would you agree to a deal like that? If it would protect your people from harm?”

“My goal is not to protect my people. My goal is to rule the universe.”

“What if it costs you the lives of billions of Morag citizens? Is it worth it?” asked Bramdon.

“The Morag have been striving to rule the universe for thousands of years. It is our destiny. Nothing will stop us.”

“Do you think the Humans realize this?”

“They probably do,” replied Addonis.

“Then do you think they would agree to a compromise?”

“No. Only if they were desperate. Or perhaps to get their High King and Queen back.” With this, Addonis watched the High King carefully.

“Our lives are not worth a surrender. The only way out of this war is a compromise. I cannot compromise for my people, as I am not currently their leader. I do not know the circumstances or their reasoning behind their attacks on your race. When I was in charge, we stayed out of the Confederation. According to you, that has changed. If you would allow me to speak with their leader, maybe we could negotiate.”

Addonis smiled. “No. Now is not the time for that. We will crush this little rebellion and will then teach them a lesson. No Human enters the Morag star systems and lives to talk about it.”

Addonis stood and left the adjoining room. He would let these Humans mull over what he had said. A compromise? The Morag would never compromise with lesser beings.

-

On scout ship 112 stationed above Falton Two, Captain Tanner sifted through all the data from their last drone flight. He currently compared the map found on the wall inside the palace with the holographic display he had. Many of the planets were the same, although the Falton Two map had the original names of the Morag planets, instead of the numbered names of the planets.

He did find a few extra planets on the palace map that were not on any of his maps. Were these planets possibly Human planets? More Humans like the ones here on Falton Two? Or possibly more settlements that the Humans here used to get rid of the Humans without the telepathic ability?

Tanner made a note of his discoveries and decided that, when his shift here observing Falton Two was over, he would take his scout ship and explore the areas where these new planets were. One thing was evident though; these planets were in the middle of the Morag-controlled star systems. If they were Human planets, they must have telepathic Humans on the planet too, or the Morag would have already destroyed them.

A thought crossed Tanner’s mind. What if these planets have warships? That could be a game changer. He had observed the Human in the map room, working on a design that looked like a warship. Tanner quickly sifted through his pictures, until he found the one he remembered. He zoomed in on the document the man studied. Yes, it did look like a warship.

Tanner felt a slight shiver run down his spine. He needed another scout ship to help him. They needed to observe these other planets sooner rather than later. Tanner decided to send an encrypted message to a nearby system where another scout ship would be. The request would be sent on from there to Golan Four. Admiral Marloo would decide which scout ship to send Tanner’s way.

-

General Gantts had received a request from Captain Tanner for another scout ship. She needed to find Admiral Marloo right away. She was not privy to the confidential nature of Falton Two, but Marloo had requested that anything from Captain Tanner be brought to Marloo’s immediate attention.

This brought Gantts to the Royal dining room. Once admitted, she found High Princess Layla, Admiral Marloo, and Cheryl Cleemorl in the middle of their meal. “I am sorry to interrupt your evening meal, but I have received a message from Captain Tanner.”

Gantts noticed the High Princess had looked a little worried when Gantts first spoke. No doubt Layla thought something was going on with Derrick. When Gantts had mentioned Captain Tanner, Layla’s expression had turned to one of interest.

“I will take it, thank you,” Marloo replied, as he held out his hand for the message.

Gantts watched as he read the message. Then he handed it to the High Princess to read.

“General Gantts, can you get me Captain Hadley, please,” Marloo requested.

“Yes, Admiral, right away.” Gantts turned to leave. She was pretty sure Captain Hadley was still on the planet.

It only took Gantts half an hour to get a hold of Hadley. Another half hour after that, Hadley had arrived, and Gantts escorted her to the conference room near the Command Center. After Hadley entered the conference room, Gantts returned to her post.

-

Hadley was curious about what was going on. It must be something to do with Falton Two. Her imagination ran wild, as she made her way to the House of Worlds and then to the conference room near the underground Command Center, where Gantts escorted her.

Once inside the conference room, Hadley was shocked to see High Princess Layla sitting at the table. Hadley had never met the High Princess before. What an honor. Hadley tried to remain composed but was sure she was failing miserably.

Marloo made the introductions and then got right down to business. “We have received a message from Captain Tanner. He has discovered some planets on a map he found on Falton Two. He believes it is imperative we check out these planets. They are not on any of our maps.

“Since these planets could be similar to Falton Two, we thought it might be best to send someone who is already familiar with the circumstances. I realize you only recently returned from your assignment at Falton Two. However, I need you to explore these other planets. How quickly can you get your crew and ship ready?”

Hadley was surprised by this revelation and excited at the same time. “We can be ready in less than twenty-four hours, Admiral.” Hadley felt the excitement pulsing through her veins. “It will take us nearly a week to get there.”

“Yes, and, by then, the battle for Morag Prime may have already begun. I need you to leave as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Admiral. I will notify you when we leave Golan Four.”

“You are dismissed, Captain.”

Hadley quickly left the room and began making preparations for her journey.

-

Visth Representative Stralon Karn and his fleet of ships neared the rendezvous location for the allied fleets. Karn had come along for the battle. No way he would miss this.

Karn was on board the battlecruiser with Admiral Larr. Karn was anxious to get to the rendezvous point. They had several supply ships with them, loaded down with telepathic nullifiers. These would be distributed to as many individuals as possible.

The Visth were not alone. The United Worlds Alliance had grown considerably over the past few weeks. Many other races who had not joined the alliance yet were willing to send ships. If the attack were successful, they would join the alliance.

Karn knew that many of the other races did not have weapons as strong as theirs but could still be helpful in the battle. His Human allies would be glad to have the numbers on their side. A little intimidation never hurt. If they showed up in the Morag system where Morag Prime was located with significantly more warships than the Morag, perhaps they would surrender.

This was another reason Karn had come along. If there were any peace agreement talks, he wanted to be in on it. He did not trust the Morag. If they tried to negotiate for peace, it would only be a ploy to give them time to develop new weapons and more warships. Under no circumstances were the Morag to be trusted. Ever.

-

Visth Admiral Larr watched the displays in front of him. He knew that soon the scans would pick up the number of warships in the rendezvous system. How many ships would there be? He was anxious and excited to find out. Larr was confident the Humans would be happy with the number of ships they had with them.

“Admiral, the long-range scans are in. Over 7,500 ships are in the rendezvous system,” the sensor officer said excitedly.

Larr smiled. This would be one epic battle, indeed. “Let Admiral Masters know we will exit hyperspace in approximately fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, Admiral, right away,” replied the communications officer.

Larr couldn’t wait to see all these warships together in one system. The Morag had no idea what was coming for them.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters sat in his command chair, looking forward to the Visth and the United Worlds Alliance’s arrival. How many ships would they have?

Derrick noted his fingers thrumming the armrest of his chair. He tried to calm down, but his excitement was building. He felt it in the air of his Command Center. Everyone was waiting to see how many ships would exit hyperspace.

Derrick had let the others know that the Visth would soon arrive. He didn’t want anyone to panic, when ships started exiting hyperspace. In a few more minutes, he would have his answer.

-

Not far from the rendezvous star system, a convoy of Zynth transport vessels returned from a trade route between the Zynth and the Lormallians.

The transport vessels made a habit of keeping their long-range scanners on to steer clear of any Human ships that might be near.

“Commander, a large number of ships are in the nearest star system, an uninhabited system,” said the sensor officer.

“How many ships do you mean when you say large?” asked the commanding officer.

“Currently the scan shows well over seven thousand ships,” was his reply.

“What? Seven thousand ships? Can we tell if they are Human?”

“We cannot tell from these scans. The only way to discern that information would be to exit hyperspace in the system and do scans from there.”

“We will not do that. We shall report this information to Councilor Conn and the Council of Elders. What they do with this information is up to them.”

-

Shortly after the Zynth transport vessels passed by, the Visth and the United Worlds Alliance ships exited hyperspace.

Visth Admiral Larr nearly jumped with joy at all the ships his viewscreen showed. “How many ships are on the tactical display?”

“Over seven thousand, sir. Plus our three thousand ships. Quite a fleet,” remarked the sensor officer.

“Sir, we are receiving a message from Human Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters,” said the communications officer.

“Put it up on the screen,” ordered Larr. As Admiral Derrick Masters appeared on the viewscreen, Visth Admiral Larr smiled.

“Hello, Admiral Larr, welcome to the ever-growing fleet. It’s looking pretty good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Admiral Masters, it is. Who else are we missing?” asked Visth Admiral Larr.

“The rest of Admiral Collison’s fleet and the Lormallian fleet. Both will arrive tomorrow. Admiral Collison does have a few more ships still attacking Morag targets. They will meet up with us later, when we reach Morag Prime. We have a meeting scheduled with all the representatives on Admiral Collison’s ship in two hours.

“Please join us and bring along the other representatives you have with your fleet. I know that many individuals are curious about how the telepathic nullifiers work. You might bring a few along with you to show. We believe the explanations will come best from the Visth, instead of the Lormallians. There remains a mistrust of the Lormallians from many of the races,” replied Derrick.

“I can understand that. I myself would feel that way too, if I had not had dealings with Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull and Admiral Keld. Councilor Karn and I will do what we can to help put their minds at ease. We will see you at the meeting in two hours,” replied Visth Admiral Larr.

The screen faded to black, and Admiral Larr turned to Councilor Karn and said, “I, for one, am looking forward to meeting all these representatives. They might be interested in joining our United Worlds Alliance.”

“Yes, that would be beneficial to us all. Our alliance might even grow larger than the Human Empire someday,” replied Karn.

“We must make a strong effort to never turn into what we are fighting against. We must allow every race representation in our alliance. We can work with the Human Empire and can still grow stronger. One day we may be stronger than the Confederation once was,” said Admiral Larr.

“First, we must destroy the Morag.”

-

Captain Hadley and her crew had their scout ship ready to embark on their journey. As the ship took off from its dock, Hadley sent her message to Admiral Marloo. “Admiral, scout ship 368 is leaving Golan Four and is headed to the Confederation.”

“Good luck. Keep us informed, when possible, of your location and findings. I hope that whatever you find is good and that there are no more enemies for us to fight.”

“I will keep you informed, Admiral.”

Once the ship reached the space above Golan Four, Hadley took one last look. She was excited to be on a discovery mission. She would miss the fresh air and her family, but perhaps they would make new friends in these unknown star systems.

The trip to the periphery of the Human Empire would take a few days to get there. The ship would exit hyperspace there and recharge its hyperdrive. Then they planned to make the next jump all the way to the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation.

-

Morag Commander Senel had searched diligently in the current Creetin system. His task group was ready to move on to the next one. This would be a nine-hour hyperspace jump. Maybe this next system would bring him an excuse he needed to eliminate a Creetin planet or two.

Senel’s task group entered hyperspace. He had to admit that this assignment had turned out to be pretty mundane. He had hoped to destroy some Creetins. Thus far, he had not found any excuses to do so. That could change quickly, and he hoped it would. Senel wanted to see some action.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes kept tabs on the Morag fleet searching the Creetin systems. So far, the Morag fleet had not destroyed any planets. Barnes hoped that would continue, until she could get there to destroy the enemy ships.

“How far are we from the next Creetin system we believe the Morag will search next?” Barnes asked the navigation officer.

“We are a little over nine hours away from the system we estimate they will search next.”

“Will we arrive before they will?” asked Barnes.

“No. According to the information from the scout ship in the last system the Morag task group searched, it would take them approximately nine hours to arrive as well. According to my calculations, the Morag will be in the system half an hour before we arrive.”

“Good. We will take them by surprise.”

“Will they run?” asked the tactical officer.

“Possibly. I hope not, but they might. We must destroy this threat to our allies. We will hunt them down, if we have to,” replied Barnes. “We must show the races joining us in this attack on the Morag that we are willing to help them. I think this will help solidify our new alliances.”

“What happens after we destroy the enemy task group?” asked Captain Borrel.

“I have been evaluating our next potential targets. I have it narrowed down to three. We may hit all three of these star systems I have in mind before the attack on Morag Prime begins. However, we must be careful not to bite off more than we can chew,” replied Barnes.

Barnes decided to go to her quarters and to reevaluate her next targets. She needed to have a backup plan too, if things changed.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius was relieved that the Human fleet was headed to his star systems to eliminate the threat of the Morag there. So far, the Morag had scanned and searched three systems. The Morag still had a long way to go before they could scan all twenty-two of their systems.

All the Creetin warships still in their star systems had already been hidden in their underground bunkers. Ephenius knew that the Morag would be unable to detect the warships in these underground facilities.

Ephenius hoped that the Morag would not find whatever they were looking for. So far, the Morag ships had not launched any missiles at the surface of any of the planets. Ephenius continued to hold out hope that this would remain true, until the Human fleet had the opportunity to reach the Creetin star systems.

Nothing more that Ephenius could do. He would arrive at the rendezvous location in the Lormallian star systems in another day. By then, hopefully the Morag task group would be annihilated. Then all his star systems would be safe, at least for now.

-

Rear Admiral Drake met with Captain Avery on one of the mobile repair yards. “Admiral Collison is looking at options on where we could stage the supply fleet. One they are considering is the Barsoon home system.”

“Still many ships need repairs. They will not be finished before the combined fleet leaves for Morag Prime. Do you think the supply fleet should wait here until we finish repairs or head to our new staging area and finish the repairs there?” asked Avery.

“Are all ships capable of hyperspace travel?” asked Drake.

“Yes. We repaired the ships that had damaged hyperdrives first, in case we needed to make a hasty exit. Those ships are not necessarily battle-ready, but they can make a hyperspace jump,” replied Avery.

“Good. I think it would be best to move to the new staging area. That way, as the ships are repaired, they can join the battle faster, rather than making the hyperspace jump from here. Of course the decision is not up to me. It makes the most sense though. So we should confirm all the Human ships currently in this system are capable of making that long of a hyperspace jump within the next couple days,” remarked Drake.

“We will double-check with all the ships. When do you plan to leave?” asked Avery.

“I will confirm with Admiral Collison this evening. Instead of following the main fleet, he may want me to escort the supply fleet to the new staging system. I’ll let you know later tonight.”

Both Rear Admiral Drake and Captain Avery watched as repairs were made on one of the dreadnoughts. It was remarkable to see the robots doing their repairs. They worked quickly and efficiently. The Humans needed as many ships as possible for this upcoming battle.

Chapter Six

The Zynth transport vessel entered their star systems and immediately sent word to Admiral Donlur to inform him of their discovery of the large fleet in the uninhabited Lormallian system. “Admiral Donlur, when we were headed out of the Lormallian star systems from our trade route, we sensed a large unidentified fleet. A fleet of over seven thousand vessels.”

Admiral Donlur responded, “How large did you say this fleet was? Did I hear you correctly in saying it was seven thousand vessels?”

“Yes, Admiral, you are correct.”

“Send me the location of this fleet. Do not tell anyone else of your discovery. I will discuss it with the Zynth Council of Elders and see how we proceed.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

-

Admiral Donlur was troubled. Why was such a large fleet assembled in the Lormallian star systems? Was it the combined Lormallian fleet doing some training exercises? He was doubtful the Lormallians would leave their star systems unprotected though. Was this a Human fleet preparing to attack a Confederation target? If so, which one? Should they warn the Morag and the Druins? If they warned them, and the Humans found out, would that jeopardize the Zynth’s truce with the Humans?

Donlur knew one thing for sure; this was a decision not to be made lightly. There could be huge consequences either way. He must bring this situation to the Council of Elders. They would make the decision.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie took a deep breath and sat forward in her command chair. “Prepare to exit hyperspace. We might be dropping into a combat situation. Be prepared to fire.”

The more Carrie thought about it, the more she was certain the Morag fleet would jump out of the system as soon as they appeared. Why would they stay and fight? They had nothing to defend.

Carrie would be satisfied with that, as long as they chased this fleet out of the Creetin systems. It was a possibility that the Morag ships would call for support from other nearby Morag vessels. Then things could get complicated.

As the fleet exited hyperspace, alarms sounded. “Confirming twenty-five Morag warships,” called out the sensor officer.

“Are they charging their hyperdrives?” asked Carrie.

“No, not at this time.”

-

Morag Commander Senel was asleep in his quarters when alarms sounded. He jumped up and out of bed quickly. Senel smiled. They must have found some Creetin ships. Now the fun would begin.

Senel reached out to the minds of his crew in the Command Center. He stopped dead in his tracks, as he realized Creetin ships did not set off the sensor alarms. They were Human ships. Senel steadied himself and continued quickly to his post.

Once in the Command Center, he looked at the viewscreen at the front of the room. His eyes widened at the confirmation of his fears. It was a Human fleet. Not a large one, but the Human fleet did have his ships outnumbered.

What should we do, Commander? asked the tactical officer.

Senel quickly considered his options. They could stay and fight and possibly destroy a chunk of this enemy fleet, or they could flee. To remain meant almost certain death. He could stay and orchestrate the battle from the rear and then enter hyperspace before his ship was targeted. Senel decided that was a good compromise between his two options. Stay and fight, but leave before he is destroyed. He would wait to contact Admiral Voxx, once the battle had ended.

Move the ships into a wedge formation. We will fight this enemy fleet. They have no right to be here in the Creetin systems, ordered Senel.

He watched the viewscreens, as the fleet quickly adjusted and moved into its battle formation. Senel smiled at how quickly the maneuver was executed.

Five minutes to engagement range, Commander, said the sensor officer.

Prepare to fire.

Senel braced himself. He had heard about the Humans’ powerful weapons. He did not desire to be on the receiving end of those deadly weapons.

As the fleets closed the distance between them, Senel leaned forward in his chair. Maybe they could destroy enough enemy ships that the Humans would stop their attacks in the Confederation and would flee to the Human Empire.

One minute to weapons range, said the sensor officer.

Senel focused on the Human ships on the viewscreen. Fire all weapons!

The weapons fire erupted from both fleets. The intensity of it all was impressive. Senel watched as the Human weapons smashed through the Morag ships’ shields like the Morag possessed primitive technology. How could this be? How could the Humans possess more powerful weapons? How had the Morag let this happen?

-

Rear Admiral Barnes watched intently, as they smashed through the energy screens of the Morag warships. The accelerator cannons then blew the warships into millions of pieces. It was such an advantage having the superior weapons. The Morag were undoubtedly working on this technology and would soon attain it.

That did warrant concern in the back of her mind. How would she defend against these weapons if she were on the receiving end? They would lose more ships, that was certain. More lost ships meant more Human lives lost. They must push this advantage while they still had it.

Barnes felt the explosion as a ship near her exploded from the barrage of fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles. Her gaze shifted to the tactical display. So far, they were down six ships. The Morag were losing ships much faster. She knew that, any minute now, the remaining ships would flee. At least one. Possibly with the intent of following the Human fleet.

The Humans quickly finished off the remaining ships, with the exception of the two that entered hyperspace. Debris littered the area where the Morag fleet had once been.

-

Explosions shook Senel’s ship as the ships near him were blown apart. Senel’s gaze shifted to his tactical display. His ships were dwindling quickly. Too quickly. How many of the Human ships have we destroyed?

Ten, Commander.

Senel was disappointed that they had not eliminated more of the Human fleet. Let’s get out of here, before we are destroyed.

Once safely in hyperspace, Senel evaluated what ships he had remaining, two, counting his. He had lost twenty-three warships.

Time to contact Admiral Voxx. First though, Senel needed to know that the Human fleet had not followed them into hyperspace. Once that was confirmed, he set about trying to contact Admiral Voxx.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx was surprised the Human fleet had attacked the Morag task group. There were no other targets besides the ships in the system. This was unlike the Humans. They were usually targeting shipyards. Why would they attack only a small task group? Why were they in the Creetin systems? How had they known where the Morag ships were?

This puzzled Voxx. The Humans were changing their tactics again. Would they follow the remaining Morag ships? Or would they move on to another target?

The positive in this was that Senel’s ships had successfully destroyed ten Human warships, therefore decreasing the number of ships the Humans would have in their next attack. Slowly but surely, they were chipping away at the enemy fleet. Before too much longer, they must return to the Human Empire for reinforcements.

Voxx had ordered Senel to abort his mission regarding checking the rest of the Creetin systems. Once the Human fleet left, they would figure out if the Creetins possessed any warships. If they did, which Voxx highly doubted was true, they would be severely dealt with.

For now, Senel would fall back to the nearest Morag-inhabited system and hope the Humans did not follow him.

Now that Voxx knew where the Humans were, he could move a few more ships around. With this enemy fleet growing smaller in each system, the number of ships he needed to defend the Morag star systems were smaller.

Voxx quickly reevaluated the fleet numbers and began redistributing the ships to more evenly protect each system.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius was elated that the Human ships had destroyed most of the Morag task group. The remaining ones had entered hyperspace. With any luck, those enemy ships would be headed out of the Creetin systems.

Ephenius was thankful to the Humans. In his mind, this helped confirm that the Humans were, indeed, powerful and trustworthy allies. Ones that he would be proud to work with and to follow into battle.

The Creetin fleet would arrive in the rendezvous system within the next day. The number of days left for the Morag leadership was quickly ending. Ephenius couldn’t wait to see Morag Prime burning. As many planets as the Morag had destroyed over the years, and the billions of Creetin lives that had been squelched too soon, Ephenius would relish in the destruction of his enemy.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes was relieved when the Morag task group had been eliminated. Two had escaped but were likely fleeing out of the Creetin star systems. Now that Barnes’s task had been accomplished, it was time to head to their next target.

The Human fleet had lost eight battlecruisers and two dreadnoughts in that fight. Barnes thought about all the lives lost. Too many. She closed her eyes and remembered those who gave their all. When she opened her eyes again, she resolved to honor them all, when they returned to the Solar System.

The Human fleet’s next target was a sixteen-hour hyperspace jump. Now that the Morag knew where they were, they had to move away from this area. Barnes would use this time to rest and to plan for their next few attacks. Time was drawing near to the destruction of the Morag homeworld. What a battle that would be.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters had arrived early to Admiral Collison’s flagship. Rear Admiral Martinez had come shortly after him. Collison had reviewed everything that had been discussed at the previous meeting. Many more ships and races had arrived since the last meeting.

Masters and Martinez would stand with Collison and would greet the representatives as they arrived. The first representatives to arrive were the Visth. Councilor Karn and Admiral Larr, who came together. Derrick was relieved to see familiar faces. Many of the next ones to arrive were a part of the United Worlds Alliance. Visth Councilor Karn had stayed with the Human admirals to introduce them as they arrived.

Transport vessels lined up to deliver the various representatives from all the races present in the star system. Derrick admitted to himself that it was a little overwhelming. So many races were represented. This was a good thing though. The Morag had many enemies. Hopefully ones with adequate weapons and energy screens.

A few of the representatives were a little scary, but Derrick had prepared himself the best he could. Prince Andrew and his wife, Kala, had brought Derrick up to speed on the various races who had been represented at the Visth homeworld, when they had visited Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull.

Many races were insect-based. They were intelligent, at least enough to have made armed warships. Others were more reptilian. A few were more birdlike. They were, indeed, a very diverse group of allies.

As the last remaining transport vessel brought its representative, a mammal-type creature who resembled a dog but walked upright and stood slightly shorter than Derrick, they all walked to the cafeteria. With as many individuals as they had to attend this meeting, they had to meet in the cafeteria, which could hold more people than the conference room.

When Derrick entered the cafeteria, he couldn’t help but smile. This was a glimpse of the future. A meeting of representatives from all races, where everyone was represented and had a say. If only their weapons were advanced, which they would find out in a few hours.

Derrick had planned to let Collison run this meeting. He had already met many of the representatives and had the most experience in fighting the Morag. His knowledge was very valuable. The Morag had already adapted their strategies as the battles with Collison’s, Barnes’s, and Carrie’s fleets had continued to attack Morag targets.

Collison went to the front of the room, and Derrick and Martinez stood and watched from the side. “Welcome, everyone. I have already had the pleasure of meeting many of you. Those who I have not had the chance to talk much with, welcome. Look around the room. We are all here united in one purpose, to defeat the Morag.”

As Collison said that last sentence, cheers erupted across the room. Once it had settled back down again, he continued. “I know many of you are risking a lot just by being here. Look around. We have over eleven thousand warships in this system, and even more that have not arrived yet. We will take the Morag by surprise and will defeat them. Then we will hunt down and destroy all their shipyards and military bases. Plus every single one of their warships.” Collison had to pause again for the applause to die down.

“Today we figure out how we can all come together and can use our strengths to help our entire fleet as a whole. We will be working on weapons capabilities and battle formations. Many of you will be tasked with working with our attack interceptors to take out the Morag’s small attack vessels, which they call their interceptor killers. I have some footage of these small ships in action.”

Collison showed a short clip of the Morag interceptor killers and the Human attack interceptors. “We have these small attack vessels that help eliminate the enemy ships. The Morag have been making more and more of the killers though. With each attack, it seems they deploy more of them. We will need more help eliminating these ships. If you have smaller ships that could target these small vessels, raise your hand.”

Derrick looked around the room as many hands were raised. They would have a good fleet of smaller ships to help take out the interceptor killers.

Collison said, “We will have those of you who raised your hands work with our attack interceptor squadrons this afternoon on how to best eliminate these enemy ships.

“Now the rest of us will be focused on the large Morag fleet currently stationed above Morag Prime. According to our scout ship, there is currently a little over three thousand Morag warships in the system. We have a fleet still attacking targets all around the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation. We hope this will keep the Morag busy and will help keep our main attack a surprise. It will also help ensure the Morag keep their fleet spread out to protect all their ninety-two inhabited star systems.

“We have a lot to learn and a short amount of time to do it. We will work on our formations and evaluate everyone’s role in the battle for the next two days. Then we will head out. It will take us four days to get to Morag Prime from here. Then the Morag will see what it’s like for their homeworld to be under attack. They have no idea this attack is coming. We will be victorious.”

Derrick couldn’t help but smile. Admiral Collison was an outstanding leader. One who people would easily follow. He captured everyone’s attention and held them all in the palm of his hand. He was a natural at this. Derrick was confident that Collison was the man to lead them in this battle. Derrick would just be here to help out where he could. This was exhilarating.

As Collison went on, Derrick felt the blood coursing through his veins. He was excited and ready to take on their enemies.

Collison went on for a while, and then, when he had wrapped up the meeting, Derrick and Martinez helped Collison create a time spot for each race to demonstrate their weapons capabilities.

After all the representatives had left, Derrick stuck around to talk to Collison and Martinez. They had decided that, for the sake of time, they would take a group of warships to different areas of the star system to watch the various races demonstrate their weapons capabilities. It would most likely take up the remainder of the day, but they needed to know how to use them in the battle. Weapons capabilities played a massive role in that. Even the smaller ships that would help hunt down the Morag’s interceptor killers must have efficient weapons.

What would they do with the races who didn’t have sufficient firepower? They had not figured that out yet, but they would play some role in the battle. They couldn’t send them home.

First things first though. Time to see some ships blow up some asteroids. Well, that’s what they were hoping would happen anyway.

-

The Zynth Council of Elders was in an emergency session. “Admiral Donlur has informed us that a transport vessel observed a large fleet in one of the uninhabited star systems while on their trade route. The transport ship was running long-range system scans when this fleet was discovered. The fleet has over seven thousand vessels,” said Ancient Elder Lengore.

“Is it a Lormallian fleet?” asked Elder Montfort.

“We don’t know for sure. The transport vessel had reported a large Lormallian fleet in the system where Bator Prime was located. To our knowledge, the Lormallians do not possess a fleet of that magnitude. Which leads us to wonder if it might be a Human fleet,” responded Lengore.

“A Human fleet of over seven thousand vessels?” asked Montfort in astonishment. “What would a Human fleet of that size be doing here? Are they planning a massive attack on one of the races of the Confederation?”

“I believe we can breathe a sigh of relief and be glad we have already signed a peace agreement with the Humans. We do not worry that we will be a target of this fleet, whether Lormallian or Human,” Lengore said confidently. “The question before us now remains. Do we inform the Druins and the Morag of this fleet’s presence and warn them of a possible attack? Or do we remain silent? If we warn the Druins and the Morag, would this put our peace agreement with the Humans in jeopardy?”

“We agreed to stay out of the Human Empire and Solar System. We also agreed not to attack any Human vessels. We never agreed to any terms that said we could not freely communicate with the Druins and the Morag,” remarked Montfort.

“This is true. Another important thing to consider is, will our actions affect our alliance with the Neutral Races of the Confederation? Who do we ultimately want to win this war, and which side would it benefit us the most to see win?” asked Lengore.

Montfort nodded. “One way we could think about it would be how warning the Morag and Druins about this threat would allow them time to prepare. Then this mysterious fleet and the Druins or Morag would be significantly weakened after the attack. This would be to our advantage. To weaken all our threats. Including the Humans, Morag, and Druins. While they continue to fight this war and grow weaker, we stay out of the war and grow stronger,” said Montfort.

“Perhaps it benefits us to keep quiet and to let them continue to drag out this war. As long as they are focused on each other, their eyes will not turn to us,” Lengore said.

“We have a critical decision to make here,” Montfort stated. “I believe whichever way we decide will ultimately determine our future success. Will that prosperous future be with the Morag and Druins or with the Humans and the Neutral Races of the Confederation?” asked Montfort.

After several more minutes of heated debate, a decision was finally made.

-

Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull had just returned from the meeting of the Ruling Triad. The Lormallian fleet would leave in a few short hours to rendezvous with their allies in the uninhabited system a few light-years away. From the reports Ardon had received, it was becoming quite a massive fleet. Would it be enough? Ardon was confident that it would be.

Ardon had found himself considering the idea of going along with the fleet. He strongly desired to see the Morag race brought to their knees. This was one of the reasons he had brought it up to the Ruling Triad. If negotiations were needed, he wanted to be a part of it. Plus, with all the various races represented in this fight, Ardon thought it would be advantageous for him to begin building relationships where he could.

In the end, the Ruling Triad had agreed to his request to accompany the Lormallian fleet to the rendezvous point and on to the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation for the attack.

Another underlying reason Ardon wanted to be present in this endeavor was because of his curiosity about Falton Two. No doubt, after the Morag were dealt with, the Humans would be unable to resist the temptation to visit this planet.

Ardon wanted to be present when they did. This could affect the Human Empire’s ties with the Lormallians. He wanted to make sure the alliance between the Lormallians and the Humans continued long into the future. Whatever came, he wanted to be there. Now he had his permission to go.

A smile spread across Ardon’s face. He looked forward to seeing Morag Prime destroyed. No doubt Morag Councilor Damora would be on the planet. His demise was definitely one Ardon looked forward to witnessing.

Chapter Seven

Rear Admiral Barnes reviewed the latest information from the various scout ships near her next target. It appeared the Morag were reshuffling the fleet deployments again. Barnes was running out of time. The allied fleets would soon be leaving the Lormallian star systems to head to Morag Prime. Barnes had to keep the Morag busy until then.

This next target was located in a red giant star system, with seven planets, two of which were inhabited, Morag Eighty-One and Morag Eighty-Two. The system also contained two terraformed moons. This gave Barnes some doubt in her ability to quickly destroy the three shipyards.

Would one of the terraformed moons be a massive military base that housed hundreds or thousands of interceptor killers? Barnes felt her heart beat faster, as she thought over the ramifications of this possibility.

The scout ship had located a military base on one of the terraformed moons, but it appeared that the entire moon was not a base. Of course they had been fooled before. Barnes hoped that they were not flying into a trap.

The plan was to leave the base alone for now. Barnes and Carrie would eliminate the three shipyards and the warships in the system. They would return for the base later, with a larger fleet.

As the Human fleet exited hyperspace, alarms rang out. “What are we up against?” Barnes asked.

“All is as expected, ma’am. Fifty-seven battlecruisers and fifteen battleships. The ships are located near the closest terraformed moon,” said the sensor officer.

Barnes took a deep breath. Hopefully the fact that they were staged near the moon was not a bad sign. She had to admit that she would feel much better about it if the enemy fleet would move away from the moon. “Watch that fleet. If they enter hyperspace, we must be prepared to fire, if they drop out in combat range.”

“The enemy fleet is charging their hyperdrives,” called out the sensor officer.

“Prepare to fire!” commanded Barnes. Barnes moved to the front of her command chair and laced her fingers together. She had to remind herself to keep calm.

The Morag fleet exited hyperspace near the Human fleet and immediately opened fire. Then they quickly jumped again.

“What in the world are they doing?” asked Barnes. She was shocked. They had not seen the Morag utilize this strategy before.

“The enemy fleet has made the short jump to the nearest shipyard,” responded the sensor officer.

“Did we destroy any of their ships?” asked Barnes.

“Yes, ma’am, six battlecruisers and one battleship. We lost two battlecruisers,” replied the sensor officer.

Barnes closed her eyes. More deaths on her shoulders. “Let’s move toward the shipyard. Keep a close eye on that fleet. They may yet have more tricks up their sleeves.”

“Eight minutes to engagement range,” called out the sensor officer.

“Stop our progression at three minutes to engagement range. I want to send in the attack interceptors. Maybe they can eliminate more of the enemy ships for us,” commanded Barnes.

-

Captain Jack Anderson, on board the battlecarrier Orion, deployed his attack interceptors. He watched on the viewscreens, as they assembled into their squadrons and headed toward the enemy fleet guarding the shipyard.

Anderson was on edge. He kept a close watch on the tactical display, hoping no more red threat icons appeared on the screen. He prayed they could destroy these targets in this system, without going up against any interceptor killers.

With his heart beating faster, Anderson watched the viewscreens, while the squadrons closed in on the Morag fleet. His gaze shifted to the tactical display. The interceptors were almost in the weapons range of the enemy fleet and shipyard.

Anderson took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm his nerves. Once the interceptors had crossed into the engagement range, the enemy fleet and shipyard launched their fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles at the incoming threat. So far, no interceptor killers had appeared.

Anderson winced as a few small flashes of light appeared on the viewscreen. He felt selfish for hoping it wasn’t one of his interceptors. No matter which one it was, Human lives were still lost.

The Morag were detonating the antimatter missiles at medium range, destroying interceptors in the vicinity of the blast. Anderson wished he could do more, besides sit and watch. The interceptors had finally made it to their designated launch point and began unloading their missiles at the fleet and shipyard.

“Captain, the Morag are charging their hyperdrives,” called out the sensor officer.

“Prepare to fire. I am sure we will be one of their targets, if they jump to our location,” responded Anderson.

The Morag fleet jumped out of harm’s way, just as the fusion-tipped missiles were almost to their location. Many of the missiles hit the shipyard, overloading its energy screen. Now, however, the interceptors had no missiles left with which to destroy the shipyard.

Alarms sounded, and Anderson quickly returned his gaze to the tactical display. Fear rose inside him, as he witnessed red threat icons coming from the planet. His gaze shifted to the viewscreens, showing the interceptors headed back to the carriers. “What do we have?”

“Captain, we have over two hundred interceptor killers entering orbit above the planet,” said the sensor officer. “The Morag fleet has moved to the rear of our fleet and is currently launching their weapons.”

Anderson was thankful that his carrier, as well as the others, were in the center of the globe formation. However, it would be hard for the interceptors to get back to their carriers, especially if the interceptor killers were tailing them. Not to mention that the interceptors had already launched all four of their fusion-tipped missiles at their target. Thankfully they were still armed with fusion energy beams.

The interceptors raced back to their carriers to reload and to take on the interceptor killers. The carriers that had not launched their interceptors did so now to get them out there, engaging the enemy, to give the already-launched interceptors a chance to get back to their carriers.

Anderson switched his gaze back and forth between the interceptors racing to return to their carriers and the fleet battle occurring behind him. The shields were strong on the Orion, and his battlecarrier was armed. From his position though, he could not get a clear shot on the enemy fleet.

As the interceptors landed on his carrier, the reloading process began. The viewscreen showed the battle heating up, as the interceptor killers and the newly deployed interceptors went head-to-head in a dogfight to destroy each other. Anderson watched intently, trying to learn more about the interceptor killers that they could use in the future to more easily defeat them.

When Anderson’s gaze shifted back to the fleet battle, he was relieved to see most of the Morag fleet had been eliminated. Now only three enemy ships were left. Those three quickly jumped to the terraformed moon, where the military base was located.

The attack interceptors on board the Orion began relaunching and going after the remaining interceptor killers.

“Captain Anderson, a message from Rear Admiral Carrie states to stay in our current position, until the interceptors have eliminated the threat of the interceptor killers. She will stay with a task group to protect us, until the interceptors safely arrive back on the carriers. Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Barnes will take the rest of the fleet to the other shipyard and destroy it. Once the interceptor killers have been eliminated, Rear Admiral Carrie will destroy this shipyard nearest our location,” said the communications officer.

“All right, let’s keep a watch on those last three remaining Morag ships. We are still their priority target. They will come after us, if they have the chance,” replied Anderson.

Anderson’s gaze once again shifted to the viewscreens, focused on the fight between the interceptors and the interceptor killers. Anderson noticed the enemy’s numbers were dwindling. He let out a small sigh of relief. Before long, all the interceptor killers had been eliminated.

The remaining attack interceptors landed back on their carriers. As Anderson switched one of the viewscreens to the landing bay, he took in a sharp breath. What used to be a full landing bay was now only half full. So many ships, so many Human lives lost. The Morag interceptor killers were a serious threat to the future success of the Human fleet in the Confederation.

Captain Anderson contacted Rear Admiral Carrie. They must do some reshuffling and send a battlecarrier or two back to the supply fleet for resupply. The rest could continue on to hopefully destroy more targets.

-

Captain Stephens from the Black Dart Squadron on the battlecarrier Orion had his squad quickly reloaded. They had some enemy ships to destroy. While Stephens knew the threat from the interceptor killers would be great, they could outmaneuver them. His squadron was one of the best, at least what was left of it.

One thing was for sure, he would get revenge for his fallen brothers who had lost their lives fighting Morag interceptor killers in another star system. That revenge would start today.

The squadron searched for their first targets. Stephens was determined to eliminate as many of these enemy ships as he could. It unfortunately took two of his fusion-tipped missiles to eliminate one interceptor killer. One to destroy the energy screen that protected the small vessel and a second to disintegrate the target. After every two kills, each interceptor must return to the Orion to reload. Not as efficient as Stephens would like, but he had to work with it regardless.

Stephens maneuvered his interceptor around the carriers and quickly found himself the target of an enemy ship. He dove and spun to lose his tail, then quickly came about to get a target lock on this fool coming after him. It would be this Morag’s last day to live. As the target lock sounded, he sent two fusion-tipped missiles toward the enemy ship. Moments later, a small explosion consumed the interceptor killer. One down, one more to go, before he had to reload.

It didn’t take long for Stephens to find his second target. This target turned out to be a little more of a challenge. This Morag could maneuver his vessel more efficiently than any of the other interceptor killers Stephens had been up against before.

After what seemed like forever, Stephens heard that magical sound he had been waiting for. He had the interceptor killer in his crosshairs. Stephens’s finger quickly pressed down on the trigger twice, and he watched as his enemy was blown to pieces.

An alarm alerted him that he was now the object of his enemy’s firepower. His skill as a pilot kept him from breathing his last. Stephens quickly made his way back to his carrier. He hoped his interceptor would be reloaded fast enough to get back out there, before all the enemy targets had been eliminated.

After a short ten minutes, Stephens was back at it again. He was so laser-focused on his task of destroying his enemy that he barely noticed the battle going on around him. He hadn’t noticed that the Morag interceptor killers were quickly being eliminated. When he had fired his last two missiles and had destroyed his fourth enemy ship, he spared a moment to scan the tactical display. He was surprised that so very few enemy ships remained. Stephens was certain that the enemy ships would be eliminated, before he could get his attack interceptor reloaded.

When Stephens landed on his carrier, he remained in his interceptor, until he heard the all-clear order. All the interceptor killers had been eliminated. He awaited further instruction from his cockpit. Stephens wanted to be ready, if he were called upon to finish off the shipyard.

It soon became apparent that his job for the day was over. He exited his interceptor. As his boots hit the ground, he met up with the rest of his squadron. Thankfully they were all accounted for. All his squadron that had entered this particular fight had returned safely. What more could he ask for?

Stephens put his arms around his crew, and they headed to the observation deck. They might as well get a front-row seat to the destruction of another Morag shipyard.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie watched closely, as the attack interceptors went up against the interceptor killers. The interceptors had the upper hand, but the sheer number of interceptor killers meant that many of the attack interceptors would be destroyed. The small flashes of light confirmed her thoughts.

How many more times could they go up against the interceptor killers before they ran out of attack interceptors? No doubt the Morag had realized that having interceptor killers staged in the systems to go toe-to-toe with the attack interceptors was a good strategy for eliminating the Human small attack craft. The Morag were likely working to stage a contingent of these ships in each of their star systems. This led Carrie to believe that this might be the new normal. She hoped not but also must prepare for the worst.

Now that the battle between the attack interceptors and the interceptor killers had concluded, it was time to destroy the shipyard. Thanks to the attack interceptors, the energy screen had already been destroyed. It wouldn’t take much more to eliminate the shipyard.

Captain Anderson from the battlecarrier Orion had notified her that the attack interceptors could consolidate to fewer carriers, so some could return to the supply fleet.

Carrie first wanted to ensure that the last three Morag warships left in the system wouldn’t follow them. It would be wise to wait to send the carriers on their way after those remaining three enemy warships had been eliminated.

For now, Carrie would finish her task of destroying the shipyard. The task group made its way toward the engagement range. As the fleet neared the combat zone, the shipyard started firing all its weapons at the incoming Human fleet. Carrie stood as the Morag’s fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles neared her ships.

As the fleet came in range of their weapons, the Humans fired their accelerator cannons and particle beam cannons. It wouldn’t take much to finish off this shipyard. “Have the ships jump out of the area as soon as they’ve launched four rounds of projectiles. We will watch from a safe distance to see if it is enough.”

Carrie’s flagship, Exeter, launched its four rounds and then quickly jumped farther away from the shipyard, out of weapons range. Carrie hoped this would save a few of her ships that would have otherwise been destroyed. All crew in the Command Center were focused on the viewscreen for that shipyard. The plan had worked. The shipyard was disintegrated right before their eyes.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes wasted no time in destroying her target. This shipyard orbited the other inhabited planet, Morag Eighty-Two. Barnes used the most recent strategy of jumping into weapons range, launching a few rounds of accelerator cannons, and then jumping back out to a safe distance to see if it was enough to eliminate the target. This strategy cost them less in ship numbers and Human lives lost, which meant it was one they would continue to use.

As the fleet jumped into weapons range of the shipyard, weapons fire immediately broke out on both sides. Barnes shifted her gaze to the tactical display. Two nearby dreadnoughts were under heavy fire. When they disappeared from the display, Barnes feared they had been destroyed. Upon further inspection, though, they had jumped out of harm’s way.

After the entire fleet had moved to safety, her gaze returned to the viewscreen at the front of the room. The last of the accelerator cannon projectiles were slamming into the shipyard, causing massive explosions. A massive blast then enveloped the entire remaining shipyard into a large explosion.

When Barnes looked again at the viewscreen, only millions of pieces of space debris remained where the shipyard had been.

Now that the shipyard had been demolished, Barnes had one more shipyard to dispose of. This one was orbiting one of the terraformed moons. Hopefully they would not find more interceptor killers housed there. Just in case, Barnes decided not to use the interceptors in this attack on the shipyard. The fleet would jump in and take care of business.

The fleet quickly made the short jump over to the terraformed moon. Once within range, they were met with a wall of firepower from the shipyard. The three remaining warships also joined in the fight. Barnes smiled. She could eliminate the rest of her targets all at once. How convenient.

The Human fleet launched their deadly weapons at the enemy and then jumped out of weapons range to see if it would be enough. The Morag warships also jumped out of the area. Guess they wouldn’t make it easy on her after all. Those three enemy ships were waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Barnes gave the order for five of the battlecruisers to go hunt down those remaining Morag warships. The rest watched, as the last remaining shipyard in the system was blasted into oblivion.

Now all that was left to eliminate were the three remaining warships. As Barnes again checked the tactical display, she smiled. One down, two more to go. She added a few more Human ships assigned to the task of hunting down the enemy ships.

While the hunt continued, Barnes had the rest of her ships rendezvous with Carrie and her task group. Currently the battlecarriers were moving around attack interceptors and their crews to send the empty ones back to the supply fleet.

As Barnes considered that, she realized that these carriers would not make it back to the supply fleet before the allied fleets left the Lormallian star systems. Would the supply fleet move as well? It made the most sense. She would have the scout ship in the system contact another scout ship to confirm her suspicions.

The supply fleet would probably move but to where? Barnes could go ahead and send them to the home system of the Barsoon. She would send a few battlecruisers and dreadnoughts to protect them on the off chance the Morag found them there.

Barnes relayed her thoughts to Carrie. Carrie agreed. Once the last remaining enemy warship had been eliminated, the empty carriers would head back to the Barsoon star systems to await the supply fleet. They would send ten battlecruisers and three dreadnoughts to protect them. That would reduce the number of ships they had left to continue to attack Morag targets, but they couldn’t afford to risk the carriers.

The Human fleet now entered hyperspace. Some headed to the Barsoon systems and some to their next target. Would it be their last before the large attack on Morag Prime? Barnes figured they could get at least two more target systems destroyed, all before meeting up with the larger allied fleet.

As for what their next target might be, Barnes was still analyzing the ever-changing data. It seemed the Morag enjoyed moving around their fleets. Barnes needed a target system that did not have a large fleet presence. One thing that concerned her was that these systems with fewer ships might hold larger groups of interceptor killers. The Morag had obviously put the production of these interceptor killers into overload.

They needed to avoid those killers. So should she pick a system that had more ships, hoping they wouldn’t have the interceptor killers? Barnes was not sure. Meanwhile she needed to get a good night’s sleep.

For now, the Human fleet would head in the direction of Morag Prime. Their current trajectory would take them close to the home planet of the Morag but not close enough that the fleet stationed there could respond. Barnes hoped that she was not falling into one of the Morag’s traps.

Only one way to find out.

-

In the underground Command Center beneath the House of Worlds on Golan Four, Fleet Admiral Dom Marloo and General Gantts went over the latest reports from the Confederation attacks that Barnes and Carrie were carrying out. In the last system, they had successfully destroyed three more Morag shipyards, not to mention the seventy-two enemy warships they had eliminated.

“I am concerned about the Morag’s growing use of the interceptor killers. The Morag have realized these killers are vital to their defenses and have ramped up their production,” said Gantts.

“Yes. I am afraid we will run into them more and more, as we continue our attacks. We will lose more attack interceptors, but they are still more effective in destroying many targets. As harsh as it may sound, even if we lose an entire battlecarrier worth of interceptor crews, that would still be fewer Human lives lost than on one battlecruiser,” replied Marloo.

“That’s true. Not to mention that the attack interceptors can be replaced much faster than a battlecruiser or dreadnought,” responded Gantts.

“Maybe we should send more transport ships full of attack interceptors to rendezvous with the fleet. No doubt they will need more before this war is over,” said Marloo.

“I agree. Let’s see how many we can round up to help resupply the carriers, as needed. We can go ahead and send them to the supply fleet. Collison plans to move the supply fleet, correct?” asked Gantts.

“Yes. I believe the supply fleet will be staged in the Barsoon home system for the duration of the attack on the Morag,” answered Marloo.

“That’s a good idea. Repairs are closer at hand, not to mention the resupply of the carriers and the munitions for the other ships. Do we think Barnes and Carrie will keep up their attacks on the Morag until the main fleet arrives at Morag Prime?” asked Gantts.

“I hope so. As long as they are careful, they should continue their attacks for a few more days,” responded Marloo.

They both returned their attention to the holographic display in front of them. Hopefully Barnes and Carrie could stay away from any Morag traps or surprises.

Chapter Eight

Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull joined Lormallian Admiral Keld on his battleship. This would be Reull’s home for the next couple weeks. Ardon surveyed the tactical display and then the viewscreens in the front of the Command Center. A smile spread across his face. He was proud of the fleet they had gathered to send to fight the Morag. They had amassed two thousand ships, primarily a mix of battlecruisers and three hundred battleships. He looked forward to seeing how many allied ships were already in the rendezvous system.

Ardon took his seat near Admiral Keld’s. “Are we ready, Admiral?”

“Yes, Councilor, we are.” Turning to his crew, he commanded, “Tell the fleet to enter hyperspace.”

Ardon watched as the fleet made their jump into hyperspace. “How long until we arrive at the rendezvous point?” Ardon asked.

“About twelve hours. Nothing exciting will happen between now and then, if you would like to get some rest.”

“I think I will do precisely that. Please inform me of any news or when we get close to the rendezvous area.”

“I will, Councilor,” replied Keld.

Ardon stood and left the Command Center. As he made his way down the corridor toward his quarters, he couldn’t help but feel confident in their ultimate victory over the Morag. He was glad he would be there to see it.

-

Rear Admiral Drake had his orders. Today he would venture out and would accompany the supply fleet to their next staging area, the Barsoon home system. Drake was glad to have this honor of protecting the supply fleet, but part of him did wish he could rendezvous with the others. He desired to see the entire fleet together before the battle.

The thought had crossed his mind that Collison might have him stay and protect the supply fleet throughout the battle. Drake hoped that wouldn’t be the case. He really wanted to see the destruction of Morag Prime for himself. For now though, he had his orders.

The supply fleet, along with Drake and the remaining ships that needed repairs, would enter hyperspace to head to the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation in twelve hours. The main fleet would leave another twelve to twenty-four hours after that.

Drake took a deep breath. Time to get to work. He needed to see if any more ships could finish their repairs in the next twelve hours. The more battle-ready ships they could get, the better.

-

After watching the weapons tests from all the races joining them in this fight against the Morag, Admiral Collison reviewed the data they had collected throughout the day. Overall he had been pretty satisfied with what he had seen. Some races were more advanced in their weaponry than others. As for their energy shields, they wouldn’t hold up too much. Not much they could do about it now.

Collison had discussed in length with Vice Fleet Admiral Masters and Rear Admiral Martinez how to handle the battle formations. Many of the smaller ships had been assigned to handle the interceptor killers. Collison assumed that a large number of these killers would be stationed at Morag Prime.

The plans had been distributed among the races. Now they waited only on the Creetins and the Lormallians to arrive. Then they would begin their voyage to Morag Prime. A smile spread across Collison’s face. He couldn’t wait to destroy Morag Prime.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius neared the rendezvous system. The long-range scans were coming in.

“The scans show over eleven thousand ships in the system, sir.”

Ephenius smiled. The Morag would soon pay for all their heinous acts. The tables would soon be turned. Ephenius hoped that the Morag would feel the pain his people had to go through numerous times over the last few thousand years. How lucky was he that he would be there to see it? Maybe even help inflict it.

As the Creetin fleet exited hyperspace, the awaiting fleet filled Ephenius’s entire main viewscreen. Everywhere he looked were ships. Most of the ships he did not recognize. It appeared many races had come to join in this attack. The Humans had a large fleet. Ephenius’s confidence grew.

He had seen the Humans’ weapons firsthand, when they had destroyed the ships that had followed his fleet. They were very powerful. It appeared the Morag had no way to defend against it. Thank goodness the Humans had this advanced weaponry and not the Morag. What a battle this would be.

“Leader Ephenius, we are receiving a communication from the Humans, an Admiral Masters,” said the communications officer.

“Put it on the main viewscreen,” Ephenius replied. When the viewscreen switched to show the Human Admiral, Ephenius bowed his head in respect.

“Welcome to the rendezvous point. We have quite the fleet here to welcome you,” the Human admiral said, with a smile.

“Yes, it is quite impressive. When will we get underway?” asked Ephenius.

“We are still waiting on the Lormallian fleet. They should arrive in the next six hours. Once your fleet and theirs have had time to recharge your hyperdrives and to do any maintenance work, we will be ready to go. I estimate we will head out in approximately nine hours. I will send you our battle plan. Please let me know if you have any concerns or ideas to improve the plan. We are always open to suggestions,” replied the Human.

“Thank you. We will be ready in that time frame. I will review your battle plan and will let you know if I have any suggestions,” replied Ephenius.

The Human nodded, and the viewscreen returned to the view of the assembled fleet. Ephenius looked forward to viewing the battle plan. He also was surprised and encouraged by the Human’s statement that Ephenius’s input was welcome. Ephenius had assumed he would be taking orders from the Humans. Knowing his opinion was important to them, that surprised him. This might turn out to be a very fruitful alliance, indeed.

-

Admiral Masters consulted with Admiral Collison. “We must test the weapons capabilities of the Creetins. They are the only ones we haven’t observed yet.”

“Yes. I agree. We will let them review our battle plans, and then we will have them demonstrate their weapons capabilities. At that point, we can better see where the Creetins could be most successfully used in the battle. I am certain the Creetins have been on the receiving end of the Morag’s wrath numerous times. Therefore, they are very aware of the Morag’s firepower,” replied Collison.

“The Lormallians will arrive in a few hours. Their weapons are similar to the Morag’s. We will be entering the Morag systems with a large fleet, but I fear, when we return, it will be very diminished,” said Masters.

“Yes. I would also wager that the Morag will target our Human ships first, since we are the biggest threat. I presume they expect that we are the ones orchestrating the battle,” said Collison.

“It will not be an easy victory. The price will be high,” replied Masters.

“We will arrange to visit more with the Creetins in a couple hours. Until then, not much we can do,” responded Collison.

-

Druin Councilor Clun received an encrypted message from Zynth Councilor Conn. “One of our transport vessels observed a large unidentified fleet in an uninhabited system in the Lormallian-controlled star systems. This fleet had over seven thousand vessels at the time of the scan. I am not sure whose fleet it was, but we thought we should warn you that it could be a Human fleet, preparing for a massive attack.”

Druin Councilor Clun replied, “Over seven thousand ships? If the Humans have a fleet that large, they aren’t coming after us. They’re going after the Morag.”

“Possibly. I just thought you might want to be on guard and be prepared, should they stop in a Druin system on their way. Or perhaps after they’ve attacked the Morag,” replied Conn.

“Thank you for your warning. Do you plan to warn the Morag too?” asked Clun.

“Yes. That message is going out next. Good luck.” With that, the Zynth Councilor ended the communication.

Druin Councilor Clun immediately relayed the information to Admiral Falorr. After hearing the news, Falorr said, “This is our chance. We must attack the Humans, while their attention is elsewhere. Not to mention their warships!”

“That is a lot of ships to send here to the Confederation. Do you think it’s the Empire Humans or the Earth Humans?” asked Clun.

“That’s the big question. Does the Human Empire have more ships in that fleet or left behind in the Earth and the Solar System? Which should we attack? I have already been slowly moving ships to a rendezvous location, so we could attack the Humans, without them knowing in advance. We assume the Human scout ships have not concerned themselves with our three or four ships that leave at a time,” said Falorr.

“What will your target be?” asked Clun.

“I have an idea. First, I need a few more ships. Then we will attack. We must time it perfectly. We must attack when the Humans begin their attack on the Morag. They will be too consumed in that battle to react quickly to our attack.”

“Will you ask the Morag to send ships? Or will the Druins stand alone?” asked Clun.

“We will stand alone. We will reign supreme. After the Morag and the Humans battle, both will have weakened fleets. Then it will be our turn to rule,” Falorr said in great confidence.

-

Morag Councilor Damora noticed that he had a message from Zynth Councilor Conn. He thought to himself, What does he want now? He rolled his eyes and decided to wait before checking to see what the Zynth Councilor had to say. It couldn’t be very important. It was the Zynth, after all. They weren’t even a part of his alliance anymore.

Damora checked in with Admiral Voxx on the progress of ridding the Morag systems of their uninvited infestation of Humans. Have we exterminated the pests yet? Damora asked Voxx.

No, but we are making progress. The interceptor killers are a great match against the Humans’ attack interceptors. We are working to distribute large numbers of the interceptor killers to all star systems that we believe may be targeted by the Humans, replied Voxx.

Do we have a large number of them stationed at Morag Prime?

Yes, we do. Our largest number of attack interceptors are stationed at Morag Prime. The Humans would not dare get anywhere near Morag Prime. They do not have enough ships. We would quickly crush them.

How many ships do the Humans still have in our star systems? asked Damora.

At last count, they were down to about 175. We are decreasing their numbers in each system. They have stopped attacking our military bases. They are afraid of facing large numbers of interceptor killers, I would guess. They are focusing on destroying our warships and our shipyards. The Humans have not figured out that most of our warships do not originate from the shipyards but from our massive military bases. It won’t be much longer, and the Human fleet will return to the Empire. They will not have enough ships left with which to attack us, responded Voxx.

Good. I am growing very tired of dealing with these inferior beings, responded Damora.

It won’t be long now, replied Voxx.

Keep me updated on the destruction of the enemy fleet.

I will.

After Damora finished communicating with Voxx, he relaxed in his office. The Humans would soon be dealt with. One less thing to worry about.

-

Captain Iris on scout ship 213 had been monitoring the activity in the Druin system, where Druin Seven was located. She had noticed over the last few days a few ships leaving occasionally. None had returned. Where were they going? What were they doing? Was something going on?

Iris decided to report the activity to Golan Four. If this was not an isolated incident, then something could be happening. Were the Druins slowly accumulating a fleet somewhere else? It was a possibility.

If this occurred in other Druin systems, one of the scout ships needed to follow the next few ships and see where they led them. She would wait to hear from Marloo, before she did anything.

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo in the Command Center at Golan Four had received the warning from Captain Iris. Druin ships were disappearing in small numbers. Iris was concerned this might be happening all across the Druin area of space. Marloo quickly did some checking. Her suspicions were correct.

“Send a message to Captain Iris. Next time ships leave her system, no matter how few, it is imperative that she follows them. We must find out what the Druins are up to. If they are staging a large fleet to use to attack the Empire, we must know. The sooner, the better,” said Marloo.

“Message sent,” responded the communications officer.

“Now, General Gantts, we must reevaluate our fleet deployments. If we suspect we may be under threat of attack, we might move some things around,” commented Marloo.

“Yes. We need more ships in the Golan Four system. Not to mention a rear admiral, since Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters is in the Confederation.”

“I will speak to Admiral Cleemorl. See if he could send Rear Admiral Manson or Fulmar to Golan Four to aid in our protection. Not to mention bring a few ships with him,” responded Marloo.

-

Admiral Cleemorl had visited extensively with Marloo about the defenses of the Empire. Things needed a little shifting. They had decided to send Rear Admiral Fulmar to Golan Four to temporarily replace Admiral Masters, until he returned. Fulmar would take 150 battlecruisers and 30 dreadnoughts from First Fleet.

They had both agreed that they might reevaluate the fleet deployments, once Iris catches up to the Druins and evaluates the size of the fleet they have accumulated. By all accounts, over three hundred ships and counting had gone missing.

Once they knew the size of the Druin fleet, Cleemorl and Marloo could figure out how many ships were needed to protect the core worlds. This included Golan Four and the Hagen Star Cluster. As long as Iris found the mysterious Druin fleet, the Empire would have plenty of warning about when and where the attack would be.

Cleemorl kept in contact with the scout ships and watched for the signs that the attack on Morag Prime was imminent. So far, Barnes and Carrie were still successfully destroying Morag targets. This would hopefully continue to keep the Morag busy. Cleemorl hoped that the Morag weren’t accumulating another fleet as well.

Cleemorl quickly rummaged through the reports from the scout ships. How many ships were currently accounted for in the Morag systems? Were any missing? Since the Morag had started periodically reshuffling their fleets, numerous ships had been unaccounted for. Many of these ships had ended up at the military base that had launched more ships against Admiral Collison.

Were more traps lying in wait for the Human fleets? It was very probable. Cleemorl hoped Barnes and Carrie didn’t pick one of these systems. Of course, if they did and ended up with a sizeable Morag fleet chasing them, that would be fewer enemy ships for the allied fleet to go up against at Morag Prime.

After reviewing the reports, again and again, Cleemorl concluded that over three hundred Morag ships were unaccounted for. He would have the scout ships send in a new report and do some more figuring. These missing ships could be lying in wait to trap Barnes and Carrie, or they could be assembling to attack the Empire. Cleemorl needed to get to the bottom of this quickly.

-

Morag Councilor Addonis again sat on the other side of the glass prison where the two Humans were. Addonis had made it a daily habit to chat with this Human High King Bramdon Starguard. He still, of course, had no idea that his daughter was still alive and ruling his precious empire.

The extent of their conversations usually dealt with trivial things. Addonis was surprised at how intelligent this Human was.

What would Addonis do with these two Humans? If Addonis could continue to build a relationship with this Human, then maybe Addonis could manipulate Bramdon into making some agreements on behalf of his Empire. Trick him into an alliance that would stop the Humans from entering the Confederation forever.

Addonis had a couple ideas floating around in his mind, but he hadn’t decided which way to go.

“Do you know whatever became of our son, Aiden Starguard?” asked Bramdon.

“Yes. He was exiled to Earth.” These two Humans had no idea how much of a threat Earth had turned into. It likely all stemmed from their son, Aiden, when he had been banished to Earth. What a mistake that had been. If only they had faked his execution and put him in cryo, then maybe they wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Addonis had no doubt that, without Earth and the Solar System, the Human Empire would not be this far in their battle against the Confederation. The Morag’s secret of their telepathic abilities would not have been discovered and then broadcast to the entire Confederation.

“What of his descendants?” Bramdon asked.

“Not a clue,” Addonis responded.

“What about our daughter, Layla?”

Addonis smiled his sinister smile. “Now her, I know. She is the overreacher who sends ships into the Confederation where they do not belong!” He watched their reactions closely. The shock was evident on both their faces.

“Layla is alive and currently ruling the Empire?”

“Yes, and I would add that she’s doing a terrible job. We will crush her little rebellion and her along with it. Humans do not belong in the Confederation.”

“If you would allow me to talk to her, I’m sure we could reach some understanding and agreement,” Bramdon said urgently.

“Perhaps I will allow you to talk to her but not now. We will soon eliminate her small fleet of ships attacking us. The next system they try to attack will be their last,” Addonis responded.

“Is Layla married? Does she have a family?” asked Bramdon.

Addonis smiled and said, “No more questions today.” Then he walked out. He would let the Humans process the information he had given them today. With the diminishing size of the Human fleet still attacking the Confederation, it wouldn’t take the Morag much longer to exterminate them.

-

Captain Tanner, on board scout ship 112, had sent the encrypted message to Captain Hadley, giving her the coordinates of the planets he wanted her to investigate. It would still be a few more days before Hadley could explore the first system, but Tanner was anxious to see what it held. More Humans? More telepathic Humans?

The other thought plaguing Tanner’s mind were warships. These Morag-allied Humans must have warships. The drone’s picture of the plans Tanner had found had been warship plans. They appeared to have weapons turrets. If they did have warships, they had to be hidden.

That was what Tanner would do next. Scan the entire planet thoroughly to see if he could determine a good place for underground military bases. Another thought had crossed his mind, but he had quickly dismissed it. What if these Humans had stealthed warships? This thought made him very uneasy. He had his sensor officer do another scan of the system. Nothing had shown up.

For now, he would focus on figuring out probable places for the underground bases to be. Then he would use the drone to check them out. Falton Two just had to have hidden bases. It’s the only thing that made any sense to him.

Chapter Nine

Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters had been surprised by the capabilities of the Creetin weapons. They were not up to the caliber of the Morag’s weapons, but they were far from primitive. Their energy screens were effective but would likely fail with a couple hits from antimatter missiles.

The Creetins had six hundred ships here, with more hidden in their star systems back in the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation. It gave Derrick a little relief, knowing more ships were nearby, if they needed them. These ships would still be a good day away, but it was something.

Now the only thing they were waiting on was the Lormallians. Their fleet would arrive in the next couple hours. Then, once the Lormallians had time to recharge their hyperdrives, it would be time to enter hyperspace and to head to their destiny.

The Morag would soon know what it was like for their homeworld to be threatened with destruction. A few more days were all the Morag on Morag Prime had left. This would be the beginning of the end for the Human Empire’s greatest enemy.

Derrick studied his holographic display again. The Morag-controlled star systems were very vast. The Morag alone inhabited ninety-two star systems. After destroying Morag Prime, the Human fleet must check each one. All ship-making capabilities must be destroyed. Shipyards, military bases, large and small, must all be destroyed. Plus any warships they could find. It was also likely that the Morag had hidden bases. These would be found and destroyed as well.

Derrick had already noted on the display where Admiral Collison had destroyed shipyards. The Morag had a lot of them. Derrick knew, even now, the Morag were churning out more warships. Derrick was glad Barnes and Carrie were still in the Morag systems, destroying targets. Derrick hoped they didn’t run into any trouble.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes had finally settled on a target. With the Morag ships still shifting positions almost constantly, it was hard to decide which system to hit. Barnes had selected a yellow dwarf system sixteen hours from Morag Prime. The scout ship stationed in the system had reported sixty-three warships. The number fluctuated by ten to twenty warships at a time.

Barnes hoped that this system wouldn’t contain a large number of interceptor killers. Either way, they would soon find out.

As the fleet exited hyperspace, Barnes focused her gaze on the tactical display. Sixty-three red threat icons appeared on her display. She wondered if the enemy fleet would jump out to their position to attack.

The viewscreens at the front of the Command Center showed various targets across the system—three shipyards, one inhabited planet, and two terraformed moons. The scout ship had not identified any military bases in the system.

Barnes and Carrie had agreed to try to avoid systems with military bases for now. It was more likely these military bases would house interceptor killers and more warships. Plus the Morag had set a trap in one of the systems that had a military base. Barnes assumed more might be out there, waiting for them.

The enemy fleet did not jump out to engage them. The Humans had debated the idea of letting the interceptors go after the fleet. Still, Barnes and Carrie were concerned that, like last time, if interceptor killers were in the system, the enemy would wait until the interceptors had launched all their weapons before attacking. This would put the Humans at a disadvantage.

Barnes decided to launch the interceptors and send them toward the enemy fleet. The main fleet would continue to close in toward the enemy too. When they saw how the enemy reacted, she could make a more informed decision.

-

Lieutenant Garland, on board the battlecarrier Freedom, assembled into her squadron. She was on edge, constantly checking her displays to see if any interceptor killers had appeared. So far, none had.

The attack interceptors had been instructed to move forward with the fleet. They were not to launch their attack until ordered to do so. Garland felt her pulse quickening.

One of the consoles noted they were five minutes and closing from engagement range. Her orders were coming through. As long as no interceptor killers showed up, her squadron was to move ahead, once engagement range was reached, and launch two missiles at the enemy fleet. This would leave her two more to use against the interceptor killers, if they showed up.

Garland once again checked the tactical display. No interceptor killers yet. So far, so good.

Two minutes to engagement range, her console now confirmed. Sweat began to form on her brow. Garland slowly let out a deep breath. She swallowed to soothe her dry throat. She focused on her breathing, trying to calm her nerves.

The fleet came to a stop, as the engagement range was reached. This part of the battle was up to the interceptors. Garland watched as the Morag fleet launched their fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles at the incoming interceptors. So far, no interceptor killers had been detected.

Garland maneuvered her interceptor out of harm’s way, rolling left and then diving out of the way, as the enemy weapons fire reached her squadron. Once she reached her designated weapons-launch coordinates, she checked one last time that no new enemy ships had been detected. None had, so she pulled the trigger to launch her first fusion-tipped missile at the enemy fleet.

Garland hesitated, before launching her second missile. What if the interceptor killers are preparing to launch? She checked the tactical display one last time, and no new enemy ships had been detected. No more red icons showed on her screen. Garland pulled the trigger to launch her second missile.

As the missiles closed in on the enemy fleet, Garland moved her attack interceptor out of harm’s way. Now the fleet would step in to eliminate the rest of the enemy fleet. For a few minutes anyway, her task was complete. She would save her remaining missiles in case the Morag had a surprise waiting for them. If not, her squadron would head to the shipyard to destroy it. Until then, she would sit back and watch the fleet blow the Morag out of the sky.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie watched as the missiles from the attack interceptors slammed into the Morag fleet. The interceptors still had more missiles left to use. They were saving them in case the Morag launched the interceptor killers. The last few systems that they had attacked had these vessels, specifically created to eliminate the Human attack interceptors.

Carrie checked the tactical display as red icons started disappearing and no new ones showed up. Her gaze shifted back to the viewscreen at the front of the room. Large explosions were detonating all across the front line of the Morag warships. Hot glowing wreckage spread all along the enemy fleet.

Time for the Human fleet to move to engagement range to finish off the remaining warships. With just a quick glance, Carrie estimated that the interceptors had eliminated around twenty ships.

As soon as the fleet crossed into weapons range, the Morag fleet released a wave of fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles. Simultaneously the Humans launched their accelerator cannons and particle beam cannons at the Morag.

Carrie saw the energy screens of nearby Human ships glowing brighter and brighter, as the energy screens worked to dissipate the tremendous amount of energy being unleashed on them. The energy crawled across the energy screens, looking for a weakness.

When one was found, an antimatter missile or two slammed into it, destroying the energy shield, and then another missile arrived, slamming into the hull of the ship. Miraculously the first impact of the antimatter missile did not destroy the ship, but three more soon hammered the ship, blasting it into a massive explosion that only left behind small pieces of glowing wreckage.

As Carrie witnessed the carnage occurring around her, she couldn’t help but think of all the lost Human lives. So many lives. Crew members who had been hard at work, following their orders, her orders. Breathing and working hard one minute and the next? Nothing was left of them. Only memories of those who knew them.

It was time to pull her focus back to the battle. The accelerator cannons and particle beam cannons had quickly wreaked havoc on the rest of the enemy fleet. As the last ship exploded into pieces, it was time to move to the next target.

This system had three shipyards, one at each of the two terraformed moons and one above the planet, Morag Four. Currently Carrie and Barnes didn’t think they had a large enough fleet to split into three parts. They had decided on hitting one at a time, together. With the Morag still shifting its fleets, there was a chance another group of enemy ships could exit hyperspace at any time. They were not expecting it to be very large—maybe twenty to thirty ships—but it was possible. For this reason, Barnes and Carrie had decided to stick together.

First they would hit the shipyard that orbited Morag Four. The attack interceptors had been ordered to reload on their carriers. As long as no interceptor killers showed up, the interceptors would be done in this system. Most of the star systems they targeted from now on would have the interceptor killers. The battles would get harder and harder. The Human fleet was losing numbers in each system. No resupply was coming, only the large fleet to destroy Morag Prime. So Carrie and Barnes must make do with what they had.

The fleet moved over to the shipyard that orbited the planet. Carrie thought it was odd that the Morag had not positioned their fleet near or around the shipyard to use its firepower against the Human fleet. That would be what she would have done, had she been in their shoes. They didn’t, however, and this had Carrie concerned. Usually there was a good reason behind the moves the Morag made or, for that matter, didn’t make. Why would they do this?

Before Carrie had much time to contemplate her line of thinking, alarms sounded. Carrie groaned. Now what? “Major Sullivan, what’s going on now?”

“We have detected ships launching from the planet’s surface,” replied her XO.

“Are they interceptor killers?” asked Carrie.

“No. It appears to be more battlecruisers and battleships.”

“How many?” Carrie tried to calm her rising nerves.

“Thirty-seven and counting,” he replied.

“Let’s focus on those ships and let Barnes focus on the first shipyard,” commanded Carrie.

Carrie’s group moved to intercept the new warships, emerging from the planet. Carrie hoped the terraformed moons didn’t also house more warships. She liked destroying them, but it did come at a cost. The Human fleet would now lose more ships. They couldn’t afford to lose many more.

The enemy ships came quickly into engagement range and opened fire on her fleet. The fighting was intense for a few minutes. When the dust settled—or rather, when the explosions stopped—the wreckage was all around. It was hard to tell which had been Morag and which had been Human. Small and large pieces of debris floated by on the viewscreens.

Carrie checked her tactical display. No red threat icons remained, and now she counted sixteen fewer green ones. This might be their last chance to destroy Morag targets, before they had to retreat to safety. Where that would be, Carrie wasn’t exactly sure yet. That was a problem she would solve after they eliminated these three shipyards.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes moved in to eliminate the first of three shipyards, while Carrie took care of the Morag warships coming from the planet. Barnes’s group were soon within weapons range, and the shipyard began pummeling her fleet with weapons fire. The screens of a few dreadnoughts grew brighter and brighter. Barnes’s heart beat faster and faster, as she waited to see if their energy screens would hold.

The dreadnoughts did have a more powerful energy screen than the battlecruisers possessed. This was why the Humans lost fewer of these more powerful warships. It took more to destroy their energy shields and then all the more to destroy the ship. It appeared that the shipyard was targeting the dreadnought, however. Currently no battlecruisers are being targeted. Were the Morag trying to destroy the ships where the leaders were? This would be her. Barnes didn’t like the feeling that rose inside her. Was it panic? She stood and said, “We must destroy this shipyard now!”

A giant explosion lit up the screen. Barnes feared it was a dreadnought or two that had caused it. When Barnes could see the viewscreen again, she felt a wave of relief wash over her, as she realized it had been the destruction of the shipyard that had temporarily blinded her.

Barnes felt that panic rise again, and she shifted her gaze back to the tactical display. They had lost two dreadnoughts in the short, intense battle. Captains who she had personally known and had worked with. Their loss would be felt by many.

It was time to move on to the next target. Carrie had successfully eliminated the new warships that had come from the planet. Now they would move over to the nearest terraformed moon. Hopefully no surprises were lying in wait for them over there.

-

Carrie closed in on the second shipyard that orbited one of the terraformed moons. The largest viewscreen at the front of the Command Center showed the moon below. Remarkable what the Morag had done. Seemed the Morag knew a thing or two about terraforming moons. Did this one hold a secret military base? Carrie hoped not but was watchful just in case it were true.

One of the other viewscreens showed a view of the shipyard. This was another one of the massive ones that they had come across before. It would be a little harder to destroy, but, once it started to fall out of orbit, the shipyard would likely go into self-destruct mode, as the others had.

The fleet entered the engagement range of the behemoth, and each side released its firepower toward the other. This shipyard was well armed, with fusion energy beam turrets and antimatter missile launchers. The sheer number of enemy firepower headed toward the Human fleet was enough to make anyone rethink their career choice. For many of them, it would be too late. With this much firepower incoming, there were bound to be many fatalities.

The Human fleet continuously launched the accelerator cannons at the enemy, while also aiming the particle beam cannons at the center of the shipyard. The accelerator cannons slammed through the energy screen. With so many hitting the screen simultaneously, no way it could withstand this.

Shortly after the screen overloaded, numerous projectiles from the accelerator cannons slammed into the side of the shipyard, causing explosions and debris to litter the area. The next round of weapons fire hit the shipyard, causing even more damage. Carrie was waiting for the shipyard to fall out of orbit. Then the Morag would destroy the shipyard themselves.

Carrie’s gaze shifted to the tactical display, just as two green icons swelled and then disappeared from view. Her ship shook slightly. Those two ships had not been far from her location. Just then, a massive explosion detonated from the shipyard. It was so bright, everyone in the Command Center shielded their eyes from the intense light. When they could look again, nothing was left of the shipyard, at least nothing recognizable.

With the enemy weapons fire now stopped, Carrie breathed a sigh of relief. No more enemy ships had shown up on the tactical display. They still had one more shipyard to eliminate. It orbited the other terraformed moon. Would this moon hold a military base with more warships or interceptor killers? They would shortly find out.

-

Barnes evaluated their numbers. They really needed to use the attack interceptors to destroy this next shipyard. This would allow the fleet to focus on repairing their ships. They had lost more ships against that last massive shipyard. If they intended to hit another star system, they couldn’t afford to lose any more ships in this system.

So Barnes had the fleet stop just out of engagement range, and the attack interceptors were launched and headed toward the third and final shipyard. Barnes had ordered a few squadrons to stay behind—in case the Morag had any of the interceptor killers. The last thing she wanted was for her interceptors to be chased by the enemy and not have the missiles they needed to destroy them.

Barnes watched as the interceptors closed in on the shipyard. The tactical display showed no new threats in the system. So far, so good. Her gaze shifted from one viewscreen to another, as the interceptors reached the weapons range of the shipyard. This shipyard was smaller than the previous one thankfully. Still a wall of enemy firepower headed toward them though.

The interceptors dove and wove around the incoming missile fire and fusion energy beam fire. Barnes was still amazed at how well the interceptors could be maneuvered to avoid being annihilated. The larger ships could not do that. The thing that protected the larger ships was their energy screens. Unfortunately for the interceptors, they only had a forward-facing energy screen. This must be improved upon in the future. The interceptors needed complete protection. They were very valuable to the fleet as a whole. The more they could keep around, the better.

As the interceptors reached their launch coordinates, they launched their first two missiles at the shipyard. Barnes hoped it would be enough to take down the energy screen. She leaned forward in her chair, as the missiles reached their target. Barnes held her breath. Would it be enough?

Bright flashes of light signaled the explosions of the fusion-tipped missiles all across the energy screen. The interceptors then launched their remaining two missiles from closer range. The energy spread across the shipyard’s energy shield, as the shield tried to hold its ground. It was a losing battle though, and, with one last flash of light, it failed. The remaining missiles hit the side of the shipyard, causing explosions to spread across the entire shipyard.

Barnes slowly let out the breath she had been holding. Would this be enough to destroy the shipyard? She glanced quickly at the tactical display. Still no more red threat icons had appeared. Maybe they would luck out in this system after all.

When Barnes shifted her gaze back to the shipyard, it was completely engulfed in explosions. She smiled. It looked like the interceptors had eliminated the shipyard on their own. No need for the fleet to put the larger ships in danger.

The viewscreens showed the interceptors headed back to their carriers. It was good to see so many of them. Barnes was a little on edge, waiting for the last one to land in its landing bay. Once it did, she checked with Carrie to ensure they had not missed anything. Once Barnes got confirmation, she gave the command to enter hyperspace.

One more system with no remaining shipyards. They had also successfully destroyed one hundred more Morag warships. That would be fewer they must hunt down later.

The Morag now had three fewer shipyards with which to build more warships. Barnes and Carrie would now move on to one more target, before heading to the Barsoon home system, where they would regroup and would decide what to do, until the large allied fleet arrived.

Which system would they attack next? Barnes was not 100 percent sure yet. She wanted it to entail a longer hyperspace jump, so that they could get some much-needed rest, before the next battle commenced.

Barnes had already narrowed down her options to three. All of which were a good twenty hours from their current position. Her fleet was already headed in that direction. A lot could change in twenty hours. Especially with the Morag constantly moving ships around.

Barnes would make her final target decision when they neared all three choices. By then, she would have a better idea of where the Morag warships were and could pick a target that had fewer warships than what the Humans had left. Their fleet was dwindling, but she was confident they could hit one more star system with what they had.

Chapter Ten

Lormallian Admiral Keld had summoned Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull to come to the Command Center. When Ardon arrived, he asked, “I assume we are nearing the rendezvous coordinates?” Ardon asked.

“Yes, Councilor, we are. I thought you might be interested in looking at our long-range scans of the star system,” Keld replied, with a smile.

“What do the scans show?” asked Ardon.

“The scans show almost twelve thousand ships in the system,” Keld replied.

Ardon smiled. “This is even more ships than I expected. Let’s hope that many of them are Human. While we encouraged other races to join us, the Humans have the weapons we need to succeed in this endeavor.”

“Yes. We will not know how many are Human until we drop out of hyperspace in the system.”

“Many of these races will be very wary of us, since we were, until recently, part of why they have been oppressed for hundreds or thousands of years. We must be more thoughtful of that and be careful of our actions,” Ardon remarked.

“Duly noted, Councilor. I am glad you are here with us to deal with the political part of all this. Leave the battles to me,” Keld said, with a smile.

After a few more minutes, the Lormallian fleet exited hyperspace. Ardon’s gaze remained fixed on the viewscreens at the front of the Command Center. The allied fleet filled the screens. “How many are Human?”

“Scans show about 2,700 Human warships, Councilor,” replied the sensor officer.

Ardon’s smile spread farther across his face. “How many different races are represented here? Can you tell?”

“Yes. It appears eighty races are represented in the star system. We look at the different types of ships to determine this,” responded the sensor officer.

“We are receiving a communication from the Human Admiral Collison,” said the communications officer.

“Put it on the screen,” said Admiral Keld.

The screen switched to a view of Admiral Collison. “Greetings, Admiral Keld and Councilor Reull. Welcome to the allied fleet.” Collison had a big smile on his face.

“It’s a nice-size fleet, Admiral,” responded Keld.

“We would like to get the two of you up to speed. Would you be available for a meeting in an hour on my flagship?” asked Collison.

“Yes, we will be there. Will all the representatives be there?” asked Keld.

“No. Only the Visth and us. We have already met with the others. Many of them are cautious about the Lormallians’ involvement. So we thought we might meet separately for now. Perhaps after the battle, they will see you are on our side. Then we can all meet together to discuss our future,” said Collison.

“I believe that is the wisest course of action, given the circumstances,” said Reull.

“I look forward to seeing the two of you in an hour then.” With that, the screen faded to black.

Admiral Keld turned to Ardon. “What do you think?”

“I think the Humans are wise. I look forward to meeting this Admiral Collison in person. He’s the one leading the fleets here in the Confederation. I am anxious to hear if they are still attacking targets. Plus he is the Human who leads the fleet from the Solar System. We would be wise to nurture that relationship with the Solar System and the Human Empire,” Ardon said.

“I wonder who they sent to lead the fleet from the Empire? Admiral Cleemorl possibly?”

“I would imagine, if it had been Cleemorl, he would have been the one who contacted us, instead of Collison. Since we have both had interactions with him in the past, my guess is it’s someone else.”

“We will soon see,” replied Keld.

-

Admiral Masters and Rear Admiral Martinez joined Admiral Collison on his flagship to meet with the Lormallians. Masters was excited to meet the Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull. Prince Andrew had had a lot to say about him. Rear Admiral Carrie had worked with the Lormallians in the Visth home system to defeat the Morag, who had attacked them there.

Masters knew this meeting was essential to the future alliance between the Humans and the Lormallians. Would they still be in an alliance after they defeated their enemies? Layla had mentioned that she was concerned about what would happen between the various races and even across the Empire once their mutual enemy had been defeated. For now, they were all linked by a common foe and the desire to defeat the Morag. Once that happened, then what?

The Visth would also attend this meeting. Councilor Karn and Admiral Larr had already arrived. They now waited only on the Lormallians.

“Admiral Collison, the Lormallians are approaching in their transport vessel,” said his first officer.

“I will greet them and bring them here to the conference room,” Collison replied.

Masters and Martinez stayed and chatted more with the Visth. When Collison returned, they all stood to greet the Lormallians.

Masters and Martinez were the only two who hadn’t met the Lormallians before. As they walked in, Masters was impressed by their sheer size. The two Lormallians stood nearly seven feet tall. Masters had always considered himself tall, but these two towered over him.

“Admiral Keld and Councilor Reull, meet Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters from the Empire and Rear Admiral Martinez from the Solar System,” said Collison.

Masters was not sure if it was customary to shake hands, but he noticed the two Lormallians bow slightly, so he did the same.

“It is an honor to meet the two of you,” said Councilor Reull. “This is quite the fleet assembled here. When do we expect to head toward our target?”

“We are ready to leave as soon as your fleet is. We want to go over strategy and battle plans with you now. Then we will be ready to go,” replied Masters.

Admiral Keld smiled and said, “Good, let’s get to it then. The longer we stay here, the more we risk exposure.”

The six leaders planned and debated strategies for well over an hour. Once the plan had been fine-tuned, they all agreed to enter hyperspace in two hours.

-

Once back on their battleship, Lormallian Admiral Keld and Councilor Reull discussed the meeting. “I am surprised they sent Admiral Derrick Masters. He is married to the Human Empire’s High Princess Layla Starguard. That’s a big risk sending him. If he were to be captured, that could hurt our cause,” said Ardon.

“I imagine they did it to send a message that they are confident in their victory. Plus I would imagine he volunteered to lead their fleet here for this purpose,” replied Keld.

Ardon nodded his head. “Yes, that does sound probable. The Humans do have a lot of warships committed to this mission. It makes me wonder if they left any of their systems underprotected.”

“Perhaps. Hopefully the Druins and the Morag do not catch wind of this attack before it’s time. It could mean disaster for any of us,” replied Keld.

“True. However, I do not think the Druins would target us. It would be the Humans they would go after. The Morag will protect their own for now. They have to. Especially if they had advanced warning of this attack.”

“The sooner we get underway, the better I will feel.”

-

Captain Iris on scout ship 213 watched carefully for any Druin warships to leave the system. Her crew was ready to follow them. They had to figure out where all these ships were going. The longer it took these ships to leave, the more she worried that maybe she had missed her chance. Maybe no more would leave.

Finally Iris saw what she had been looking for.

“Captain, two Druin battlecruisers and one battleship are charging their hyperdrives,” said the sensor officer.

“Prepare to follow them. We have to figure out what the Druins are planning,” responded Iris.

The viewscreen at the front of the Command Center showed the three Druin warships entering hyperspace. The scout ship followed right behind them. Iris sat back in her chair. It might be a few hours before they dropped out of hyperspace, or it could be a shorter amount of time. If they were amassing a fleet, it must be in an uninhabited star system, either in the Druin-controlled area or possibly the Lamothian-controlled star systems.

Now that she was on the trail of solving this mystery, she felt much better. Iris didn’t like leaving Druin Seven without a Human scout on watch, but it couldn’t be helped in this situation.

Iris sent an encrypted message to Marloo to inform him that they currently followed a few Druin ships and would hopefully find their rendezvous site soon. She would tell him once she had that information. Until then, all she could do was wait.

-

Captain Tanner on scout ship 112 had concluded his extensive search of the surface of Falton Two. He had looked for any place that might hide an underground military base. These Humans just had to have one. It didn’t make sense for them not to.

Tanner had scanned the surface landmasses twice. His scout ship had been fitted with special equipment for this exact task, before he had left the Empire. He had discovered a handful of potential places that might hide a base. Now Tanner would use the drones to explore those places more closely. The scout ship would also watch these areas to see if any suspicious activity occurred that might give away that it was, indeed, a base.

The initial drone was inbound to the first location. Tanner had searched the mountainous regions of the planet with a fine-tooth comb. This was the exact type of place where the hidden bases in the Empire had been located. He carefully maneuvered the drone around boulders and into caves, looking for the signs that would confirm he had found what he had been looking for. He used thermal-imaging technologies to seek any heat signatures. So far, he had found nothing.

Tanner continued to search the area for well over an hour. He was almost ready to give up, when he noticed an oddly shaped rock formation. Something about it looked out of place. He only had a little more time, until this drone must head back to the ship to be recharged. Tanner flew the drone in closer to get a better look.

The Command Center on the scout ship went utterly silent. They all knew they had found something. What it was, none of them were sure, but they were determined to find out.

-

Captain Hadley was now in Confederation space. She skirted around the Zynth area, so as not to break the agreement that the Empire and the Zynth had made. All Human ships would stay out of the Zynth systems, as long as the Zynth ships stayed out of the Human systems. Not that the stealthed scout ships would be detected, but she didn’t want to take any chance on breaking that agreement.

Hadley had the coordinates of the star systems that Tanner had observed on the wall of the palace on Falton Two. The drone had already gotten them a lot of information. She couldn’t wait to see what had been discovered. Hadley would not go to Falton Two right now though. She would go straight to these planets that the Empire had no record of on any of their maps. What she would find there, she didn’t know. She hoped it would be Humans and friendly Humans at that. Not Morag-aligned and telepathic Humans.

It would still be a few more days before she arrived at the first location. Until then, she would continue to run scenarios through her mind of what she might possibly find when she got to these new planets. New only because they were on no maps that the Empire had. They were now on her holographic display though. In total, she would explore nine planets. She was under strict orders not to contact anyone on the planets or orbiting the planets.

According to the most recent information, the attack on Morag Prime would occur before she arrived at her first destination. Hadley wondered how the Humans of Falton Two would react to their allies being destroyed. By other Humans.

-

Addonis was frustrated that the Humans were still attacking targets in the Confederation. Since they were Morag targets in the Morag-controlled part of the Confederation, this enemy fleet was dwindling quickly now. Based on the latest information he had, the Human fleet only had around 150 warships left. The last system they had attacked had been one of the few that hadn’t had a contingent of interceptor killers stationed in it. The last target had also been relatively close to Morag Prime. They wouldn’t dare come any closer.

As for the two Humans he had in captivity, he was still undecided about how to use them against their own daughter. A smirk crossed his face, as he contemplated the options at his disposal. With the Human fleet’s diminishing numbers, he might not use his captives quite yet. Addonis narrowed his gaze at his viewscreen that showed the two Humans. The one was pacing back and forth, while the other sat still and closed her eyes. Was she sleeping? No, it appeared they were talking to each other. Addonis could not hear what was being said.

Maybe he should put them back in cryo and save them for another time. He sighed. No. He needed them here and awake, until the time came that the Morag had the new weapons the Humans possessed and had time to build up their fleets. As much as he hated to admit it, the Morag were currently at a disadvantage. The Humans had better weapons and were losing less warships than the Morag. Something must change and quickly.

Addonis turned off the viewscreen. He needed to get an update from Admiral Voxx. He also wanted to see if the new weapons were ready. Last he checked, they were very close. Of course, even if the new weapons were ready, it would take some time to install them on all warships.

The production of the interceptor killers continued full throttle. These vessels were very effective in destroying the Humans’ small attack craft. The Morag almost had them in all their star systems, at least those where the Humans hadn’t attacked yet.

Things were starting to come together. Soon the Humans would be on the run. Then they would be crushed.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx stared at his tactical display, trying to figure out where the Humans would attack next. The interceptor killers were in all the remaining systems that still held a shipyard, with the exception of two. These two systems were near the last one the Humans had targeted, so it was doubtful they would attack one of those.

Voxx knew that the Human fleet, or what was left of it, could be almost anywhere by now. Based on the direction they had left the last system, the fact they had not been spotted in any of the uninhabited systems, plus how long they’d been in hyperspace, he could narrow down the possible targets.

The Humans continued to hit the shipyards and seemed to be staying away from the military bases. Voxx reviewed the fleet deployments to see which system might look appealing to the Human commander. After some thought, he narrowed down the possibilities to three. Unless the enemy fleet remained longer in hyperspace than he thought, it could be systems farther out. If he were right though, he would know in the next couple hours.

For now, he needed to readjust the fleets slightly. At this thought, he frowned. If he adjusted the fleets too much, the Humans would pick a different target. His fleet was too far away to be of any help to any of the potential targets. All three systems did have interceptor killers. One of the three had more warships hidden in the military base, thirty-three to be precise. If he timed the battle just right, he could get more reinforcements there.

Voxx sent out the orders for a few ships from the systems that the Humans had already passed over to redeploy to these three suspected systems. They would not arrive before the Humans but maybe in time to attack them before they left.

This would be the last time the Humans attacked a Morag star system. Voxx was certain of this.

-

Admiral Collison checked in with all the representatives within the allied fleet. Everyone was ready. Collison took a deep breath and then commanded, “It’s time to enter hyperspace. Our next stop is Morag Prime.”

Collison watched as the fleets began to enter hyperspace. It would take them four days to get to Morag Prime. He wasn’t sure Barnes and Carrie would continue hitting targets until the main fleet arrived.

A smile crossed Collison’s face. What a fleet this was. The Morag would be taken by surprise. He looked forward to seeing the destruction of Morag Prime and the fall of the Morag. Four more days, that’s all he had to wait.

Collison knew it would take more than just destroying Morag Prime, but destroying their home planet would put the allied forces on a great start. Not to mention the fleet stationed there. Then they could make their way through the Morag-controlled area, destroying all the military threats.

When they were finished, the Morag would be defeated. Collison was also aware that the Morag would claw their way back into this fight eventually, but, until then, the Humans and their allies would have time to fortify and to prepare. A reckoning was coming for the Morag, and the enemy had no idea.

Collison’s ships entered hyperspace, and his gaze shifted to the tactical display. Everything looked good. Now he had to wait.

-

Rear Admiral Drake, along with Captain Avery and the rest of the supply fleet, entered hyperspace from the star system where Proxy Seven was located in the Lormallian area of the Confederation. The ships that remained to be repaired followed along as well. They were headed to the home system of the Barsoon race. This fleet of ships would arrive at the Barsoon system before the allied fleet arrived at Morag Prime.

Drake had been in contact with Rear Admiral Barnes, who had informed him that they were sending their empty battlecarriers and damaged ships to rendezvous with them at the Barsoon system. Barnes and Carrie were getting low on warships. Hopefully he could resupply their carriers, as soon as more of the ships with him were repaired. Drake could send a few ships to rendezvous with Barnes and Carrie from his ships, as soon as they arrived at the new home of the supply fleet for the foreseeable future.

As long as Barnes and Carrie could hold on that long, then Drake could send them some reinforcements. It would be three days before they arrived at their destination.

-

Captain Iris was still hot on the trail of the Druin ships that had left the system she had been monitoring. What were they up to? So far, they had been in hyperspace for seven hours. They were still in the Druin-controlled area of the Confederation.

“Captain, we show ships on the long-range scan in an upcoming uninhabited system,” said the sensor officer.

“How many ships?” Iris asked.

“Scans show over five hundred.”

“This has to be where these ships are headed. I can’t believe we’ve overlooked so many ships disappearing from the enemy star systems we were stationed in,” Iris commented.

“At least we have figured it out now and will have eyes on them from now on. When this fleet leaves, we will follow and know where they are headed,” replied her first officer.

“Captain, the Druins are exiting hyperspace,” said the sensor officer.

“Follow them. Be on high alert. Watch for any change in the Druins’ fleet position. I doubt they will realize we are here, but let’s be careful anyway,” said Iris.

They all watched the viewscreens, as they exited hyperspace. The Druins had amassed a sizable fleet. What this collection of ships was meant for, she wasn’t sure. It was eerily quiet in the Command Center, as the crew waited for any sign they may have been spotted.

After ten minutes had passed, they all breathed a sigh of relief. If the Druins had sensed their scout ship, they would have reacted by now.

“Captain, I have more ships exiting hyperspace.”

“More Druin ships, I assume?” Iris asked.

“Yes, Captain. Four more Druin warships have arrived,” replied the sensor officer.

“Notify Fleet Admiral Marloo and let him know what we have found and where we are. We know what our orders are. For now, we will watch what this fleet does. If they enter hyperspace, we will follow.”

Iris wondered how many more warships would show up over the next few hours. Was this fleet hours from entering hyperspace or days from entering hyperspace? If days, this fleet could still grow quite a bit more. Surely the Druins wouldn’t leave their star systems drastically underprotected. That would be a huge risk.

Of course the size of the known Human fleet in the Confederation grew smaller. If the Druins were aware of this, they might believe they only needed a few ships to protect their planets from attack. Then they could use the rest for a Hail Mary attack on Earth or Golan Four. Which would it be?

Iris settled into her command chair. It looked like they might be here a while.

Chapter Eleven

Rear Admiral Carrie watched the viewscreens at the front of the Command Center, as the long-range scans came in. Rear Admiral Barnes had initially narrowed their targets to three. After they had received the latest update from the scout ships stationed in those three systems, they had selected their final target. They would need reinforcements before hitting any more targets after this one.

The long-range scans were now on the viewscreen. Thirty-nine warships patrolled this system. Carrie had been a little apprehensive about the small number of warships, thinking it may be a trap. Another of the systems had even fewer ships though, so they were guessing that is where the trap lay. Not in the system they had selected. The Morag were adapting though, so the Humans would be on high alert.

This star system held two shipyards, one terraformed moon that did contain a military base, and two inhabited planets, Morag Ninety-Six and Morag Ninety-Seven. Carrie hoped that, since they had spotted a small military base, there wasn’t a massive base on the moon. The small Human fleet could deal with a small base. A massive one could hold too many surprises.

Carrie slowly let out a long breath of air. Hopefully things would go according to plan. This was war though, and the Morag were adapting, so Carrie didn’t expect everything to go according to plan. How many surprises were in store for them here? They would soon find out.

The fleet was already at Condition One and would soon exit hyperspace. The best-case scenario would be if the enemy fleet jumped out to engage them. Barnes and Carrie had decided to use the attack interceptors as much as possible in this next attack. If they could keep the warships protected, then perhaps they could strike another target.

As the fleet exited hyperspace, alarms blared. Carrie glanced at the tactical display and confirmed the system had thirty-nine warships. The Human fleet quickly got into formation and made its way toward the enemy fleet’s location.

So far the enemy fleet remained stationary. Carrie’s heart beat faster, as her mind considered all the possibilities why the fleet hadn’t moved to attack them or hadn’t moved into a position near the closest shipyard. Was something coming?

“Ten minutes to engagement range,” called out the sensor officer.

“Prepare to halt forward progress when we are three minutes to engagement range,” ordered Carrie.

Carrie felt the ship slow to a stop, as they reached the designated point to stop the fleet and to launch the attack interceptors. The viewscreen now began filling with the attack interceptors. Once they had formed into their squadrons, the attack interceptors started their journey toward their targets. Carrie’s gaze shifted to the smaller viewscreen focused on the enemy fleet. Would the enemy fleet engage the attack interceptors, or would they make a jump to a safer location?

Once the interceptors crossed that engagement range line, the enemy fleet launched their weapons at the interceptors. Fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles headed toward the small attack craft.

“The enemy fleet is charging their hyperdrives,” called out the sensor officer.

“They may be jumping to our location. Prepare to fire,” ordered Carrie. She leaned forward in her chair and intensely watched the viewscreen. The attack interceptors were closer to reaching their designated launch coordinates.

“Should I tell the interceptors to hold their fire?” asked the tactical officer.

“The Morag fleet is most likely waiting for the interceptors to launch their missiles before they jump. I want only two squadrons to launch one missile each. That will be forty missiles headed toward the enemy fleet. Tell the others to hold off,” ordered Carrie. She was confident the enemy fleet would make their jump shortly after the missiles were launched.

Carrie watched the viewscreen as the two squadrons launched their missiles. Then her gaze switched to the other viewscreen, focused on the enemy fleet. The enemy fleet made their jump.

Then Carrie stood and awaited the appearance of the enemy fleet near hers. “Enemy fleet dropped out of hyperspace near the terraformed moon,” said the sensor officer.

“Anyone else have a bad feeling about that?” Carrie asked. That terraformed moon was where the military base was. Carrie felt a shiver run down her spine.

Carrie quickly discussed with Barnes a battle plan and then implemented it. “Reroute the attack interceptors to the nearest shipyard. Have them destroy it,” commanded Carrie.

That shipyard orbited one of the inhabited planets, Morag Ninety-Seven. This planet was not nearest the terraformed moon. The terraformed moon orbited the other inhabited planet, as did the second shipyard. If there were any surprises, Carrie was sure it would happen when they attacked the second shipyard.

The fleet moved into position near the shipyard but was careful to stay out of engagement range. Carrie watched as the attack interceptors moved in to destroy the shipyard. The shipyard launched as many weapons as possible at the interceptors, as they made their way to their launch coordinates.

Small flashes of light could be seen throughout the formations, but they were few and far between. The interceptors launched their first two missiles and then were rewarded by the enemy firepower switching from the interceptors to their incoming missiles.

The interceptors continued their progress toward the shipyard, as the Humans’ fusion-tipped missiles began to impact the energy screen. Carrie held her breath, hoping it would be enough to overload the energy screen. It glowed brighter and brighter, trying to dissipate all the energy slammed into it. When it finally failed, Carrie let out the deep breath of air she had been holding.

The attack interceptors launched their remaining two missiles and headed back to the awaiting carriers to reload. As they returned, Carrie kept her gaze on the shipyard. It was doing its best to destroy the incoming missiles, but, alas, it was futile. The missiles slammed into the side of the shipyard, causing tremendous damage. When the explosions finally ceased, not much was left of the shipyard.

As the last interceptors landed safely on their carriers, it was time to head to their next target. What was in store for them there, Carrie didn’t know, but she had a bad feeling the Morag had some surprises waiting for them.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes and the rest of the fleet made a short jump to the second inhabited planet. She anticipated the Morag had a surprise or two for the Humans. The enemy fleet was stationed near the terraformed moon. The shipyard was located on the far side of the planet. The Humans might destroy this shipyard before the Morag fleet implemented their plan.

Barnes had discussed with Carrie what their strategy would be. Since they expected interceptor killers here, they would not use the interceptors to destroy this shipyard. Instead the fleet would move into engagement range, launch four rounds of accelerator cannon fire, which could be done in two minutes, and then jump to a safe location.

From there, they would watch to see if those four rounds were enough to destroy the shipyard. If not, they would jump back in and launch another few rounds. They believed they would lose fewer ships using this strategy.

“Five minutes to engagement range,” called out the sensor officer.

Barnes hoped that they could get this shipyard destroyed with only one jump and not have to return. Who knew how long it would take them to destroy the enemy fleet and how many more warships would appear to help the enemy?

As the Human fleet neared the weapons range of the shipyard, it opened fire on the fleet. The sheer amount of firepower headed toward her made Barnes hesitant a moment. Was this the best strategy? They only needed two minutes to launch their weapons. Then they’d jump to safety. Barnes pressed the commlink and said, “If any ship’s energy screen falls below 40 percent functioning ability, jump to the rendezvous coordinates immediately.” One thing Barnes was sure of, she didn’t want to lose any ships.

“Engagement range,” called out the sensor officer.

“Fire accelerator cannons, four rounds,” commanded Barnes. The viewscreen was lit up with the weapons fire exchanged between the Human fleet and the Morag shipyard. As soon as Barnes’s ship had launched its four rounds of accelerator cannon fire, they jumped to their rendezvous coordinates. From there, she would watch the destruction of the shipyard.

Barnes stared at the viewscreen, as the projectiles began impacting the energy screen and slamming right through. Barnes smiled. What a powerful weapon they had. The projectiles then hammered into the hull of the shipyard. Large explosions began, when the projectiles impacted the shipyard.

When the projectiles had all struck their target, nothing identifiable was left of the shipyard.

Two targets down. Now it was time to go after the enemy fleet.

-

Carrie rechecked the tactical display, confirming that no new enemy ships had appeared. The Human fleet prepared to jump to the enemy fleet’s location. She pressed the commlink, so she could speak to the entire fleet. “We will jump into combat range. Be prepared to fire upon exiting hyperspace.”

The fleet made the short jump over to the terraformed moon and into the combat range of the enemy fleet. Immediately the space above the moon was lit up from the weapons fire.

Alarms blared, and Carrie sighed deeply. The Morag had something planned. She felt it.

“We’ve got warships launching from the moon’s surface, Rear Admiral Carrie,” said the sensor officer.

“How many?” Carrie asked.

“Twenty and counting. I am also sensing interceptor killers launching from the surface as well. Their numbers are at forty and counting.”

“Launch the attack interceptors. Their job is to eliminate those interceptor killers. The enemy ships will likely target the battlecarriers. Watch for the enemy to attack us from the rear, and be prepared to change positions if the situation warrants,” commanded Carrie.

“I have thirty-three enemy ships now joining the enemy fleet. Also now a total of two hundred interceptor killers are headed our way,” commented the sensor officer. “They have stopped launching from the surface.”

“At least we are not outnumbered. Let’s destroy this fleet before any more reinforcements arrive,” said Carrie.

-

Lieutenant Garland and her squadron launched from the battlecarrier Freedom, tasked with destroying the interceptor killers. Garland had been up against more of these interceptor killers than she cared to remember. With what missiles she had, she could kill two of them, if her targeting was good. Then she’d have to reload.

Garland watched the interceptor killers headed straight for her. Well, at least she wouldn’t have to search for them. This would be a dogfight, one she hoped she would live through. As Garland maneuvered her interceptor to avoid enemy fire, she heard the target lock sound, the one that indicated that she was the target. She quickly dove and twisted to avoid the enemy fire. As the missile barely missed her interceptor, Garland turned around her interceptor and went after the interceptor killer that had just targeted her. Soon she had it in her sights.

Once the target lock sounded, she quickly sent her two missiles at her target. The first hit the target, destroying its energy screen. The second slammed into the interceptor killer, destroying it on impact. One target down, one to go.

It didn’t take long for Garland to find her next target. After another successful hit, another interceptor killer had been eliminated. All around her, others were doing the same. Small explosions littered the area, some the interceptor killers and others her fellow attack interceptors. Hopefully no one who she knew personally.

Now was time to make her way back to the battlecarrier and to reload. No doubt there would still be targets left to destroy after she was reloaded. This was the most dangerous part of her mission. She had no missiles left and no shield on the backside of her interceptor. Garland felt tense and held her breath, as she made her way through the wreckage and the fleet to her carrier.

When the target lock sounded, Garland immediately went into a dive. Then she added a spin maneuver and abruptly changed directions. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the missile fly by, just barely missing her. Garland’s heart continued to beat fast as she again tried to make her way back to the safety of the carrier. Other interceptors were flying back into the battle, targeting the interceptor killers nearby. This allowed Garland to make it to her carrier unscathed.

-

Barnes was in the midst of destroying enemy warships when the sensor alarms sounded again. “Now what?”

“We have detected Morag warships exiting hyperspace,” responded the sensor officer.

Barnes shifted her gaze to the tactical display. “Let’s finish off this fleet before these reinforcements join them.”

“Scans show twelve more warships. They have stopped exiting hyperspace,” said the sensor officer.

“Twelve we can handle,” replied Barnes, with a hint of relief in her voice. They dodged a bullet on that one. That backup fleet could have been much larger.

“They are not moving any closer. They are holding their position,” stated the sensor officer.

Barnes had a sinking feeling upon hearing this revelation. That meant they were waiting for more reinforcements. Should she take a few ships and jump out there to destroy them? Ideally that’s what she would do, but she was afraid that might leave her battlecarriers more exposed. For now, they would hold their position. “Let me know if those new ships change position.”

Barnes returned her focus to the business at hand, eliminating the rest of the enemy fleet in front of her.

The viewscreen in the front of the room showed a dreadnought near them under heavy fire. “Find the ship targeting that dreadnought and destroy it!” Barnes didn’t like what she saw. The dreadnought’s energy shield grew brighter and brighter.

“Target acquired, sending accelerator cannon fire toward the target,” said the tactical officer.

Barnes shifted her gaze between the viewscreen showing the troubled dreadnought and the one showing their target. Would the projectiles make it in time? She leaned forward in her chair and said a quick prayer. The projectiles slammed into the enemy battleship, instantly destroying the energy screen, and then the next one blasted the battleship into oblivion. Barnes’s gaze moved back to the view of the dreadnought. It was still in one piece.

“Contact the captain of that ship and have it move to the rear of the formation. I’m confident its energy screen could use some repairs. We might need that ship, if more enemy reinforcements show up,” said Barnes.

Soon after that, the dreadnought disappeared from her viewscreen as it repositioned itself at the rear of the formation.

-

Lieutenant Garland was back at it again. The fleet had almost eliminated all the enemy warships positioned near the terraformed moon. Only a few remained. There were still the newcomers to eliminate, but first they needed to hunt down the rest of the interceptor killers.

Garland looked at the tactical display. Not as many small red threat icons now. She would guess around fifty or so. Two of them were hers to destroy.

The view out her cockpit window was full of debris from the destroyed warships, both Morag and Human. As she worked her way around all that, she spotted her target. She was laser-focused on her target. It wouldn’t take long to move into position to destroy it.

Garland lined up her position to intersect with the trajectory of the interceptor killer. She was partially hidden by a large piece of debris. Her finger rested lightly on the trigger. Wait for it. Wait for it. The interceptor killer came into view, the target lock sounded, and she pressed on the trigger. Seconds later, her target was disintegrated. Garland smiled. One down, one more to go.

Which one would be her next target? Garland continued to hold her position behind the large piece of debris. It provided good cover for her. She checked her tactical display and estimated thirty or so interceptor killers remained. More attack interceptors were reloaded and on the hunt for the enemy ships.

Based on what Garland saw and what showed on the tactical display, she must leave her protected spot and hunt down her next target.

As Garland emerged from her hiding spot, her gaze scanned the view from her cockpit. Where was her target? Her gaze soon locked on to her next one. Garland quickly made her way toward the enemy ship. With any luck, this battle would soon be over.

A large explosion shook her interceptor, as a nearby battlecruiser blew apart. Debris was flung in all directions. After successfully weaving around the debris, Garland lined up her target. Her finger once again rested on the trigger. When she had the interceptor killer in her crosshairs, she fired her last two remaining missiles at the enemy ship. A smile crossed her face, as the interceptor killer disintegrated in front of her.

Garland took a deep breath. It was once again time to head back to the carrier. With even more debris to dodge than before, she slowly made her way back to safety, cautious of what enemy ships were around her at all times. The tactical display revealed only a handful of interceptor killers left to eliminate. Judging by the green icons on her display, there were plenty of interceptors to hunt down the few remaining interceptor killers.

As for the Morag fleet itself, nothing remained. Nothing except for molten pieces of debris. Now they only needed to eliminate the other enemy ships that had exited hyperspace and had not joined their comrades in the battle. Hopefully they were not waiting on more reinforcements.

When at last Garland saw her carrier, Freedom, she felt a rush of relief flow through her. Home. She was home. She laughed slightly. What a home this was. More a home away from home. Either way, she was glad to be back in one piece.

As Garland’s interceptor touched down in the landing bay, she couldn’t help but notice fewer attack interceptors were in the bay. She hoped these were the ones still out hunting the enemy ships, but, deep down, she knew better.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie breathed a sigh of relief as the last attack interceptor landed on its battlecarrier. The enemy fleet stationed near the terraformed moon had been eliminated, as well as the interceptor killers. The two shipyards had also been destroyed. Now the only target that remained were the twelve warships that had most recently dropped from hyperspace.

It didn’t make sense to Carrie why those twelve ships wouldn’t have joined the other Morag fleet during the battle in order to bolster their numbers. The only thing she could reasonably figure out was that they were waiting for more reinforcements, and these reinforcements must be close at hand.

Almost on cue, the sensor alarms rang out. Carrie’s heart sank in her chest. “How many?”

“The scans show twenty and counting,” replied the sensor officer.

“Prepare to jump. If we are outnumbered, we will make a quick exit,” replied Carrie.

All the crew members in the Command Center stood still and watched the viewscreens and the tactical display. Ship after ship exited hyperspace. When finally they stopped exiting hyperspace, the sensor officer said, “Ninety-one Morag warships have joined the twelve that had arrived previously.”

Carrie quickly spoke with Barnes, and they both agreed that it was time to leave. “Enter hyperspace immediately. We do not have the ships to take on this size of a fleet right now.”

“Will the enemy fleet follow us?” asked Major Sullivan.

“Yes, we assume they will. Once we have confirmed it, we will contact Fleet Admiral Marloo for further instructions on where we should go,” replied Carrie.

The Human fleet began their transition to hyperspace, and Carrie sat back in her command chair. Her mind was full of thoughts and ideas of what they should have done and what they could do next.

The reports came in from their losses in that last star system. In total, the Human fleet had lost thirteen battlecruisers and four dreadnoughts. As for the attack interceptors, the final numbers of losses had not come in yet. That left the fleet at sixty-two battlecruisers, fifty-seven dreadnoughts, and sixteen battlecarriers.

Could they have challenged the Morag fleet of over one hundred ships? Yes, most certainly. However, the Human losses would have been significant. It wasn’t worth it.

For now they would head in the direction of the Human Empire. They would consult with Marloo on where to go. Would they go all the way back to the Empire? Carrie hoped not. She had looked forward to being a part of the allied fleet that laid ruin to Morag Prime. Not to mention the targets that would be eliminated afterward. That may not happen now.

Barnes would contact Marloo, and they would continue on this path until they had orders otherwise. Carrie hoped those orders involved them joining the allied fleet.

For now, nothing to do but wait. It seemed like a great time to get a bite to eat and maybe a little nap. As soon as Barnes heard back from Marloo, she would contact Carrie. That could be a while, and her stomach was growling.

Carrie stood and made her way to the cafeteria. She wondered what the cooks would have prepared. She took a deep breath, as she neared the cafeteria. It smelled like Italian food. As she walked in the door, she smiled. They were serving her favorite. Lasagna.

Chapter Twelve

Druin Admiral Falorr surveyed his fleet, amassed to destroy the Humans. He awaited confirmation from his scout ship, sent to the star system where that large Human fleet had last been spotted. His scout ship had left a few hours ago. If no enemy ships showed up on the scout ship’s continuous long-range scans, the Druins would know the Human fleet was headed toward another target.

That target, Falorr was certain, was not a Druin one. The Humans would not need such a large fleet to destroy the Druins. While that was a fact, it was one that he was not happy about. How had they let the Human fleet outnumber the Druin fleet? In this instance, it might just be the advantage that saves the Druins from destruction.

Falorr was confident that this large Human fleet was headed to destroy the Morag. While those two slugged it out and destroyed each other, Falorr would take advantage of the depleted warships in the Human systems. While he would most like to destroy Earth, no one knew what size fleets they possessed. The last time they had attempted to destroy Earth, the Humans had had a much larger fleet, and the Druins’ attack had failed.

So destroying Earth was not an option at this time. What was an option was the Human Empire. With this many Human ships in the Confederation, they must have left the Empire underprotected. This was the scenario he needed to meet his objective.

Which target would he choose? Tantula Five? The Druins had been unable to destroy the moon that orbited Tantula Five not too long ago, due to the defenses the Humans had in place. Assuming they had fewer ships protecting it, it was an attractive target. The Druins had damaged the moon considerably the last time, but the planet had remained unscathed.

Golan Four, the Human Empire’s homeworld, was also an attractive target. If they could destroy it, it would severely damage the morale of the Humans. Especially if the Royal Family were on the planet and were killed. Falorr tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. He had options.

One thing he could do was take long-range scans of Tantula Five and then, based on what he found there, could decide whether to attack it or to go to Golan Four. Although he would rather destroy Golan Four, it was two days farther away than Tantula Five. He had options, and that was a good thing.

If his attack on the Human Empire was a surprise, it could really turn in his favor. Then, if the Morag and the large Human fleet destroyed each other, the Druins just might rule all the races within the next week or so. Falorr smiled. He liked the sound of that.

Once he heard from the scout ship he sent out, they would decide on when they would depart for the Human Empire. Until then, he still expected a few more ships to arrive. Even if the worst-case scenario happened, and the Humans realized what was happening, they wouldn’t know which target the Druins were after.

Likely they would assume they were headed to attack an outlying star system, one that would be easy to defeat. They would not think we would target one of their core worlds. His smile widened. Yes, he would outsmart his enemies and would win this war. Everything was working out in his favor.

Falorr was anxious to get underway, but he needed to know if that large fleet had left that star system, where it had last been spotted. Once he had that answer, he could begin his mission. A couple more days and he would be ready.

-

Captain Iris on board scout ship 213 sat patiently in her command chair. Nothing new had happened in the last few hours. She had already reported to Marloo that one ship had left the system. Where it had gone, she had no idea. Even more ships had arrived since then. This Druin fleet was now up to 545 ships. Were they planning on moving all their ships to this one fleet? That didn’t make much sense to her. They had to leave some ships behind to protect their planets.

Alarms sounded again, and Iris rolled her eyes. More Druin warships, she assumed.

“Captain, this latest group of warships that have just exited hyperspace are all the Druin drone carriers.”

Iris sat up in alarm. “How many?”

“Four, Captain,” replied the sensor officer.

“These are the only drone carriers so far in this fleet, correct?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“I don’t like the looks of this. They must be planning an attack on the Empire. We must send this latest information to Marloo. Let’s hope no more of the drone carriers show up.”

When would this Druin fleet get underway? What was their target? This fleet was already bigger than the one the Druins had sent to the Empire last time. Hopefully this time, the Druins would stand on their own and not get aid from the Morag. The Zynth weren’t an option, and neither were the Lamothians. The only place the Druins could get help from was from the Morag.

Iris stood and walked slowly to her quarters. All of this waiting was wearing on her. This hidden Druin fleet had ill intentions for her people. Not much she could do about it. Only watch and wait to see what this fleet did. Then she would follow them and would give warnings to wherever the fleet headed. Hopefully it would be enough warning to react in the best way to thwart the Druins’ attack.

For now, Iris would get some rest. Who knew what was coming? She needed to be prepared for anything.

-

Marloo paced back and forth in the Command Center on Golan Four. What were the Druins planning? What would be their target? Why were they choosing now to attack? Did they know many of the Human ships were already in the Confederation? If so, maybe the attack on the Morag was not a surprise after all. If it wasn’t, who had tipped them off? Did the Humans have traitors in their midst?

Marloo took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was likely that the Druins had decided to amass this fleet without realizing the allied fleet would be attacking the Morag soon. It was only a coincidence. It had to be.

He needed to tackle one problem at a time. Since the Druins hadn’t left their star systems yet, the Humans still had at least four or more days to prepare. What might their targets be? It was likely they planned to attack planets on the periphery of the Empire. Thankfully he had Captain Iris watching the Druin fleet, and she would warn the Empire in which direction the fleet headed.

With fewer ships in the Empire, due to sending a large fleet to the Confederation to join the allied fleet in attacking the Morag, Marloo didn’t have as many ships to use to protect all the planets. If he were being honest, he wasn’t totally comfortable with the number of ships that protected Golan Four. Nor the number of ships protecting the Hagen Star Cluster.

One good thing was that he would know how many ships they’d be up against—based on the information Iris will give them when the Druin fleet leaves the Confederation. If, by chance, the Druin admiral intends to attack Golan Four, they will have at least a two-day warning. Marloo will know their intentions if the enemy fleet passes the Hagen Star Cluster without attacking and still heads toward Golan Four. Hopefully they will not even consider attacking any of the core worlds. If the Druins do, they must know about the attack on the Morag. The Druins would then know the number of warships in the Empire was low.

The issue of the Druins could hold, at least until the enemy fleet entered hyperspace. The more pressing issue was with Rear Admirals Barnes and Carrie. They were being pursued by a Morag task group. Were others following farther behind? That was very probable. Where should Marloo have them go? On the plus side, they were keeping the Morag distracted. On the negative side, it would keep Barnes and Carrie out of the fight at Morag Prime.

Marloo could have two hundred Human ships break off from the allied fleet and rendezvous with Barnes and Carrie at a designated spot. That would keep them from coming all the way back to the Empire. That would also take two hundred ships away from the main battle though.

Marloo rubbed his forehead, as he thought over the possibilities. Finally he decided to discuss the situation with Admiral Cleemorl. Maybe a fresh perspective was exactly what he needed.

-

Admiral Cleemorl paced in his quarters. He had spoken with Fleet Admiral Marloo and had some situations to problem solve. There were no easy answers. Each came with its positives and negatives. They needed to think outside of the box. There had to be a solution that wouldn’t take ships away from the allied fleet. They needed all the Human ships they could get, since they had the most powerful weapons.

Cleemorl also could not lead the Morag fleet to one of their allies either. They could send ships from the Empire to rendezvous somewhere with them, but that would take ships from places that may soon be targets for the Druins. Cleemorl realized he was biting his nails and stopped. That was a bad habit he thought he had kicked. It only presented itself when he was troubled and didn’t have the answers.

Speaking of the Druins, both the Hagen Star Cluster and Golan Four were underprotected. Cleemorl had discussed with Marloo about sending all new attack interceptors to these two locations to bolster the interceptors stationed in these two areas.

If the Druins would risk attacking the Empire at a time like this, they must have a big target in mind. It wouldn’t be worth losing the ships for some planet out on the periphery. Not that those planets didn’t matter, they did, but it would in no way weaken the Empire. What would? Destroying Tantula Five, one of the other core worlds, or most likely Golan Four. The more Cleemorl thought about it, the more he was convinced the target must be Golan Four.

Why had the Druins decided to attack now? Had they gotten wind of the massive fleet gathering in the Confederation? If they had, how? And also, who else knew? The Morag? Only that couldn’t be true because the Morag would be gathering their ships to present a massive fleet themselves, and, according to the scout ships, they weren’t.

So the Morag must have no idea of the impending attack. Why would the Druins know and not the Morag? That didn’t pan out to Cleemorl, so the only logical explanation remaining was that the Druins did not know of the attack on Morag Prime.

Cleemorl was frustrated. So many questions, so few answers. Only he needed answers and soon. What should Barnes and Carrie do? For now, they would have Barnes and Carrie stay the course and keep heading in the direction of the Empire. They still had another day before they must decide on splintering off ships from the allied fleet to meet up with them.

They could have Barnes and Carrie lead this Morag task group on a wild goose chase and then end up at Morag Prime with the allied fleet. That would keep Barnes and Carrie in the fight but would also leave these enemy ships, and however many others were following as well, in the fight.

One thing was certain; Cleemorl had a lot to think about. It was a good thing Cheryl was on Golan Four with High Princess Layla because it didn’t sound like he would have any downtime anytime soon to spend with his wife. It was better that Cheryl was keeping busy with Layla, than waiting at home for him to have dinner with her. He needed to stay on his flagship to make plans. Plans for Barnes and Carrie and for the Hagen Star Cluster and Golan Four. If they became the targets of the Druins, Cleemorl needed a plan.

-

Cheryl and High Princess Layla walked through the gardens that surrounded the Imperial Palace. “These gardens are magnificent, Layla.”

“Thank you. When I was a child, I used to walk these gardens with my mom. It was always so beautiful. I always loved our walks together. It was a chance for me to get her all to myself for a little while,” Layla replied, with a smile.

Cheryl looked over at Layla and said, “I know you miss them. Especially now, when you are soon to be a mother yourself. I’m sure they would be proud of the woman you have become, not to mention the leader you have grown into.”

“Thank you for saying that, Cheryl. It means a lot. I am nervous about being a mom. I am thankful I have a good group of friends surrounding me. I am worried about Derrick though. I know he had to lead this fleet for the Empire, but I would rather have him here.”

“I can relate to that. I am sure he will be fine. From what I’ve heard, it’s a rather large fleet. The Morag will be so surprised. Think about how it will feel when the Morag have been defeated, when we don’t have to worry about them attacking us anymore.”

Layla smiled. “That will be a new experience for us. I look forward to raising this baby in a time of peace and not war.”

“A new baby for a start of a new era. What an amazing life this child will have.”

A rumble of thunder startled the two women. “Sounds like a storm is headed this way. We better head inside.”

“Yes. We don’t want to get wet. We might melt,” joked Cheryl. They both laughed as they returned to the palace.

-

Captain Iris headed back to the Command Center, after a nice rest in her quarters. When she arrived, she asked, “So what have I missed? Any more new arrivals?”

“Yes, Captain. We have had six more drone carriers arrive, five more battlecruisers, and three more battleships,” replied the sensor officer.

“I was hoping no more drone carriers would show up. Those are bad news for whatever target this Druin fleet has in mind. We must update Marloo. Whatever targets he thinks this fleet might have in mind should beef up their number of attack interceptors. I am not sure how many drones these Druin drone carriers can hold, but Marloo might have an idea,” said Iris.

“At least the Empire has time to prepare for this attack,” said her first officer.

“True. I wish we could do more though.”

“Maybe the Solar System will send more ships to reinforce the fleet after Morag Prime. Maybe they will arrive in time to help the Empire.”

“They must already be on their way to make it in time,” said Iris. “I don’t remember hearing about any more ships on their way from the Solar System, but I would imagine we don’t get all those reports.”

“I have sent the message to Admiral Marloo,” said the communications officer.

“Do we have any idea where the allied fleet is currently?” asked Iris.

“We know from the scout ship in the star system where they rendezvoused that they left over twenty-four hours ago.”

“How long will it take them to get to Morag Prime?” asked Iris.

“Another three days,” replied the navigation officer.

“I wish we could be there to see that. We will be headed to the Empire with this Druin fleet. Which scout ship is stationed in the system where Morag Prime is?” asked Iris.

“It’s Captain Laine on scout ship 125,” replied the communications officer.

“Well, he will have a front-row seat to one of the greatest battles of all time,” remarked Iris. “Not sure if that’s lucky or dangerous. Hopefully we will have a front-row seat to the destruction of this Druin fleet.”

“How far of a hyperspace jump is it from here to the Hagen Star Cluster?” asked the first officer.

“It’s four days to the edge of the Confederation and then two more days to the Hagen Star Cluster. Two and a half more days from there to Golan Four,” replied the navigation officer.

“So, no matter what, this attack on the Morag will happen before the attack on the Empire—even if the Druin intend to attack a planet on the periphery,” remarked Iris.

“Yes, it appears that way.”

“Well, a lot can happen before this Druin attack. Maybe they’ll change their minds, once the allied fleet starts attacking the Morag. The Druins could decide they’d better stick to their own star systems to protect them,” said Iris.

“Let’s hope so,” replied the first officer.

-

Captain Laine on scout ship 125 continued to monitor the Morag fleet stationed above Morag Prime. The fleet had remained close to the same size since he had arrived. Currently a little over three thousand total warships were in the system.

As for the planetary defenses, Morag Prime had a very robust defensive grid. Not as powerful as Golan Four or the Hagen Star Cluster, but the Morag were strengthening it daily. Given another month or so, it would rival the defenses of Golan Four. The Morag would not have the luxury of more time though. In less than four days the allied fleet will arrive and will destroy this planet and all these warships.

Laine was glad that he would have the opportunity to witness it. He intended to move his scout ship well out of harm’s way, before the allied fleet made its appearance.

So far, it appeared that the Morag had had no warning of the impending attack. No more warships had arrived to bolster the defenses of the system. Laine assumed, if the Morag had any inkling of what was coming, they would pull all their warships here to defend their home planet. That hadn’t happened yet, so the secret must not have gotten out, as Marloo had feared.

Laine was confident that the allied fleet could easily defeat the Morag fleet stationed here. If the Morag did pull all their warships back here, it would be a lot closer call. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen.

According to all the other scout ships in the Morag star systems, only a few ships had disappeared from a few systems. Laine assumed many of these were joining the group chasing Rear Admirals Barnes and Carrie out of the Confederation.

That meant fewer ships for the allied fleet to hunt down. They could follow Barnes and Carrie all the way to the Empire and then get blown to pieces by another Empire fleet.

The only thing that worried Laine was this Druin fleet that was assembling. What would their target be? He was glad Captain Iris was there to watch them and to follow them. No more surprise attacks. With the Human scout ships watching, they’d know where the enemy was headed and could move Human ships accordingly.

For now, the Druin fleet still gathered more ships. Maybe they would change their minds, once they caught wind of this allied fleet. If only the Druins wouldn’t leave for four more days. Oh, well, no use worrying about it. Nothing Laine could do about it.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx was relieved that Commander Elam was pursuing the Human fleet. The Morag could relax a little now that the threat to their star systems was no longer. The Humans were being chased by a task group that could do some real damage to their numbers, especially if they dropped out of hyperspace somewhere without reinforcements.

Voxx was concerned about that—if the Humans had reinforcements headed this way. This Human fleet would not exit hyperspace until they had the numbers to destroy the Morag task group. Voxx was confident about that.

For that reason, Voxx had ordered Commander Elam not to follow the Human fleet out of hyperspace. Hopefully they would chase this enemy fleet all the way back to the Empire. That would mean no more reinforcements were at hand inside the Confederation.

They still had a few more days to go before the Humans were out of Confederation space. Now that the threat was gone, it was probably time for him to redistribute the warships again. No doubt the Humans would return, once they had reinforcements. Hopefully the Morag could install the new weapons on a few of their ships by then.

The two new weapons, the accelerator cannon and particle beams, had been tested successfully. They were even now setting up to begin installations on the battleships. It would take a few days to update each of the ships. They will hopefully start these installations in the next couple days. His ship would be one of the first to get the new weapons.

This war would change drastically, once the Morag fleet had the same weapons as the Humans. The Humans might even stay clear of the Morag-controlled star systems. If they did not, it would cost them many more ships. They could not sustain such a long offensive as they just did.

The tide would turn and soon. Voxx relished the thought.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello was stationed above Morag Prime. He was fuming in barely contained rage at hearing that Admiral Voxx’s flagship would be one of the first to get the newly developed weapons. In fact, Voxx’s entire fleet would get the new weapons before Marcello’s. This was due to the assumption that, when the Humans returned for more attacks, they would not target Morag Prime. The Humans didn’t have the numbers to do that.

Marcello hoped that assumption was correct but still wished his fleet would get the new weapons sooner. He looked forward to destroying the Human ships, when they returned to the Confederation.

It would take a while to get all the fleets fitted for the new weapons. It could be a few months before all the ships had them. The new ships currently being built would get them from the start. From now on, each new warship that came out of a shipyard or a military base would have the new weapons. Marcello couldn’t wait to see them in action against the Humans. It would not be long now.

Next time the Humans returned to the Confederation, they would be sorry. Marcello couldn’t wait to teach the Humans a lesson for all the destruction they had recently caused. The Morag only needed a little longer for all the ships to get the new weapons, and then they could put the Human scum back in their place.

-

Morag Councilor Addonis had just received his update from Admiral Voxx. The Humans were finally on their way out of the Confederation. Commander Elam would escort them all the way back to the Empire.

They had finally outnumbered the remnants of the Human fleet. They had no option other than to run, and run they did. When they returned, which they would, it would be on a more level playing field. Of course the Humans had no idea this would be the case. The new Morag weapons were ready and would be installed on at least a few ships before the Humans could return.

Addonis was glad that he didn’t have to use his secret weapon yet. He enjoyed observing and talking to the two Human prisoners. If he could get to know them better, he felt it would help him figure out how the Humans thought. Doing this would help him better predict how the Humans would react in certain circumstances. This would make it easier for the Morag to reign supreme. It went back to the old adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.

Eventually he would put these two Humans back into cryo at Falton Two, but not until all Morag warships were equipped with the new weapons. Then the Humans would no longer be as big a threat as they were currently. Until then though, Addonis would continue to observe them and to talk to them. The more he could learn, the better he could use it to his advantage.

Chapter Thirteen

Captain Tanner, on scout ship 112 stationed above Falton Two, was still searching the planet for possible hidden bases. So far one had been found. He had tasked his first officer with keeping a close watch over that location. The first drone that Tanner had used to discover this base—what they were assuming was a base—had to return for a recharge.

Now that they had confirmed their suspicions that something was hidden at that location, Tanner needed to use the other drones to get a closer look at the other places he had flagged as suspicious. The next location was a more desert location. There were rock formations and plenty of places to hide an entrance to a base.

Tanner slowly and meticulously searched the area for any sign of something suspicious. He was glad he at least had an idea of what he was looking for. After what seemed like a long time, he stumbled across the same rock formation that he had noticed at the first location. This must be how they mark their secret entrances.

How many of these bases were there? What did they hide? Maybe they were only underground bunkers, where the citizens could retreat to, if the planet were ever attacked. Perhaps some mining operation occurred in these places. It could be many things, but the one thing that made the most sense to Tanner was that they were, indeed, military installations.

Tanner decided he would keep this drone observing the area, until it needed to recharge. He had maybe one more hour’s worth of time, before that needed to occur. Maybe he would get lucky, and a ship would fly out.

Tanner still couldn’t shake the feeling that these Humans of Falton Two might have stealth ships. If the Humans of the Empire had developed them, no reason these Humans here couldn’t. They seemed to be just as advanced as the civilization back in the Empire. Maybe Tanner was currently surrounded by these stealthed ships, even now. Tanner’s gaze shifted to the tactical display. Nothing there. Yet how would he detect one if one were really there?

There was still the mystery of the man he had seen on the balcony with what he assumed was Emperor Rowan. Was that really Prince Aiden Starguard? Tanner needed to send that video to Marloo but still wished he had more information.

As of right now, all Tanner had were the possible new planets that Hadley went to explore, the mysterious man who resembled the Prince, and at least two possible hidden bases. All very interesting news but also information that would add more stress to Marloo. With the attack on Morag Prime happening very soon, Tanner really didn’t want to add to Marloo’s plate right now.

Tanner wrestled with the thought of whether or not to send the information to Marloo for some time. In the end, he decided he had to report his findings. If the fleet decided to head here after defeating the Morag, they needed to know what they might find—a possible fleet of warships hidden in bases on the planet and their possibly long-lost Prince of the Empire.

Prince Andrew had designed a way that Tanner could send messages to Golan Four that would remain secure and not risk them being intercepted. Tanner was not to send a message this way unless he felt the information was time-sensitive. Tanner thought that this information qualified. After returning the drone to its station to charge, he sent his message to Marloo. It would be a while before he received a response.

In the meantime, Tanner assigned another one of his officers to observe this latest location, where they suspected a hidden base to be. Tanner still had more to find out.

-

General Gantts was in the Command Center on Golan Four when she noticed a message on the special display Prince Andrew had set up. He had informed her that, if that indicator light was ever on, to get him or Admiral Marloo immediately. This had something to do with Falton Two, but Gantts didn’t know much beyond that. She quickly sent a messenger to retrieve both Andrew and Marloo.

Marloo arrived first. Gantts showed him the indicator light that meant a message had been received from Captain Tanner at Falton Two. Marloo looked a little worried to her, although she doubted if anyone else would notice. She had worked with Marloo for a long time and was good at picking up on his nonverbal cues.

It wasn’t long before Prince Andrew arrived as well. His expression was a little harder to read. Gantts had not had as much experience with Andrew as she had had with Marloo.

“Thank you, General Gantts, for summoning us immediately. We will look at this message in Marloo’s office. Please let us know if anything else comes through from Captain Tanner,” said Prince Andrew.

Then Gantts watched as both Andrew and Marloo walked out of the Command Center and in the direction of Marloo’s office. She definitely wished she knew what was going on, but she trusted Marloo completely. If she needed to know something, she had no doubt that he would tell her.

-

Prince Andrew had been checking on the research with Canaan Roy, when the messenger reached him. “Prince Andrew, General Gantts sent me to inform you of a message from Captain Tanner.”

Andrew had been surprised and a little wary. This probably wasn’t good news. Andrew had hoped that any new developments with Falton Two would wait until after the allied fleet had destroyed Morag Prime. If they could have the luxury of dealing with one major problem at a time, that would be ideal. Although Andrew was well aware that the real world didn’t deal out only one problem at a time.

As Andrew followed the messenger back to the Command Center, his mind wandered to what the message might be about. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good news. The good news would have waited. Bad news would be reported immediately, especially if it could affect the allied fleet currently in the Confederation.

When Andrew finally arrived at the Command Center, he was relieved to see Admiral Marloo already there, waiting on him. He wasn’t sure he had the patience to wait on him, had he not already been here.

After informing General Gantts that they would look at the message in Marloo’s office, the two went straight there. Andrew felt a little guilty that Gantts wasn’t in on the top secret information about Falton Two. She was obviously suspicious but also knew that Marloo would inform her, if he needed to.

Once inside Marloo’s office, Andrew powered up his special computer he had programmed to communicate with Captain Tanner. Both men listened at the recorded message from the captain.

“We have found indications of at least two hidden bases on Falton Two. I still have another six locations to confirm. We have not observed any movement from these locations but do have them under constant surveillance. I have grown slightly concerned that perhaps these Humans have stealth capabilities similar to ours. Is there any way we can sense other stealth ships? To my knowledge, this technology does not exist. There is no specific situation that leads me to this though, only a gut feeling.

“On another note, a few days ago, I observed an individual speaking out on a balcony at what we refer to as the Palace. We assume one of these individuals is Emperor Rowan, and the other one looked familiar to me. It doesn’t make sense to me how or why this individual would be here on Falton Two, and I could be mistaken in his identity. I have included a short snippet of the drone video I recorded that evening. I believe the individual in question is Prince Aiden Starguard. I observed him the next day as well, looking out a window in another room in the Palace. Since I am not familiar with said person, I thought I would ask those who know him better.”

Andrew looked over at Marloo in alarm. “Do you think it could really be him?”

“I didn’t know him myself, but what I do know is he was banished to Earth. You are a direct descendant of Prince Aiden. How could he have gotten from Earth to Falton Two? How would he still be alive, unless he had spent a considerable amount of time in cryo?”

“Let’s see this footage,” said Andrew. “If we feel that we agree with Captain Tanner on this individual’s identity, we may bring an expert into this. Layla would no doubt recognize if this individual was, indeed, her brother.”

“Yes, that is true, but I would hate to see her get her hopes up, only to discover it’s not true. Let’s see this video.”

Andrew started the video, and both men watched intently. Andrew felt his heart beating faster and faster inside his chest. Was this his relative? As the video zoomed in on the two men on the balcony, Andrew felt the perspiration on his forehead. He absentmindedly wiped his hand across his brow.

When the video zoomed in even closer to the individual in question, Andrew paused the video. “Well, what do you think?”

“It does look like him, at least the portraits I’ve seen in the portrait gallery. I think we must ask Layla,” said Marloo.

“I will go find her. Once I do, I will bring her back here,” Andrew said, as he stood to leave. He was pretty certain he would find Layla in the gardens or her office.

As he made his way to Layla’s office, his mind wandered back to the video. Could it be Aiden? What did it mean if it was? Andrew shook his head. It just didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t possibly be him. It had to be just someone who resembled him.

Andrew made it fairly quickly to Layla’s office. When he knocked on the door, he smiled as she opened it. “Hello, Layla. I need you to come with me. We would like your opinion on a development with Falton Two.”

Layla seemed relieved, when Andrew mentioned Falton Two. “I was afraid you had news about the allied fleet. What’s going on with Falton Two?” Layla asked, as she closed the door of her office behind her and walked with Andrew.

“I think it’s best if we wait until we get to Marloo’s office. Captain Tanner sent us a message with a couple concerns. He included a surveillance video from one of the drones, which we would like to get your opinion on,” replied Andrew. He didn’t want to tell her too much, not until they got to Marloo’s office.

“Any news from the allied fleet then?” asked Layla.

“My last update showed them approximately two days from their target. It’s a massive fleet. The Morag won’t even know what to do.”

The rest of the walk back to Marloo’s office was filled with small talk, as both Andrew and Layla filled the silence with idle chatter. The silence made their minds wander to the Confederation and what would soon happen there.

Once Andrew and Layla arrived at Marloo’s office and closed the door behind them, Marloo looked at Andrew. They quickly filled in Layla on the first part of Tanner’s message, about the hidden bases on Falton Two.

“That’s troubling. Who knows how many ships they have hidden there? It will be interesting to see their reaction when we destroy Morag Prime. I think it’s a good thing we have Captain Tanner there to observe them. His concerns about stealthed ships are disconcerting. Do we have a way to sense other stealth ships?” Layla asked.

“No. We don’t have that technology. I will contact the scientists who designed our stealthed scout ships and see if they have any ideas. I will also send the same inquiry to Earth to their scientists. Maybe we will get lucky,” said Andrew.

“Now for the second matter that Tanner brought to our attention. When he flew the drone, while doing surveillance on the palace, he observed two Humans talking on a balcony. One they assumed was Emperor Rowan, and the other individual looked familiar to Tanner. We both have seen the video and also felt the individual looked familiar. We wanted you to see the video, to get your opinion on who this other individual might be. I do not want you to get your hopes up because the likelihood of this being who we think it might be is very remote. Thus why we need you to see it. You are the only one here who would know for sure. Captain Tanner believes this other individual is your brother, Aiden,” said Marloo.

Layla’s eyes widened in shock. “How could it possibly be?” she asked Andrew.

“We don’t think it would be possible. That is why we want you to completely rule it out. Otherwise we have a lot of unanswered questions. Don’t get me wrong. I hope it is him, but the chances are so minuscule that it’s almost impossible,” said Andrew.

“Well, let’s see this video then,” said Layla.

Layla began to watch the video, and Marloo and Andrew watched Layla’s face for her honest reaction. As the video neared the balcony, Andrew held his breath. Of course he hoped it was Aiden. How remarkable would that be? He was trying not to get his hopes up though. When the video reached the moment they had anticipated, Layla gasped, and her eyes widened. “Can you pause the video and zoom in a little closer?”

Andrew quickly did as she asked. All three of them now had their gazes focused on the mystery man. Andrew swallowed to soothe his dry throat. He glanced back at Layla.

She frowned. “It does look a lot like Aiden, but I don’t understand how it could possibly be him. Is there a shot that shows the side of his face? Aiden had a freckle below his right ear that I always made fun of.”

Andrew fiddled around with the video, trying to get the shot she had requested, but to no avail. The drone had moved to the other side of the man in question. “It doesn’t look like we will get that view,” Andrew replied.

“Well, thanks for trying. I must say, it does look a lot like Aiden. Older, but that would be expected. However, I am not 100 percent confident it is him. It definitely could be, as much as it resembles him. Maybe we can ask Emira? She helped my parents raise the two of us. Maybe she could give us a clearer idea of the truth,” replied Layla.

“I will send a messenger to get Emira,” said Marloo. Then he walked out of the room.

“How could it possibly be him?” asked Layla.

“The only way would be that somehow the Humans of Falton Two sent a ship to Earth and retrieved him—after he had children. Otherwise I wouldn’t exist,” said Andrew.

“I doubt he would have gone willingly. I’m sure he would not want to leave his wife and children behind. Plus how would the Humans of Falton Two have known exactly who they were looking for and where he was?”

“The only way I can think of is if they have us under surveillance. Or possibly a spy here,” said Andrew.

“Could the Druins or Morag have told them? About Aiden and that he’d been banished to Earth?”

“Possibly. They still would have to retrieve him. The Druins watched Aiden for quite some time, according to Pallas. Then they set up the interdict system to alert them of any activity in the Solar System. If the Humans of Falton Two did go get Aiden, the Druins would have had to allow it. How much older would you say this man is than he was the last time you saw Aiden?” asked Andrew.

“I would guess ten years or so,” replied Layla.

Marloo returned to his office. “How much are we planning to tell Emira? I just sent the messenger to get her.”

“Maybe we should fill her in on Falton Two. If my father knew anything about this place, Emira would be the one to know. I trust she will keep this secret to herself,” stated Layla.

The three continued to discuss the possibilities, while they waited for Emira. “With Tanner’s suspicions of Falton Two possibly having stealthed ships, it is not impossible to consider the idea that they may have us under surveillance too,” said Marloo.

“I think we should make it a priority to work on developing a way to detect stealthed ships. I have no doubt that the Morag and Druins are working on this technology as well. If they figure out how to detect our stealthed scout ships or even develop stealth ships of their own, we would be in trouble. We must stay one step ahead of them. I’m sure they are working on developing our new weapons too. If we do not remain ahead in weapons and ship technologies, we may find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be,” said Andrew.

“You are correct, Andrew. We must remain ahead. How is the development of the new weapon coming along?” Layla asked him.

“I was at the research lab with Canaan Roy when the messenger came to get me. The research team is still working to overcome a couple more issues they ran into. Roy was confident they’d have the solutions they needed in the next few weeks. Then they could move forward with the development of the atomic disrupter,” replied Andrew.

“At least they are making progress,” said Marloo.

There was a knock at the door, and Emira entered the room. Layla then took a few minutes to bring her up to speed on Falton Two.

“So you are saying that Aiden might be on this planet?” Emira asked.

“We want to show you the video to get your opinion. I believe it could be him, but I am not certain. He’s older than the last I saw him. It does resemble Aiden and even a younger version of my father,” said Layla.

“Let’s see this video then,” Emira said, as she leaned forward, closer to the screen. All were focused on the screen again, as they watched the scene play out. Once the video got back to the balcony scene, Andrew paused the playback.

“What do you think?” asked Layla, as she watched Emira’s face.

Emira sat back in her chair. “Could you let the video play please?”

Andrew pressed the buttons and watched as the rest of the video played out. Then all three of them looked over at Emira.

Emira looked at each of them. “I am sorry to tell you that is not Aiden.”

Disappointment could be seen on everyone’s faces. “It looks so much like him,” Layla said.

Emira took a deep breath. “While the man in question is not Aiden, I do believe he is your eldest brother, Soren.”

A gasp could be heard from all three of the others. “What do you mean, my eldest brother? I only have one older brother, Aiden,” replied Layla in alarm.

“There was another. It’s a long story. He disappeared shortly after your brother Aiden was born. The Druins had been here, gathering up people to take to the Confederation. At that time, of course, we didn’t know what happened to the Humans who went to the Confederation. It never crossed our minds that they were given to the Lamothians for their barbaric feasts. We all assumed they were taken to the Confederation to be enslaved or to do jobs no one else wanted to do.

“One of those days had come, and the Druins were loading people up in their transport vessels. Soren escaped his Palace security guards and wandered off. This wasn’t entirely unusual. He disliked the constant watching eyes on him of the guards. He escaped them at least a couple times a week.

“This was one of those days. Except he never came back. He was fifteen at the time. After exhaustive searching, we came up with nothing. He was not in any hospital or morgue. It was finally decided he must have gotten mixed up with those who were loading in the transport vessels to go to the Confederation.

“Soren always loved to watch the ships take off and head to space. He always said, one day, he would fly away on one. We never thought it would happen as it did though.

“Your parents tried to contact the Druins after that to figure out if he was, indeed, on that ship. The Druins didn’t keep very detailed records and could never confirm one way or another. They agreed to make inquiries about Soren and his location, but nothing ever came of it. Your parents, which I’m sure you can understand, were very distraught. Your brother Aiden was so young at that time. They poured themselves into him and their work. A few years later, you came along.”

“Why have I never heard of him?” asked Layla.

“Your father thought it best not to dwell on the past. They mourned your brother but hoped that someday he would find a way to return. Mention of him brought your mother to tears, so we stopped talking about him. We all hoped that one day he would return. For a very long time, we would watch when the Confederation ships would return to see if he would come back. He never did.

“This man in question is him. I have no doubt. How he got to Falton Two, I have no idea. He’s older than when he left, maybe another fifteen to twenty years older. He must have spent a considerable amount of time in cryo. Why? I am not sure. Also why he’s awake now would be another important question to consider,” remarked Emira.

“I wonder if they know who he is? That he’s a Prince of the Empire,” said Layla, who was clearly still in shock.

“He seems to be friends with the emperor there on Falton Two. That makes me think perhaps they do know who he is. Why he’s out of cryo now is a good question. Maybe it has something to do with when the Morag visited Falton Two not too long ago,” said Marloo.

“Maybe the Druins realized who he was all those years ago. Instead of returning him to the Empire, they took him to Falton Two, thinking he may be of use to them someday. At some time or another, he lived another decade or two before going into cryo,” Andrew said, as he expressed his thoughts. “Maybe that coincided with when they banished Aiden and executed your parents. Would that have been about fifteen to twenty years later?”

Emira was quiet for a few moments, as she considered the time frame. “It would have been closer to twenty-five years, but, from the looks of him on this video, that would be about right.”

“Your time frame does make sense. Once the Royal Family had been banished or killed, the Druins must have decided to put Soren in cryo—in case they needed him in the future. I am not sure why they would need him,” commented Marloo.

“For negotiations? Did they fear that someday the Empire would grow strong and threaten them? Maybe they thought Soren could be used as a pawn in their deals to keep their planet safe from harm?” Andrew asked.

“This all sounds like the puzzle pieces are starting to fit into place,” Layla noted. “The next question we must consider is, what do we do now? Is he a prisoner there? Or is he there by choice? Does he want to return? If he does, he’s the rightful heir, not me. What does that mean? Will that disrupt our carefully reconstructed Empire?” Layla asked.

“Tanner must continue to observe the palace to see if we can discover more about Soren. We also need to find out more about these hidden bases. The more information we can gather before sending Derrick and the Human fleets there, the better,” commented Marloo.

Andrew nodded. “It sounds like we have our work cut out for us, between doing research on the potential to sense stealth ships and finding out more information on Soren and these hidden bases on Falton Two. Thankfully we have Captain Tanner, who can research part of that. We must get on this possibility of sensing the stealth ships. We have plenty to keep us busy until the main attack on Morag Prime,” said Andrew.

“I will send Tanner a message to keep monitoring the bases and the mystery man. I will not go into detail about who he is. I’ll tell him that we are problem-solving the ability to sense stealth ships,” said Marloo.

“When will we tell Derrick about these developments with Falton Two?” asked Layla.

“Not until after the battle at Morag Prime,” replied Marloo. “That needs to be his focus right now. After that main battle is finished, and we have defeated the Morag, then we will fill him in on Falton Two,” said Marloo.

The other three nodded their heads in agreement. “I know this is a lot to process, Layla, but we must keep it a secret for now,” said Andrew. “If we get any more updates from Tanner, we will let you know.”

Emira and Layla stood to leave Marloo’s office. They walked arm in arm back to the Imperial Palace.

Chapter Fourteen

Druin Admiral Falorr paced back and forth in front of his holographic display. From his last contact with the battleship he had sent to check out the Human fleet, they should be nearing the target star system soon. Falorr was impatient to get word if the Human fleet was still stationed there or if they had moved on. Falorr was anxious to get underway before they were discovered by a Human scout ship. As long as that Human fleet had moved on, Falorr would be ready to head to the Human Empire.

“Admiral, we are receiving a message from Commander Nalt,” said the communications officer.

“Put it through to the main viewscreen.”

The view changed from the star system where the Druin fleet was located to Commander Nalt. “Admiral, our scans show no ships in the system where the large fleet had been spotted previously. Would you like me to scan the neighboring star systems to see if the fleet moved somewhere nearby?”

“No. They have no reason to move locations. I am certain they have no idea we know they were there. If they have left that area, they are headed toward their next target. I assume that target is a Morag planet. We will wait here six more hours, and then we will enter hyperspace. I will send you the coordinates for our rendezvous location. You are to head there and wait for us,” said Falorr.

“Yes, Admiral. We will see you in a few days,” replied Nalt.

The viewscreen cut out from the view of Nalt and back to the view of the Druin fleet in the star system. Falorr would wait six more hours to confirm this Human fleet did not target any Druin planets. He also expected a few more ships to arrive, including drone carriers, over the next few hours. Hopefully none of them brought a stealthed Human ship with them. No way to tell if one had found them yet, but he was hopeful they had not. If they had, that large Human fleet would be more likely to target a Druin planet or this fleet itself.

It would be an unnerving few hours, with little rest. He would remove himself from the Command Center though and pace in his quarters. Falorr did not want his anxious feeling spreading to the rest of his crew. “Let me know once the other drone carriers have arrived. I’ll be in my quarters to get some rest.”

As Falorr headed to his quarters, his mind wandered to the Human Empire and his two possible targets. Which would he choose? Then his mind wandered to the Morag. Surely they were preparing for this attack. Falorr assumed, since the Zynth had warned the Druins, that they had also warned the Morag. They were probably gathering all their ships together to protect Morag Prime. Of course that left the rest of their star systems vulnerable.

Would the Humans start on the periphery of the Morag-controlled star systems and destroy everything on their way to Morag Prime? Or would they go directly to Morag Prime and have their fleet-to-fleet battle first? Of course the Humans have no idea the Morag know they’re coming.

Unless the stealthed scout ships realize the fleet is gathering. They might then assume it’s because they’ve had warning. Oh, well, the Morag were not Falorr’s problem. Hopefully the Humans and the Morag would destroy each other, leaving the Druins to reign above the others.

When Falorr reached his quarters, he tried to relax. Thinking of the Morag’s situation helped distract him from his situation. He still had a lot of time before the Druin fleet reached their Human Empire target. More days of waiting and wondering what was going on with the large Human fleet. He doubted the Morag would send any messages about the Humans’ attacks. The only way the Druins would get any information were if they intercepted communications from the Human ships.

How much time did he have until the battle between the Morag and the Humans started? Would the Humans come after the Druins, if the Humans had enough ships left? This thought caused Falorr some uneasiness. The majority of the fleet would be with him, attacking the Human Empire. Not enough ships would be left here in the Confederation to defend the Druin planets.

Falorr sighed. Even if his fleet stayed, they didn’t have enough ships to defend against such a large Human fleet. With the Humans’ superior weapons and their stealthed scout ships, it really gave the Humans a big advantage.

Would he have a home to return to, after attacking the Human Empire? If he survived of course. He hoped so, but he wouldn’t know until later.

-

Captain Iris continued to monitor the ever-growing Druin fleet. Not many ships would be left to protect their planets at this rate. This might leave the Humans with a great advantage. An opportunity to destroy the Druin shipyards and military targets, while its fleet was away.

Iris wasn’t sure if the allied fleet had any ships to spare for this endeavor. She would pass on her thoughts to Marloo the next time she sent him an update. Once this fleet left this system, and Iris was sure they were headed out of the Druin systems, it would provide the Humans the perfect opportunity to attack. If only they had a few more ships. Maybe Rear Admirals Barnes and Carrie could use what’s left of their fleet to attack Druin targets. Last Iris had heard though, a Morag task group was pursuing them.

Alarms sounded, alerting Iris more Druin ships had appeared. Iris examined the tactical display and the viewscreens at the front of the Command Center. Three more drone carriers and six more battlecruisers had exited hyperspace. Whatever this Druin fleet intended to target, Iris hoped the Humans would be prepared. She intended to give them as much warning as possible. She hoped it would be enough.

Throughout the day, more Druin warships made an appearance in the system. The Druin fleet had now grown to 132 battleships, 461 battlecruisers, and 18 drone carriers. Iris was preparing to head to her quarters to rest when the sensor officer said, “Captain, the Druins are charging their hyperdrives.”

Iris made her way back to her command chair and said, “Prepare to enter hyperspace on my command. We will follow this fleet wherever they go.”

“Yes, Captain. Charging hyperdrive now,” replied the systems officer.

Iris sat back in her chair, anticipating the jump into hyperspace. On the viewscreen in front of her, the Druin ships began entering hyperspace. Once all but a few were left, she gave her command to enter hyperspace.

Shortly after they had made their jump into hyperspace, Iris had her navigation officer calculate their direction and possible heading. Then she sent a message to Marloo, updating him on the latest developments.

Currently it appeared the Druin fleet was headed toward the Human Empire. If that changed, she would let Marloo know immediately. At their current heading and rate of travel, it would take them three or four days to reach the periphery of the Empire from where they were.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes had heard from Marloo and was relieved that a plan had been made to help destroy the small fleet of slightly over one hundred Morag ships following her. Who knows how many more could be farther behind and not within her scanning capabilities?

Barnes doubted the Morag would commit too many ships to this endeavor. More likely they intended to chase the Humans out of the Confederation. The Morag probably did not expect the Human fleet to drop out of hyperspace.

Marloo had coordinated a group of fifty ships, being a part of the supply fleet, with a few of Rear Admiral Drake’s ships, to rendezvous at a specified location. Drake and the others would arrive first but only by a couple hours.

Barnes hoped that, when the Morag realized the Humans were exiting hyperspace, the Morag would scan the system before they followed them. If they did, the Morag would hopefully be deterred from following. If not, the Morag would be outnumbered and destroyed. The Humans would lose ships too, but the Morag would be annihilated. Barnes doubted the Morag would be willing to lose any more ships.

On the other hand, the Morag would not want to risk losing the Human fleet again and allowing them to run amok all around the Morag star systems. Barnes could see it either way. Regardless she would know in about three more hours.

-

Rear Admiral Drake had received orders from Fleet Admiral Marloo to rendezvous with Barnes and Carrie in an uninhabited Druin system. He would arrive before Barnes and Carrie.

Currently he was a few hours from this rendezvous system. Drake hoped the Morag would choose not to engage the reinforced Human fleet. If they did engage, Drake had no doubt they could handle the ships that Barnes and Carrie had trailing them. If more were following farther behind, that could be another story.

Drake had commandeered all the battle-capable ships from the supply fleet, plus a few of his from the allied fleet. When added to what Barnes and Carrie had left, they would have a total of just under 200 warships to go up against the Morag’s 103 warships. It should be a piece of cake.

They would be in Druin territory though. There was always the chance the Druins might come to the aid of the Morag—if the Morag were willing to ask for help. Drake wasn’t sure they were though.

From the reports Drake had, the Druins had assembled a large fleet and were headed toward the Human Empire. Drake hoped the Empire had enough ships to destroy them. The timing of the Druins’ attack was suspicious. Still, no evidence pointed to the possibility that the Druins or the Morag had any suspicions about the upcoming allied attack on the Confederation.

Drake pulled up his holographic display and examined the area where he was to rendezvous with Barnes and Carrie. No Druin-inhabited systems were nearby. The only thing that concerned Drake was his fleet possibly being spotted by a random trade ship, whose trade route took it near the system. If it happened to have its long-range scanners on, Drake’s fleet might be spotted.

Still Human scout ships were stationed all across the Druin-controlled systems. With any luck, Drake’s ships would remain undetected, until the Morag chasing the Human fleet were near enough to sense them. By that time, it would be too late for them to call for the Druins to back them up.

After his rendezvous with Barnes and Carrie, they would continue to the Barsoon home system, where the supply fleet would be staged. There, any ships Barnes and Carrie had that needed repairs could get them. Then they could meet up with the allied fleet or do whatever mission Marloo needed them to do.

After all, the Druin systems looked a little underprotected right now. Perhaps they should take advantage of this golden opportunity to destroy some Druin targets, while the majority of their fleet was out of the Confederation.

First things first though. Destroy or scare off this Morag fleet that followed Barnes and Carrie. Then Drake would worry about what comes next.

-

Marloo sat in his command chair, watching the viewscreens all over the Command Center on Golan Four. The Druins were headed to the Empire. All systems were on alert and preparing for the attack. All the star systems in the Empire had been refortified with attack interceptors. The production of these small attack craft had really ramped up. Crews were being trained all across the Empire. Whether Marloo liked it or not, these attack interceptors might be the main line of defense for many of the star systems in the Empire.

Admiral Cleemorl was stationed at the Hagen Star Cluster with his fleet. Rear Admiral Fulmar was due to arrive at Golan Four shortly. Rear Admiral Manson would be staged near the other core worlds in case of attack. Most of the periphery systems only had resistance ships and attack interceptors to protect them. All planets had defensive grids in place.

Once the Druin fleets neared the periphery of the Empire, evacuations would begin. Every bunker would be full all across the Empire. Thankfully Captain Iris was following the Druin fleet. She reported their location every hour. No way to tell what their ultimate target would be. To risk sending so many Druin ships though, it had to be a significant target. The Druins wouldn’t leave their systems in danger only to attack a Human planet on the periphery. Their target had to be a core world, the Hagen Star Cluster, or Golan Four.

As much as Marloo hated to admit it, the more he thought over the possibilities, the more he was convinced the Druins were headed for Golan Four. With this in mind, he had discussed the contingencies with Cleemorl. Once Iris reported the Druin fleet had bypassed the Hagen Star Cluster, a majority of Cleemorl’s fleet would enter hyperspace to head to Golan Four. They would only be slightly behind the Druin fleet. The same went with Manson. His fleet would join as well, once they were confident the Druin fleet was not headed to one of the core worlds.

Marloo took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. They still had a few more days to get more interceptors finished. From Captain Iris’s reports, this Druin fleet had 18 drone carriers. Each one of these held 125 drones. This meant they could be up against 2,250 drones. Each of the core planets, the Hagen Star Cluster, and Golan Four had thousands of attack interceptors. However, most of these pilots had no actual battle experience. They all had significant time training in simulators, but real battles were different.

Even now, above Golan Four, the attack interceptors were training. They did this for five to six hours a day. Then another three or four hours were spent in the simulators. Between now and the Druins’ attack, Marloo wanted them to get as much experience as possible. They would have their hands full with the Druin drones, not to mention helping to destroy the enemy fleet of warships.

Marloo added more elements to the defensive grid and added defensive grid elements around the enormous shipyard. He did not want to lose that shipyard, but was afraid it would be one of the Druins’ main targets. For this reason, once they were confident the Druins were, indeed, headed to Golan Four, he would have the shipyard evacuated of all nonessential personnel.

Marloo had also considered sending Prince Andrew and Kala to a different planet as well. Perhaps Tantula Five. This would ensure that, even if Golan Four were significantly damaged, a member of the Royal Family would be available to lead. Even with Layla safely in a bunker, they might need a leader who wasn’t stuck underground for two years until the planet was livable again. Marloo shuddered at the thought. Yet something he must discuss with Layla.

They did already have Princess Krista safely in the Solar System. It might be more beneficial to have Prince Andrew and Kala with Layla, if the worst-case scenario happened. That being, the surface of Golan Four was bombarded and was unlivable for two years. Layla would need support for the baby she would have while in the bunker. Marloo sighed. Something else he would discuss in-depth with Layla.

Before that though, Marloo had a few other things to tend to. His gaze shifted to one of the viewscreens, showing the attack interceptors doing their training maneuvers above Golan Four. Many of them would die if Golan Four were attacked. He shook his head. He also needed to make sure that the bunkers were prepared to house their inhabitants for at least two years. He shuddered at the thought of living underground for that length of time. It could be much worse though. They thankfully had learned how to quickly clean a planet’s atmosphere from all the dust and debris that a surface bombardment created. This helped speed up the process of getting back to the surface.

Alarms sounded, startling Marloo out of his thoughts. “Admiral, Rear Admiral Fulmar has arrived with his fleet,” said General Gantts.

“Good. Please schedule a meeting with him here in my office. We have a lot to discuss,” said Marloo. Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters would be worried about that Druin fleet headed to the Empire. Marloo wished there was a way to keep that information from him but knew there was not. The scout ships would have already reported the latest news of the Druin fleet headed to the Empire.

The allied fleet was not communicating with Golan Four to ensure the enemy didn’t get wind of their attack. No doubt they had already heard the news from the scout ships though. Derrick was probably second-guessing his decision to lead the Empire fleet to the Confederation. He was likely concerned for Layla and their unborn child.

Marloo could do nothing to alleviate Derrick’s concerns. All Marloo could do for Derrick was ensure Golan Four had the best possible defenses and then confirm Layla was in the bunker, if the attack did, indeed, happen.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters went over the latest reports from the scout ships. He was greatly concerned about the Druin fleet Captain Iris was tailing. This fleet was headed right toward the Empire. Derrick had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew though, or at least he tried to convince himself that, even if the worst-case scenario unfolded, and Golan Four was bombarded with missiles, Layla would be safe inside the bunker. He didn’t want to consider her raising their baby for two years without him.

While Derrick knew he had made the right decision to come to the Confederation with the fleet to attack the Morag, it was unfortunate that the Druins had decided on this exact moment in time to stage an attack on the Empire. Why now? Did they know something? How would they know? Why hadn’t they warned the Morag, if the Druins did know? All these questions made Derrick more and more anxious.

Derrick checked the holographic display. The allied fleet neared Morag space. Still a little over a day before they reached Morag Prime. Maybe once the Druins realized how big of a fleet was attacking the Morag, they would return home to protect their planets. The Druin fleet would not even be out of the Confederation when the allied fleet attacked the Morag. There was still a chance the Druins would turn around.

Would the Morag inform the Druins of the allied fleet? How would the Druins realize the Morag were under attack? Surely the Morag would ask for reinforcements from the Druins. Although there was no hope the Druins would arrive in time.

None of these things were in Derrick’s control. He needed to focus on his job, which was to help Collison lead this allied fleet into battle against the Morag. They would destroy Morag Prime and everything on it. Derrick just couldn’t shake this foreboding feeling that continued to grow in his stomach. He was concerned for Layla and the baby, but he continued to tell himself that they were in good hands. Admiral Marloo was the best. He would protect them. Of this, Derrick was sure.

One thing that always helped Derrick settle his mind was to take a walk. So Derrick left the Command Center and began to walk the halls. He enjoyed greeting the crew. He spent most of the time in the Command Center, so the number of crew members he was around was actually small. Derrick decided to spend the next hour or so walking the halls and chatting with his crew. It would be good for morale and a good distraction for Derrick.

As Derrick walked down an empty corridor, his thoughts wandered to Layla and what she might be doing right now.

-

Layla spoke with Emira again about Falton Two. “I can’t believe I have a brother. Why do you think he’s at Falton Two, and why did they wake him up out of cryo? There must be a purpose.”

Emira was silent for a few moments, while she considered what Layla had said. “The only thing that makes sense to me is that they must somehow know they are under threat. So they’ve woken him up out of cryo to use as a pawn in negotiations. For Soren to work as a pawn, they must know you are the High Princess of the Empire. They must also know you are Soren’s younger sister. If all of that were true, we must consider where they may be getting this information from.”

Layla looked troubled, as she responded. “Maybe they are monitoring our communications? Maybe they have a spy here in the Empire, feeding them information? It does make me uneasy.”

“Try not to be paranoid. Very few people are aware that we know about Falton Two, correct?” asked Emira.

“That is true. So it’s doubtful they’d have a spy implanted here.”

“You must consider what you might be willing to negotiate for him, if it comes down to that,” Emira said, as she looked closely at Layla.

“He’s my brother. He’s my family. I want him back here. My child would have an uncle!”

“Your child already has family here, who will surround him with love. Andrew and Kala, Krista and Mathew, not to mention me and Brenda. This brother of yours may cause a lot of trouble. He may not be a good person. He’s spent more of his life away from the Empire than he spent here in the Empire. Who knows what kind of man he grew into.”

“That’s true, but I must try to ascertain his character. What if he’s an amazing man, like my father?”

“I think you see your father through rose-colored glasses. There was much more to your father than you remember or even know about. I am not saying he wasn’t a good man, but a lot of that depends on one’s perspective. If you could bring your brother back here, wouldn’t he be the rightful heir, not you?”

A look of alarm crossed her face. “I hadn’t thought of that, Emira. It’s not about the power though. It’s about the people.”

“I realize that, but we don’t know how Soren feels about the people of the Empire. If these Humans of Falton Two are allies with the Morag, it makes me cautious about their feelings toward us. They have perhaps finished raising your brother. Formed him into an adult. He would have been very impressionable at the age he was when he disappeared. He could be an enemy of the Empire. You must keep that in mind,” Emira said cautiously.

“I want you by my side, when it’s time to talk to him or about him. You have a more level head about it.”

“I will try my best. I am the only one who is still alive who actually knew him. He was only a child, but he was a big part of my life. It will be hard for me to be unbiased when face-to-face with the missing Prince. I may not keep my feelings separate from my logical side.”

“Do you think he would recognize you?”

“I am older than when he saw me last, but I am confident he would recognize me,” Emira said slowly.

“This was all so unbelievable. I think I’m still shocked over it all,” said Layla.

“I can see how you would feel that way. I myself am still in shock, as well. The timing of it all makes me more and more convinced that these Humans of Falton Two must know more about the Empire than we realize,” Emira replied.

“I agree. I am not sure what we can do about it though. Other than being cautious in our communications. We should assume they are listening.”

“If that were true, how much do you think they know of our attack on Morag Prime?” Emira asked in alarm.

Layla gasped. “I’ll speak with Marloo. We must be more careful about our communications, especially regarding the allied fleet and the soon-to-happen attack on Morag Prime. Although, so far, according to the scout ships stationed in the Morag star systems, there haven’t been any significant ship deployment changes. If the Morag were aware of the attack, I would think they’d call for all hands on deck to help protect their home system, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes. I agree with you. All evidence indicates that the Morag are still in the dark about the planned attack on their home planet. If not, I would think they’d be increasing security in their home system. We know they are not doing that, thanks to the scout ships.”

Chapter Fifteen

Rear Admiral Carrie tried her best to remain calm. Marloo had a plan, and it was a good one. In all likelihood, they would not engage this enemy fleet that followed them. Carrie, however, also realized that the allied fleet would now reach Morag Prime before her fleet and Barnes’s fleet could. This most likely meant that they would not be a part of the main attack. Carrie sighed. She had been really looking forward to it. To watching the destruction of Morag Prime.

As long as this Morag fleet following them didn’t engage them, then they might have enough ships to keep attacking targets. Maybe some Druin targets now, with the main Druin fleet headed out of the Confederation. Or maybe hit Morag targets on the periphery.

Once the battle at Morag Prime commenced, the Morag would likely pull all their remaining ships together. This would leave plenty of vulnerable targets for her and Barnes to destroy. Maybe Rear Admiral Drake could leave them a few ships.

Carrie checked her tactical display. In another hour, they would be at the rendezvous system. Drake and his ships should already be there. What would happen, and where would they go from there? She’d know soon enough.

“Rear Admiral Carrie, the Morag ships are not trailing us anymore, none are on my long-range sensors,” said the sensor officer.

“What? Run the scans again,” Carrie commanded.

“I have run the scans three times. They are not there,” replied the sensor officer.

“Have one of the ships in the rear of our formation run the scans. Maybe they slowed down a little,” Carrie said, as she considered what was going on. Where were they? Why would they slow down?

As the communications officer sent the command to the rear of the fleet, the rest of the crew looked at the tactical display, puzzled expressions on their faces.

After a few moments, the communications officer said, “The ship in the rear of the fleet is coming back with nothing on their scans either.”

Carrie slowly let out a deep breath of air. “Contact Rear Admiral Barnes, let her know our findings.” Was this some trick the Morag were playing, trying to get them to drop out of hyperspace so they could engage them?

“Barnes confirms the same thing on her scans. She said we should go ahead to the rendezvous in case this was some trick,” said the communications officer.

“I agree. Let’s continue on as if nothing has changed,” said Carrie. Why would the Morag stop following them? It made no sense. It had to be a trap.

Carrie had the sensor officer do scans every five minutes, as they continued on the path to the rendezvous point. This was shaping up to be one of the longest hours of her life.

-

Rear Admiral Drake had his ships positioned and ready for Barnes’s and Carrie’s fleets to arrive. He had received the reports from them that they could no longer sense the ships behind them. What was going on? If the last ship in the formation couldn’t confirm the Morag on their sensors, one would assume the Morag also could not sense the Human fleet. Unless their scanning technology was more advanced than the Humans, which was a possibility. Why would they abandon the pursuit?

Drake realized with alarm what might make the ships stop their pursuit. “Send a message to Marloo. Ask him if the scout ships have noticed Morag warships leaving their systems.”

By the time Marloo could respond to his inquiry, Barnes and Carrie would be here. Drake’s gaze shifted to the viewscreen in front of him. Alarms sounded as the Human ships exited hyperspace. Drake leaned forward in his chair. Were the Morag next? “Prepare to fire at the enemy ships.”

Drake began to relax a little, as Barnes and Carrie and their fleets moved into position with his ships. Then they waited. Drake eyed the clock. How long would they wait?

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo had received Drake’s message and the one from Barnes that the Morag fleet tailing them had disappeared. What was going on? “General Gantts, have we received any reports from the scout ships stationed in the Morag star systems of ships leaving their systems?”

Gantts quickly looked through a few reports. “Yes, sir. I have reports from four systems that the Morag warships are entering hyperspace.”

“Which four?” asked Marloo.

Gantts stood and walked to the holographic display. She consulted her notes and said, “These four systems here.”

Marloo had a puzzled look on his face. These systems were nearest to where the Morag fleet that had been following Barnes and Carrie would be. Maybe they were rendezvousing together to attack? Except the enemy would not know where the Humans were, if they stopped following them in hyperspace. This didn’t make any sense.

“Check with the other scout ships. See if there’s been any change in warships numbers in their systems.” Marloo knew it would be a few minutes before he had a response. “Also send a message to Barnes, Carrie, and Drake to hold their position, until further orders come through.”

Marloo slowly walked around the holographic display. What were the Morag planning now? Did they assume the Human fleet was headed out of the Confederation and decided not to chase them the entire way? They were now in Druin territory but just barely.

Marloo stopped pacing and rubbed his chin with his fingers, deep in thought. What was he missing?

-

Captain Amar on scout ship 403 was surprised when the Morag warships in the system began charging their hyperdrives. Where were they going? Should he follow them or stay in his system?

As the Morag ships made their jump into hyperspace, Amar decided to stay and monitor the system. Maybe this was another redistributing-the-fleet tactic. No doubt more ships would soon show up in the system.

“Captain, all Morag warships have left the system,” said Lieutenant Long.

“None stayed behind?” Amar asked.

“None, Captain.”

“Send a report to the other scout ships and Golan Four. Are other scout ships seeing the same behavior?” asked Amar.

“I’m sending the messages now,” said the communications officer.

Amar was convinced it was just another readjustment of warships across the Morag-inhabited systems. The system looked bare as Amar looked at the viewscreen. This star system would make a very easy target right now.

Suddenly a thought came to Amar’s mind. Maybe the Morag were attempting to set up another trap for when the Human fleet returns. Little do they know the allied fleet would destroy their home planet in less than twenty-four hours.

-

Captain Laine on scout ship 125 was stationed above Morag Prime. Alarms woke him from his nap in his quarters. He slowly got up and made himself presentable. It was probably only a few Morag warships arriving.

When he made it to the Command Center, he quickly realized that more than a few Morag warships had arrived in the system. “What’s going on?” he asked, as he took his seat in his command chair.

“Captain Laine, ninety-three Morag warships just dropped out of hyperspace,” reported the sensor officer.

Laine was a little puzzled. This was the largest group of warships that had arrived in quite some time. His eyes narrowed, as his gaze focused on the tactical display. “Did any of the original fleet leave the system?” Perhaps this was only the Morag shifting warships around again.

“No, Captain. No ships have left the system. Wait. I do have a larger than usual number of transport vessels leaving the planet.”

Laine stood in alarm. Did they know about the attack? “Watch the transport vessels. Are they picking up citizens from the surface? Are they leaving the system?”

Laine watched the viewscreen as one zoomed in on a view of a few transport vessels. These vessels soon made their jump into hyperspace. This did not look good. Maybe he was overreacting though.

“Send a report to Marloo. Also check in with the other scout ships. See if anything unusual is happening elsewhere,” commanded Laine.

-

“Admiral Marloo, I am getting reports from all over the Morag star systems that their warships are entering hyperspace. Also one from Captain Laine in the Morag Prime system. He reports more warships are appearing and many-more-than-usual transport vessels are leaving the planet,” reported General Gantts.

Marloo felt panic rise up inside him. The Morag must know but how? The answer to that was one he didn’t have. Would their allied tactic change now? Was he confident the Morag knew? Or was this all just a coincidence? Deep down he knew it wasn’t a coincidence, but he couldn’t be sure.

Should he risk a message to the allied fleet? No, not yet. They would be receiving the reports from the scout ships and would likely come to the same conclusion as he had. The Morag were gathering their warships at Morag Prime. How many would that be? Would the allied fleet still have the advantage, without the surprise factor and up against a larger fleet?

Marloo slammed his hand down on his command chair. How had this happened? More important, what would they do about it? Should they start at the periphery and annihilate everything on their way toward Morag Prime? That might weaken the fleet slightly. It might also give the Morag enough warning of who their allies were. This might cause the Morag to target these planets before making it to Morag Prime. Some were not far from harm’s way.

“If the Morag pull all their warships to Morag Prime, how many would we be up against?” Marloo asked Gantts.

“At last count, the Morag still had around 5,500 warships. Plus they will probably add a few from their shipyards and military bases,” replied Gantts.

We would still have the advantage, but it would be a dogfight. Plus the Morag have the advantage of their planet’s defenses and shipyard and space station defenses. Marloo needed to do more problem-solving to iron out their strategy and to see if it should change. With the reports coming in, they only confirmed what he was suspecting—that the Morag knew they were coming.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes stood watch, waiting for a Morag Fleet to appear and destroy them. Yet none came. It didn’t make any sense to her. In fact, the only way she could reconcile this was if the Morag had found out about the planned attack on Morag Prime. How would that have happened? The allied fleet had been in hyperspace for three days. No way a ship could pick them up on their scans, unless they were in hyperspace with them.

Could the Morag have intercepted some of their communications? Barnes knew that the fleet would be very cautious about communicating with anyone. At least the Humans would. Would this hold true for the other races in the fleet? Maybe they didn’t understand how big a risk a quick call home could turn out to be.

The worst-case scenario was that they had traitors among them. If so, who was it? What would that mean?

More than ever Barnes wished she could be a part of the allied fleet. She wanted to be there to back up Admiral Collison. The allied fleet would need every ship to go up against the entire Morag fleet. Even though her fleet, combined with Carrie’s and Drake’s, contained only 186 warships, they could still help make a difference. Maybe the difference that could win the battle.

Barnes knew that the best admirals in the fleets would make the best decision. She would follow whatever orders they gave her.

-

Rear Admiral Drake grew impatient. The Morag warships were a no-show. That was good. This meant Barnes, Carrie, and he could destroy other targets, maybe take the heat off the main fleet. There wasn’t enough time for them to get to Morag Prime to help the allied fleet, but perhaps the three of them could take advantage of some of these unprotected systems.

Waiting for his orders to come through was not his strong suit. Drake was not a very patient person. He wanted to be doing something, like destroying his enemy.

What would be their best move? If the Morag had heard about the allied fleet, which—by looking at all the reports from the scout ships—all signs pointed to that possibility, maybe the few ships that they had here in this system could put some doubt into their minds. This fleet was now larger than the one the Morag had been chasing, so, when they attack, the Morag will realize they have rendezvoused with reinforcements. Throwing a little doubt into the minds of the Morag would be a good strategy, if anyone asked him.

Drake quickly sent a message to Marloo with his plan. He planned to hit the systems on the periphery of the Morag’s part of the Confederation. They would only hit the systems that had no warships in them. The fleet would continue to do this, working their way toward Morag Prime. Hopefully this would cause the Morag leadership to doubt their intelligence about the large Human fleet. Maybe they would think it was only a trap to get them to move their ships away from their other systems to make it easier for the Humans to attack them. The plan definitely couldn’t hurt their position any.

Now Drake had to wait for Marloo’s response. In the meantime, Drake would communicate his idea to Barnes and Carrie and figure out their targets.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes thought that Drake’s idea was a solid one. Any doubt they could put in the Morag’s mind would be good. Plus they would be destroying Morag targets. Which targets that would be, that’s what she needed to figure out.

Would it be wise to eliminate known military bases? What about the terraformed moons? Would the Morag have moved their interceptor killers to Morag Prime too? Or would they still plan to fight with these interceptor killers?

One thing Barnes was sure of, they better plan to fight the interceptor killers. In order to do that, they needed to resupply their attack interceptors on their battlecarriers. Barnes sent a quick message to Drake, who confirmed to her that the supply fleet did still have a few more attack interceptors that they could use in the battlecarriers. That was a relief because they needed them.

Barnes knew that the wisest thing they could do was resupply the carriers before hitting any target. The supply fleet would soon be in the Barsoon home system. That was not too far from here. That’s where they needed to go. Barnes sent the message to Carrie and Drake. The Barsoon home system would be their first stop. Then, as long as Marloo agreed with their plan to attack the unprotected Morag systems, they could move on to do that from there.

Barnes checked with her systems officer to confirm the hyperdrives had had the chance to recharge. Once she got the confirmation, she waited to hear back from Carrie and Drake. Soon after Barnes had received confirmation from the other two rear admirals, the fleet began to enter hyperspace.

-

Marloo was looking over reports in his office. Scout ships from all over the Morag star systems reported the same thing. All warships were leaving their systems. The assumption was that they were all headed to Morag Prime.

Suddenly Marloo had another idea. What if these ships join the Druin ships in an attack on the Empire? His heart sank. That would be the worst-case scenario. He needed a scout ship to follow some of these ships to know for sure where they were going.

Once he had sent the order, he checked back in with Barnes, Carrie, and Drake. They were headed to resupply the battlecarriers at the supply fleet, now stationed in the Barsoon home system.

Marloo liked Drake’s idea of attacking the Morag’s unprotected systems. Marloo wanted to attack the Druins too, but they could wait a little longer. He sent them his approval of their plan. They didn’t have enough time to get to Morag Prime before the allied fleet, but they could still help by distracting the Morag from the main attack. Maybe make the Morag doubt their intelligence report. Hopefully make the Morag turn around some of these ships, before they added to the numbers at Morag Prime.

A knock came at his door. “Come in,” Marloo called out.

General Gantts came through the door. Marloo knew it wasn’t good news she brought by the look on her face. “Over the last hour, Captain Laine reports that another sixty-three Morag warships have arrived at Morag Prime. Also hundreds of transport vessels have arrived and gone to the surface. He observed citizens loading up on these vessels. Then the transport vessels headed off the planet and entered hyperspace. It looks to him that they are evacuating the planet.”

“It would be wise for us to figure out where these transport vessels are going. Some of these vessels might contain their leadership,” Marloo replied.

“We still have scout ships stationed in almost all Morag-inhabited systems. I will send them a message to keep track of how many transport vessels come to their systems and unload Morag citizens,” replied Gantts.

“Good. Keep a list. We may visit them all to figure out where their leaders have run off to.”

“Do you really think their leaders will evacuate?” asked Gantts.

“I think it’s highly likely they will. Thank you for bringing me the updates. Please keep me posted.”

Gantts turned and walked out of his office. Once the door had shut behind her, Marloo went back to studying all the reports.

After a few minutes of going over the latest numbers, another thought crossed Marloo’s mind. What if Falton Two had tipped the Morag to their allied plan? What if they had a mole in their midst? It must be someone in the Command Center. Or on one of the warships. Marloo began thinking of each person he worked with in the Command Center. Could one possibly be a double agent?

If this line of thought were true, it meant that Falton Two also knew we had a scout ship watching them. Marloo’s mind filled with the possibilities; then he dismissed them with a shake of his head. No way the Humans had a traitor among them. The most likely way the Morag discovered their attack plans was one of the allied races sending a message to someone else about the attack.

The Morag must have intercepted the message and figured out what was happening. That’s what it had to be. The other possibilities that a traitor was among the Humans or one of the allied fleet was too destructive even to consider. Although Marloo knew he would lose lots of sleep over those possibilities.

-

Admiral Collison was troubled by the reports he was getting from the scout ships stationed all across the Morag-inhabited systems. The Morag were moving their warships. Where to? It was one of two possibilities in his mind. Either they were joining the Druins in their attack on the Human Empire, or they were gathering their fleet to defend Morag Prime. He didn’t like either possibility.

Captain Laine had already reported an additional 156 warships had arrived at Morag Prime. Given the information that transport vessels were loading up Morag citizens and taking them off planet, it pointed more to the Morag assembling their fleet to defend Morag Prime.

Collison sighed. They had not wanted to go up against the entire Morag fleet. What if the Morag had developed new weapons and had installed them on a few of their ships? The Humans knew from the attacks they had been doing on the Morag targets that none of their warships had any new weapons. That could change at any moment. The Morag were an intelligent race. The Humans had to press this advantage of their superior weapons while they could. Who knew how long it would last.

Whatever it was the Morag were doing, the allied fleet would arrive in about twenty hours. Hopefully they could mount their attack before all the enemy warships arrived to protect Morag Prime.

Chapter Sixteen

Morag Councilor Damora was in his office. He would shortly head to the Morag High Council meeting. In the meantime, he had a few things to look over in his office. As he shuffled through the papers on his desk, he remembered that he had not listened to the message from Zynth Councilor Conn. Damora pushed the button to hear the message.

“Councilor Damora, we wanted to warn you that one of our transport vessels detected a large fleet gathering in one of the uninhabited systems in the Lormallian-controlled part of the Confederation. When the transport scanned the system, a little over seven thousand ships were in the system. Because of the large number of ships, we assumed this was a Human fleet. With such a large fleet, we concluded that their most likely target would be a Morag one, specifically Morag Prime. With so many ships, they must plan to go against the main Morag fleet. We agreed that we would warn you of our discovery. What you do with this information is up to you.”

Damora sat in complete shock. When was this message sent? When was this fleet spotted? How much time had elapsed? No, no, no! How much longer until the Humans would arrive here?

Damora checked the date of the message. It had been six days. Which meant the Humans could be here any day, any moment.

The first thing Damora needed to do was speak with Admiral Voxx, who needed to get to Morag Prime now.

Once Damora had connected with Voxx, he updated him on the reports from the Zynth.

Voxx said, I’m headed there now. I will recall all our fleets to Morag Prime immediately. If the Humans have assembled such a large fleet, I have no doubt they intend to attack Morag Prime. You speak with the High Council. It might be wise to evacuate the leadership and all other essential personnel from the planet. The Humans intend to destroy our homeworld.

I will speak to the council next. We will begin evacuations immediately. The Humans could arrive at any moment, replied Damora.

Once you meet with the council, send me a message. I will speak with the council as well. In the meantime, I will speak with Admiral Marcello and apprise him of the situation.

I hope we have enough time to amass most of our fleet at Morag Prime. This was on me. If I would have listened to the message when it was sent, our fleet would already be here to protect the planet, said Damora.

No use regretting the past. All we can do is make the most of what’s in front of us. I will speak to you soon, replied Voxx.

-

Admiral Voxx was furious. This was all on Councilor Damora. The Zynth had given them the warning they needed to prepare for the attack. They would have had time to gather the entire fleet. Now it was a race against the clock. How many warships would get there before the Humans?

Then Voxx remembered their secret weapon. This was the perfect opportunity to use it. The Humans, at least the ones from the Empire, would not fire at the planet’s surface with those two Humans on it—or if they thought they were on the planet. Voxx smiled. This might not be as bad as he first thought.

Of course there would still be a fleet battle. The Morag would lose a significant number of ships. But at least they had their shipyard and space stations to help eliminate the enemy ships. Not to mention the strongest defensive grid the Humans have ever seen. This might not be as easy of a battle as the Humans thought it would be. Voxx hoped he could get there in time.

Voxx focused his attention on the holographic display. He wasn’t too far from Morag Prime. He could get there in under twenty-four hours. With the secret weapon, they could probably stall the Humans a little bit, allowing more of their ships to get there. How far are we from Morag Prime? Voxx asked his navigation officer.

We are currently twenty-two hours away from Morag Prime, Admiral.

How many warships could he get there before that time? His communications officer was already sending out the orders for all warships to return to Morag Prime. They had also recalled the group of ships chasing the Human fleet out of the Confederation. They had chased them out of Morag space. They were now in the Druin area of the Confederation. Those ships would likely join the larger Human fleet in attacking Morag Prime.

The next thing Voxx needed to do was contact Admiral Marcello. It didn’t take long to get in contact with him. The news he relayed seemed to have the same effect on Marcello as it did on Voxx. Both agreed Damora was to blame for them not having as much time to prepare for this attack.

Marcello said, My fleet will protect Morag Prime from these insolent creatures. Do we have any ships yet that have installed the new weapons?

A few have come out of the shipyards but not many. Maybe it will make a little difference. Morag Prime has the strongest defensive grid we have ever seen. The Humans will not easily destroy it. It will come at a high price to them.

Transport vessels are arriving to evacuate as many Morag as possible, said Marcello.

With Addonis having his secret weapon, it may buy us enough time for my fleet to arrive. You must hold them off until I get there. If we are lucky, I will arrive before the Humans. Keep me updated, and let me know the second a Human ship exits hyperspace in the system.

Yes, I will, Admiral.

Once the conversation with Marcello had ended, Voxx knew it was almost time to discuss his strategy with the Morag High Council. Voxx would not want to be in Damora’s shoes right now.

-

Damora quickly walked into the Morag High Council meeting chambers. He didn’t even take the time to sit down. All of the council members were there and milling around. We have an emergency. I need everyone to have a seat.

Damora tried to calm his nerves, while he waited for the councilors to sit. I have just listened to a message from Zynth Councilor Conn. He warns us of a fleet of over seven thousand ships assembling in an uninhabited system of the Lormallians. They assume this fleet is Human. One of the Zynth transport vessels picked up the ships on a long-range scan of the system. They assume that such a large fleet had to be Human and had to have us in their sights as a target. Specifically Morag Prime, with such a large Human fleet. I have talked with Admiral Voxx, and he agrees with their assumptions. Damora quieted down and took his seat.

How long do we have until the Humans arrive? When was this scan taken? asked Lead Councilor Addonis

The scans were taken six days ago, replied Damora.

What took the Zynth so long to warn us? We’ve lost valuable time that we could have used to prepare for this attack, said Councilor Brant.

It doesn’t matter what took them so long. According to when the scans were taken, the Humans could be here at any moment. What did Admiral Voxx say about it? asked Addonis.

Admiral Voxx is recalling all our warships here to Morag Prime immediately. He also suggested we use transport vessels to evacuate all the leadership and essential personnel from the planet. He said if the Humans are committing that many ships to this attack, they must intend to destroy the planet.

Many of the councilors were outraged at this and expressed their anger and disbelief over the situation. Surely the Humans cannot destroy our planet, said Councilor Hiram.

Addonis replied, They can. They have the superior weapons, and that is a large fleet. It is likely they will bombard the planet. We should evacuate as many Morag as we can, including ourselves.

What about your secret weapon? Won’t that stop the Humans from firing on the planet? asked Councilor Delann.

It will be time to use the secret weapon, but we cannot ensure that it will stop the Humans from attacking the surface. If someone in the fleet would recognize them, and that’s a big if, then it might work. Not many alive would recognize them. Then we have to assume that they still care. Is it worth their victory over us for two Humans? Yes, these are the parents of the current High Princess of the Empire, but is that enough to save us? I would not guarantee it. We should all evacuate to another planet, where we will be safe. I will take our secret weapon with us but will act as if they are here on Morag Prime.

Where will we go? Where will we be safe? Surely the Humans will continue their rampage through all our systems, said Brant.

What if we go to Falton Two? Would Emperor Rowan allow us to take refuge there? asked Hiram.

I doubt it. No, we will take refuge in one of our own systems, on a planet that does not have a known military base. The Humans will target all our shipyards and military bases, if they destroy Morag Prime. We must pick a planet that does not seem like a threat. I need all our weapons specialists to be on this planet too. We will have to rebuild our fleet and our defenses from there. We must evacuate all nonessential personnel from all military bases and shipyards, said Addonis.

Which planet will we pick?

Let’s go to Morag 112. It has a hidden military base on it that we can use to rebuild our fleet. The Humans hopefully have not identified this military base. Go now and get your families. We will begin our evacuations immediately. The Humans could appear at any moment. We have no time to waste.

The meeting quickly adjourned, and everyone hurried on their way to gather their families for the evacuation.

-

Councilor Addonis contacted his family to prepare them for the evacuation. His wife, Zyla, would get everything ready, while he tended to the things he needed to. His time would be spent with his secret weapons. He needed them to record some messages they could use to stop the Human fleet from attacking the planet. Hopefully it would at least buy them time for more reinforcements to arrive.

Addonis walked quickly to where Bramdon and his wife were being held. He needed this to be done quickly.

“The Humans are due to attack our planet at any moment,” Addonis started out. “We believe they will bombard the surface.”

Alarm could be seen on both of the Humans’ faces. “Is the Human Empire capable of that?” asked the Human Bramdon.

“Yes, they are. They have the help of the Earth Humans. The Earth Humans are far more advanced than the ones of the Empire. I need the two of you to send a message to them, requesting that they not attack the planet.”

“Why would we do that?” asked Bramdon.

“Because if you do not, you will both die. I am sure you want to see your daughter again. She’s married and has a child on the way. You are soon to be grandparents.” He had them. He knew it. The expressions on their faces confirmed it. He had them right where he wanted.

“Okay, we will make your video,” said Bramdon. “What exactly do you want me to say?”

“Tell them who you are and that you are on this planet. Then command them, as their High King, to not attack the planet.”

“I am not sure it will work, but I will say what you would like.”

Addonis prepared to record the message.

After a few messages had been created, he told the two Humans they were coming with him.

“Where are we going?” asked Bramdon.

“We are leaving the planet,” Addonis replied.

“What about those messages we just created. We said we were here on the planet,” said Claire.

“You were on the planet at the time, and now we are leaving.”

“Do you not think the messages will work then?” asked Bramdon.

“We are not sure anyone will be in the fleet who would recognize you, so we are taking the extra precaution and leaving the planet.”

“Where are we going?” asked Bramdon.

“You do not need to know that,” replied Addonis. “We are getting on a transport vessel with my family. I will tell you now that all Morag hate Humans. This includes my wife and children. So I would advise you to be on your best behavior.”

The two Humans followed him through the corridors and out to the transport vessel that awaited them. His family was already on board. He greeted his wife, Zyla, when he saw her.

What are these Humans doing here with you? Zyla asked.

They are my captives. We are using them to negotiate with the Humans when they arrive, Addonis replied. I realize how you feel about them, but they could be very useful to us.

Do you really think the Humans are coming to attack Morag Prime? Zyla asked.

It is the only thing that makes sense. With them gathering such a large fleet, it’s the only target that makes sense. They would not need so many ships to attack the Druins. We must be their target. With so many ships, they must plan to face an extensive fleet. That fleet is stationed here above Morag Prime. The Humans would not need that large of a fleet for any other purpose that I can figure out.

How will these Humans help us negotiate?

I have already created messages to send to the Human fleet when they arrive. We do not believe that the Human fleet will bombard the planet with these two Humans on it, replied Addonis.

Won’t the Humans realize the messages are not coming from the planet?

They will be. I have left them here with Commander Mazin. I will tell him when and which one to send, depending on the situation, replied Addonis.

Should we stay in the star system and see how things develop? asked Zyla.

You want to stay here, when over seven thousand Human warships will show up in the system?

They will not worry about a few transport vessels. They will have their hands full with our fleet, replied Zyla.

Yes, that is true. Maybe we will stay in the system, hide near another planet. Then we can watch what happens for ourselves. It will still be dangerous though. Are you sure you are okay with staying?

Yes, I think it is the best choice in this situation. We can still leave, if we deem ourselves in jeopardy.

Okay, I will have the pilot take us to another planet in this system to orbit until this battle begins.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello prepared his fleet the best he could. Now a constant stream of transport vessels were coming and going from Morag Prime. Marcello hoped this Human fleet would not arrive until after Admiral Voxx did. While Marcello would like the glory for this win over the Humans, he didn’t have enough ships.

The Humans had been slowly picking off their warships in each system they targeted. Plus the Morag’s shipyards and a few military bases had been destroyed. The Humans must have been planning this attack the entire time. They were slowly weakening us. Luckily the Morag had found out about this attack before it was too late.

Marcello shuddered to think what it might have been like if they had not had any warning. His fleet alone would have been up against the Humans’ over seven thousand ships. Those would not have been favorable odds for Marcello. Now, with each passing hour, his fleet grew larger. More and more ships arrived from nearby star systems.

Every time the alarms sounded, indicating ships exiting hyperspace, his level of anxiety increased. The Humans could arrive at any moment. This did not help Marcello’s overall sense of well-being. With each alarm came the realization that it may not be Morag ships exiting hyperspace but those of his enemy.

Marcello checked in with Voxx. He was now eighteen hours away from Morag Prime. So far away. Marcello rechecked his displays. All Morag warships were converging on his location. Every moment that went by brought more reinforcements. He needed them. He needed every last ship in the war fleet.

If he had time for all the warships to arrive, and, considering the defenses of the shipyards and space stations when added in with the defensive grid, they would give the Human fleet a strong fight. The Morag would not give up easily.

Marcello was a little relieved that High Councilor Addonis had decided to stay in the system in his transport vessel to observe the battle. Addonis planned to use his secret weapon against the Human fleet. Yet they were not confident enough that the weapon would work.

Marcello had not heard this directly, but, if Addonis were confident, he would be down on the surface of Morag Prime with his family, not hiding in a transport vessel that could evacuate the system at a moment’s notice. At least he hadn’t fled, like the rest of the council.

The only way Marcello would leave this system was if he was ordered to do so. That would mean Morag Prime had fallen, and they were trying to conserve what ships they had left. He had no intention of leaving this system. He would defend Morag Prime until the bitter end.

Marcello still held out hope that this was all a false alarm. Perhaps the Zynth ship’s scan had picked up on something else. Maybe it wasn’t a Human fleet after all. He wasn’t sure what fleet it might be. It couldn’t possibly be Lormallian. The Lormallians did not have that many ships. The only thing that was remotely a possibility was a Lormallian, Morphene, and Zang combined fleet. If so, that still didn’t look good for the Morag.

If Marcello were being honest, he’d rather go up against the Lormallians, Morphene, and Zang any day, instead of the Humans. At least with the others, the Morag had similar weapons. Not inferior ones like they had when compared to the Human ones.

Alarms suddenly sounded again, causing Marcello’s heartbeat to quicken. His gaze shifted to the screens at the front of his Command Center. Would this be the Humans? The tactical display showed red icons. He held his breath as he hoped they would turn green. When they did, he felt a tremendous weight lift off his shoulders.

Marcello reached out to see who had arrived. It was a larger fleet of warships. He felt even better when he realized it was Commander Phobyis. He brought with him 832 warships. What a relief it was to have Phobyis’s fleet here with his.

Marcello was not sure how many more false alarms he could withstand, although false alarms were much better than the alternative. His gaze took in the tactical display. With Phobyis’s ships here, they now had a total of 4,019 warships in the star system. They were getting stronger, but they still weren’t strong enough.

-

Morag Councilor Damora contacted Druin Councilor Clun. “I assume the Zynth warned you of this large Human fleet?”

“Yes, they did. We assumed they would be targeting the Morag with such a large fleet. They would not need so many ships to target one of our systems,” replied Clun.

“Are you prepared in case you are wrong?” asked Damora.

“Honestly no. We have a large fleet already inbound to attack the Human Empire as we speak. We decided to take advantage of that large of a fleet being away from the Empire. We will attack while they are vulnerable,” said Clun confidently.

“That’s either a brilliant move or a devastating one. Either you are right and can hit an important Empire target, or you are wrong, and the Humans come and destroy what planets you have remaining while your fleet is away,” said Damora. “Either way, it’s risky.”

“If the Humans came against us with such a large fleet, we would be destroyed. We wouldn’t stand a chance. This way, we stand a chance of destroying a major Human target,” replied Clun.

“Which target do you have in mind?” Damora asked curiously.

“It is still undecided. It will be either Tantula Five or Golan Four.”

“My vote is for Golan Four. If the Humans really do have as large of a fleet as the Zynth reported, many of those must have come from the Empire. They are probably hoping their attack will remain a secret, until they arrive at their target. They wouldn’t want us trying to take advantage of their weakened Empire,” replied Damora.

“Have the Humans been spotted in any of your systems?” asked Clun.

“No. They have not dropped out of hyperspace anywhere.”

“We had a ship scan the system two days ago. The fleet was already gone. So it could be in the Morag-controlled star systems at any time,” said Clun.

“We are preparing for their attack. They will be surprised to realize we are expecting them,” said Damora.

“Don’t you think their scout ships would have realized by now that their plan has been discovered? I assume you are moving more warships in to protect Morag Prime. The scout ships will have shared this,” said Clun.

“We move our ships around a lot. They likely believe we are only reshuffling our ships again. Either way, they will not find us unprepared,” said Damora.

“Good luck. I have a feeling you’ll need it,” said Clun.

“We don’t need luck. We are Morag. Keep me posted on how your fleet does in the Human Empire. I hope you can destroy their homeworld and kill their High Princess. That would really damage their morale,” said Damora. He really hoped the Druins would be successful. After the Morag faced the Humans in this battle, not much of a Morag fleet will be left.

Chapter Seventeen

Rear Admiral Drake was relieved to be headed to a Morag target. He was ready to see some action again. Rear Admirals Barnes and Carrie had resupplied their battlecarriers at the supply fleet currently stationed in the Barsoon home system. They had even added a couple more repaired battlecruisers to their numbers. The remaining ships in line for repairs would help defend the supply fleet, if danger threatened. The Barsoon had also agreed to help protect the supply fleet.

Drake looked at his holographic display. The fleet had just moved to Condition One. They were ten minutes from dropping out of hyperspace at their first target. Without any enemy warships in these systems, they should easily hit their targets and move on to the next.

A smile crossed Drake’s face. The Morag had made a mistake in leaving their star systems unprotected. They would regret it.

Barnes had carefully selected the target. From this first system, they would keep hitting one after another, until the Humans lost too many ships or were ordered to stop. What would their targets be? They were to destroy all shipyards, military bases, and terraformed moons. These terraformed moons could be home to massive military bases. They could not risk missing one of those. They all needed to be destroyed, one way or another.

This first target system had two shipyards and one terraformed moon. A confirmed military base was on this moon. Did the Morag leave ships at the bases to help protect them? They would soon find out. Drake hoped none of the interceptor killers had remained, but that was more likely than any warships. It could be that all warships of any size had been recalled to Morag Prime.

One thing Drake was sure of was that Admiral Collison would have a battle on his hands. A bigger battle than they had intended. Drake wished he could help, but he didn’t have time to get to Morag Prime. Hopefully some of the enemy ships would return to protect these other systems, once they realized that they were under attack. This would alleviate some of the ships that were headed to Morag Prime. Either way, they’d find out soon enough.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes looked over the report from the scout ship still stationed in their target system. This system did have a known military base. Barnes was hoping that no interceptor killers were stationed here, but, according to the reports, none had left the system. So either none were stationed at this base, or they remained to protect it. The fleet now had full battlecarriers of attack interceptors, so that was a relief.

Their strategy was to divide and conquer. They wanted to hit all the targets at the same time, allowing them to get in and out of the system quickly. Then they could move on to the next one quicker. The more systems they could hit, the better.

Barnes would take one shipyard, and Drake would take the second. Carrie would take the majority of the attack interceptors to the terraformed moon, where the military base was located. When Barnes and Drake finished destroying their targets, they would rendezvous at the terraformed moon to backup Carrie. Hopefully she wouldn’t need it, but they were ready, just in case.

-

Rear Admiral Carrie was a little anxious about her target. The fleet exited hyperspace in their target system, and no alarms sounded. What a weird feeling that was. She couldn’t believe the Morag had left most of their systems unprotected. She would soon find out if interceptor killers were stationed at the military base.

Once the fleet had all exited hyperspace, the Human fleet divided into three groups. Her target was the terraformed moon and the military base on its surface. She had orders to destroy the entire surface of the moon. Carrie planned to use the attack interceptors to do this, once her ships destroyed the defensive grid.

Carrie’s task force quickly moved into position above the moon. Barnes and Drake had moved to destroy the shipyards that orbited the inhabited planet in the system.

As soon as Carrie’s task group was in position, the defensive grid opened fire on her ships. Carrie’s ships returned fire, targeting the defensive grid elements in the area. The space between the Human ships and the defensive grid was lit up with intense weapons fire being exchanged. It quickly diminished, as the defensive grid elements were destroyed in small explosions all across the area. Soon the weapons fire ceased, when all the defensive grid elements in the vicinity had been eliminated.

Now it was time to send in the attack interceptors. Carrie ordered half of the interceptors to head to the surface to release their fusion-tipped missiles at strategic targets all across the moon. With any luck, they’d render this moon lifeless soon enough.

-

Lieutenant Garland on battlecarrier Freedom quickly launched from her carrier and formed into her squadron. Once everyone was ready, she led them toward the moon’s surface. She was on high alert for the interceptor killers. Garland’s squadron’s targets were not near the military base, so she might get lucky and hit her targets before the interceptor killers could reach her.

As they made their way toward their targets, alarms sounded. Garland’s heart sank. Her gaze shifted to the tactical display. Her fears were confirmed. Yes, interceptor killers were stationed at the base. They were now launching and heading out to target the interceptors.

Garland’s orders were to hit her targets. More attack interceptors would be launched to help eliminate the interceptor killers. Garland switched her focus back to her targets. She neared her first one.

Garland’s initial target to destroy was one of the power sources for the moon. It was not unprotected. It had an energy shield above it. This would take at least two of her missiles. One to overload the energy shield and another to eliminate the target below it.

When Garland came in range of her target, she launched two of her missiles. The first one hit, causing the energy shield to light up brighter, but it did not fail. The next one caused the shield to light up even brighter, but it still held. Garland was forced to send her last two remaining missiles at her target. The first missile eliminated the shield, and the second detonated above the target, flattening everything in the area. Darkness spread, as the power went out all across the area. It was an even more dramatic scene because it was just getting dark on this part of the moon.

Garland turned her attack interceptor back to her carrier. She had used all four of her missiles on the one target. Now she needed to reload. What her target would be after that, she must wait and see. More than likely, she would be tasked with hunting down the interceptor killers.

-

Rear Admiral Drake closed in on his target, the shipyard that orbited the inhabited planet, Morag Ninety-Three, on the farthest side and currently also the dark side of the planet. He had planned to use the strategy of jumping into combat range, launching a few rounds of the accelerator cannons, and then jumping out, all before the enemy’s firepower could reach the fleet. This would hopefully help preserve all the ships. The fewer ships they lost, the better.

Drake sent the command for his task group to make the short jump into combat range. He sat forward in his command chair. The viewscreen immediately focused in on the shipyard, when they emerged from their short jump.

All the warships in his task group immediately launched four rounds of accelerator cannon fire at their target. Then they all quickly jumped farther away from the shipyard to avoid the enemy firepower. From there, they watched as their projectiles closed in on the shipyard.

The shipyard had immediately changed its weapons targeting from the ships to the incoming firepower. The shipyard had successfully destroyed a few of the incoming weapons fire but not nearly enough. The accelerator cannon fire slammed into the shipyard’s energy screen, disintegrating it on impact. The rest of the projectiles hit the shipyard, causing it to fracture into multiple pieces. When all the projectiles had hit their marks, not much remained of the shipyard.

Now that Drake had eliminated his target, it was time to head over to the terraformed moon to help Carrie. Drake had noticed the tactical display now showed numerous red threat icons. He assumed these were interceptor killers. They would eliminate them all before moving on to their next target system.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes closed in on her target, the nearest shipyard to where the fleet had emerged from hyperspace. It wouldn’t take much to eliminate this target. A few rounds of the accelerator cannon fire would do the job. It was still hard to believe the Morag had left their systems unprotected by warships.

The Humans had to take advantage of this golden opportunity while they could. How much could they get done before the Morag changed their tactics? For Collison’s sake, she hoped the Morag turned some of their warships around to come protect their vulnerable systems. For the sake of Barnes’s fleet, she hoped they didn’t.

Barnes didn’t know too much about the allied fleet and its weapons capabilities. At least the Humans, Lormallians, and the Visth would have sufficient firepower. Everyone else would most likely have less effective weapons power.

She had seen the weapons of the Barsoon and knew the Humans had worked with them to help strengthen their firepower a little. She hoped Collison had what he needed. Barnes had been surprised to learn that Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters had accompanied the Empire Fleet to the Confederation. Barnes had assumed Admiral Cleemorl would come. Either way, nothing she could do to help them. They had what they had, and they would make do with it.

As for her, it was time to destroy another Morag shipyard. Barnes commanded her task group to jump in closer to the shipyard. When they emerged from the short jump, the shipyard opened fire on them. Barnes quickly fired her four rounds of accelerator cannon fire at the shipyard and then jumped to safety. The rest of her task group did the same.

Barnes then watched, as the accelerator cannon fire demolished the shipyard. She smiled and then checked the viewscreens. It appeared Drake had eliminated his shipyard and was headed to help Carrie. Barnes would do the same. They would need all their attack interceptors to eliminate these interceptor killers.

-

Carrie had not been surprised when the alarms had sounded, indicating the presence of the enemy ships. Interceptor killers had been confirmed, launching from the military base on the moon’s surface. She immediately ordered the attack interceptors still awaiting her command to head down to intercept these enemy ships.

From the various viewscreens at the front of the Command Center, Carrie was glad to see a few mushroom clouds rising from the surface. The first wave of attack interceptors began to hit their targets. One screen showed the view from inside one of the interceptors. It was closing in on a large city. From all outward appearances, this city looked very similar to a Human city. There were ground vehicles and air vehicles taking their occupants to their various destinations. She was aware most of them would not make it to where they were headed.

About the time that thought crossed her mind, she noticed a missile headed for the city’s center. In a bright flash that she had to shield her eyes from, the missile detonated. The resulting firestorm leveled the city and incinerated the rest.

Carrie’s gaze shifted to another screen, where an interceptor was hunting down one of the Morag’s interceptor killers. Both of these ships were very agile. It took two missiles to destroy each one, one to destroy the energy shield that protected it and the other to destroy the interceptor killer itself.

Soon afterward, two missiles launched toward the enemy ship. A small flash of light confirmed that the interceptor had successfully destroyed one of the enemy ships. They had a lot more to go.

Carrie could do nothing to help the attack interceptors. Her ships might hit a few of the interceptor killers with their fusion energy beams, but it would also make the entire area more dangerous for the attack interceptors. For now, she would continue to watch this dogfight between the interceptors and their foe.

-

Lieutenant Garland had reloaded and had headed back toward the moon to hunt down two interceptor killers. She took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. She needed to find her target. Garland’s gaze scanned the area around her interceptor. Other interceptors were all around her. They were all hunting the same thing.

Garland took her interceptor closer to the moon. As she neared the moon, its atmosphere was dark, due to all the ash, smoke, and debris from the detonated missiles. It looked like the moon was now unlivable. At least that target had been destroyed. The only thing that held them here in this system were these interceptor killers.

According to the tactical display, the attack interceptors more than outnumbered the enemy ships. Bright flashes of light lit up the area here and there. It was impossible to tell if that marked the death of a Human interceptor or an enemy ship.

An alarm suddenly sounded, alerting Garland that she had an interceptor killer on her tail. She quickly dove and spun her interceptor to avoid the weapons fire that the enemy ship had launched at her. It didn’t take long before she had the enemy in her crosshairs.

She squeezed her finger on the trigger, releasing the two weapons that vaporized the enemy ship and the Morag inside of it. A bright flash of light confirmed her target had been destroyed. One down and one more to go, before she had to reload.

One of the members of her squadron was being tailed by two enemy ships. As soon as Garland heard, she maneuvered her interceptor to cross paths with her fellow squadron member. The enemy ship came in view, and Garland quickly lined up the shot. The last two of her missiles were sent to destroy the enemy ship. When the small explosion enveloped the interceptor killer, Garland smiled. She was out of missiles, and it was time to head back to the carrier to reload.

As Garland made her way back to the carrier, she studied her tactical display. Looking at the number of green icons to red ones, she likely wouldn’t head out after reloading.

Garland reached her carrier and safely landed in the landing bay. She was relieved when she received the order not to go back out.

-

Carrie watched the fight unfold between her and the moon. The moon had already successfully been destroyed. There would be no life there for years to come. The military base on the moon had been hit hard to ensure that nothing remained that the Morag could use to rebuild their military after this attack was over.

The viewscreens at the front of the Command Center showed the intense battle between the attack interceptors and the interceptor killers. The red icons on the tactical display were disappearing much faster than the green. Carrie watched as the last of the red icons disappeared. As the last interceptors landed on their carriers, Carrie felt a rush of relief.

Carrie thoroughly scanned the system to ensure no enemy warships were hiding anywhere to follow them to the next system. Once she had the all clear, the fleet entered hyperspace. It was time to head to their next target.

-

Barnes evaluated what they had left. In that system, they had only lost seven battlecruisers in the process of destroying the shipyards and the defensive grid. They had lost fifty-six attack interceptors in the fight with the interceptor killers. Barnes hoped that each system was not equipped with these enemy ships, but they probably were.

The next star system they had planned to attack was two hours away. It had three shipyards and one terraformed moon. The moon did not have a confirmed military base, but they would destroy it, just to be on the safe side. Two inhabited planets were in the system, Morag Ninety-Four and Morag Ninety-Five. For now, they would not destroy planets, only the terraformed moons.

Barnes had a couple hours to eat and to get a little rest. She needed to take advantage of the opportunity to relax when she could.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx was livid when he heard the reports that a Human fleet was attacking a Morag star system. Was this larger fleet just a distraction to get them to pull all their warships away from their inhabited star systems, so the smaller Human fleet could wreak havoc through them? Had the Zynth been set up? Or had the Zynth been in on it? Was there even a large Human fleet headed to Morag Prime? Or was that a hoax?

Voxx studied the holographic display. Where would this confirmed Human fleet strike next? How could they stop them? How many more shipyards and military bases would they lose? Could he spare enough warships to hunt them down? This was not a decision he felt he could make on his own. He would consult with High Councilor Addonis.

Voxx must safekeep the star system where the Morag High Council was fleeing to. How could he do this without alerting the Humans to its importance?

Voxx contacted Addonis and brought him up to speed. Do you feel like this fleet attacking our periphery is a distraction from the main attack? Or is it possible that is the attack, and the report of a large Human fleet was misinformation given to us by the Zynth? asked Addonis.

I had the same thought. It would be catastrophic for us if we abandon our stronger defense of Morag Prime, and then that large fleet did show up. On the other hand, it would also be detrimental to allow the Humans to plow through all of our other star systems, destroying all of our shipyards, military bases, and terraformed moons, responded Voxx.

More lives will be lost on all the terraformed moons than if we abandoned Morag Prime and allowed the Humans to destroy it, said Addonis solemnly. However, it is our homeworld. We can’t leave it.

Maybe we can begin evacuating all Morag citizens from the terraformed moons. They can evacuate to the inhabited planet in the system nearest to them. That would at least save some lives, Voxx commented.

Yes, that is a good idea. I will order the evacuations immediately. We must have a large fleet here to face this suspected larger Human fleet. Otherwise this confirmed Human fleet will go unchecked through as many of our systems as they want. We must come together to face this attack, said Addonis. Unless there is no larger attack, and that report was a ruse to get us to move all our ships to one location. Either way, we will know in the next twenty-four hours, replied Addonis.

At least this smaller Human fleet is not destroying planets. If they were, it would truly be devastating. The evacuations will start immediately. Hopefully the terraformed moons farther from the attacking fleet will have the time to fully evacuate. As for those in the imminent path of the enemy, only a few will make it to safety. The Humans will pay for this. Maybe not soon but eventually.

Addonis replied, Actually the Druins are headed to the Human Empire as we speak. They will target either Tantula Five or Golan Four.

That, at least, is some good news. I hope they target and destroy Golan Four.

As do we all, replied Voxx.

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo received the reports from Barnes, Carrie, and Drake. Marloo wondered how many systems they could hit before they had to stop. The Morag had ninety-two star systems. The Humans had already hit twenty-six of the Morag star systems. Before everything was said and done, each of these systems must be visited and relieved of all its war-making capabilities. That was, of course, after they defeated the Morag fleet and destroyed Morag Prime.

Then the looming threat of this Druin fleet still remained. It wasn’t a massive fleet, but, with so many Human ships committed to the attack on Morag Prime, it didn’t leave a lot in the Empire.

With the way the Morag were pulling all their ships toward Morag Prime, the consensus was that they had, in some way or another, found out about the attack. If the Morag knew, then the Druins must know too.

If the Druins knew, they must realize the Empire was less protected and plan to strike while they may have the numbers advantage. It could be their last chance. This line of thinking caused Marloo to believe more and more that Golan Four had to be the target. No other system was worth the risk the Druins were taking. They were leaving their systems very vulnerable. They must be going after a worthwhile target. Not just some planet out on the periphery.

Was Golan Four ready for such an attack? Marloo would feel more confident if he had more warships stationed in the system. They did have an abundance of attack interceptors, but, thanks to Captain Iris on the scout ship, they knew this Druin fleet had drone carriers. This would mean a large number of the attack interceptors would be used to fight the drones, not the warships. Marloo needed more attack interceptors and quickly.

Production of all warships was still running constantly. He would get a few more warships before the Druins could attack. He could get a lot more interceptors too, since they could be built much faster than the larger warships.

Marloo still had a lot to think about. While the defense of this planet was a top priority, that attack was still a few days away. The attack on Morag Prime, however, was only hours away.

Chapter Eighteen

Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters stood in front of his command chair in the Command Center of his current flagship. He had taken this ship as his flagship since his other flagship, New Destiny, was much larger and would stand out within the fleet, putting a target on his back as the leader of this fleet. Marloo, Cleemorl, and Derrick himself had decided it would be safer for him to blend in.

The allied fleet neared their destination. Morag Prime was less than an hour away. Derrick felt his anticipation building. He had thought about this moment for so long that he could barely believe it was almost time.

This battle had played out in his mind for so many years that he couldn’t even remember when it had first been conjured. Derrick knew this battle would be far from easy, but he was confident that, in the end, they would prevail.

Captain Laine on the scout ship would send them one last report on the enemy warships fifteen minutes before they exited hyperspace. Derrick’s gaze shifted to the clock. This next hour would slowly tick by. His destiny awaited him.

Derrick realized it would be wise if he took the time to send a message to Layla. Well, at least he would have a message crafted for her, in case the worst was to happen. That would at least keep him busy for a little while.

-

Captain Laine watched the viewscreen in the front of his Command Center. More Morag warships had just arrived. The Morag now had 4,498 warships in the system. An estimated 1,000 were likely still inbound. Would they all arrive before the allied fleet had finished destroying Morag Prime? It would make hunting all the ships down much easier if they all were here.

Transport vessels still loaded citizens from the surface and took them somewhere else. Laine noticed that one transport ship had stayed in the system and held its position near another one of the planets nearby. That was a little odd. He had alerted his crew to keep an eye on that ship. Why was it sticking around?

Laine had bigger problems to worry about though, than a single transport vessel. The allied fleet would arrive in less than an hour. The battle was almost upon them. Laine was glad he would only be a spectator in this battle.

How the Morag had realized they were under imminent threat of attack, the Humans may never know. There were so many possibilities, but, in the end, it wouldn’t matter. This fleet battle would be one for the record books for so many reasons. Laine felt good that he was playing a small part in it. This battle would be talked about for generations to come.

-

Admiral Collison paced the floor in his quarters. Another fifteen minutes and he would make his way to the Command Center. He had too much nervous energy and didn’t want his crew to see him that way.

Collison kept constant watch on their location. They were quickly closing in on Morag Prime. The moment that they’d all been waiting for was fast approaching.

The allied fleet remained larger than the current Morag one. So the Humans would still have the numbers advantage. The battle plan was to move in and to begin attacking the enemy as soon as they exited hyperspace. Each task group had their assignments and knew what to do.

The Humans and the Lormallians would face the Morag fleet. The smaller ships of the other allies would take on the interceptor killers. The attack interceptors would aid them in this attack. Other races would begin attacking the shipyards and the space stations. The rest would start destroying the defensive grid.

Collison smiled. Even if the Morag were expecting them, no way they could defend against an attack on all fronts. With a deep breath, he examined the holographic display more closely. They were ready. He hoped the Morag were not.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello felt more confident, as more ships arrived to help defend their homeworld. Even more ships would arrive in the next hour. As for Admiral Voxx, his fleet was still a good six hours away.

Marcello closed his eyes. He hoped the Humans did not arrive before Voxx. As much as Marcello wanted this win for his own taking, he was not sure it would be a win against so many Human ships. If the Morag had equal firepower, that would be a different story.

Currently Marcello’s fleet was in a wedge formation. He knew which direction he thought the Humans would come from, so his ships were ready. The enemy could arrive at any moment. Marcello’s fleet was as prepared as it could be.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx felt the pressure building inside his head. The Humans could arrive at Morag Prime at any moment, if there were actually a larger Human fleet at all. He would believe it when he saw it.

Voxx’s fleet pushed their hyperdrives to the limits. They’d be to Morag Prime in under six hours. Would that be in time? He hoped so.

With the additional time their secret weapon would buy them, he just might make it. Would the secret weapon stop the Humans from destroying the planet? Voxx was not sure. Obviously Addonis wasn’t either, since he had taken the two Humans and had left Morag Prime. Voxx did feel a little better that they had stayed in the homeworld system to watch things unfold. Addonis must have adequate confidence that the two Humans would keep him safe.

-

Human High King Bramdon Starguard watched the Morag surrounding him. They were not speaking to each other at all. They said not one word. They seemed to be communicating somehow though, based on the looks they gave each other and the expressions they shared. How could they be communicating? How fascinating it was to watch. Could they possibly be telepathic? He knew of only one species with that ability, and they were not Morag.

The King and Queen’s current situation would be hard to figure out, if he could not hear the Morag communicating with each other. He tried to catch a glimpse of the viewscreen in the Command Center when the door opened, but, so far, he hadn’t been very successful.

The Morag who called himself Addonis had disappeared into the Command Center. His family was still in the room with Bramdon, giving him and Claire looks that could kill. Bramdon just smiled at them in return. He was in the hands of his enemies. He had yet to figure out how he and his wife would get out of this situation alive.

Of course he had thought that before, when the Druins had come to Golan Four. They had banished his son Aiden, his brother and sister-in-law, and others of the Royal Court to the Bacchus Region of space. That was so far away. He wondered how they had fared. He may never know. He hoped Aiden had had a good life and had had many children to keep himself busy.

Layla had escaped with his niece, Krista, to a secret base in the same star system where Aiden had been banished. Bramdon wondered if they had ever seen each other again. He would give anything to see his children again.

Bramdon’s mind wandered farther back in time to his first son, Soren. He had disappeared when a Confederation fleet had come to gather Humans to take to the Confederation. Maybe Soren had lived a long full life too. He had never been happy being a part of the Royal Family. He didn’t like being told what to do or how to do it. He also hated being the center of attention.

In Bramdon’s mind, all three of his children had gone on to have wonderful lives. Bramdon had spent a considerable amount of time picturing it in his mind. He was certain Claire had too.

Addonis had said Layla was the leader of the Human Empire now. She must have been in cryo for a long time. Of course she could be much older than the last time he had seen her. She may even appear older than he did. That would be odd. Oh, to see her again.

Bramdon kept watching the Morag in the room. He was only one man. He could not challenge any of these Morag. The Morag were much larger than he was. Even the children were only slightly smaller than Bramdon.

Would anyone in this Human fleet recognize him? Or would he and Claire face their deaths soon? He wished he could get into that Morag Command Center. The Human fleet must not have arrived yet though. The Morag he could see seemed pretty calm. If they had a large enemy fleet in the system, Bramdon imagined they’d be a little more concerned.

Bramdon wondered how large of a fleet it would be. If only he could get inside that door. Maybe when the Humans appeared, Addonis would come and get Bramdon. How many ships did the Morag have? How did they learn of this upcoming attack?

Maybe Bramdon would get the opportunity to at least talk to his daughter, before he died. He hoped she wouldn’t watch it. Did Layla already have children? Addonis had mentioned she was soon to have a child. Was this her first one?

Bramdon had so many questions he wanted answered. He was so close to his chance to go home. Wow. Home. What that would feel like to walk into the Imperial Palace. Did it even still exist? It had over one thousand years ago. Most of the citizens of the Empire would not even know who he was. Layla, Krista—was Krista still alive too?

There didn’t seem to be any weapons in this room or in the Command Center, at least not within his view. Bramdon would continue to watch and to wait. There had to be a way for him and Claire to make it out of this alive. There just had to be.

-

Addonis cringed each time the alarm sounded, indicating new vessels were exiting hyperspace into the Morag homeworld system. Each time, so far, they had been Morag ships. He was well aware that, one of these times, that would change. How much longer would it be? That was anyone’s guess. Maybe the next alarm would be the signal that the Humans have arrived. Hopefully it would be more reinforcements for the Morag.

His prisoners were still behaving themselves. Addonis had them in the room next door to the Command Center of the transport vessel. He wanted them close, in case he needed them. He was not worried that the High King would try anything, not with so many Morag on board. Any of them could easily kill either one of the Humans with their bare hands. No need for weapons.

Although they did have a few weapons on board. Not anywhere near the two Humans, however. He did not trust the Humans not to try to save themselves, if given the opportunity. If the Morag were to survive the day, it would be because these two Humans were used as a bargaining chip. What could Addonis bargain for? How much were these two Humans worth? That depended on who he was talking to.

As Addonis sat in the chair behind the command chair, alarms once again rang out. He rolled his eyes. His heart could not take much more of this. Addonis moved his gaze to the viewscreen to confirm the ships were, indeed, Morag. What he saw turned his blood to ice. A chill swept over his body, and his eyes grew wide with fear. What was this? Whose ships were they? They did not look like any Human ships he had ever laid eyes on.

Addonis reached out to Admiral Marcello. What fleet is this? Whose ships are these?

Marcello was also stunned and confused. I have no idea. I have never seen any ships like these before.

How many are there? asked Addonis.

Six hundred and counting, replied Marcello. Maybe that fleet that the Zynth sensed wasn’t Human after all. That would give us the weapons advantage. At least it should. More are still dropping out of hyperspace. Where are these ships coming from? Our scans show over two hundred different types of ships.

Are these multiple races allying together to come against us? asked Addonis.

It looks that way. Who could organize such an offensive? asked Marcello.

A few races come to mind. Including the Humans and the Lormallians, replied Addonis.

We are sensing Lormallian ships now exiting hyperspace, replied Marcello.

How many ships are there?

Our scans currently show five thousand and counting, Marcello said coldly. How many more ships could there be?

Are there Zang and Morphene ships, as well as Lormallian? asked Addonis.

Not yet. Now over one thousand Lormallian ships have exited hyperspace. Oh no. Now we are sensing Human ships, said Marcello.

Reach out and see if you can access the minds of any of the other races, said Addonis.

I have already. I haven’t yet accessed anyone. I will keep trying.

Addonis sat back in his chair. This was not only a Human attack but a coordinated one with multiple races. He felt sick to his stomach. He swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. He must be strong. Would his secret weapon work with so many other races involved? There was only one way to find out.

Councilor, now over thirteen thousand enemy ships are in the system. Of those, two thousand are Lormallian, and almost three thousand are Human. The Lormallian ships and the Human ones are closing in on my fleet fast, replied Marcello.

We must stand strong. I will prepare our secret weapon. It needs to be used immediately to stall for more time. I will contact Commander Mazin to send out the message. Do not fire on the enemy fleet, not until they fire first. We must wait to see if the weapon works.

After Addonis contacted Commander Mazin to release the video of the two Humans, Addonis waited for a response from the Human fleet. How long would it take? Addonis sat forward in his chair, anxiously waiting to see if his plan would work.

-

“Admiral Collison, we have received a message from the surface of Morag Prime,” called out the communications officer.

“Surely they are not preparing to surrender so quickly,” replied Collison. “Put the message up on the viewscreen. Let’s see what they have to say.”

Collison expected to see a Morag come up on the viewscreen but was surprised when he saw a Human man and woman there instead. What was this?

“Hello, I am High King Bramdon Starguard of the Human Empire. I have been in cryo for over one thousand years. I have been taken out of cryo and now plead with you, my fellow Humans of the Empire. Please do not destroy Morag Prime, as my wife, Claire, and I are held captive there. Again, do not fire on the planet. My wife and I are here.”

Collison was wide-eyed and immediately sent a message to Admiral Derrick Masters. Was this Human really who he said he was?

-

Derrick had been surprised to receive a message so quickly from the surface of Morag Prime. He doubted the Morag were surrendering, but still he was curious about this message. “Put the message up on the viewscreen, so we can see what the Morag have to say.”

Derrick stood to get a better view of the screen from his position. When the viewscreen changed to the video message, Derrick’s heart nearly stopped. He inhaled a deep breath and immediately sat down. His mouth was open in shock, as he listened.

Derrick had no doubt at all that he was staring at Bramdon Starguard, his father-in-law. Derrick and Layla had been told Bramdon had been executed, along with his wife. How could they be alive now and sending this message?

“Admiral, we are receiving a message from Admiral Collison,” said the communications officer.

“Put it up on the screen,” Derrick ordered.

“Masters, is this man who he says he is?” asked Collison.

“Yes, he is. I don’t know how this happened, but that is Bramdon Starguard,” replied Derrick.

“What do you think we should do?” asked Collison.

“Let’s continue with our plan to destroy everything, but let’s hold off on firing at the surface of the planet. We must speak directly with the High King. Not just see a prerecorded message. They may have already moved them, for all we know,” replied Derrick. “I will respond with a message. You continue to advance on the Morag fleet. I will keep my flagship farther back and try to figure out what’s going on.”

“Will do. Good luck,” replied Collison, as the message faded to black.

What would Derrick say? Should he send a message to Layla? No, he needed to figure out what was going on first. “Prepare to send my message,” Derrick said, as he thought about what he wanted to say.

Derrick signaled to the communications officer to begin the recording. “Hello, I am Admiral Masters of the Human Empire Fleet. I wish to ask a few questions to confirm that this message is truly from High King Bramdon Starguard. Questions he will respond to immediately, in live video. Not a prerecorded message. I want to speak directly with the High King. We will continue our attack until my demands have been made.” Derrick nodded his head to the communications officer to stop the recording.

“Let’s hope this works,” Derrick said, as he sat back down in his chair and laid his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair. How would this work out? They could not sacrifice the overall mission for the sake of two lives, even if it were the High King and his wife—Layla’s parents. How would Layla react to him putting the mission above the lives of her parents? Would she understand? Or would she never forgive him?

-

Addonis watched the message from the Human admiral. Doesn’t this Human look familiar? Addonis asked the crew in the Command Center of the transport vessel. Get my wife, Zyla, in here.

Soon Zyla walked through the door. Does this Human look familiar to you?

Yes. This Human married the High Princess of the Empire. Why do you ask?

He’s here with the fleet. As he spoke, Addonis noticed Zyla’s gaze shift to another one of the viewscreens. Is that the Human fleet?

Well, it is a mixed fleet with Human, Lormallian, and numerous other races combined, Addonis replied, trying not to let the fear come out in his reply.

Can we win? asked Zyla.

I do not know. It depends heavily on how good the weapons are of all these other races.

What about your secret weapon?

This Human Admiral wants to talk to the High King directly. He wants to ask him questions to confirm it’s really him.

What will you do? asked Zyla.

I don’t think we have much choice. We must prove it is who we say it is, or our secret weapon is useless to us.

What do you need me to do?

We need a spot to do the live video, where the Human admiral cannot tell we are not on the planet. We will threaten the High King that, if he tells the admiral that he’s not on the planet, we will kill his wife.

I will get it set up, replied Zyla.

Make it quick. We have no time to waste.

-

High King Bramdon Starguard still closely observed the other Morag around him. They seemed to be a little more worked up now, than they had been previously. Maybe this was a sign that the Human fleet had arrived. Bramdon was even more certain when Addonis called his wife into the Command Center. When she returned, she did not look happy.

She disappeared down the corridor and a few minutes later reappeared and went back into the Command Center. If only Bramdon knew what was going on. It was driving him crazy, being in the dark.

Then Addonis and his wife reappeared and said, “Follow me. I need you to speak to the Human admiral. He does not believe you are who you say you are. If you give him any hint that you are no longer on the planet, I will kill your wife right in front of you. I’ll also be sure to record it and send it to your daughter. It won’t be pretty.”

Bramdon did not doubt what Addonis told him. “Okay, I will not reveal that we are not on the planet.” He looked over at Claire. She looked a little worried.

“Stand here, please. We will put the communications through. Remember. Be very careful with what you say,” said Addonis.

Bramdon took a deep breath. It would feel so good to see another Human. One who might even know his daughter. The screen was full of static for a moment, and then the Human admiral appeared. One who looked somewhat familiar to him. Bramdon smiled. This was the captain who had been responsible for getting Layla and Krista to safety.

“High King Bramdon Starguard, I am Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters. We have come here with an allied fleet of over thirteen thousand ships to destroy the Morag fleet and their homeworld of Morag Prime. If your daughter could see you now, she would send her love.”

“Thank you, Admiral Masters. Please convey our love for her and her family. We may never have the privilege of seeing her again, but I know she’s capable of leading the Empire into the future,” Bramdon said.

“She is doing well as the High Princess of the Empire. You would be proud. I do not see your wife there with you. Is she okay?”

“Yes, she is right here.” Bramdon motioned for Claire to come stand beside him.

“I hear our daughter is soon to be a mother,” Claire said, tears in her eyes.

“Yes, she is,” replied Derrick.

“Will this be her first child?” asked Bramdon.

“Yes, it will be. I am sorry that I have to confirm your identity. We wanted to ensure that your message was not prerecorded and that you were, indeed, still here in the system. For me to know without a shadow of a doubt that you are who you say you are, I have one question for you to answer.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“What was the project called that created a safe place for your daughter when the Druins attacked all those years ago?”

“Sanctuary,” replied Bramdon, without hesitation. How could he let Derrick know they were not on the planet, without letting the Morag realize what he was doing? He needed to think quickly and act quickly, or he would lose his chance. “Sanctuary was created in the event we needed to get the Royal Family or part of it to safety, in the event of an invasion or serious threat from the Confederation. We created a safe place, far away from where we were, that wouldn’t be found. This was where Layla and her cousin, Krista, were taken. They were taken there by a trusted captain. Someone I could depend on to get them to safety.”

With that, Bramdon smiled at Derrick. “That captain was very good at piloting the transport vessel that took them to safety.” At this point, Bramdon moved his gaze around the room, without moving his head. He hoped Derrick would realize his message. Bramdon couldn’t take the chance of being too obvious.

“I think that is enough,” said Addonis. “You have your proof now. Stop your attack on our homeworld.”

“We will not fire a shot at the surface of your planet, until we know the High King and his wife are safe,” replied Derrick, and then the screen went dark.

After that, he and Claire were escorted back to the other room, and Addonis and his wife went back to the Command Center.

-

“Well, how did that go?” asked Colonel Bryant.

“It is the High King and his wife. I met them personally a long time ago. They do not look much different from the last time I saw them. The only thing that puzzles me is that he said I took Layla and Krista to safety in a transport vessel. That is not true at all. It was on the Destiny, which was not nor has it ever been a transport vessel. Let’s replay that part again. Maybe I missed something.”

Derrick watched as the message was replayed again and again. It did seem that Bramdon looked around a lot when he said that. Was he trying to tell Derrick something? Wait. Was he trying to say that he’s on a transport vessel? Which would mean he’s not on the planet. He must be in the system though, for him to communicate so quickly with him.

“Get me Captain Laine immediately,” ordered Derrick.

In a matter of moments, Captain Laine appeared on the viewscreen. “Captain Laine, are there any transport vessels still in the system?”

“Yes, many are still leaving the planet.”

“Are any not leaving the system?”

“One left the planet hours ago that is staying hidden near the second planet from Morag Prime. I have been keeping an eye on it. I thought it was odd that it didn’t leave the system with the rest of them,” replied Laine.

Derrick smiled. That had to be it. “Thank you, Captain Laine. I need you to follow that transport vessel if it leaves the system. I have reason to believe very important Humans are on that ship.”

The transmission ended, and Derrick said to his XO, Sheena Bryant, “I think the High King was trying to tell us that he’s not on the planet anymore. He’s on a transport vessel.”

“Why do you think that?” asked Bryant.

“It’s the part of the message where he said how I took Layla and Krista to safety on a transport vessel. Then he looks around the room he’s in, with only his eyes. He’s careful not to move his head. See? Bring up the video, and look for yourselves.”

The video played again, and he showed the crew what he had referred to. “What do you think? Could that be it?”

“Possibly,” replied Bryant. “But what if you are wrong?”

“I don’t think I am. Right now, we will eliminate this fleet and the rest of the targets in this system. Captain Laine will follow that transport vessel if it leaves. We will stop before we destroy the planet. Maybe we will reach out again and see how the Morag want to negotiate the release of the prisoners.”

“How will the other races in the allied fleet feel about that?” asked Bryant.

“I am not sure. I doubt they will like it much. Let’s destroy these other targets first. Then we will worry about that, when the time comes.”

Derrick refocused his attention on the battle unfolding before him. How would he manage to save the High King and his wife from the Morag, while also not compromising their allied mission? He had his work cut out for him, and he had a lot to think about. First though, he had an enemy fleet to destroy.

Chapter Nineteen

Morag Councilor Damora was beside himself with guilt. This enemy fleet was much larger than the Zynth had reported. More must have arrived after their scans. Still, if Damora had listened to the Zynth Councilor’s message when Damora had first received it, instead of ignoring it, the Morag would have a larger fleet here to defend their homeworld from this enemy fleet. Not to mention more time for citizens to evacuate the planet.

Damora couldn’t believe what was happening. How could the Humans have organized such a large fleet between so many races without the Morag catching wind of it? The Lormallians must have helped. Maybe, if he could contact Lormallian Councilor Reull, he could persuade him to change sides. One thing was certain, it couldn’t hurt.

-

Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull stood beside Admiral Keld in the Command Center of their battleship. The Morag somehow had had some warning and had assembled a larger fleet than the allied fleet had been expecting. It still wasn’t enough to outnumber them, but there would be heavier losses.

When the message came through from High Councilor Addonis, Reull was surprised by what it said. The Human Empire’s High King from so long ago was alive? Reull didn’t remember any records of the High King being taken from Golan Four and of him and his wife being put in cryo. Was this information in the archives somewhere, and he had missed it? This was something he would ask his brother, Marlon, about, when he returned to Bator Prime.

If this man was who he said he was, what did it mean? If he is the High King, then he outranked the High Princess and could, therefore, order the Human Empire fleet to stop their attack. Would he do that? Would the Human Empire’s Vice Fleet Admiral listen? Even if that did happen, the Humans of Earth would still attack.

The allied fleet was already closing in on their targets. The Humans had not slowed their advancement toward the Morag fleet at all. In Reull’s mind, that was a good sign. With the two Humans present on the planet, they would likely wait until they could be evacuated, before they destroyed the Morag homeworld. What would the Morag bargain for? What would they want in return for the two valuable Humans? Reull was again glad that he had come along for this attack. He had dealt with the Morag many times. Maybe he could be of some assistance to the Humans.

This revelation was a complication in their plan, and it would be good for the Lormallians’ relationship with the Humans to help them solve it. “I will contact Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters and see if he could use my diplomatic assistance to help negotiate the release of the two Humans. That would help free him up to focus on the battle.”

“That’s a good idea,” replied Admiral Keld.

“Admiral, we are receiving an incoming transmission from Morag Councilor Damora,” said the communications officer.

Keld looked over at Reull.

“I will talk to him in my quarters. No need to distract the crew and yourself with this desperate plea from Damora,” replied Reull.

Keld nodded his approval, and Reull hurried to his quarters. Once he arrived, he put the transmission up on his screen. Morag Councilor Damora appeared on his screen. “Greetings, Councilor Reull. I assume you are here with your fleet to attack our homeworld?” Damora looked like he could barely contain his rage.

Reull smiled. “Yes, I am. I came to witness the destruction of the Morag. It’s been a long time coming.”

“Have no doubt, Reull. We will return, and we will come for you. The future of Bator Prime will be short.”

“I am not concerned. We will ensure that it will be a long time, if ever, before the Morag have the chance to rebuild what you will lose today. I hope you are here to watch it yourself,” replied Reull.

Damora looked even angrier.

Reull did not think that was possible.

“This is your chance to change sides, Reull, to back the side that will win this war.”

Reull laughed out loud. This caused Damora to nearly erupt in anger. Reull was fascinated by his reaction. “I am already on the winning side. The Lormallians have aligned ourselves with the Humans, as well as numerous other races. I am sure you can see from your scans of our fleet that we have many races who have joined us in our cause. It seems the Morag have many enemies. Many enemies who are willing to fight against the Morag. Enemies who have secretly been building up war fleets. These war fleets you will witness are very powerful. I hope you have a front-row seat to all the action.”

Damora was obviously trying to control himself. “This was your last chance, Reull. You know that the Morag will reign supreme. You will not have another opportunity to switch sides.”

“We have no desire to change sides. We are sticking with this allied fleet. The future for us looks bright. That’s not true for the Morag.” With that, Reull ended the transmission.

Damora must have been pretty desperate to reach out and to ask the Lormallians to change sides. It felt so good to see Damora squirm. As much as he enjoyed seeing Damora’s discomfort, it was time to get back to work.

Now Reull must reach out to Human Admiral Masters. While he waited for the transmission to go through, Reull thought over what the Morag might want in return for the two Humans. It would be a significant trade, whatever it was.

Admiral Masters came into view on his screen.

“Hello, Admiral Masters. I thought I would reach out to offer my help in negotiating the release of your two Humans from the video. I can aid you in the negotiations, so you can be freed up to focus on the battle.”

“Thank you, Councilor Reull. As you may be aware, these two Humans are in fact my wife, High Princess Layla Starguard’s, parents. We thought they were executed over one thousand years ago,” said Masters.

“I do not remember hearing or seeing anything about that in the archives, although I’ve never had reason to look. I knew nothing of it. I can tell you, from what I know of the Morag, that they will ask a high price for their return. I am not talking about precious metals or jewels. I am talking about saving their planets and shipyards. This might change our plans for after the battle,” Reull said.

“I agree with you. For now, I will focus on the battle and destroying the enemy ships in the system. If and when Addonis contacts me again, I will keep you in the loop.”

“Good. Now that they know you are here, they will likely target the dreadnoughts in your fleet, trying to kill you,” said Reull.

Masters chuckled. “You are probably right. If they do succeed in that though, they lose their opportunity for negotiations. No one else here knew the High King other than myself and a few of my crew members. If we are gone, no one is left who would choose to try to save two Humans over the overall mission success. Just to be clear, my goal is to succeed in this mission. Hopefully that will also mean I bring my wife’s parents back home to her.”

“I hope that will come to fruition. Good luck in the battle. Please let me know if I can be of assistance.”

The transmission ended, and Reull sat down and reflected on the situation. The first priority was to destroy this Morag fleet. Reull stood to head back to the Command Center. It was almost time to begin the fleet battle.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello was desperate to stop this attack from happening. They needed to stall longer to allow time for more reinforcements to arrive. What could they do? An idea came to him, and he quickly contacted Addonis. We must threaten these other races. Maybe we can scare them into retreating before they start.

That is a good idea. I will send out the transmission, said Addonis.

Hopefully it will work, replied Marcello.

-

Shortly afterward Addonis was ready to send out the threat. He stood and prepared himself. He wanted to look intimidating. Addonis nodded to his communications officer. I am ready.

“I am Morag Lead Councilor Addonis. This is your last chance to retreat. We have made note of all the ships in this fleet. Rest assured that we will hunt you down and destroy all your planets. If you leave now, we will not destroy all your planets. We will leave you with one or two on which to continue your civilization. You have five minutes. If you do not leave, we will send ships to your planets now to begin our retribution.”

With that, the transmission ended. Now they would see if the threat would work or not.

-

Creetins Supreme Commander Ephenius closed in on Morag Prime. His fleet, along with many others, would focus on destroying the defensive grid of Morag Prime. It was hard for him to believe he was really here. He was really leading his fleet to attack the Morag.

When the threat came in from Morag Councilor Addonis, Ephenius knew it was not an idle threat. When they decided to join this attack, they knew what the cost might be. This was why they left ships in their star systems to help protect them. Ephenius’s only hope was to destroy all the Morag ships that threatened them. He would help the Humans hunt down every last one of them. They would remove the threat to his race, now and forever.

“Five minutes to engagement range of the defensive grid, Commander,” said the sensor officer.

“Prepare the fleet to fire all weapons at the targets in the area. Be prepared for the Morag’s return fire. We should also be on the lookout for the Morag’s small attack craft. Keep a close watch on the tactical display and the viewscreens. If something comes up or changes, I must know immediately.”

Ephenius watched the tactical display, as they neared the defensive grid. The Human Admiral Collison had warned that Morag Prime might have thousands of the small attack craft that they would launch from the planet. Certain allied ships were assigned the specific job to destroy these drone ships. Each race had been assigned a job. Ephenius was determined to fulfill his. The Humans had come through for the Creetins, and Ephenius would ensure the Creetins came through for the Humans.

-

Barsoon Commander Kyran neared the large shipyard closest to the enemy fleet. The Morag fleet would soon be busy fighting for their lives. He would take that opportunity to attack and to destroy the shipyard. This planet had three. Two more were near a moon that orbited the planet. The Barsoon had been tasked with destroying all five. First, they would destroy the three that orbited the planet; then they would move on to the other two.

Kyran was not surprised when the Morag verbally threatened the allied fleet. They were desperate. Not that Kyran doubted the Morag’s ability to follow through on their threats, in theory, but he expected that, after the allied fleet finished with the Morag, no ships would be left to follow through on the threat in reality.

Kyran was not alone in his prospective. No ships had left the allied fleet. It seemed they all realized the same thing; this was their big chance. Maybe their only chance of ever defeating the Morag. Once and for all.

Kyran kept watch on the allied fleet almost to the combat zone of the Morag fleet. As soon as the weapons fire erupted between the two, Kyran would use that opportunity to attack the shipyard.

The shipyard would be well armed, but the Human Admiral Collison had been confident his fleet of two thousand ships could get the job done.

As the space lit up between the fleets, Kyran turned to his tactical officer. “Move into combat zone and fire all weapons!”

Kyran felt his heart flutter, as he watched the shipyard return fire. That was a lot of firepower. Space was lit up brightly, as the battle intensified. Kyran was satisfied with how his fleet’s energy shields were holding up. His gaze shifted to the viewscreens, as he watched the attack unfolding before him. Ships were engulfed in light, as their energy shields did their best to protect the ship from impending death and destruction.

Kyran shifted his gaze to the Morag shipyard. Many of the weapons were now focused on destroying the Barsoon weapons fire, as the shipyard tried to protect itself. The Barsoon realized their chance to intensify their attack was now. Kyran gave the command to release the final blow.

As the fusion energy beams came from all the Barsoon ships, it proved too much for the shipyard. The shield gave way and left the shipyard exposed to the fusion energy beams onslaught. A bright explosion encompassed the shipyard, as Kyran called for a cease fire. One shipyard down and four to go.

As large as this shipyard was, it was the smallest of the five. It would only get more challenging as they continued their mission, with fewer ships attacking larger targets.

A quick look at the tactical display confirmed that he had lost a larger number of ships, more than he expected. They would complete their mission, even if it meant none of them returned home.

-

Morag Councilor Addonis was desperate to figure out a way to win this war. The enemy fleet had already destroyed one of their shipyards, and the fleet-to-fleet battle was going strong. The Morag fleet was heavily outnumbered, but the Humans had split their allied fleet into smaller groups. Some were headed toward the planet and were even now aimed at destroying the defensive grid. Others were attacking the shipyards and still others the space stations.

The Humans, Lormallians, and the Visth Alliance were challenging the Morag fleet. This evened up the numbers a little better, but, with the Humans’ superior weapons fire, it wouldn’t end well for the Morag. More reinforcements would arrive soon, but Voxx was still a few hours away.

Addonis needed to buy more time but how? Could he force the Human High King to order his fleet to stand down? How many of these ships were from the Human Empire? Would it be enough? It couldn’t hurt.

Addonis marched down to where the two Humans were being held. “I need you to send a message to your Human Empire Admiral Masters and order him to stand down. Tell him to cease fire immediately.”

“Why?” asked Bramdon.

“Do you want to survive this battle?” asked Addonis.

“So you are saying, if I don’t order the Empire fleet to stand down, you will kill us?” asked Bramdon seriously.

Addonis thought this over. He couldn’t kill these two Humans yet. He still needed them. However, he didn’t let them know that. “Yes, that is what I am saying,” he replied seriously.

“I will send the message, but I doubt they will comply,” said Bramdon.

“Follow me. Your wife can stay here.” Addonis led Bramdon to the corridor and back to where they had sent the live message before. Then Addonis sent the transmission to the Human Empire Admiral.

Soon the Human Admiral came up on the viewscreen. Addonis said, “Your High King Bramdon has something to say.”

Bramdon cleared his throat and said, “I, High King Bramdon Starguard, order you and your fleet to stand down. Cease fire immediately.”

The Human admiral looked serious for a moment, then said, “I am afraid we cannot do that. We are committed to this mission with our allies. It would be very detrimental for us to follow your order. The acting High Princess has ordered us to carry out this mission. Even though you may outrank her, our Imperial Council has ordered this mission alongside her. The Empire is no longer solely ruled by the Royal Family. They rule with the help of the Imperial Council. Unless the Imperial Council orders me to stop, I cannot.” Then the transmission ended.

“I did what you asked of me. I am sorry it did not work. It sounds like some things have changed in the Human Empire, since I left so many years ago.”

Addonis was frustrated but knew it was a slim chance it would have worked to begin with. “I will return you to your quarters.”

As they walked, Bramdon asked, “Are we safe in this vessel? Or will it be targeted by the Human fleet?”

“If we deem we are not safe, we will leave the system immediately,” replied Addonis.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters knew that the High King had been threatened into that last message. He hoped it would not cost Bramdon. How would Derrick get them back? As much as he would like to figure that out, he had a battle to win first.

Derrick had assigned Captain Laine to follow the transport vessel, if it left the system. Maybe after this battle was finished, they could make some sort of deal that would allow the two Humans to return home to the Empire. Until then, Derrick’s priority had to be this battle.

-

Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius had entered weapons range of the defensive grid. As the weapons fire broke out between his fleet and the defensive grid, his sensor alarms sounded, alerting him to the presence of enemy ships.

“Commander, I have Morag small attack craft launching from the surface of the planet,” said the sensor officer.

“Inform the allied fleet of the launch of the small attack crafts. Time for the smaller ships to move in and to help destroy these enemy ships,” stated Ephenius. “We will continue to focus our attack on the defensive grid elements.”

Ephenius watched the tactical display, as hundreds of the Morag’s smaller ships launched into the sky and headed to the planet’s atmosphere.

“Three thousand small attack craft have launched from the surface of the planet,” said the sensor officer.

“Keep an eye on them. We will focus on our task. We will take them out, if we are fired upon from one of these enemy vessels.”

Ephenius watched, as the enemy ships grew closer to his fleet. His fleet kept its focus on the defensive grid elements. Ephenius was knocked forward as a blast wave hit from the explosion of a nearby ship. Once he regained his balance, he gazed back at the viewscreen just in time to see a bright flash as another defensive grid element met its end in a fiery death. They were doing it. They were actually destroying the defensive grid.

A quick check of the tactical display confirmed that more green icons had moved in to intercept the Morag’s small attack craft. One less thing for Ephenius to worry about.

As the battle progressed, the firepower from the defensive grid became less and less. Many small explosions dotted the planet’s upper atmosphere, as defensive grid elements were destroyed, and the debris fell toward the planet.

A few more minutes and they’d be through the defensive grid. Then he would turn his attention to helping the allied fleet destroy the enemy’s small attack craft. His bombers would be the best ship for this task. They were slightly smaller than his battlecruisers. This allowed them to be a little more maneuverable than the battlecruisers.

-

The Vindimu were tasked with hunting down any interceptor killers that launched from the planet itself. Leader Banoka smiled coldly, as the Morag ships began to launch from the surface. Targets were headed their way. Time for some target practice.

Banoka’s ships were smaller than most and were very maneuverable. Their weapons were not as powerful as the Morag’s but would serve their purpose.

They quickly discovered that it took four hits to eliminate the interceptor killers’ energy screen and another four to destroy the enemy ship itself. That was eight hits for each one. His fleet had been secretly training for years for a moment such as this. Finally their time for some retribution, after all the pain and destruction the Morag had caused them over the past thousand years and more. Soon the Morag would know what it was like to be defeated and to have their homeworld planet destroyed. Banoka relished the thought.

-

Addonis watched as his homeworld was attacked. Well, they were not bombing the surface yet. The defensive grid was almost destroyed. The Morag had launched their second line of defense, the interceptor killers. They did thankfully have thousands of them.

Currently the interceptor killers were fighting against the smaller ships from the allied fleet. Addonis watched in trepidation as the ships fought it out. More interceptor killers were in the Morag fleet, but they had their hands full with the Human attack interceptors.

This did not look good for the Morag. Voxx was still too far out. What would it look like when he arrived? Would Morag Prime still be what it is now?

Addonis looked more closely at his homeworld. It was a beautiful planet, with lush green forests and rolling hills. The highest mountains were covered in a blanket of snow. The oceans were pristine in their beauty and in the diversity of life.

The Humans cared nothing about the lives they were prepared to destroy. Maybe they would not destroy the entire planet but would settle for bombing the major cities and infrastructure. Was it worth him using the two Humans to negotiate for this? Or was it wiser to hold them for a more important cause?

Maybe Morag Prime was already a lost cause. Addonis sighed deeply. When would this enemy fleet stop their destruction? Would they wreak havoc all across the Morag-inhabited star systems? Surely they would leave them with a place to live. Or would they destroy all their planets, as they had with the Lamothians? This could be the exact reason to hold his two prisoners until the time he might negotiate with the Humans to leave them a planet on which to live.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx was beside himself with anger. He wouldn’t make it to Morag Prime in time. There was little chance the Morag fleet could hold off the enemy fleet for another two hours. He was so close, yet so far away. Should he turn around and head to defend the next planet? Where would they go from there? Should he head to the system where the Morag High Council had evacuated to?

After much debate with himself, Voxx finally decided to continue on his path. He could still follow the allied fleet to their next target. Then he could eliminate more of their fleet. Could he diminish the size of the allied fleet enough to save some of their planets? It all depended on how well Admiral Marcello handled things at Morag Prime.

As much as Voxx wanted to check in with Marcello, he didn’t want to distract him from the battle. It took a lot of concentration to orchestrate the battle, and Voxx didn’t want to hinder him.

Voxx decided instead to check in with Addonis. He was safely out of harm’s way. How is the battle progressing?

Not good. We need you and your fleet here.

Is there any way you can stall them? What about your secret weapon?

I’ve tried that. It may slow them down from destroying the planet, but it hasn’t slowed them down from attacking everything else.

We are pushing our hyperdrives to the limits. We will be there soon. We will hunt down this fleet, every last ship, for what they’ve done there today. We must keep a record of all the races who are participating in this offensive. They will pay and pay dearly.

Yes, all in due time. We are eliminating their ships. However, we are losing ships faster than they are. Plus they have us outnumbered. Marcello is doing a fine job in his defense against this enemy fleet.

I can’t believe the Lormallians are participating. I thought they wanted to remain neutral. What about the Zang and Morphene? Do they have ships present in the fleet? asked Voxx.

No, they do not, replied Addonis. So far we have identified over two hundred different types of ships. The only races we have confirmed are Creetin, Barsoon, Screel, Visth, Lormallian, and Human. We are listening to their communications and identifying the races through their languages.

I believe our list of enemies grows longer, while the Humans’ list of allies grows longer, Voxx said regrettably.

I agree. We will reign supreme. I have no doubt. Once we install our new weapons on our ships and rebuild our fleet, these races will pay for their betrayal. One at a time.

I look forward to following through with that. Hold on as long as you can. We will be there soon.

Chapter Twenty

Human Admiral Collison and his fleet closed in toward the Morag fleet. The Morag fleet filled the viewscreen at the front of the Command Center. It was a little intimidating, if he were honest. They were up against 4,498 Morag warships. Of those, 3,503 were battlecruisers, and 975 were battleships. This fleet also had 20 of the carriers that held the interceptor killers. How many were on each carrier? He did not know if each were filled to capacity. Collison knew they would shortly find out.

“Eight minutes to engagement range, Admiral,” said the sensor officer.

“Remind all fleets of their targets. If we work together, we will be unstoppable.”

Collison hoped every race remembered their mission. They had divided everyone up into specific targets, based on their weapons capabilities. It did not make sense to put the smaller ships up against the larger and more powerful Morag ones. Those smaller ships were assigned either to help hunt down the interceptor killers or to destroy the shipyards, space stations, or the defensive grid. The larger ships and those with more advanced weapons would help eliminate the enemy fleet.

With Collison and the Human fleets were the Lormallians and the Visth with their alliance. Therefore, the allied alliance had a total of 7,700 warships to go up against the Morag fleet. The Humans would lead the charge.

Shortly after the battle began, the Visth and their alliance would jump to the right flank of the Morag fleet and would launch a barrage of firepower at the fleet.

Once the Morag reacted, the Visth would jump to the opposite side and again bombard the fleet with their firepower. They would continue with this strategy, until it was no longer effective. The Lormallians would intermix with the Humans and would take on the brunt of the Morag fleet head-on.

Collison was surprised to hear that the Empire’s High King and Queen were alive and held captive by the Morag. What events had led to that, he wasn’t sure. It could somehow affect the battle, but Collison hoped it did not distract the Empire fleet too much from the overall goal of destroying the Morag.

While it was a miracle the two Royals were still alive, the Human fleets couldn’t let that derail all their plans to destroy the Morag. Two people could not derail the mission. Collison was already working the different scenarios in his mind as to how and when the two Humans would be used against them.

Possibly to slow the attack, allowing more enemy ships to arrive. They had a scout ship following the other large Morag fleet, and they knew how far away they were. Collison had every intention of being out of the Morag Prime system when that other fleet arrived. They would probably need time to make repairs and to regroup before facing the other fleet.

“Three minutes to engagement range,” called out the sensor officer.

“Prepare to fire all weapons,” commanded Collison. The fleet was in a line formation, with a globe in the rear protecting the battlecarriers. He didn’t want to take any chance that the Morag would target the carriers.

Collison was confident in their battle plan. They had gone over many contingencies and how they would handle them. They were as prepared as they could be. It felt so good to be on the offensive with a Morag planet at risk, instead of being on the defensive with Earth or another Human planet or colony at risk.

Collison stood, when the fleet neared the weapons range. He felt his flagship shudder, as the accelerator cannon fire was launched. The light-violet beams of the particle beam cannons were a sight to behold on the viewscreen in front of him. He took in a sharp breath, as he saw the wall of enemy weapons fire headed straight for his fleet.

The Morag fleet was in a wedge formation, when suddenly part of their fleet disappeared. Collison had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The enemy fleet appeared at the rear of his formation. Rear Admiral Martinez was in charge of the back of the formation. He was responsible for protecting the carriers. Collison was confident in his abilities.

The battle in front of him continued to intensify, as the weapons fire from both fleets reached their targets. He held his breath, as the ships around him were hit with an onslaught of fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles. Their shields glowed brightly, while they struggled to dissipate the energy being hammered into them. Only a couple failed, and he felt the loss deep inside. He didn’t have time to dwell on this now. He had a battle to win.

The weapons fire from the allied fleet battered the enemy fleet. All across the Morag front line were death and destruction. Once one ship was destroyed, another moved into its place. Debris littered the space on both sides of the battle.

-

Rear Admiral Martinez knew exactly where the Morag fleet was headed when part of it disappeared. They were coming right to his position. Collison had thought this might happen, and they had prepared for it. “Prepare to fire,” Martinez commanded. As soon as the Morag dropped out of hyperspace, they would meet a deluge of weapons fire.

“Enemy ships dropping from hyperspace,” said the sensor officer.

“Fire!” yelled Martinez.

The viewscreen focused on the intense weapons fire, as it headed toward the newly arrived enemy ships. The enemy quickly fired their weapons in return. Martinez’s priority was to keep those carriers safe. He was glad he was getting the chance to rid the galaxy of the Morag.

Soon hundreds of Morag ships were destroyed, with nothing left but glowing wreckage. When the enemy realized their plan to surprise the fleet with an attack from the rear wouldn’t work, they jumped back to join the main fleet.

Alarms alerted Martinez that more ships had shown up on the tactical display. A quick glance at the tactical display showed the newly arrived ships were the interceptor killers, launching from their carriers.

The viewscreens in the front of the room showed a quick response from the carriers. The attack interceptors were launched by the hundreds. What a sight that was to behold. There were so many of them. They had 53 battlecarriers, which held a total of 8,480 attack interceptors. Now they would hunt down the small ships meant to destroy them.

-

Captain Elliott on the battlecarrier Deneb realized soon after the alarms sounded that it was time to launch the interceptors. He quickly gave the command and then watched as the interceptors launched and soon gathered into their squadrons.

This battle would be fierce. The interceptor killers were designed with the sole purpose of destroying the attack interceptors. The Humans had the numbers, but, in war, a lot of variables were at play.

Some of the other races had smaller ships that would join in the hunt for the interceptor killers. Elliott hoped these additional ships would not be a hindrance or get in the way of the attack interceptors.

The viewscreens in the Command Center showed various views of the ensuing battle. A few of the smaller screens showed the views from the cockpits of a few of the interceptors. This was Elliott’s favored way of watching the battle. Except for when those screens showed static. That was never a good sign. For now though, all screens showed the current views from the interceptors.

Elliott also monitored the tactical display. The carriers were staggering the launches of the attack interceptors. That way, they always had a large number deployed. Each interceptor could only destroy two interceptor killers, if their aim was impeccable. It took one fusion-tipped missile to destroy the energy shield and one to destroy the ship.

After two kills, they had to reload. This was why the carriers wanted to stagger their launches—to account for the ten minutes in downtime it took to reload. Currently they were staggering the launch of interceptor squadrons by a few minutes to help avoid everyone being down for reloading at the same time.

Elliott focused on his interceptors and the enemy ships hunting his interceptors. The fighting had begun, and small flashes of light lit up the viewscreen, like fireworks.

-

Lieutenant Burr formed up with his squadron, the Scorpion Squadron, and then headed out to find an enemy ship he could destroy. The interceptor killers filled his tactical display. Which one would he eliminate first?

His first victim came across his screen, while pursuing one of the other race’s small crafts. Burr fell in behind and lined up his shot. Once he had it in his crosshairs, he pressed down on the trigger and sent the two missiles that would destroy his target on their way.

A small explosion encompassed the enemy vessel, blowing it to oblivion. A smile crossed Burr’s face, as he steered his interceptor toward another enemy ship. One down and one to go.

His next target found him first. Alarms sounded, and Burr quickly began his evasive maneuvers. As Burr rolled his interceptor left, a missile flew right by his right wing. He turned his interceptor around and quickly found the enemy ship in his crosshairs. As he was about to pull the trigger to send his missiles, the ship blew up in a bright explosion.

Burr shook his head. Guess someone else beat me to it, he thought to himself, as he turned his interceptor again to find his next target. Flashes of light could constantly be seen illuminating the space around him. As much as he wanted all those flashes to be the death of his enemy, he knew better.

If this was where he died, at least it would be to defeat his greatest enemy. He had no intention of dying today though. Burr promptly found himself another enemy ship to target. This time he was the only one targeting the enemy ship. He pulled the trigger, releasing his two missiles. The ship shook slightly as the two missiles launched and headed to its targets. The ensuing explosion confirmed his aim had been true.

Now time to head back to the Deneb to reload. Then he would return to kill a couple more enemy ships. As Burr returned to the carrier, he took a quick peek at the larger fleet battle unfolding farther toward his right. Large explosions spread across both fleets. Burr felt a bang of panic that he quickly calmed.

The Human fleet would come out on top of this battle, of that he was sure. As for what they had left at the conclusion of this battle, that was what concerned Burr. For now though, he had to play his part. Reload and then head back into the thick of the battle.

-

Admiral Masters tried to keep his focus on the battle happening all around him. From the Morag’s attack on their rear formation to their reappearance back on the front. Plus the battle occurring between the attack interceptors and the Morag’s interceptor killers. He also monitored the progress of the task groups assigned to destroy the planet’s shipyards, space stations, and defensive grid. The battle was progressing well on all fronts. This was a relief to see.

Masters’s biggest problem remained Bramdon and Claire. How would he bring them home safely? Maybe he should let Lormallian Councilor Reull handle the negotiations. Masters needed to keep his personal feelings out of it. He kept circling back in his mind to what the Morag might want in exchange for the safe return of the two Humans. What would it cost the Empire? Was it worth it? What if he let Reull handle the negotiations, and it turned out badly? Could he forgive himself? Would Layla?

Masters had sent the communications with Bramdon and Claire on to Golan Four. By now, they should have received them. He hoped Layla wouldn’t get her hopes up too high. Hopefully Marloo would help her to understand the ramifications of it all.

At that moment, Derrick agreed that Reull needed to be involved in the negotiations. He could help Masters keep his view on the overall goal and not get distracted by the two hostages. Like what was currently happening.

Masters wished he could be there to tell Layla what was going on, but he was confident Marloo would handle it well. For now, Derrick had to focus on eliminating this Morag fleet—before the other large enemy fleet had a chance to arrive.

-

Marloo constantly got updates from all over the Confederation, even though they were delayed. The Druin fleet still headed to the Empire. Soon it would leave Confederation space and enter the periphery of the Empire. Captain Iris was still hot on their tail. That was a worry for another day.

“Admiral, we received a transmission from the Morag area of the Confederation,” said the communications officer.

“Put it up on the screen,” Marloo ordered. He watched the video in complete shock. When it ended, the Command Center was in total silence. “Get High Princess Layla down here immediately.”

“I’ll go find her and bring her here,” said General Gantts.

Marloo wasn’t sure what to make of this. How would it change the battle? He hated not being there to help figure everything out. With the time it took the fleet to communicate with him, they lost valuable time. It was up to Derrick to figure out how to best deal with the situation. Marloo didn’t even want to consider the pressure Derrick would be under in this situation. These were his in-laws, if this truly were the High King and Queen, and Derrick would be the one to know. He had actually met both of them all those years ago. Marloo was curious to see if Layla would recognize them.

Sooner than Marloo thought was possible, General Gantts returned with High Princess Layla. Marloo took a deep breath. How would he tell her that her parents were still alive but that we might not be able to save them?

“I want to start off by saying Derrick is fine. However, you will want to sit down for this.” Marloo waited as a chair was brought for Layla to sit in. “We have received a video transmission from the Confederation that you will be interested in. What you see with shock you.” Marloo turned to the communications officer and nodded for her to play the video.

Marloo watched Layla as the video started. He recognized immediately that this man was who he said he was. By the end of the video, Layla was in tears. “I can’t believe it. They’re alive. For now, at least. How are they alive? How are they there? Why do the Morag have them? The Morag will use them against our fleet. Against Derrick. What will we do?” Layla asked desperately.

“It’s in Derrick’s hands. I’m sure he recognized your parents too. I’m not sure that your parents will survive this though,” Marloo said cautiously.

“I understand that we cannot sacrifice the joint mission for two lives. Just think of all the lives lost already. Many of them mothers and fathers. Mine should not get priority just because they are my parents,” Layla said slowly.

“Admiral, we have received another transmission.”

“Put it up on the screen,” Marloo ordered, as he braced himself for the bad news.

They all watched and hung on every word. That was smart of Derrick to ask for proof of who they are. It allowed him to talk to them again. Possibly to learn more information.

“I don’t understand. We did not leave on a transport vessel. We left on the Destiny. Why would Father say that? Everything else he said was correct,” Layla said.

“Play the video again,” ordered Marloo.

They all watched the transmission once more, paying more attention to everything. “Do you notice how he looks around with his eyes when he says that?”

“Maybe he’s trying to tell Derrick something, without the Morag realizing it,” said Layla.

Gantts jumped in and said, “Maybe he’s trying to say they are on a transport vessel. When he explains that you left on a transport vessel, that’s when he looks around. Maybe they are not on the planet after all but on a ship somewhere else.”

“That makes sense,” Marloo added. “But they must be in the same system for there to be no lag in the response time, especially when transmitting live, when Derrick asks him questions.”

Layla smiled. “Derrick is a pretty smart man.”

“Yes, he is,” replied Marloo.

“Do you think they realize the same thing we did?” asked Gantts.

“I would assume so. No way we can safely ask. Our communications run the risk of being intercepted by the enemy fleet. If the Morag realized Bramdon was giving Derrick a hint to where they were, he’s likely to face punishment,” Marloo said thoughtfully. Then he wished he would have kept that last bit to himself. Layla looked even more worried now.

“At least they are not on the planet,” Layla replied.

They all sat in silence for a few moments, as they thought over the revelation. What did this mean?

Updates began coming through on the battle’s progress, and Marloo kept close tabs on the advancement of the fleets. It sounded like things were well in hand. He knew from experience though that that could change in a flash.

“We are receiving another transmission,” Gantts said.

“Let’s see it,” Marloo ordered.

As the video played, and Bramdon ordered the Empire fleet to stop its attack, Layla stood up. “He can’t do that!” she said louder than she probably intended.

The video continued, and Marloo was overwhelmed with pride. Derrick’s response was perfect. Marloo couldn’t have said it better himself.

Layla sat back down and relaxed a little. “Good job, Derrick.”

“I wonder how they will use them next time,” Marloo wondered aloud.

“The Morag must realize that their pawns aren’t as useful as they thought. With the allied fleet containing so many races, no way the attack would stop. Even if the Empire fleet stopped, the Earth Humans and everyone else would continue,” Layla said matter-of-factly.

“When the Morag do realize their hostages are of less value than they thought, it might not be good,” Marloo said quietly to Layla.

“Yes, I understand. There’s a slim chance I will ever see them again. I know Derrick will do his best to complete the mission of defeating the Morag, and, if there’s even a possibility of bringing my parents home, he will,” Layla replied. “I will stay here until the battle for Morag Prime is over. I want to know what’s going on and that Derrick is safe.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” replied Marloo. “Our information is delayed of course, but it is the most up-to-date information we have. Please make yourself at home, and, if you have any questions, just ask.”

“Should we inform the Imperial Council?” asked Layla.

“No. Not yet. Let’s wait until after the battle is won, and we know what the Morag demand in return for the safe return of your parents,” Marloo said. “We don’t need any questions about who has the authority, you or your father. It benefits us the most right now for that to be you. You are here, and you know what your people need and want. Your father has not been here, through no fault of his own of course. He does not know the strength and the power of the Empire.”

Layla looked thoughtful and then nodded her head in agreement. “I agree with you.”

Marloo turned to study the holographic display for a moment. So many things were going on. Barnes, Carrie, and Drake had already attacked another Morag system since the allied fleet dropped out of hyperspace at Morag Prime. One target at a time, the Morag were growing weaker and weaker. Marloo allowed a smile to spread across his face. They had the Morag right where they wanted them. Other than the hiccough of the two Royal hostages the Morag were holding, things were going pretty much according to plan.

Chapter Twenty-One

Admiral Collison surveyed the viewscreens and the tactical display. The battle was intense, but, so far, everyone was following the battle plan. The Morag kept filling in the holes made when one of their ships was destroyed. When one was demolished, another one took its place.

The Visth and their Alliance had jumped a few times, from one side of the enemy fleet to the other. The Morag had caught on to the strategy quickly. Once it was no longer effective, the Visth held their position and bombarded the Morag fleet from the side. The two fleets were evenly matched with the same strength in their weapons.

As for the Human fleet, they were hammering the Morag fleet from the front. Waves and waves of accelerator cannon projectiles bombarded the enemy fleet, slamming through their energy screens and obliterating the unprotected ships.

The battlecruiser nearest to Collison was now targeted by the enemy. Its screens were under intense pressure from all the energy released against it. His heartbeat quickened as he watched, hoping the energy shield would hold. Suddenly it failed, and multiple antimatter missiles arrived, ending the lives of everyone on board. The power from the explosion shook Collison’s ship. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of all those who had lost their lives today in the fight for freedom from the Morag.

Alarms sounded, and Collison quickly opened his eyes, as his gaze went straight to the tactical display. “Admiral, we have more ships exiting hyperspace,” said the sensor officer.

“I’m guessing they are not ours,” said Collison, with a chuckle. No other reinforcements were coming for the allied fleet. Barnes, Carrie, and Drake were busy hitting targets on the periphery of the Morag systems, while those planets and space stations and moons were unprotected. Well, not completely unprotected. They were running into droves of interceptor killers. It appeared the Morag had successfully deployed those small attack craft to almost all their systems. While it posed a challenge for the attack interceptors, it did not harm the overall fleet much.

“Admiral, the ships are Morag. Currently four hundred and counting.”

Collison knew it wasn’t the other large Morag fleet. They were still too far away. It had to be one of the somewhat smaller fleets. “Give me the full count once they have stopped exiting hyperspace.”

Collison kept his gaze on the viewscreens at the front of the room. “We must keep a good watch on these new ships. They may try to attack us from a different direction. Especially watch the rear of the fleet. Inform Rear Admiral Martinez he might be getting some action soon.” They had placed Martinez in the rear to help protect the carriers.

After a few minutes passed, the sensor officer said, “Admiral, a total of 421 ships exited hyperspace with this newly arrived Morag fleet.”

“We will destroy them too. We would otherwise have to hunt them down eventually. Maybe it’s easier that they all come to us.”

-

Morag Commander Elam and his fleet had finally arrived in the system where Morag Prime was located. He had been pushing his hyperdrives hard to get here, before it was too late. The sheer amount of enemy ships in the system was terrifying. According to his displays, fleets were attacking a shipyard, one hitting a space station, another focusing on destroying the defensive grid, and still another engaging in a battle with Marcello’s fleet.

Elam realized they likely would not win this battle. How had the Morag come to this? How had the Humans gotten the upper hand on them? If only Voxx were here. Voxx had a few ships that had the new weapons installed on them. Elam slammed his large hand down on the armrest of his chair.

Another few weeks and they would have had so many more ships with the more potent weapons. Voxx was too far away to be of any help. This battle would be over before he could arrive.

There was no time to waste. Elam needed to do his best to eliminate as many enemy ships as possible. Elam was angered when he realized the Lormallians were joining the Humans in this fight. That’s who he would target. His fleet would last longer, fighting up against the weapons the Lormallians possessed, as opposed to those the Humans possessed.

Elam quickly maneuvered his fleet to engage the Lormallians. He was careful to stay out of range of the Humans’ weapons. He positioned his fleet as far as he could from the Human ships, while staying close enough to attack the Lormallians, who were positioned to the right of the Humans. A few were mixed up in the Humans’ fleet formation, but a group of them were left over on the right side.

It appeared the interceptor killers were giving the other races and the attack interceptors a hard time. It was, indeed, a sight to behold, watching them maneuver their ships so quickly and well. That was not his battle, however, so Elam changed his focus to the viewscreen that showed the Lormallian fleet. Focus our firepower on the battleships. If we can eliminate the Lormallian admiral, that would be very beneficial. The other Lormallian ships might abandon the fight at that point.

-

Morag Commander Phobyis watched Commander Elam target the Lormallian fleet. After conferring with him, Phobyis decided to join him in his target. Eliminating the Lormallian leaders would be a great blow to this enemy alliance.

Phobyis watched intently, as his fleet opened fire on the Lormallians. The Lormallians now had to split their focus between Marcello’s ships targeting them and Phobyis’s ships that had them in their sights. A smile slowly spread across his face. The Lormallian battlecruisers were maneuvering their way in front of the battleships. They must go through those ships first to get to the admiral. His fleet would destroy every battleship, until they found the right one.

-

Lormallian Admiral Keld was alarmed, when the newly arrived Morag fleet decided to target his fleet. Keld was even more worried as others ships joined the new group to attack his ships. He shouldn’t have been surprised. The Morag would lose fewer ships against his fleet than the Humans. It would all end the same though. Once the Humans finished with the other Morag fleet, they would move over and help finish off this fleet the Lormallians were now facing. Either way, the Morag would die here today.

Keld soon realized the Morag were targeting the Lormallian battleships. A chill ran down his back, as he understood they were after him. Councilor Reull was also a highly valued target. The Morag also now knew that the High Princess of the Empire’s husband, Admiral Masters, was also present in the system. No doubt he was a highly valued target as well.

Keld positioned the battlecruisers in front of the battleships. He needed to be careful not to give away his position. No doubt the Morag leaders were watching the fleets movements, trying to ascertain exactly where the admiral’s ship was located. It was not a good feeling, knowing he was being hunted. He had no intention of dying today though. Keld would play this hand very carefully.

The weapons fire was intense, as antimatter missiles and fusion energy beams lit up the space between the two fleets. The other Morag fleet still targeted a few of his ships, but he did notice more of them had now moved into position to engage the Human fleet.

The Visth and their alliance were positioned on the other side of the Human fleet. They were all hammering away at the Morag warships. The Morag were fighting a losing battle. Who would survive this day? Keld did not know. One thing he did know though was a lot of Morag would die today, which was not bad.

-

Morag High Councilor Addonis watched as Commander Phobyis and Commander Elam moved their fleets and began to target the Lormallians. He hoped Lormallian Councilor Reull would be on one of those ships that would be obliterated. He was one of the ones who, no doubt, helped organize this affront. He would pay for his role in this attack eventually.

How much more would the Humans attack? How many worlds would they destroy? Addonis did still have his two captives. He could use them as a bargaining chip. How valuable were they to the Empire admiral? How many of these ships were from the Empire, and how many were from Earth and the Solar System? What could stop these fleets from destroying everything?

Addonis knew that Morag Prime would be destroyed today. He may stop the Empire Humans, but he could not stop the Lormallians, the Visth, and the other races. The Solar System Humans were a wild card. Would they fight, even if the Empire Humans called off the attack? No doubt the High Princess had found out by now that her parents were still alive. What was their safe return worth to her?

It was time to check on his captives. Maybe the High King would have a suggestion.

-

Bramdon and Claire were now being held in a room without access to any information. He wished he knew how the battle was progressing. He was so proud of Layla for attacking the Morag. It was hard to believe that the Empire was strong enough to enter the Confederation and to attack the Morag’s homeworld. A lot had changed since Bramdon had been gone. He wished he could communicate with Layla and let her know how proud he was. She was so far away though.

He was startled when the door to their room opened, and Addonis stood in the doorway. “How are things progressing? Have you heard from my daughter?” Bramdon asked.

“No. I am sure she is meeting with this Imperial Council to talk them out of this war to save you,” Addonis replied.

Bramdon hoped she wasn’t. Two lives were not worth the freedom the Empire would gain by defeating the Morag. Surely she knew and understood that. “I am sure she is. How is the battle going?”

“I did not come here to update you on the battle. What do you think the Empire would be willing to give up to get the two of you back? What should I expect to receive in return for the two of you to be safely returned home?” asked Addonis.

Bramdon was silent for a moment, as he thought it over. “Maybe since you and I have begun to form a civil relationship, we can use that in the future to have peace between the Morag and the Human Empire. It appears that currently the Empire and the Morag do not have a friendly relationship. Perhaps you and I can change that later.”

“Maybe. However, I need to know how I can use the two of you now, not in the future,” Addonis replied hastily.

“You could always offer to hand us over safely in return for what you want.”

“And what do you think would be something reasonable that they would agree to?” asked Addonis.

“Unfortunately I do not know the current political atmosphere in the Empire or between the Empire and the Confederation. It may be more of a trial-and-error thing. You obviously want as much as you can get from our safe return. How much that is, I have no idea. Open up the lines of negotiation and see what you can get out of it. Start high, then negotiate down, if you have to,” Bramdon replied thoughtfully.

If he could get Addonis to open the lines of communication, that was a good start to getting him and Claire safely back home. He also needed to make Addonis realize his safety might mean the future between the Morag and the Empire might not be what it is now. Did he want that? Bramdon did not know.

“We have already confirmed that they will not cease fire for your exchange,” Addonis replied.

“That is true. What do you think their mission objective is?” Bramdon asked in return.

“It is to destroy Morag Prime, no doubt,” answered Addonis.

Bramdon couldn’t imagine the Empire fleet destroying a planet. “Surely you are mistaken. There is no need for so much death and destruction. Maybe we can agree to a peace treaty and stop this madness.”

“The Empire may have the upper hand at present and intends to push their luck. I do not believe the Morag High Council would agree to a peace treaty with the Humans. Not after what they are doing here today. They will want revenge.”

“I hope that revenge will not come through me,” Bramdon said seriously.

“It might. Unfortunately though, most of the Humans do not even know who you are. Only Admiral Masters and a handful of others.”

“What makes you think Admiral Masters knows me?” Bramdon asked. Bramdon had thought he had been careful not to give away that he knew Masters from long ago.

Addonis smiled. “He is the one who is married to your daughter. He is the Vice Fleet Admiral of the Empire fleet. Of course he would know who you are.”

Bramdon was surprised at this. He also realized it probably was evident on his face. “I was not aware of that.”

“Obviously. So what do you think of your daughter’s choice in her husband?” Addonis asked.

“I guess we will see how things turn out today. I will reserve my judgment until I meet him in person and can determine his character.”

“I will open negotiations with the Humans shortly. You and your wife will come at a high price for the Empire,” Addonis said, as he turned to leave.

“From one leader to another, I hope we can come to some sort of mutually agreeable understanding.”

Addonis left and secured the door. Bramdon looked over at Claire. “What do you think about that? Masters is our son-in-law.”

“He was a good up-and-coming leader when we entrusted Layla into his hands. Do you think he took advantage of her?” Claire asked.

“I doubt it. He was a young man who came highly recommended. I look forward to hearing someday how their relationship blossomed.”

“Do you really think we will go home?” asked Claire.

“I don’t know. I hope so,” Bramdon replied. He really wished this room had a window, so he could see what was happening out there.

-

The Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius watched the viewscreens, as the defensive grid of Morag Prime was pulverized. A few more minutes and they’d have it annihilated. Then they could start hitting the planet’s surface.

The Morag interceptor killers were still pestering the allied fleet. Many had launched from the planet. Not many of them had challenged his fleet though. The other races were giving the interceptor killers a real challenge.

Ephenius was anxious to start bombarding the planet. It wouldn’t be much longer now.

-

Barsoon Commander Kyran approached another shipyard. Their tactics were getting more fine-tuned from the last shipyard they had destroyed.

As they reached the engagement range of the shipyard, weapons fire broke out between them. This shipyard was more heavily armed than the previous one. A barrage of fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles headed toward his fleet. After a deep breath, he braced himself for impact.

All across the Barsoon fleet, energy screens lit up, as fusion energy beams gripped their energy shields in a death hold. Kyran watched as dozens of his ships’ energy screens failed, and the subsequent antimatter missile strikes sent all them to their fiery deaths.

The Barsoon weapons fire had reached the shipyard, hammering the energy shield. As the Barsoon continued hammering the shield, it became weaker and weaker. The screen flared suddenly and failed, leaving it vulnerable to the incoming weapons fire. So many missiles hit the shipyard that the ensuing explosion sent glowing debris rocketing through space.

Kyran took stock of what he had left in his fleet. He would continue hitting his assigned targets, until he ran out of ships. This was not a mission he would retreat from. A quick scan of the tactical display revealed that he still had over half of his ships left. They had now destroyed two shipyards and still had three to go.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters continued to monitor the progress of the fleet battle. The battle had grown more intense with the appearance of another Morag fleet. This fleet focused its firepower on the Lormallians, which, for the Humans, was a relief.

One of the viewscreens showed the particle beam cannons hard at work, eliminating the enemy. Each dreadnought had two of these cannons. The first would fire, knocking down the energy shield of the enemy ship, and then drill into the ship’s hull. The second would fire and cause significant damage, as it moved along the ship’s side. This attack usually resulted in the ship exploding or splitting in two.

Another viewscreen showed numerous Morag ships vaporized by the sheer amount of firepower the Humans had poured into the front of the Morag fleet. Still more enemy ships moved forward to take their place. More and more red icons on the tactical display lit up brighter and then disappeared. The Humans and their allies were winning this battle.

Derrick was on edge, waiting for the next communications from the Morag. He was certain they would demand something in return for not executing the High King and Queen on video and sending it to Golan Four. Derrick knew it would be vivid and ugly. He only hoped he could do something to prevent it or that Marloo would shield Layla from it. Derrick was again thankful that Cheryl was there. Layla might need her friend’s comfort by the end of the day.

A view of the battlecruisers in front of Derrick’s flagship showed them under heavy attack. One of the battlecruisers had a considerable portion of its hull blown off. This left dozens of compartments open to the vacuum of space. As more explosions rattled the vessel, it met its end in a large explosion that engulfed the ship.

More Human ships moved in to block Derrick’s ship from the line of fire. So much death and destruction surrounded him. How many ships would they have left at the end of this battle? Would it be enough to face the remaining Morag fleet still headed in this direction?

“Admiral Masters, you have an incoming message from Morag High Councilor Addonis,” said the communications officer.

Derrick gripped the sides of his command chair tightly. This was it. Time for their demands. “Put it up on the viewscreen.” Derrick stood and braced himself for whatever this Morag might say.

The viewscreen switched to the communication from the Morag; the same one who had communicated with them earlier appeared on the screen. This had to be one of the Morag’s main leaders. “I demand that you stop your attack immediately, or I will execute your High King and his Queen.”

“We will not stop our attack. We came here under orders to destroy your fleet and Morag Prime. We will succeed in this mission. If you execute the High King and Queen, we will continue our attacks until you have no inhabitable planet left in which to live,” Derrick said, with all the authority he could muster. The Morag on the screen was impossible to read.

After a moment of silence, the Morag replied, “You would sacrifice your wife’s parents for the success of your mission?”

“Many of our people have sacrificed their lives for this mission. I do not have the authority to stop these attacks. I do know though that, if you harm your two hostages in any way, I will personally hunt you down and execute you and your family. Then I will proceed to all the Morag planets and terraformed moons, where I will make them barren wastelands, impossible to sustain life for hundreds of years. Then I will hunt down every transport vessel and warship that you have and blow them out of the sky. I will not rest until all Morag have been extinguished from this universe,” Derrick said solemnly.

That must have hit a chord with the Morag named Addonis, as his expression changed slightly. Almost like a decision had been made. “I will consult with the Morag High Council and see what we decide will become of our hostages.” Then the transmission ended.

Derrick closed his eyes and hoped he had done the right thing. He opened his eyes to the applause of his crew. Bryant said, “Great job, Admiral. You handled that very well.”

Derrick forced a small smile and replied, “Thank you. I just hope it works out the way I hope. Time to get back to destroying this Morag fleet.”

“Admiral, Captain Laine reports that the transport vessel you had him keep tabs on is charging its hyperdrive,” reported the communications officer.

“Tell Laine he must follow them. The High King and Queen are most likely on that vessel. Laine must follow it to wherever it goes. It is imperative that he not lose that ship.”

“Message sent, Admiral. Laine says he will follow the transport vessel and will report its location.”

“Good. Let’s get back to destroying some more enemy ships.” Derrick had a terrible feeling in his gut that he was losing the chance to get Layla’s parents back from the Morag. He was relieved though that the stealth scout ship would follow them. After the allied fleet completed their mission, Derrick could hunt down that ship.

-

Bramdon felt the pull in the pit of his stomach. It had been a long time since he had had that feeling. “What’s going on?” Claire asked.

“I think we are entering hyperspace,” Bramdon replied reluctantly.

“No. We can’t. The Empire fleet will never find us,” Claire said, as she began to sob.

Bramdon comforted his wife the best he could. He tried to hide his feelings of despair. “The more we can build a relationship with Addonis, the better chance we survive this ordeal. If we leave the star system where the Empire fleet was, it must be because Addonis felt it was no longer safe for us to remain. You must remember that we are on a Morag vessel. It could be targeted by the Human fleet. They are not aware that we are on board.”

Claire dried her tears. “You are right, my dear,” she replied. “We must focus on building a bridge with the Morag. We might need it down the line. For Layla or for us. Is there anything we can offer them?”

“We aren’t really in much of a position to negotiate. We are powerless in terms of influence over the Empire at present. If and when we return to the Empire, I would assume we would have more influence. Would we take over for Layla? Of that, I am not certain. Things have changed in the Empire since we left. It sounds like there is an Imperial Council that makes most of the decisions. Layla may mostly be a figurehead,” Bramdon replied sincerely.

“Well, Addonis doesn’t need to know that. We can say we will take over when we return and can offer to make valuable trade arrangements with the Morag. What does the Morag need that the Empire can provide?” asked Claire.

“That’s a good question. They used to need people for slaves, I assume. We don’t want that,” Bramdon replied, with a sad look on his face.

“No, we don’t want them ever to take our people again.”

“I will talk more with Addonis the next time he visits us and will see if they would need anything from the Empire. The Confederation is so vast. It’s hard to imagine they really need much of anything.”

“We must do our best to figure something out though. Then maybe we can agree to provide those things in exchange for our safe return to the Empire and to our daughter and her growing family,” Claire said, with a faraway look. “Can you imagine? We are soon to be grandparents. That’s something we never thought we would have the opportunity to do.”

“I will do my best to get you back to Layla and her baby.” Bramdon didn’t know if they would both return. Yet he would do everything in his power to ensure his wife could safely return to the Empire.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Admiral Collison knew that the other races were preparing to bombard the Morag homeworld planet. He went ahead and gave them the order that they could begin hitting the planet with missiles, as soon as they made it through the defensive grid. The Creetins had only a few defensive grid elements left, before they had the grid eliminated.

As for the Morag fleet, more enemy ships kept emerging from hyperspace and reinforcing the fleet. While this slowed the allied forces’ progress, overall it made it easier for them to destroy the enemy ships if they all came to them. The larger Morag fleet was still over an hour away. Hopefully the allied fleet could finish here before then. The fleet would need to recuperate, before facing another large enemy fleet. They all needed to eat and to rest a little.

The Morag fleet in the system dwindled much faster now. The Lormallians were still fighting alongside the Visth and their alliance to help the Humans destroy the Morag fleet.

On one of the viewscreens at the front of the Command Center, a dreadnought could be seen, trying to withstand the onslaught of enemy firepower being directed at it. The Morag were focused on destroying the Humans’ larger warships, undoubtedly trying to eliminate the fleet’s leadership.

Many battlecruisers had stepped into the line of fire to prevent the Morag’s success in this endeavor. This particular dreadnought was losing the battle. Its screen flickered, as more and more fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles slammed into its energy screen.

As the screen finally flickered out, multiple antimatter missiles arrived to finish off the ship. A small nova appeared where the ship once was. Nothing was left.

Collison looked down at his hands, as he thought about the lives just extinguished. So many allied ships were being destroyed, and thousands of citizens of all races were losing their lives. They were all fighting for the same thing though, freedom from the threat of the Morag. They would all sleep more soundly, once the Morag were no longer a threat. Many of these races lived under the constant threat of Morag aggression. They had never known what it was like not to live in fear. Collison hoped that would soon change.

A large explosion on another viewscreen brought Collison’s attention back to the task at hand. Another dreadnought had just vanished in a massive fireball of antimatter energy. Two more green icons disappeared from the tactical display.

The fleet continued to hammer away at the remaining Morag ships. They’d have them all within a few more minutes.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello held his battleship at the rear of the fleet, so he could better orchestrate the battle from there, without the threat of being targeted by the Humans. As ships were destroyed, he moved more up to take their place. The Humans, Lormallians, and the Visth constantly bombarded the fleet with their accelerator cannon fire, particle beam cannons, fusion energy beams, and antimatter missiles. So much firepower had proved catastrophic to all his ships on the frontline. How could he destroy more ships before he lost his entire fleet? There were just too many enemy ships. That didn’t even include the ones targeting the shipyards, space stations, and the defensive grid.

The interceptor killers had deployed from the surface of Morag Prime and the carriers in the fleet. Even with thousands of interceptor killers, they weren’t doing much damage to the overall enemy fleet. Many were destroyed by the smaller units of the other races, in addition to the Human attack interceptors. The shipyards and space stations were thinning their attackers some, plus the defensive grid was destroying a few ships from that part of the fleet.

Overall there were just too many enemy ships to be destroyed. The Morag were losing. Marcello didn’t see any way to win this battle. Should he retreat? If he did, he could meet up with Voxx in another system and make another stand. If he let his fleet get completely annihilated here, that would mean a smaller fleet to face the Humans in the next system.

Could he retreat, or would that make him a traitor? One thing was sure. He needed permission to abandon his post in the system where their homeworld was located. A homeworld that would soon be destroyed. Even now, the fleet that had destroyed the defensive grid sent missiles to the planet.

Marcello contacted Voxx and apprised him of the situation. We are losing this battle. The enemy fleet has begun to bombard the surface of Morag Prime. Should we regroup with you in another system to face the remaining enemy fleet together? Marcello asked Voxx.

Yes, it would be more effective for us to face this enemy fleet together. I am about one hour away from Morag Prime now. Let’s meet in the next system over, where Morag Two is located. That is the next logical target for the Humans. We will make our stand there. Maybe they will split their fleet to hit more targets at once, and we will face a smaller fleet.

We will leave at once to preserve what warships we have left. Addonis has already left the system with his prisoners on board, replied Marcello.

I will see you soon. Have the interceptor killers follow you too. We could use all the help we can get. I will call the neighboring systems to send their interceptor killers here too. This is where we will make our stand.

Marcello took a deep breath. He had permission to abandon their homeworld. He took one last look at Morag Prime. This was a view he had taken for granted. No longer would he see this beautiful world that was, even now, being destroyed. Mushroom clouds had already begun to rise to the atmosphere.

Marcello shook his head in sadness. How had this happened? How had they let the Humans become so powerful? Marcello stood and commanded all warships, including the interceptor killers, to enter hyperspace. It was time to regroup.

-

Admiral Collison analyzed the tactical display, when the sensor officer called out, “Admiral, the remaining Morag warships are charging their hyperdrives.”

“They may be planning to attack us again from the rear. Alert Rear Admiral Martinez of the impending threat,” Collison ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Collison’s attention switched to the viewscreens that lined the front of the Command Center. The Morag warships began entering hyperspace. Collison braced for their reappearance at the rear of the fleet.

“Admiral, the interceptor killers are also entering hyperspace.”

“Have the scout ship that had followed that last fleet here follow them. Maybe they are not planning to attack our rear. Perhaps they are retreating,” Collison said in surprise. He couldn’t imagine the Morag retreating from their homeworld.

Collison’s gaze shifted to the viewscreen showing Morag Prime. The Creetins had already launched numerous missiles at the surface of the planet.

“Still no sign of the Morag fleet reemerging from hyperspace, Admiral,” said the sensor officer. “All of the enemy ships have now left the system.”

“Do we have any idea how many ships they had left before they entered hyperspace? No doubt they will regroup and face us in another system,” Collison thought out loud.

“At time of retreat, the Morag had 2,189 warships and 2,591 interceptor killers remaining,” said the sensor officer.

“No doubt they will meet up with the other large fleet inbound to this location. Do we have an update from the scout ship following them? Have they changed directions or exited hyperspace anywhere?” Collison asked.

“I will check with Captain Noah,” replied the communications officer.

“Begin repairs on the ships that need it. If we have any too heavily damaged, let’s send them back to the supply fleet, waiting at the Barsoon home system.”

“We have a report from the scout ship following the other large Morag fleet. They have changed their trajectory slightly. According to their calculations, the fleet is no longer headed to Morag Prime but headed toward Morag Two.”

“That must be where they plan to rendezvous. That gives us some time to regroup and to make some repairs. Have the crews start getting some rest and some nourishment. I will check with the allied fleet to see if anyone needs our help finishing their missions.”

Collison wasn’t sure if he should help the Barsoon eliminate the shipyards or let them finish the job. It’s not that he didn’t want to help, but he needed to preserve as many of his ships as possible for round two against the Morag fleet. He consulted with Admiral Masters and decided to offer to help the races who were still destroying the shipyards and space stations.

-

Barsoon Commander Kyran was surprised when the Morag ships began entering hyperspace. They were actually retreating, leaving their homeworld to be destroyed. His gaze shifted to the planet, where he saw countless mushroom clouds rising from the surface. They had done it. They were destroying Morag Prime. Panic suddenly struck him. What if the fleet that left, along with the other Morag ships, were even now headed to the planets of the races represented here to destroy them?

When he received a message from Admiral Collison to see if he needed any help in eliminating his targets, he declined. He wanted to finish his targets himself. “Ask Admiral Collison if he knows where that Morag fleet is headed.”

A few minutes later, the communications officer replied, “Yes, they have a scout ship following them. They believe they are headed to Morag Two to rendezvous with another Morag fleet. There he assumes they will make another stand against the allied fleet. Collison said his fleet would begin repairs and rest. Once all targets in this system have been eliminated, and everyone has made the repairs they can, the fleet will move on to engage the Morag fleet at Morag Two.”

“Good. Let’s finish off our targets. Then we will make what repairs we can. We must finish off this enemy fleet, so no ships remain to retaliate against us. Our worlds are much closer to the enemy than the Humans or Lormallians.”

“Five more minutes until we reach engagement range of the next shipyard,” called out the sensor officer.

“Prepare to launch the weapons,” commanded Kyran.

As they closed in on the shipyard, the shipyard began a full bombardment of the fleet with all their weapons. No doubt they knew how this would end but wanted to take with them as many enemy ships as possible. The incoming firepower looked daunting, but, thanks to the Humans strengthening their energy shields, they were more protected.

Once the Barsoon ships moved into weapons range, they launched their attack. Soon afterward, the wave of enemy fire began impacting the fleet. Kyran felt his pulse quicken and the adrenaline flow through his body. Many ships found their energy shields struggling to withstand the onslaught of the Morag shipyard’s firepower. As ships succumbed to the intense firepower, explosions engulfed the ships, and they vanished, replaced by scattering wreckage.

The Barsoon missiles had reached the shipyard and hammered the energy shield. It got brighter and brighter, as the fusion energy crawled across the screen, looking for a weakness. As more and more missiles slammed into the screen, it finally gave way.

The next round of weapons fire smashed into the shipyard, causing massive explosions. These explosions began spreading, as the shipyard died. A giant blast then overwhelmed the entire shipyard. Kyran shielded his eyes from the brightness of it. When he could look again, the shipyard had been replaced by a mass of glowing wreckage.

It was time to move on to the next shipyard.

-

The Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius watched with great pleasure as his fleet destroyed the planet below. Morag Prime would be uninhabitable for years to come. He had been shocked when the Morag fleet had retreated, although they would meet again and soon. Where the allied fleet would go next and what their targets would be, that would be decided by the Humans. This mission would not have been a success without their numbers and superior firepower.

Ephenius had watched part of the fleet battle on one of his viewscreens. He was relieved the Morag did not possess these advanced weapons. No doubt if they did, they would all be in extreme danger. Ephenius knew that, as long as any Morag warships still existed, his race and planets would be at risk. He was confident the Morag had taken note of all the races participating in this attack today. Someday there would be repercussions, but, if they could destroy all the Morag warships and their ability to make them, then that day would be far from now.

The atmosphere of Morag Prime turned dark from all the smoke and debris that had been blasted into the sky. After a few more minutes of bombing the surface, their job would be done. Ephenius looked forward to seeing more Morag planets burn.

All the misery the Morag had caused his race over the last thousand years alone would be nothing compared to what Ephenius would like to do to them now, now that the Creetins had allies, powerful allies. Not to mention other races who were in a similar position to themselves. Together they were unstoppable.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters studied the holographic display. Captain Laine followed the Morag transport vessel where Layla’s parents were held captive. Derrick worried for their safety but thought that his threat would keep the Royals safe for now. As much as Derrick wanted to hunt down that Morag transport ship, first the allied fleet must face the reinforced Morag fleet. They still had them outnumbered and out-weaponed.

The system where the enemy was headed appeared to be that of Morag Two. That system held two inhabited planets. The system also had three shipyards and two space stations. The goal would be to destroy all of them.

Derrick evaluated what was left of the other races’ ships. The Humans would team up with the Visth and their alliance and the Lormallians to take on the Morag fleet. That left the others to destroy the shipyards, space stations, and the terraformed moon.

They had decided to eliminate all the terraformed moons in an abundance of caution that it might not only hold a military base but a hidden, much larger military base. No doubt many interceptor killers would be in the system too. Derrick already had received reports from other scout ships, warning that the interceptor killers from their systems had entered hyperspace. While this did leave the other systems completely vulnerable, it did enhance the strength of the Morag fleet at Morag Two.

Derrick leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. They might need all hands on deck to go against this Morag fleet. They could all focus on destroying the ships, and then once they had all been eliminated, the allied fleet could split up and move on to the other targets in the system. Yes, this was probably the best bet. They would not be under a time crunch for this attack. They had been working with a ticking clock while above Morag Prime, since they were trying to eliminate all targets before the larger Morag fleet had time to arrive.

The allied fleet would need a good battle plan, so everyone knew what they were to do. They wanted to avoid friendly fire, taking out any of the allied fleets. Derrick made his way to his office. He needed to consult with Collison and Martinez. Before entering hyperspace, they needed to get this plan ready and distributed to the fleet.

-

Once all the shipyards and space stations had been destroyed, all allied fleets took some time to repair their ships. The battle plan had been made and distributed to the fleet’s leaders. The fleet would enter hyperspace in two hours.

Collison sent an update to Admiral Marloo to keep him apprised of their progress. One large fleet battle had been a success. Now they would face another one. Their hyperspace jump to Morag Two would take three hours. Then they would once again face down their enemy.

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo looked over the battle report from the fleet at Morag Prime. He shared the news with High Princess Layla that, so far, all was well. A scout ship was tailing the ship they thought her parents were on. Derrick was still safe, and a majority of the fleet was still battle capable. Morag Prime had been destroyed, along with all shipyards and space stations in the system. Overall a great win for the Empire and for all the races oppressed by the Morag and the Confederation.

This was step one on the road to freedom. The next step was to continue ensuring the Morag could not rebuild their fleet. Barnes, Carrie, and Drake were busy carrying out this mission too. Along with this came destroying the enemy fleet, and Collison, Masters, and Martinez would soon be facing that head-on.

“Are there more Morag ships in this next battle than in the first?” asked Layla, with a look of concern.

“Yes, overall. With the interceptor killers making the biggest difference, since they are repositioning from all over Morag space to come enhance what’s left of the Morag fleet. Many of the ships en route to Morag Prime will now rendezvous at Morag Two. The remaining ships from Morag Prime are headed that way in addition to the other larger Morag fleet. We will soon know a little more of what the allied fleet will be facing, when they all emerge from hyperspace. We have a couple scout ships in the system, which can report all the fleet information to Collison and us. We will know exactly what we will be facing when the allied fleet exits hyperspace,” replied Marloo.

“Good. The more we know, the better we can plan,” replied Layla. “I guess since the battle, for now, is over, I will try to get some rest. When do you expect the next phase of the battle to begin?”

“About five hours from now,” replied Marloo.

Layla stood and walked toward the door. As she reached the door, she slowly turned around. “What about the Druin fleet? Where are they now?”

“According to Captain Iris on the scout ship following them, they are nine hours from the Hagen Star Cluster. Admiral Cleemorl is preparing for the attack. He is convinced that the Druin fleet will bypass the Hagen Star Cluster. Cleemorl is confident the Druins intend to attack Golan Four,” Marloo replied.

Layla took a deep breath. “I am afraid I agree with him. It’s a last-ditch effort to change the tide of the war. The best way to do that would be by destroying Golan Four, not Tantula Five. How long will it take us to fill our bunkers?”

“Six hours should give us plenty of time. Knowing that the trip between the Hagen Star Cluster and Golan Four is two and a half days, we should have ample warning time. I figured, as soon as we know the Druins are not targeting the Hagen Star Cluster, we will begin filling the bunkers,” Marloo stated.

“Yes, that’s a good plan. Do we have the ships to defend the planet?” Layla asked in return.

“Once we know the target is not the Hagen Star Cluster, ships from all over the Empire will make their way here, including Admiral Cleemorl and his fleet. Even Rear Admiral Liam Anderson has headed in this direction. We won’t have an easy win, but I feel like we will not lose the planet,” Marloo said confidently.

“Okay. I trust that you have a plan. When the time comes, I will take refuge in the bunkers under the Imperial Palace. I will keep tabs on everything from that Command Center there.”

“We have bunkers for our entire population. We will be fine, no matter what.”

Layla smiled at Marloo and left the Command Center. Marloo had sounded more confident than he felt. The truth was, he was worried about the Druin attack. It would be a hard battle, one that he hoped the Humans would win.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Captain Tanner, on scout ship 112, flew the latest drone mission to one of the suspected locations of a military base on Falton Two. He had the drone in its surveillance location for only about ten minutes when something surprising happened. A large door opened, and the trees around the door bent, like something flew by. Only nothing showed up on the drone’s camera. “Quick, see if anything is showing up on our sensors at that location,” called out Tanner.

“Nothing is on our sensors,” replied the sensor officer.

Tanner knew this might be his only chance to get inside the base. He might lose this drone, if he went through the open launch bay door, but he couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. Without any further hesitation, Tanner piloted the drone through the open door. The door shut almost immediately afterward.

All his crew focused on the viewscreen. What would they find now?

Tanner steadied himself. The chance of discovery was high in this enclosed military base. As his drone moved farther inside, it constantly sent back all the data it took in. It moved along a long corridor, large enough for medium-size ships to get through. A lot of light came from the end of the corridor.

Once it arrived at the end of the corridor, it opened into a large area. The drone panned around, and what they saw made all of them take in a gasp of air. In every direction, as far as they could see, were warships. No doubt these were warships because their gun turrets were visible.

Men were loading into one of the ships. This meant it was likely preparing to take off. They would soon know for sure if these ships were stealth or not. The tension in the Command Center on the scout ship could be felt by all.

The drone continued to look around the area, as the men continued to load onto the ship. Lights flashed, and then the sound of the ship could be heard. It was almost time. As the last man entered the ship, the ramp to the warship closed.

The engines fired up, and the lights changed in the large bay. Then the ship took off. At first it launched itself up and hovered there for a minute. Next it slowly moved in the direction of the corridor that the drone had come down. Tanner had the drone follow the ship. He wanted to see if the warship would disappear.

He kept a reasonable distance between the drone and the warship. Just as it neared the doorway to the surface, the ship disappeared. It was not unlike how the scout ships activated their stealth capabilities. Only this was a medium-size warship. The scout ships were small. Especially up next to the Empire’s warships.

Tanner, along with everyone else in the Command Center, switched their gaze to the tactical display. Nothing showed up on the scan. Although they knew at least two warships were out there somewhere. How close were they? Could these ships sense their scout ship? If the Humans of Falton Two had stealth capabilities for their warships, they must sense each other or run the risk of running into each other.

This was not a comforting thought. If they knew Tanner’s ship was here, why hadn’t they done anything about it? Could they sense the drone? Tanner felt less and less safe on his ship.

He needed to get as much information as possible from this drone. Tanner turned the drone around and headed back into this hidden base. Once in the large bay, he had the drone run detailed scans of all the warships. What types of weapons were these? How would they compare to the Empire’s? Could these be used against the Empire?

Tanner knew that the attack on Morag Prime was over. The planet was destroyed, and the remaining Morag fleet had left. Did these Humans of Falton Two have a strong-enough alliance with the Morag that they would come to their aid? How would the Empire fleet hit targets they couldn’t see?

After detailed scans of the ships in this hangar had been taken, Tanner moved the drone down another corridor. When the drone came to the end of it, another large hangar full of warships appeared in view. A much larger doorway was off to one side of this hangar, which Tanner assumed must open to the surface. These ships were much larger than the others. Did they have stealth capabilities too?

The drone moved through the hangar, taking detailed scans of all the warships. Two types of warships appeared to be in this hangar. How many more hangars were there? How many more facilities like this were there? Tanner’s fears had been confirmed. Falton Two had warships, many of them. Plus they had stealth capabilities. At least some of them did.

Tanner had to get this information out. If something happened to him and his ship, the Empire had to know what they were facing before they came here.

The drone continued to explore the hidden military base, as Tanner’s communications officer sent an encrypted hyperlight message to Admiral Marloo back on Golan Four. It was a risk sending the message from here. The Humans of Falton Two might have the technology to intercept it. It was imperative though that Tanner get this information to Marloo. If Tanner’s suspicions were correct, and the Humans of Falton Two knew the scout ship was here, Tanner might not have much longer to investigate this place.

Tanner maneuvered the drone down a smaller corridor. Humans walked up and down this corridor. He hoped these corridors didn’t get much smaller. It really took all his skill to avoid hitting anyone. The long corridor led to what looked like a recreation area for the crews of the ships. It was not much different from what you might find on one of the planets in the Empire. Only this room was huge. A large number of military personnel must be down here.

Off to one side was a large window. Tanner flew the drone in closer to get a peek at what was on the other side. Even larger warships sat on the other side of the window. These ships rivaled those of the Empire. Tanner was fighting back the feeling of panic creeping up inside him. What was this? Who were these Humans? Who did they intend to use these warships against? He needed to get more answers.

He maneuvered the drone down another corridor off the recreational area. It led to a large closed door. The door suddenly opened, and two individuals exited the room. The drone got a quick peek inside. It appeared to be the Command Center of the base. He needed to get the drone in there but how? The door had not opened for very long.

Tanner wasn’t sure he could get in there, after the people walked out but before the door shut. The door wasn’t large enough for him to fit the drone through while people were walking through the doorway. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it wouldn’t be possible for him to get the drone inside. Maybe instead he could get a few good glimpses inside.

He held the drone’s position to get the best view inside, when the door opened next. Now he just had to wait until that happened. Then it would be time to figure out how to get out of here.

The door started to open, and Tanner leaned forward in his chair. What would they see? There were screens along the front wall and many consoles along the desks. What Tanner saw filled him with terror. Right there on the center screen was the tactical display that showed his scout ship. Only his scout ship was not alone. It was surrounded by warships.

The crew in his Command Center all looked at each other in horror. No one said a word. “I think it’s time for us to get this drone back up here and get out of here,” said Tanner quietly.

He was scared, more scared than he had ever been. Having the stealth scout ship had always offered them a hedge of protection. No one could sense it, especially after it had entered a system and had moved away from its entry point.

This was apparently not true of the Humans of Falton Two.

Tanner had to get out of here and also to warn Captain Hadley. She was headed to explore the other planets they had found on the map inside the palace wall on Falton Two.

What if their suspicions were correct that those planets held Humans like those here on Falton Two? It would be safe to assume that they also had the technology to sense the scout ships. Hadley would not be safe.

Tanner retraced his drone’s path to get out of the military base. He was relieved when he got the drone back to the original place where it had entered the base. Now he just had to wait for the launch bay door to open. Then he could get the drone out and back to the ship. How long would he wait? That was the million-dollar question.

It turned out he didn’t wait long. Another warship was headed to launch out the door. As it opened, Tanner flew the drone out and back up to the ship. Why were they launching so many ships? Were they planning an attack? If so, on who?

Tanner’s heart raced, and sweat beaded on his brow. “Prepare the ship to enter hyperspace immediately, once the drone is back on board.”

The crew in his Command Center quickly went about the business of preparing the ship to enter hyperspace. It seemed like time slowed, as the drone made its way back here. Once safely on board, Tanner gave the command, “Let’s get out of here.”

The hyperdrives began to charge, and then the communications officer said, “Captain Tanner, we have received a message from an unknown source.”

A chill ran down Tanner’s spine. “Put it up on the viewscreen.”

All gazes locked on the viewscreen. Tanner stood and took a deep breath. The screen changed to that of another Human. “We order your ship to stand down. Do not engage your hyperdrives, or you will be hunted down and destroyed.”

“Who are you, and on whose authority do you give this order?” asked Tanner, with as much confidence as he could muster. Could they enter hyperspace before the warships had time to destroy him?

“On the authority of Emperor Rowan of Falton Two.”

“With what warships are you going to follow us with?” Tanner asked, trying to bait this Human into revealing more information.

The Human on the viewscreen smiled, not a friendly one. “Look at your display. My ships will reveal themselves.”

Tanner braced himself. He didn’t want to let this Human know he was alarmed. Or rather that he would soon be by what he assumed he would see. His gaze shifted to the tactical display, where ten red icons made their appearance. Tanner’s gaze then turned to the viewscreen that showed these ships. Some were the more medium-size ships, while a few larger ships were also represented.

The thought crossed Tanner’s mind to flee and to head toward the allied fleet not too far away. Would he be bringing more trouble to them?

“What exactly do you want us to do if we stay?” Tanner asked inquisitively.

“Surrender your ship and face our tribunal. You are here without permission,” responded the Human.

Tanner cocked his head to the side. That didn’t sound like a good idea at all. This ship held a wealth of information about the Empire. He could not allow it to be boarded, no matter the cost. On the other hand, maybe he could be the bridge that linked the Empire to Falton Two. Yet he wasn’t a diplomat. He had no idea how to go about doing that. His best option was to run.

Tanner looked over to his navigation officer. How could he tell him to enter hyperspace without alerting the Human watching him through the viewscreen?

“Time is running out,” said the Human on the screen.

There was no other option but to order his sensor officer to do what he wanted out loud. “Engage hyperdrive,” he said and then held his breath.

The navigation officer must have been thinking the same thing because as soon as Tanner said engage, the navigation officer pushed the button to enter hyperspace.

Tanner sat back down in his chair and let out the breath of air he had been holding. He relaxed a little further when he realized they had made it to hyperspace. Perhaps the Humans of Falton Two did not expect him to run. “Are we being pursued?”

“We do not detect any ships in our scans, Captain,” replied the sensor officer.

Of course they wouldn’t, even if one hundred ships were following them. If the Falton Two warships had reengaged their stealth capabilities, then Tanner’s scout ship would be unable to detect them. So now he was fleeing to the allied fleet, and he had no idea how many ships he had following him, if any. Maybe the Falton Two Humans had made that threat without ever planning to follow through on it.

Either way, Tanner needed to update Admiral Marloo and then get a warning to the allied fleet. To his calculations, they would arrive in the Morag Two system in forty-two hours. The allied fleet might not even be there by then. He hoped there would be enough of them left to deal with whatever may be following him. Tanner again hoped that he had done the right thing. He also needed to warn Hadley.

-

Admiral Marloo was alarmed by the information he received from Captain Tanner. Just when he thought they were getting rid of one enemy in the Morag, now they realized they faced another formidable threat from Falton Two. Of course there was always the remote possibility that the Humans of Falton Two were not a threat to them, but that was probably a long shot.

Marloo agreed with Tanner’s actions. He had to leave the system. They could not allow the scout ship to fall into enemy hands. Tanner had gathered a wealth of information that they would sift through. Why did the Humans of Falton Two need a war fleet, if they could control other races with their telepathic abilities? It seemed to Marloo that the only ones they would go to war with would be those immune to their special abilities, which would be the Humans of the Empire and of the Solar System.

The plan had been for the Human Empire fleet and the Solar System Fleet to make a stop at Falton Two to make inquiries there, after they had eliminated all Morag targets. Especially now that they knew Prince Soren was there. Now they needed to rethink this strategy. They might not have enough ships. Plus no one knew how strong their weapons were. What if those Falton Two Humans were more advanced than those of the Empire and Earth? That could be disastrous.

Marloo had a lot to think about. No way he would get any sleep tonight. Just too much on his mind. The next fleet battle between the allied fleet and the Morag fleet would resume soon. The Druin fleet was closing in on the Hagen Star Cluster, and now the stealthed warships of Falton Two? How would he make it through just one, if not all?

The only thing Marloo could do was focus on one enemy at a time. He would call Prince Andrew and Professor Charles to analyze the data from Falton Two. Maybe the two of them could come up with something. Marloo would summon both of them immediately.

At least the fleet battle between the allied fleet and the Morag would be over before Captain Tanner arrived with a potential enemy war fleet tailing him. If the timing was as Marloo estimated, Captain Tanner would rendezvous with the allied fleet about the same time the Druin fleet would attack Golan Four—if Golan Four was, indeed, their target. When it rains, it pours. Marloo shook his head. No time to rest. A lot to do.

-

Prince Andrew was having dinner—with High Princess Layla; his wife, Kala; his father-in-law, Charles Wright; and Cheryl Cleemorl. A messenger interrupted their dinner with a summons for Andrew and Charles to report to the Command Center. Andrew realized quickly it must have something to do with Falton Two. There must be a new development.

Andrew and Charles exchanged a knowing glance. They both understood it must not be good news. “I am sorry, ladies. Excuse me and Charles. Admiral Marloo needs our assistance.”

Layla and Kala both looked at him suspiciously but said nothing. Then Kala said, “I guess it will be a late night. I won’t wait up for you.”

Andrew kissed her on the forehead, nodded to Layla and Cheryl, and then turned and walked out the door. Charles followed quickly behind him. “This must not be good news from Falton Two,” Charles said, as they walked toward the Command Center.

“I would presume you are correct. This was not the best timing. We have fleets fighting in the Confederation and an enemy fleet preparing to attack us here. Hopefully it’s not too bad,” Andrew said.

They made their way to the Command Center in silence, both deep in thought about what the news could possibly be and what that would mean for the future of the Empire.

When they arrived at the Command Center, Marloo escorted them to his office and brought them up to speed on the news from Tanner.

“Wow, that escalated quickly,” said Andrew. “Do you think they were aware of our presence the entire time we had a scout ship there? Why would they choose now to confront them?”

“I thought about that myself, and I concluded that they sensed the intrusion into their military base. This crossed the line, so they confronted our ship,” replied Marloo.

“I can’t imagine being in that position,” said Charles.

“I need the two of you to analyze the data that Captain Tanner has sent back for us. We must figure out everything we can about these Humans. Now that we know they have a war fleet, they have moved up on the list of threats. We must see if we can determine how powerful these weapons are. Right now we have no way to know if Captain Tanner is being followed or not. How are we on the research to sense stealth ships? I know we started it not long ago, but has there been any progress?”

“There has been some progress,” replied Andrew. “Our research team does believe that the ships must show themselves before they could launch their weapons. Their stealth capabilities take a lot of their power source. To launch weapons, they would need more power. This is all just a theory of course. Our stealth ships do not have weapons.”

“Let’s start figuring out how to do that. Or how to make more of our ships stealth. It looks like we may not be on top of the most advanced technology list anymore. The Humans of Falton Two may be more advanced than we are,” Marloo said solemnly.

“I agree. We’ll work on some more new technologies. Stealth capabilities look to be the future. If we could figure out how to sense them, that would be a huge step forward,” said Andrew.

Charles took a deep breath, then said, “I know none of us want to consider this, but what are the chances that Falton Two has us under surveillance?”

The three of them exchanged nervous glances. “I don’t think we can rule that out,” said Marloo. “That’s something I really don’t want to think about.”

“Or maybe they have some of their people infiltrating our planet already,” Charles said slowly. “We would have no way to tell.”

“I don’t think that’s something we can figure out right now. Only a few people even know about Falton Two. We will continue to keep it that way,” said Marloo. “I need you guys to go through all this data and get that research team working overtime on developing that sensor for the stealth ships. It may be the difference between them ruling over us or us ruling over them.”

“We’ve got this,” replied Andrew. “You worry about the fleet in the Confederation and that Druin fleet. We will take care of this Falton Two stuff. How long do we have before Tanner will rendezvous with the allied fleet?”

“About forty hours,” replied Marloo.

“We will work as fast as possible to get you some answers before then. Derrick needs to be prepared to fight if ships are following Tanner. Maybe he shouldn’t worry about that until after he’s finished off the Morag. One worry at a time,” said Andrew.

“He already knows about Tanner but is keeping his mind focused on one task at a time. First up is the elimination of the Morag fleet. Then we will see what happens next,” replied Marloo. “Also something to consider is, if Golan Four is the target of the Druin fleet, the worst-case scenario is that we are stuck underground for a couple years. It would be wise to make arrangements with that in the back of your mind. I hope that doesn’t happen, but it is a possibility.”

“Thanks. We will keep that in mind. That’s not really something I want to think about, but I would also rather be prepared than caught off guard,” replied Andrew.

Marloo stood, and Andrew and Charles did as well. “Good luck,” Marloo said, as the three of them left his office.

“You too,” said Andrew. “We will be working in my office, if you need us or have any updates for us.”

Marloo nodded, as he reentered the Command Center.

Andrew looked over at Charles. They had a lot of work to do. “I better tell Kala not to wait up.”

“I would imagine we will be busy until the Druin attack. That would be sooner than the rendezvous with Tanner and the allied fleet. Or it might be very close to the same time,” said Charles.

“You are right. Let’s work for a while from my office. When it gets closer to the attack, we will move to the bunker.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters studied the holographic display. Barnes, Carrie, and Drake were hitting hard the periphery of the Morag star systems. With little-to-no resistance, they were making quick progress. Most of the interceptor killers had been sent to the Morag Two system, where the allied fleet would shortly exit into. Those who couldn’t make it there now would reinforce other Morag systems to take a harder stand against the allied fleet, when they arrived in those remaining systems.

So many things going on. Derrick worried about the Druin fleet that would soon arrive at the Hagen Star Cluster. If the Druin fleet did not attack there, that meant they were likely headed to Golan Four, where Layla was.

He didn’t like to think that she might be in danger. She would go to the bunker and would be safe there, but he still wished he could be there to defend the planet. Not that he regretted coming to the Confederation. He was honored to get the chance to witness the fall of the Morag and, with it, the Confederation. Or what was left of it.

Now only the Morag and Druins were left of the once-great Confederation. While the other races still existed, they no longer posed a threat to the Humans.

Derrick was also worried about Layla’s parents. Captain Laine still followed the transport vessel they suspected the two of them were on. Where it was headed, Derrick was unsure. He assumed it would be to whatever system the Morag leadership planned to call home. Where would that be? Many scout ships posted throughout the Morag-inhabited systems had reported transport vessels arriving and depositing citizens on various inhabited planets. No transport vessels had gone to the terraformed moons.

According to the scout ships, it appeared that the terraformed moons were being evacuated. Derrick guessed this was because the Morag had realized that the Humans intended to destroy all their terraformed moons because some of them were large military bases.

When the allied fleet was ready to leave the Morag systems, the Morag would have no shipyards or military bases left. If they were to rebuild, it would take them a long time to do that. At least that is what Derrick hoped.

Then there were also the problems with Falton Two. They may become an even more formidable enemy than the Morag. Imagine that, fighting other Humans. It was hard to fathom but might be true. Captain Tanner was headed in their direction with a possible fleet of stealthed warships trailing behind him.

How many? No way to tell since the allied fleet could not sense the stealth ships. Derrick shook his head. Just when they thought they were so close to eliminating all their enemies, another one popped up.

Perhaps it was all a big misunderstanding and could be rectified with diplomacy. However unlikely that was, Derrick could still hope that it was a possibility, if only to help put his mind at ease, for the time being.

Even with all those other worries, Derrick’s attention needed to shift to the fleet battle soon commencing. The allied fleet would drop from hyperspace in another ten minutes at Morag Two. Here they would face the remnants of the fleet from Morag Prime, with the reinforcements of the other large fleet from the Morag star systems.

According to one of the scout ships in the system, the allied fleet would face 3,789 Morag warships, in addition to 4,123 interceptor killers.

Derrick had strategized with Collison and Martinez on how best to handle this battle. They would all continue to do what they did best. In addition to the attack interceptors, the smaller ships of the allied fleet would focus their attacks on the interceptor killers. The attacks of the interceptors would be staggered so that they could reload, while always keeping a large number out there on the hunt for the next kill.

The Creetins and the Barsoon would help fight the main enemy fleet. They would be interspersed within the Lormallian, Visth, Empire, and Earth fleets. Hopefully with all their combined firepower, they could overwhelm and destroy the enemy fleet quickly. Then Derrick could move on to his next task, which would be finding Layla’s parents and dealing with Falton Two.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx expected the Humans to arrive at any time. Of course Voxx would be fighting not only Humans but a host of other races too. Who would imagine the Morag had so many enemies? Well, he could. It was no wonder the other races had finally all decided to work together against them.

According to Marcello, many of the other races had pretty good weapons capabilities. Nothing that the Morag fleet couldn’t handle, but, when working in conjunction with the Humans, that was another story. Then there were the Lormallians. Marcello said they tried to focus on destroying the battleships of the Lormallian fleet, trying to eliminate Councilor Reull and the Lormallian admiral.

Marcello had been lucky to get out of the system alive. This was undoubtedly due to him keeping his ship farther back in the formation and out of harm’s way. Commander Phobyis had likely done the same. So now here they all were, awaiting the appearance of this massive enemy fleet.

Would they survive this battle? It was doubtful they would all live to fight another day, unless they retreated again. What purpose would that serve though? The Humans would be hell-bent on hunting them down and eliminating them. Voxx needed to discuss with Addonis what he wanted out of this battle. Did Addonis want some of them to retreat? Would the Humans not feel threatened if only a few Morag warships remained? One thing was sure, Voxx needed to talk with Addonis.

It didn’t take Voxx long to make contact with Addonis. What are your orders for this battle. At what point do you want us to retreat? Or is this a fight to the death? asked Voxx.

I do not want all our ships lost. There must be a delicate balance between destruction and survival. Perhaps the Humans would allow ten warships to leave in peace. Or maybe thirty. I do not have a clue what that magic number is. When you feel it is time to retreat, do so. I need you to help rebuild our fleets. We are making our new home at Morag 112, which is the farthest we can get from the Human Empire. We have a secret base there that is deep underground. We hope the Humans will overlook it, since it’s not on a terraformed moon. After you retreat, you may have to run from the Human fleet for a while. Hopefully they will decide it’s not worth hunting you down, Addonis replied.

What about your hostages? How do you plan to use them now?

I will use them to negotiate the safety of this planet, if I need to. Since this planet has a hidden military base, it’s our best option for rebuilding our warships and our fleet. The hostages might yet prove useful to me.

We will do our best to thin down this enemy fleet. When I deem it is time, I will take a few ships and retreat, leaving the rest to fight it out, replied Voxx.

I agree with your plan. Good luck. I will speak to you soon.

Voxx was relieved to know he would not likely die today. He would keep his battleship in the safety of the rear of the fleet. This time Marcello and Phobyis would not hide. They may make it out alive or maybe not. Voxx’s death, however, would not come today.

-

Admiral Collison had the fleet at Condition One. They would emerge from hyperspace in less than ten minutes. The plan was set, and he was confident in their victory. Three scout ships were in the system that would hopefully follow any warships that got cold feet and retreated before meeting their end.

Collison watched the tactical display, as the long-range scans came in. It confirmed what the scout ships had reported. A lot of Morag warships were there for the allied fleet to eliminate, but Collison had a lot of allied ships to use to destroy their enemy.

As the last moments passed before their exit from hyperspace, Collison reviewed the battle plan in his mind, looking for ways to improve it. Once they were within a minute of dropping out of hyperspace, Collison moved to the edge of his seat, his gaze fixed on the viewscreens in the front of the room.

The fleet exited hyperspace, and the Morag immediately jumped to the Humans’ location and began their attack. Collison had mentioned that this was a possible strategy the Morag might use. They had used it before in some of their other systems. The Morag were trying to catch them off guard to inflict as much damage as possible. Many ships were caught off guard, but not the Human ships.

The viewscreens revealed bright flashes of light, as many of the allied ships were targeted and destroyed. Then the Morag switched their targeting to the Human ships. It took the allied fleet a little longer to get into formation, since they had interspersed the races throughout the fleet. Collison slammed his hand down on the side of the armrest of his chair. Ships were succumbing to the onslaught of the firepower the Morag had unleashed on them. Most were not Human ships, but a few were.

The tactical display was full of ships, red and green. Never had Collison witnessed so many ships represented on the tactical display before. It was a marvel to look at. It was a little intimidating and awe-inspiring, when he considered how far they had come.

Energy from the weapons fire crawled across the energy screens of the ships in the front line of the formation. The formation had multiple lines and was staggered to allow more ships to have a good sight line to fire their weapons.

The frontline of the Morag fleet was now under heavy fire. The allied fleet got into formation and now launched a massive amount of firepower at the Morag. Morag ships exploded, torn in two, shattered by massive explosions, literally vaporized by the tremendous amount of firepower the allied fleet poured into the front line of the Morag fleet.

Part of the Morag fleet then disappeared and then reappeared at the rear of the fleet. Collison smiled. The Morag were repeating the same plays from the usual playbook. Rear Admiral Martinez would be ready for them.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx orchestrated the attack from his safe spot in the rear of the fleet. He also kept back his precious few ships that had installed the new weapons. He couldn’t wait to use them on the Humans. Voxx wanted to wait until more ships from the enemy fleet had been thinned down. Then he would use his few ships with the enhanced weapons to eliminate a bunch of the Human ships.

He did not want to waste them on any other races, not even the Lormallians. No, this special surprise was for the Humans. Not just their battlecruisers either. These ships would target the Human dreadnoughts and battlecarriers. Voxx would wait until the time was right and would then unleash the accelerator cannon fire on the Humans.

Oh, how he would relish the destruction it would cause. Hopefully they would destroy the Human ships as easily as those weapons destroyed the Morag ones. Currently the accelerator cannons were ripping the front line of the Morag fleet to shreds.

If only Voxx had his entire fleet outfitted with these new weapons, this battle would turn out much differently. He had needed just a little more time to fully outfit his fleet, but that was not how it had worked out. Still, the Humans would see their ships torn to shreds soon, very soon.

Voxx kept Marcello and Phobyis busy with the battle. He sent Phobyis to the rear of the enemy fleet to attack from there. Maybe he could get a few hits on the carriers, weakening them for the next rounds that could get through.

-

Morag Commander Phobyis jumped with his fleet to the rear of the enemy fleet. They launched their weapons as soon as they exited from their short jump. This move, of course, had been expected and, therefore, wasn’t as effective as it once was. They needed to do something the Humans weren’t expecting but what? Retreat? No, it was not time for that yet.

Phobyis watched as the energy shields of numerous Human ships lit up as they tried to dissipate all the energy from the fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles the Morag fleet had launched at them. He leaned forward, as a few shields grew brighter and brighter. He knew what that meant. They were about to fail.

As they did, more missiles arrived to blow the ships into oblivion. A smile crossed Phobyis’s face. It quickly vanished as his ship was targeted by the Humans. Two accelerator cannon projectiles, followed closely by a second round, were nearly at his ship. This couldn’t be it. He had so much left to do. Get us out of here, he ordered, as his eyes grew large in terror.

The ship’s navigation officer quickly input the commands but to no avail. The first projectile hit the energy screen, plowing right through it. As the second projectile hit the ship, Phobyis was consumed in a bright flash of raw energy.

-

Voxx was surprised when he witnessed Phobyis’s ship get destroyed. He was shocked at how quickly it had happened. Phobyis hadn’t even had time to jump to safety. This worried Voxx more than he cared to admit. What if he were caught off guard and was blown apart, before he could do anything about it? He swallowed, trying to soothe his parched throat.

The attack on the rear of the enemy fleet had destroyed a few Human ships in addition to numerous other ships belonging to the other races of the fleet.

Where exactly was Lormallian Councilor Reull hiding? Voxx surveyed the tactical display and the viewscreens in front of him. Which one held the councilor? Voxx decided to have Marcello work at eliminating the Lormallian fleet. Maybe they could rid the universe of Reull.

He was the one who had started all this mess, by fracturing the Confederation. Now look what it had come to. Two of the Seven Great Races of the Confederation were fighting against each other instead of together. Oh, how time had changed. The Lormallians would pay for their treachery, one way or another.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello gave the order to target the Lormallian battleships. They were mixed in with all the other races, including Human ships. This would be a very satisfying task. He would let Voxx deal with the Humans for now. Marcello had other prey to hunt. Hopefully the Humans would continue to target the ships that were targeting them, leaving Marcello’s fleet alone. They stood a much higher chance of survival up against any of the other races, including the Lormallians.

The Lormallians had weapons and energy screens similar to those of the Morag fleets. This was a good thing because Marcello would target the weak points and would make the most effective use of their weapons fire.

He scanned the viewscreen to see if any had positioned themselves in the rear of the fleet or more toward the center—a place that would keep them safe from enemy firepower. He would clear a path right to them, as soon as he figured out where they were.

A couple of them stood out as most likely to hold valuable occupants. They were both near the center of the fleet. A smile crossed Marcello’s face. Yes, he would target these ships. He quickly gave the commands to the proper ships, and the firepower moved to clear a path to his two primary targets.

-

Lormallian Admiral Keld noticed the portion of the Morag fleet targeting the Lormallian fleet had switched targets. It was clear to him what their intentions were. Either it was to eliminate the leader of the fleet, which was him, or it was to kill Councilor Reull. Either way, both of them were on the same ship.

The Morag were targeting the battlecruisers and battleships in front of Keld’s ship. No doubt they intended to target all the battleships, until they found the right one. They were focusing their firepower on the ships between their fleet and his ship. Had they narrowed down their target to the correct ship?

Keld moved more ships in the path between him and the relentless hammering of the Morag’s weapons. It did not feel comforting knowing someone was hunting you with the sole purpose of killing you.

This called for more reinforcements. Keld contacted the Visth and asked them to target this portion of the Morag fleet. The Humans were slicing through the Morag fleet like a bull in a china closet.

Visth Admiral Larr immediately switched his targeting to the group of enemy ships targeting Keld’s fleet. Keld let out a sigh of relief. Now he had more help.

The battle grew more intense, as both sides tried to eliminate the other. Explosions dotted the front lines of both fleets. Energy screens glowed, as they fought to protect the ship they were designed to keep safe. Many failed, and missiles slammed into the vessels, causing wreckage to fly in all directions. Glowing wreckage littered the area.

It was clear the Morag were gunning for Keld’s ship at all costs. Currently it came at a high cost to them, indeed. Keld winced at the sheer volume of weapons fire striking his fleet. Already a large number of battlecruisers and a few battleships had been destroyed.

As the Morag focused on destroying his ship, adrenaline flowed through his body. Keld knew what was at stake here. Not only his life and the life of the Lormallian councilor but also the future of the Lormallian people.

Waves of deadly energy washed across the energy screen of ships in both fleets. Many ships met their end. Would Keld’s be one of them? The battle raged on, as the Morag got closer and closer to his ship. The Morag fleet was dwindling, but Keld worried they would all be destroyed before the weapons fire reached his flagship.

-

Admiral Derrick Masters watched as hundreds of Morag ships died as the accelerator cannons and particle beam cannons unleashed their powerful destructive force on the enemy fleet. He kept a close watch on the fleet numbers. The Visth and Lormallians were focused on a portion of the Morag fleet that appeared to be targeting the Lormallian battleships.

Derrick was concerned for Councilor Ardon Reull. He had been instrumental in bringing down the Confederation and bringing about peace between the Humans and the Lormallians. His death could ring disaster for the alliance.

Derrick needed to do something to help. Collison looked like he had this portion of the Morag fleet well in hand. Derrick gave the orders for a few of the Human battlecruisers and dreadnoughts to maneuver closer to the Lormallian Admiral Keld’s ship. They began focusing their firepower on the front line of that portion of the enemy fleet.

A barrage of particle beams rained down on the enemy ships. The targeted ships found their screens lit up brightly, and then the particle beams penetrated, slamming into the hulls, blasting out deep glowing craters. Massive damage ensued, as internal explosions rattled the ships, and then several antimatter missiles arrived, turning the enemy ships into small novas.

The fleet kept hammering away at the enemy, one target at a time. The number of red threat icons on the tactical display was drastically less now than the green ones. The smaller ships were still engaged in an intense fight with the interceptor killers. Many of these were shown on a few viewscreens at the front of the Command Center.

It was amazing to watch them fly their intricate attack patterns, outmaneuvering their opponents. Many of the other races were not as skilled at fighting this formidable opponent. The interceptor killers were very effective at eliminating those ships. As for the attack interceptors though, they were a hard target to kill.

-

Lieutenant Burr led his squadron in their hunt for their targets. His squadron of twenty attack interceptors could hunt down and destroy forty of the interceptor killers before heading back to the carrier to reload.

There were so many of the interceptor killers. It wasn’t long before Burr caught sight of his first target. It was chasing a small attack craft from the allied fleet. Since it was distracted and focused on its target, it didn’t take long for Burr to have it in his crosshairs. He quickly sent two missiles at his target. The first to destroy the energy shield and the second to destroy the vessel itself. Unfortunately for the ship it had been chasing, the interceptor killer blew it up just before Burr’s missiles took it out.

After eliminating his first target, he quickly set his sights on another. By the looks of things, he would be busy killing these interceptor killers for hours.

It seemed most of the interceptor killers were busy chasing the small attack craft of the allied fleet. Maybe because they were an easier kill? Burr was not sure, but it made his job easier. Maybe he could eliminate this one before it eliminated its prey. The two shots made their way to their target, and a small explosion signified Burr’s success.

Burr surveyed the fleet and his squadron. Most of his group had already destroyed two of the enemy ships and were headed back to the carrier to reload. He also maneuvered his interceptor to the carrier. All around him, flashes of light could be seen. Some small and some enormous. This battle was intense.

-

Morag Admiral Marcello still had the two Lormallian battleships at the center of his attacks. Shortly they would be within range of his weapons. What doubt Marcello might have had about which ship might hold his targets dissipated as more and more ships came to aid the fight and stand between the Morag ships and the two Lormallian battleships.

The first to aid the Lormallians were the Visth. That didn’t worry Marcello much. They did have powerful weapons but nothing like the Humans. The battle waged on, and the Morag continued to focus on one section of the Lormallian fleet.

As the Lormallian ships met their end, more took their place. It looked like Marcello must destroy the entire fleet to get to those two ships. If that’s what he had to do, then that’s what he would do.

Looking at the tactical display, Marcello estimated that the two fleets were pretty evenly matched. The Visth and Lormallians had him outnumbered, but his focus was only on two ships. He would eliminate everything that stood in the way.

When Marcello’s front line was destroyed, and nothing remained but hot pieces of glowing wreckage, he commanded more ships to take their place. He was laser-focused on his target. When his ships started dying much quicker than before, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

What is going on? he asked his crew.

Admiral, some Human ships have broken off from the main fleet and are now targeting our ships. We won’t last much longer against them, responded the sensor officer.

I want all firepower focused on getting to those two ships, Marcello commanded.

While the Morag ships focused their firepower on getting to their two targets, the Humans focused on destroying Marcello’s fleet. Things were not looking good for Marcello. Just as he was about to give up on his task, he noticed a small opening where he was confident he could get some missiles through to the two Lormallian battleships.

Marcello watched with growing anticipation as the antimatter missiles and fusion energy beams made their way to its prey. Would it be enough? The energy screen of one of his targets lit up, glowing brighter and brighter. More ships found the hole in the formation and sent their firepower through. Marcello’s heart beat faster as he watched the energy screen struggling to defend the ship from the weapons fire.

Within moments the screen failed, allowing the other antimatter missiles and fusion energy beams to smash into its side. A large explosion signaled the death of the ship and all of its occupants. Marcello could barely contain his excitement.

The Lormallians closed the hole in their formation quickly. His last target was out of his reach. Maybe the Lormallian admiral and councilor had been on the battleship he had destroyed.

Admiral, we’ve got enemy fire incoming, said the sensor officer.

I am confident our shield will hold, Marcello replied.

It’s the Human accelerator cannon fire, replied the sensor officer.

Marcello looked at the viewscreen in alarm. Get us out of here, Marcello ordered as panic crept up in his mind.

Luckily for Marcello, his fight did not end as Phobyis’s had. His navigation officer was already set up to jump. The ship vanished before the Humans’ deadly weapons reached him.

-

Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull watched in growing alarm as the Morag focused on the battleship he called home for the time being. The Morag were obviously trying to eliminate him and the admiral. How they had determined which ship he was on, he would never know.

The tactical display showed that the Humans had moved a few ships over to help destroy the enemy ships attacking the Lormallians. That made Reull feel more confident that he would survive this battle. His heart beat faster, as the Morag continued to pound the ships between his ship and the enemy.

A hole opened up, and the Morag had a straight line of sight to the battleship. Fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles headed straight for the battleship. One after another pounded the ship repeatedly, weakening the energy screen until it finally succumbed to the relentless attack.

After that it didn’t take long before the battleship was engulfed in a huge explosion, eliminating all Lormallians on board. Thankfully for Reull, it wasn’t his battleship that had been destroyed. It had been a close call, however, since the destroyed ship had been right next to his.

Shortly after that, the remaining Morag ships that had focused their attack on the Lormallian ships were either destroyed or jumped to safety. Reull had the Humans to thank for that. His life was spared, thanks to them.

-

Captain Elliott watched the battle playing out all around his battlecarrier. His attack interceptors staggered their launches to ensure some attack interceptors were always out in the battle, hunting the enemy. Others were reloading and preparing to get back out there.

The viewscreens showed the Morag’s interceptor killers were focusing on the more vulnerable allied ships. Why they weren’t focused on the attack interceptors, Elliott could not figure out. Almost at the precise time that thought crossed his mind, the Morag switched targets.

Now the interceptor killers were firing on the battlecarriers. They got in closer, while chasing the smaller allied ships. Once they had their advantageous positions surrounding the carriers, they launched their attack. Hundreds of missiles were now inbound to his carrier and the others.

The battlecarriers across the fleet saw their energy screens inundated with enemy firepower. Not only were the enemy ships firing on the carriers, but they were also targeting the attack interceptors as they launched from the ships.

The Deneb found its screen glowing brighter and brighter. It wasn’t alone. Others throughout the fleet found themselves holding their breath, hoping their screens held.

Attack interceptors found themselves targeted as they launched to try to eliminate the enemy that targeted their carriers.

Elliott watched, with growing alarm, as the enemy weapons fire continued to hammer his ship. His attack interceptors were being destroyed as they tried to launch. His other interceptors, out in the battle, were out of missiles. They still had energy beams, but it took a lot more of that to destroy one of the interceptor killers.

-

Burr was caught between a rock and a hard place. He was out of missiles but couldn’t get back to the Deneb to reload. Sweat trickled down his face, as he watched his carrier targeted by enemy fire.

Burr used his energy beams to target the interceptor killers. He focused on one at a time. Burr’s anxiety rose as the carrier continued to withstand the onslaught of the Morag’s attack. Would it hold? Part of his squadron was on board, reloading. The interceptor killers were picking them off as they tried to launch. Should they stay on board and wait it out and risk dying if the energy shield failed? Or risk death trying to launch while their enemy was so close?

Burr wiped the sweat from his face. He needed to focus. He needed to destroy as many of these interceptor killers as he could. He needed to give the rest of his squadron the chance to launch.

The energy shield continued to glow brighter, as the enemy continued their focused attack on his carrier and his squadron on board. “Lieutenant Burr, should we launch?” One of his squadron pilots asked.

How should he respond? This was a life-or-death answer. They had to try. “Try to launch in large groups. Maybe some will make it. Move fast and start evasive maneuvers as soon as you launch.” Burr held his breath. Would they make it?

Burr continued to fire on the enemy ships that would soon target his friends. They began to launch. A small explosion marked the death of his target. Now he could focus on another one.

The other small allied ships were focused on destroying the interceptor killers too. They were much easier to target now that the interceptor killers were focused on eliminating the battlecarriers and attack interceptors launching from them.

Burr held out hope that his squadron would make it. He had five interceptors from his squadron still on the carrier.

Burr said a silent prayer, as the interceptors prepared to launch. All five of them were ready for the command. Burr’s gaze switched to the Deneb. The shield still held.

-

Captain Elliott, on board the battlecarrier Deneb, watched as the enemy small attack craft targeted his ship. “Divert as much power to the energy shield as possible. Get all the attack interceptors off this ship.”

“Captain, the interceptors are being targeted as they launch,” replied the sensor officer.

Elliott paused for a moment before contemplating what orders he should give. “We need them out there eliminating these interceptor killers, or else they will eliminate us. If they stay, they are doomed. If they launch, we might all have a chance.”

The systems console showed the shield still held steady. The viewscreens showed the allied ships were working to eliminate the Morag ships targeting the carriers. Their weapons weren’t as effective as the attack interceptors, but they were better than nothing.

Elliott’s gaze returned to the tactical display. He couldn’t believe the Morag could get in the position to surround the carriers with their interceptor killers. This was a new tactic for the Morag. Unfortunately for the Humans, it looked like a good one. It was working, after all.

Green icons swarmed the red ones surrounding the carriers. Could his ship’s shield hold out long enough? “Tell the interceptors to launch in groups, not one at a time. They’ll be harder to pick off that way.”

The viewscreen focused on the launch bay showed the interceptors preparing for the flight of their lives. Rather the fight for their lives. Once a group of them were ready, the all-clear lights turned green, a group headed out.

Elliott’s gaze once again shifted to the viewscreen that showed the interceptors launching. A hail of energy beams were incoming to their position. The interceptors dove and spun to avoid the enemy fire, using their skills honed over the last few weeks in the Confederation.

Bright flashes of light confirmed that a few didn’t make it. Before long another group launched, and then another after that. Elliott grimaced at each flash of light.

“Captain, our energy screen is functioning at 30 percent,” the systems officer said, a hint of fear in his voice.

Anderson took a deep breath. “Are all the interceptors out of the landing bay?”

“Almost, Captain. The Scorpion Squadron is the last to go.”

The viewscreen showed the almost empty launch bay. Elliott knew the likelihood of the Deneb making it through this battle was slim.

“As soon as the launch bay is cleared, let’s try to move out of formation. Maybe we can enter hyperspace before our shield fails,” ordered Captain Elliott.

-

Lieutenant Burr watched intently as his squadron launched together from the carrier. He held his breath, hoping they’d all make it. He cringed as two of the five disintegrated in explosions right before his eyes. The other three made it. He breathed a sigh of relief. They had to do something before their carrier met the same fate as their fellow squadron crew members.

The three interceptors that had just launched from the carrier quickly found targets and destroyed them. Unfortunately the three of them could only eliminate six enemy ships.

Burr focused his energy beams on one interceptor killer at a time. Once one was destroyed, he moved his weapons fire to the next. They had to alleviate some of this firepower focused on the carriers.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx stood watching his viewscreens, as his plan unfolded before him. His plan had worked precisely as he had planned it. The interceptor killers engaged the small attack craft from the enemy fleet. Once a majority of the Humans’ small attack craft were engaged in the battle or headed back to reload, the interceptor killers surrounded the Humans’ battlecarriers. Then the bombardment began.

Voxx knew it was time to bring in his secret weapons—his ships that had the accelerator cannons and particle beam cannons installed. Time to use them to finish off these battlecarriers.

The order was placed in the minds of the personnel needed to carry out the command. Soon the ships made their short jump to the rear of the enemy fleet. Their orders were first to focus their attack on the carriers. Then the large Human dreadnoughts.

Voxx sat back to relish in the destruction that was about to be released on his enemy. Time the Humans got a little dose of their own medicine.

-

Captain Elliott on the Deneb watched the console, showing the energy shield. It would fail at any moment. He hoped they could clear a few more ships, so they could enter hyperspace. Just one more ship to maneuver around.

Suddenly alarms sounded, and the large viewscreen at the front of the room showed the cause of the alarm. Eighteen Morag battleships had jumped to the rear of the fleet. His heart sank. This was not good. Their shields were already barely holding on. Elliott didn’t think they could withstand much fusion energy beam fire or antimatter missiles.

What Elliott saw next sent chills down his spine. He could hardly believe it yet knew that eventually this day would come. The Morag had launched accelerator cannon projectiles directly at his ship. “Get us to hyperspace,” he commanded desperately.

The navigation officer frantically pushed buttons on the console in front of him but to no avail. The Deneb and all of those souls within died in a fiery explosion.

-

Burr could hardly believe his eyes. The Deneb was gone. His battlecarrier that he’d been stationed on for so long was no more. Captain Elliott and the crew were gone. Burr was in shock but had to shake it off.

Another large explosion shook his ship and shook him from his thoughts of despair. Another carrier was gone.

The frightening thing was that some of these enemy ships had accelerator cannons. They were wreaking havoc on the battlecarriers that already had weakened energy shields.

Burr could do nothing to destroy the large Morag battleships. He needed to stick with targeting the Morag interceptor killers. Hopefully, when this battle was over, his squadron, or what was left of it, would have a place to land. In the meantime, his squadron only had their energy beams to destroy the enemy. They would make do with what they had.

-

Rear Admiral Martinez was alarmed by what he witnessed. These Morag battleships that had jumped to the rear of the allied fleet had accelerator cannons. They were picking off the battlecarriers quickly. He had to do something to stop them.

Martinez quickly changed the formation to protect the carriers better. The Morag’s small attack craft were still focused on the carriers, but now other ships were between them and the carriers. The carriers had moved themselves to the rear to try to enter hyperspace to escape the small attack craft. When they did that, the Morag had moved in with these ships that possessed the better weapons.

Martinez slammed his hand on the armrest of his command chair. Large explosions engulfed the ships that had moved into position to protect the carriers. The Human ships were targeting the enemy ships with their accelerator cannons, and many disintegrated before his eyes.

The Morag were plowing through Martinez’s ships. He hoped no other Morag ships possessed these weapons. The timing of this attack on the Morag was vital. If they had waited longer to make their move to attack the Morag, the allied fleet would have run into more trouble, into more Morag ships with the new weapons.

The battle continued to increase in intensity, as the two enemies targeted each other with their accelerator cannons. How many more were there? Martinez checked his tactical display. Six more Morag ships remained. His ship shuddered beneath him, as more accelerator cannons launched toward the remaining enemy ships that had appeared at the rear of the fleet.

Two more Morag ships shattered into pieces, as the accelerator cannon projectiles slammed into their targets. Martinez checked the viewscreen and saw the unthinkable. Four accelerator cannon projectiles were headed straight for his ship. “Target those projectiles. We must destroy them,” he commanded desperately. His gaze shifted again to the viewscreen, as two of the projectiles were hit and destroyed. The remaining two were too close now to destroy. The first plowed through the energy screen, and the second followed shortly behind it slammed into Martinez’s ship.

Just before the Command Center was blown to pieces, Martinez closed his eyes and pictured his family back home. Shortly after that, the hopes and dreams of all on board died along with the ship.

-

Admiral Collison sat down in shock. A few of the Morag ships had the accelerator cannons and were using them at the rear of the fleet. When at last, all of the Morag’s enhanced battleships were eliminated, the toll it had taken on the fleet was overwhelming. The Humans had lost sixteen battlecarriers, thirteen battlecruisers, and six dreadnoughts. One of those dreadnoughts had belonged to his protégé, Rear Admiral Martinez.

Collison put his hand over his face and took a deep breath. The ramifications of these losses would be felt for some time to come. He silently said a prayer for those who had just died and their families back home. The time for mourning was not now though. They still had to finish off this enemy fleet. Collison hoped no more of the Morag ships had the accelerator cannons.

The allied fleet refocused its attack on the Morag, as ship after ship was destroyed from the enemy fleet. Collison tried to focus on the battle but found his mind kept wandering back to Rear Admiral Martinez.

Martinez had trained under Collison, and they had spent a good deal of time together. When Collison had heard Martinez would bring the fleet from the Solar System, Collison was elated. He and Martinez worked well together. Collison had had the privilege of meeting Martinez’s family on a few occasions. He had a wife, Lindsey, and three kids. Collison vowed to visit the family himself when he returned home.

A large explosion near his ship startled Collison from his thoughts and back to the battle playing out all around him. A quick look at the tactical display showed the number of red threat icons diminishing quickly. With not as many enemy ships to destroy the allied fleet, and, with the allied’s superior numbers, the enemy fleet would not last much longer.

-

Morag Admiral Voxx surveyed his remaining fleet. Admiral Marcello was still engaged with the enemy fleet. Voxx also had a few more battleships with the accelerator cannons held back for the right opportunity. Voxx held his position in the rear of the fleet, but the Humans would soon be close enough to take aim at his ship. The time grew near to abandon this system and to rendezvous with High Councilor Addonis at Morag 112.

Voxx wasn’t sure what the Humans would do next. If it were him, he would target all the shipyards and military bases. Destroy the ability of his enemies to make war. Except in this instance, it was the Morag’s ability to make war that would be eliminated. How could Voxx preserve what ships they had left?

He needed to hide them in a system where the Humans weren’t aware they had a base. But where was that? The Humans had scout ships stationed everywhere, at least that was the assumption. Not only that but it was highly probable that one of the Human scout ships would follow his ships out of here.

Voxx knew what he had to do. He must split up the remaining fleet into groups. Hopefully not enough scout ships were here to follow them all. How many groups should he do? How many would be enough? Marcello could take a group, Voxx could take a group, and he would have three others lead groups out of here. All in different directions. Eventually they could meet up, but that wouldn’t be anytime soon.

The commands were sent to the various leaders, and soon the Morag fleet, or what was left of it, entered hyperspace.

-

Collison was relieved when the remaining Morag fleet entered hyperspace. The scout ships followed. The Morag ships went in five different directions. Collison didn’t have five scout ships to follow them, only three. He sent them after the three larger groups of ships. They’d find the other two groups eventually.

After the enemy left, Collison sat back and relaxed. Now for the next phase of the attack. The Morag only had 324 warships when they left the system. Collison was tempted to split the fleet into smaller groups to destroy the remaining shipyards and military bases.

He knew from Morag Prime that the Barsoon could destroy the shipyards. No doubt the Creetins could handle the job too. The system they were currently in had three shipyards. They would destroy them, while Collison got the reports from all of the leaders on the status of their remaining ships.

While the allied forces took care of the three shipyards, Collison planned what would come next. Derrick would want to negotiate for the release of the two Human prisoners. First though, they needed to destroy more enemy targets. If they could make the Morag more desperate, maybe Derrick would have the upper hand in the negotiations.

Barnes, Carrie, and Drake were working their way in from the periphery of the Morag systems, destroying all shipyards, military bases, and terraformed moons. The Morag had over two hundred terraformed moons. Thankfully the Humans had already destroyed sixteen of them. The Humans definitely had their work cut out for them. What was the best way to get it all done in a timely matter?

Collison also knew the trio would stop in the Druin systems and eliminate more targets there too. Since a majority of the Druin fleet was away, they might as well take advantage of it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Admiral Cleemorl prepared his fleet for war. Either they’d face the Druin fleet at the Hagen Star Cluster or follow the Druin fleet to Golan Four. Either way, they’d soon be in a fleet battle with the Druins.

Cleemorl now had in his fleet at Tantula Five—321 battlecruisers and 36 dreadnoughts and also 8 battlecarriers, fully loaded with attack interceptors. The other part of his fleet had gone with Rear Admiral Fulmar to Golan Four, while part of Fifth Fleet was away in the Confederation.

Captain Iris still tailed the Druin fleet. If the Druins planned to attack the Hagen Star Cluster, they’d exit hyperspace in less than ten minutes. However, everyone believed the Druins would target Golan Four instead.

Cleemorl watched his tactical displays. The fleet was ready to engage in battle or to enter hyperspace at a moment’s notice. Cleemorl tapped his fingers on the armrest of his command chair. He was anxious to know how this would play out.

From all over the Empire, reinforcements were converging on Golan Four. Most could arrive before the Druin fleet or shortly afterward. If the Druins attacked Tantula Five, Cleemorl’s fleet would be on its own.

Over four thousand attack interceptors were stationed on the planet. The defensive grid had grown stronger since the last time the Druins were in the system to attack the inhabited moon, Gideon. Cleemorl was confident they could handle the Druins, if they chose to attack Tantula Five.

Five more minutes, and they would have their answer. Undoubtedly the Druins were scanning the system to determine the warships stationed here. Once they had that information, they’d feel more confident in their plan to attack Golan Four. With so many warships here, not many would be left at Golan Four. At least that’s what Cleemorl assumed the Druins would believe.

The Druins did not know they were being tailed by a Human scout ship. They had gone to great pains to slowly accumulate their fleet in secret, doing their best only to have a few ships at a time leave their systems. Cleemorl was confident they had engaged this strategy to avoid raising the suspicions of the Human scout ships. It hadn’t worked. Thankfully Captain Iris had grown suspicious and had followed one of the small groups and had discovered the Druins’ growing hidden fleet.

“Prepare to enter hyperspace,” Cleemorl commanded. He wanted to be behind the Druins. But did he want to be near enough to let them know they were being followed? Maybe they could prevent the attack altogether, if the Druins knew a large fleet followed them to their destination.

“Admiral, a message is coming through from Captain Iris. She says that the Druins have bypassed the Hagen Star Cluster,” reported the communications officer.

“Command the fleet to enter hyperspace. We will only leave behind a small task group to protect the system,” said Cleemorl.

As the fleet entered hyperspace, he took one last look at Tantula Five. He hoped the Druins weren’t playing a trick on them, having him believe the target was Golan Four and enticing his fleet to leave the system.

“Send a message to Captain Iris, asking her to confirm the entire Druin fleet is still together, and none have disappeared,” Cleemorl ordered. He wanted to put his mind at ease. Cleemorl had left 150 ships in the system with Rear Admiral Manson, just in case the Druins had set a trap for them.

“Admiral, Captain Iris confirms all Druin warships are accounted for,” replied the communications officer.

Cleemorl felt a small amount of relief, as he relaxed into his command chair. The journey to Golan Four would take a little over two days. He had a lot of planning to do in the meantime.

Cheryl was on Golan Four, keeping Layla company, while Derrick was away in the Confederation. Now she would be in danger, along with High Princess Layla. They could take refuge in the bunkers, but Cleemorl would do all he could to keep them from having to remain in those bunkers for any length of time. Two years. That’s how long they would be there—if the worst occurred, and the planet was bombarded. He wouldn’t let that happen though.

-

High Princess Layla walked with Cheryl through the gardens that surrounded the Imperial Palace. “Are you nervous about the coming attack on Golan Four?” asked Cheryl.

“A little. We do have bunkers to keep us safe though. At least the people. Not the plants and animals that call Golan Four their home,” Layla replied, as she looked all around at the beauty that surrounded her.

Cheryl sighed and said, “Dylan is headed this way. I’m sure he will keep us safe.”

Layla tried to return her smile. “I do feel better knowing he is following close behind the Druin fleet. I know our planet has a robust defensive grid and thousands of attack interceptors. Queen City is protected by an energy shield of its own. We have missile turrets that surround the city. We are safer here than anywhere else in the Empire. I think it’s just the thought of being targeted now that I’m so close to being a mom.”

Cheryl’s smile widened. “I’m sure that’s it. You have a baby to worry about now too.”

“I keep thinking about my parents. They’re alive and being held hostage by the Morag. I don’t see a way that we can bring them home safely. I am afraid I’ll lose them all over again.”

Cheryl put her arms around Layla and hugged her. “You and I both know that Derrick will do his best to bring them home safely.”

“I know. I am afraid it will come to deciding between the success of the mission or protecting my parents. That will put Derrick in a hard spot. He should choose the mission over two Humans, even if those two Humans are my parents. I hate that he’s in that position. He will feel more obligated to protect my parents on my behalf.”

“Derrick didn’t get to the position of Vice Fleet Admiral only because he’s married to you. He got there through his hard work and leadership. If the time comes, and he has to choose, he will make the right decision. I have no doubt.”

Layla sighed. “I know you are right. It’s just my hormones messing with me,” Layla said, with a little laugh.

“That must be it,” Cheryl agreed, with a smile.

-

Druin Admiral Falorr was encouraged by the smaller fleet that had been in the Hagen Star Cluster. He had directed his fleet to pass close by so they could scan the system. Only 365 ships had been in the system. Some of those were likely the small attack craft. Maybe the Human Empire was, indeed, less protected than usual.

They probably had sent every ship they thought they could spare to attack the Morag, assuming that, with all the attacks in the Confederation, no one would dare risk sending ships to attack the Empire. Falorr smiled. They were wrong. If ever there was a time to attack, it was now—while the Humans were focused on destroying the Morag.

“Admiral, we have ships following us,” said the sensor officer.

Falorr felt a slight panic rise in his chest. “How many?”

“The scans show 215 ships behind us,” replied the sensor officer.

Falorr growled under his breath. The Humans must have had a scout ship following them the entire voyage from the Confederation. Falorr slammed his hand down on the armrest of the chair. Now what? Should he go ahead and keep his target the same, knowing he will likely face the brunt of what forces are left in the Empire? Or should he slug it out with this fleet trailing him and destroy a target in the Hagen Star Cluster?

No, he would not be deterred. He was here for Golan Four, and Golan Four he would destroy, even if it meant losing most of his ships. The Humans in the Confederation would not let his large fleet remain intact for long. He might as well use it to harm the Empire at their homeworld.

The Human Empire had already destroyed the homeworld of the Druins and the Lamothians. Falorr was confident the Humans were after Morag Prime as well. By this point, they could have already destroyed it.

Based on the intelligence Falorr had received from the Zynth, the Humans had a massive fleet in the Confederation. There couldn’t possibly be many ships left here in the Empire. The more Falorr thought it over, the more confident he felt in his decision to continue to attack Golan Four.

Falorr had left his systems exposed and underprotected to attack the Human Empire. His enemy must have done the same. This was the only thing he could think of that might change the trajectory of this war. They had to stop the Humans. Destroying Golan Four was the way to do it.

After the Human fleet in the Confederation finished slugging it out with the large Morag fleets, not much would be left. Not of the Human ships or the Morag ships. This would leave a void in who would dominate the Confederation. That was where the Druins would come in.

After destroying Golan Four, Falorr would return triumphant and would claim his position on top of the Confederation—or what was left of it.

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo paced back and forth in the Command Center. An attack was coming, of that they were now sure. This was what they had feared might happen, when they had sent such a large fleet to help destroy the Morag.

As much as he didn’t want to, it was time to sound the alarms and to have the citizens of Golan Four begin evacuating to the underground bunkers. This message would probably come best from High Princess Layla. Marloo slowly let out a deep breath. He wanted to give the citizens the most time possible to get to safety. Especially since they knew the attack was coming.

“General Gantts, please contact High Princess Layla and ask her to meet me in my office,” Marloo requested. It would cause the Princess some alarm to be summoned to his office, but he had work to do and couldn’t waste time looking for her himself. He had to figure out the best way to ensure the Druins didn’t destroy Golan Four.

-

Layla and Cheryl had finished their stroll through the gardens, when a messenger brought a message to Layla. After quickly scanning the message, Layla guided Cheryl to come to Marloo’s office with her.

Cheryl asked, “Do you think it’s news from the Confederation or news about the impending attack?”

“Probably both. I hope it’s not bad news though,” Layla replied. Her heart started beating faster, as she went through the various scenarios in her head. None were good. She shook those thoughts from her head. Layla was determined to keep a positive mind-set. She had to. The alternative was not healthy for her or the baby.

It seemed to Layla that it took forever to get to Marloo’s office. She focused on her breathing, trying to remain calm. She swallowed to soothe her dry throat. As they approached the door to Marloo’s office, she closed her eyes and stilled her mind one last time.

Layla knocked, and Marloo called them in. Marloo had a small smile of reassurance, but Layla knew instantly he would not be sharing good news today.

“The Druins are headed here. They’ve bypassed the Hagen Star Cluster. They will be here in about two days. I think it would be wise to begin filling the bunkers now. I also thought this news would come best from you.”

Layla digested what Marloo had said. “I agree with you. I will create the message immediately. Do you expect the Druins to be successful in their attack?”

Marloo took a moment before answering. “Admiral Cleemorl is trailing behind the enemy fleet. With his ships, in addition to Rear Admiral Fulmar’s, we will have a sizeable fleet. We also have Resistance ships headed this way too. Plus we have superior weapons. It will not be an easy battle, but I am sure we will prevail. I am not confident that the Druins will be kept from getting a few missiles to the planet’s surface though.”

“Okay. I will inform the citizens of Golan Four to begin filling the bunkers. We expect an attack from the Druins shortly. I do hope they take this warning seriously and heed our instructions,” Layla said thoughtfully.

“If they do not, that’s on them. We are doing everything in our power to keep them safe. We can only do so much,” Marloo replied.

“What about the Human fleets in the Confederation?” Layla asked, with more than a hint of hope in her voice.

“Things are going well there. The latest update I received recently had the Morag fleets, or what was left of them, exiting in different directions from the system that contains Morag Two, most likely heading to Morag 112. We did sustain some heavy losses in the Morag home system and in the secondary battle at Morag Two. Derrick is fine, so don’t worry about that. We did lose a few battlecarriers. We also lost Rear Admiral Martinez from the Solar System.”

“That is disturbing news. I am very sad to hear about Rear Admiral Martinez, as well as all our other losses. I am sure he was a phenomenal leader. The Solar System will no doubt feel his absence. When this is all over, I want to send a message to his family,” Layla responded, tears in her eyes.

A part of her mourned the loss of the various leaders, but another part of her was relieved that it hadn’t been Derrick. She felt an immense wave of guilt, as she thought about how selfish she was, even if only in her mind.

Layla knew Derrick was not out of the woods yet. There was still a lot of work to do in the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation.

“How many Morag ships are left?” Layla asked, with a fresh wave of concern washing over her.

Marloo replied, “We estimate the Morag have about three hundred warships left in their star systems.”

“What about my parents? Do we know where they are?” Layla asked.

“We have a scout ship following the transport vessel we suspect your parents are on. It exited hyperspace in the system where Morag 112 is located.”

Marloo pulled up the holographic display to show Layla.

“Here is where we believe your parents are,” Marloo said, as he pointed to the system where Morag 112 is located. “And here is where the allied fleet currently is,” Marloo continued, as he pointed to another system.

“What is the plan? Do you know?” asked Layla.

“I believe the allied fleet will begin hitting targets all over the Morag-controlled star systems. They will destroy shipyards, military bases, any warships they come across, and all the terraformed moons. They must take out as many military targets as possible. We have the Morag right where we want them. Now we must go in for the kill.”

“What do you think my chances are of ever seeing my parents again?”

Marloo was quiet for a moment and then responded, “I honestly don’t know. The Morag may try to use them to negotiate to keep some of their star systems safe. We will just wait and see how that plays out. I am sure the allied fleet will destroy all the targets in between their current location and the location where we believe your parents are. Hopefully, by the time the victorious allied fleet gets there, the Morag will be willing to negotiate. That is still a few days away, however.”

“Thank you for being honest with me. I will go make the message to send out to our citizens here on Golan Four to begin filling the bunkers. I can’t do anything to help my parents in the Confederation, but I can help the people here on Golan Four,” Layla said confidently. She and Cheryl turned to leave.

Marloo added, “You should be prepared to stay in the bunker for a couple years. It might be wise to take most of your baby things with you, just in case. They can always be moved back, if the Druins fail to hit the planet. I can assure you though that the Imperial Palace will be their primary target.”

Layla nodded and walked out the door. What a terrible place to raise a baby—in a bunker. Also without Derrick, since she and the baby would be stuck in the bunker. That was only if the Druins’ attack on her planet was successful. Either way, she would be prepared and would make the most of it.

-

Not long after leaving Marloo’s office, Layla stood in front of the symbol of the Empire. A purple cloth, with the large starburst on a background of stars. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then nodded to the cameraman, as the Imperial March played. The green light lit up above the camera, confirming that she was live. Millions of citizens all across Golan Four could see her now.

Layla smiled and said, “Greetings, fellow citizens of Golan Four. I come to you tonight for two reasons. The first is to let you know that the battle in the Confederation against the Morag is going well. We have them on the run. We have destroyed their home planet of Morag Prime. We have eliminated a majority of their fleet. We could not have done this on our own. Without our numerous allies joining us in the fight, we would not be where we are today.

“The second reason I have created this message is to warn you of an impending attack on Golan Four. A Druin fleet is inbound to our planet right now. We expect them to arrive in less than two days. Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to safely make your way to your designated bunker. We have plenty of time for everyone to enter the safety of the bunkers. Please begin to do so in a calm and orderly fashion.

“For those around Queen City, we will be a primary target, if the Druins are successful in getting missiles through to the planet. Please take the time now to get to safety. We are blessed to have this advanced warning. It allows us all time to get to safety. Please do not take this situation lightly. Please do not wait until the last minute to attempt to get to the bunkers. Now is the time to go. I will broadcast again as the situation warrants.”

Layla nodded to the cameraman again, and she relaxed a little when the green light changed to red. She was in the clear. Layla slowly walked out of the room and toward her suite in the Imperial Palace. As she made her way there, she couldn’t help but take in the beauty that surrounded her. She wanted to memorize every part of it. In a couple more days, this building would be the primary target of the enemy fleet. It was well protected, but Layla could not shake the bad feeling she had deep inside her.

The guards pulled the palace doors open before her, and she stepped inside. Layla continued to take in everything around her. What should she have moved to the bunker? The pictures of the Royal Family? The priceless artwork that hung around the building? Or would this be one of those warnings that came to nothing? More of a false alarm?

Layla continued to walk down the corridor toward her rooms. No, she had to take this seriously. She must have all the family portraits and artwork moved into the bunker. It would be an immense undertaking, but it must be done. As soon as she got to her rooms, she would contact the proper people to begin the process.

Once Layla arrived at her rooms, she went straight to the baby’s room. Would her baby be born in a bunker? Layla hoped not but thought she would be better off being prepared for the worst. Two years. That’s how long they could be down there.

A knock sounded at her door. When she opened it, she found Cheryl waiting on the other side. “Guess we have some packing to do,” Cheryl said matter-of-factly.

Layla sighed. “Yes, we do.”

Emira walked in at that point, and the three of them got to work. “We will set up your rooms in the bunker and make them nice and comfortable. No need for us to go without, if we can plan ahead,” Emira said, as she began packing Layla’s clothes.

“You are right. We must make the best of the situation. We could be in the bunker for an extended amount of time. We will ensure we have everything we might need for the baby for that long,” Layla said, as she placed her hand across her growing abdomen.

“Well, let’s get to it then,” Cheryl replied, as she walked to the baby’s room. “Let’s get all this stuff packed up and moved down to the bunker.”

As Layla began packing up the baby’s things, her thoughts wandered to the Confederation and Derrick. She hoped he would remain safe and could somehow rescue her parents.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Derrick and the allied fleet spent the next few days destroying Morag targets. While they encountered no Morag warships, they were successful in destroying every shipyard, military base, and terraformed moon in each system they visited.

Barnes, Carrie, and Drake continued to hit targets on the periphery of the Morag systems and worked their way to the allied fleet. They too encountered no opposition from any Morag warships.

Derrick reasoned that either the leftover Morag warships were planning one last stand against them at Morag 112 or they were trying to save what was left of their fleet by avoiding the allied fleet altogether. The three scout ships still followed three of the five retreating Morag groups, but two groups were in the wind. So far, based on the reports from those three scout ships, those groups of enemy ships had not rendezvoused together.

Thus far, Derrick had not heard any more about the High King Bramdon or his wife, Claire. He hoped that they were still alive and reasoned that the Morag Councilor Addonis would eventually contact Derrick to negotiate for a cease-fire in exchange for their safe return. The more ship-building facilities the allied fleet could eliminate between now and then, the better.

Admiral Collison suggested they split the fleet into multiple groups to cover more ground faster. Derrick had agreed. There had been a little debate over how to divide up the allied fleet. Most groups were not willing to go alone with the Lormallians. Derrick could understand that. In the end, they sent a few Human ships with each group to help coordinate overall. It gave all the allies a better sense of confidence in having the Human ships with them.

The unexpected twist was that the largest part of the Human fleet needed to be together when Captain Tanner arrived with what could be a large fleet of Falton Two stealthed warships. There could be a few, tens, hundreds, or thousands of warships following him. That caused another debate.

Who all should they inform as to the secret of this mysterious planet? The Lormallians and their leader already knew. The Visth? In the end, after much deliberations, it was decided the Visth and the Lormallians would join with a majority of the Human fleet for the rendezvous to meet Tanner.

It was better to be overprepared than underprepared. Once they all arrived at the rendezvous point, where Captain Tanner would meet them, the others would be apprised of the situation. That time had come.

Derrick—as well as Admiral Collison, Visth Councilor Karn, Visth Admiral Larr, Lormallian Councilor Ardon Reull, and Lormallian Admiral Keld—would meet on Admiral Collison’s flagship in less than half an hour. According to Captain Tanner, he would arrive in the rendezvous system in two hours.

Not much time to waste. Most of the information shared at that meeting would come from Derrick, since he had the most knowledge of the situation. He didn’t know how much to share. Did he share that the Falton Two Humans were telepathic? That they could be enemies?

This situation could escalate quickly. Were they ready for a war with other Humans? He didn’t think so, but they would return fire if fired upon. What if these Humans had superior firepower? That was a strong possibility, considering they had stealthed warships. They wouldn’t even have a clue how many ships they were up against unless the Falton Two Humans revealed their ships to them. Would they do that? So many questions with so few answers. These answers might come soon enough unfortunately.

Derrick let out a deep sigh, as he headed toward Collison’s ship. This would not be an easy meeting. Even Admiral Collison knew very little about Falton Two. A lot of things that Tanner knew he could not share with Derrick, not until Tanner arrived. Would he even get a chance to tell Derrick, or would the Falton Two ships destroy the scout ship? What had Tanner discovered that the Falton Two Humans did not want shared? The more Derrick thought about it, the more unease he felt. Tanner had a wealth of information that they needed to know. It was vital that he and his ship be kept safe.

-

Captain Tanner neared the rendezvous location. He was worried. He tried not to let it show to his crew. He didn’t want them worried too. Tanner knew a large fleet would be assembled to help defend his ship against the unknown number of Falton Two warships that possibly followed him. Maybe he would get lucky and find out that no ships had followed him. Tanner shook his head. That was doubtful.

Tanner had found one of the Falton Two secret military bases and had flown his drone inside. It had to be the drone that gave them away. It was such a small drone, and it was stealthed. Yet it was apparent now that the Falton Two Humans could sense stealthed ships.

No doubt they had known his ship was orbiting their planet the entire time. Why had they not acted before they did? It had to be because the drone had breached their hidden base. Tanner could think of nothing else he had done that would have changed the status quo. This was something he may never have the answer to.

He would reach the safety of the allied fleet in under ninety minutes. Could the fleet protect him? What if the Falton Two ships destroyed his ship because of the information he had obtained? Maybe they didn’t want that knowledge shared. Either way, he had to get all the information he had gathered to another ship and fast.

Tanner searched the area for another scout ship. One was close by in a neighboring system. Tanner had to make them aware that this information was classified and for Admiral Marloo’s, Admiral Masters’s, or Captain Hadley’s eyes only. Outside of that, permission would be needed for anyone else to view the information from Admiral Marloo.

“Send a message to scout ship 403 and Captain Amar. Tell them we have classified information we must share in case we are destroyed soon,” Tanner said to his communications officer. So much for keeping his thoughts a secret, Tanner thought to himself.

A few minutes passed, and the communications officer said, “Captain Amar said he understands and will get the information to Admiral Marloo, if we are destroyed.”

“Good. Let’s hope the ships following us do not realize we are transferring data to Captain Amar and have ships drop out and destroy him. Start sending the data now,” Tanner commanded.

He would know soon enough, if the Falton Two ships drop out and destroy the scout ship he had just sent the data to. Tanner felt sick. If they did, Amar’s and his crew’s deaths would be on Tanner.

“Data is being transferred,” said the communications officer.

Tanner sat on the edge of his seat. He felt the tension rise in his entire body, as he waited. It seemed like an eternity before the communications officer said, “All data has been transferred.”

“Has that been acknowledged by Captain Amar?” asked Tanner.

“Yes.”

“Good. Keep tabs on that scout ship as we continue. We must confirm the data remains safe,” said Tanner. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he needed to send the information to more ships to be on the safe side. Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters was in the rendezvous system. With so many ships in the system, it was doubtful the Falton Two ships could pinpoint where Tanner sent the data. Tanner knew Masters had been apprised of Falton Two, so he was a likely safe haven for this data.

“Contact Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters. Let him know we would like to share our data with him, before we arrive, in case we are destroyed by the Falton Two ships upon exiting hyperspace at the rendezvous system,” Tanner ordered.

After a few minutes of waiting, they had their response. “Masters said to go ahead and send it when we can and gave us his coordinates.”

“Tell him, after we have sent the data, that he needs to move his entire fleet to different coordinates to ensure the Falton Two ships cannot determine which ship received the transmission,” Tanner replied.

“Done,” responded the communications officer.

“Let’s send the data then. The sooner it is accomplished, the better I will feel. Any news from Captain Amar? Is his scout ship still okay?” asked Tanner.

“We’ve had no further contact with Captain Amar. Do you want me to check in with him again to make sure?” asked the communications officer.

“No. I don’t want to alarm him. We will check with him later. Let Admiral Masters know which scout ship we sent the data to as well,” Tanner replied.

“Yes, sir.”

Tanner sat back in his command chair. He had less than an hour now, until his fate was decided. Would his ship be destroyed? Or would he live to tell his tale?

-

Derrick Masters looked around the room. All the designated leaders from the Lormallians and the Visth had arrived. He took a deep breath and then began. “Recently we have discovered another planet of Humans in the middle of the Confederation—deep within the Morag-controlled area. We have had this planet under surveillance for a while now. We wanted to observe to determine if these Humans were friends or foes. The Morag visited there, while we had this planet under observation. The existence of the relationship between these Humans and the Morag is still unknown.

“Most recently our scout ship was surrounded by warships and was threatened with annihilation. These warships were stealthed warships.”

A gasp could be heard from everyone in the room.

“I know that it is hard to fathom. This threatened scout ship is headed here now and will arrive in the next hour. We do not know if it is followed by these stealthed warships or not. Nor do we know their intentions. We have not had contact with these Humans and do not know if they are a friend or an enemy.

“Another thing we discovered is that some of these Falton Two Humans are telepathic.”

Another collective gasp could be heard around the room.

“We don’t know much more than that. We believe, based on what we have observed, that the telepathic ability these Humans have is slightly different from what the Morag have. We believe this because, when the Morag ships visited the planet, they communicated via hyperlight message, which we intercepted. If they could communicate telepathically, we believe they would not have used a hyperlight message.”

Visth Councilor Karn asked, “Will our telepathic nullifiers work against their telepathic ability, since it is different from the Morag?”

Derrick had to admit that he hadn’t considered that. “We do not know. I guess we will find out shortly.”

“Maybe it would be best for the Visth and the Lormallian fleets to be nearby but not in the system. That way, we could be of quick aid, if needed, but not in the system for them to use against you,” said Admiral Larr, “since we are unsure our telepathic nullifiers will work.”

“Good idea. When they are closer, you can enter hyperspace and stay nearby. I hope we do not need to call upon you for assistance,” replied Derrick.

“This is quite a significant development. We may be on the brink of destroying one enemy, only to find another—another that might be superior in technology than all of us,” said Visth Councilor Karn.

“Yes, that is true. We hope it does not turn out that way. We hope this is a big misunderstanding, and all will work out well. Maybe, by the end of this day, we will discover we have another powerful ally,” said Derrick.

They made a few more plans and discussed the possible scenarios, before the meeting adjourned. It was decided the Lormallians and Visth would exit the system half an hour before Captain Tanner arrived. They would remain nearby, if needed.

Once Derrick returned to his ship, he received news from Tanner that he was sending his data to Derrick’s ship. The more Derrick thought about it, the more he felt that was probably a good idea. If these Falton Two Humans intended to destroy Tanner’s ship, at least this would ensure the data was safe. Whatever it was that Tanner did to cause the Falton Two Humans to react needed to be known. Derrick wouldn’t have the time to review the information right now, but at least he would have it.

As soon as the information had been received, Derrick took Tanner’s advice and moved the entire fleet to a different location within the rendezvous system. This was to ensure the Falton Two Humans could not determine which ship had received the information. He then sent exit coordinates to Tanner and sat back in his command chair to wait for what would unfold in a short amount of time.

-

Tanner knew his time grew short. They had five more minutes until his ship would exit hyperspace in the rendezvous system. “Run the long-range scans of the system. I am curious to see how many ships the allied fleet have left.”

“Running scans now, sir,” said the sensor officer.

“I hope that we still have a large fleet left. We have no idea how many ships have followed us,” commented Tanner.

“Scans show 957 ships in the system, sir.”

Tanner breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s a pretty large fleet. Let Admiral Masters know we are two minutes from exiting hyperspace.”

-

Derrick grew more anxious as the time ticked by. Captain Tanner would be here in less than a minute. What was following him, they would soon find out. At least the data was safe. He hoped to ensure the scout ship’s safety too. If these following ships were stealthed, he couldn’t see them. Derrick felt a chill run down his spine.

“Admiral, we have received a message from Captain Tanner. He is exiting hyperspace now,” said the communications officer.

The crew switched their focus to the viewscreens at the front of the Command Center. Nothing showed up. It was an eerie feeling, knowing at least one ship was there, and it was undetectable to them.

“Captain Tanner said he is moving into position.”

They all waited. Derrick heard the sound of his racing heart. Then a new feeling crept up his spine. It felt like he was being watched. The feeling brought him back to when he was a kid, hiking in the woods with his father. Derrick felt very uncomfortable again now but knew he could do nothing, unless the Falton Two Humans revealed themselves.

“I want to send a message to our unseen guests,” said Derrick.

“Yes, sir,” replied the communications officer.

Derrick stood and waited to see if the Falton Two Humans would accept his transmission.

“Someone has accepted our transmission. It’s coming on the screen now.”

Derrick swallowed to soothe his dry throat. His heartbeat quickened. His gaze focused on the viewscreen ahead of him. The viewscreen changed to a view of a Human, not unlike himself. Surely these Humans were not our enemies.

“Greetings. I am Vice Fleet Admiral Derrick Masters from the Human Empire. We have no quarrel with you or your people,” Derrick said confidently, as he tried to evaluate the expression on the Human’s face on the viewscreen.

“I am Admiral Kenan of the Human Federation. You are in unauthorized territory. You must leave now.”

Derrick narrowed his eyes. How much should he say? “This territory is controlled by the Morag. They are aware of our presence in their systems. We will continue to finish our mission.”

“Why did you have a ship watching one of our planets?”

“It was on a discovery mission and found a planet full of Humans. It stayed to observe,” Derrick replied. This Human definitely was not being friendly. Derrick wondered again how many warships were surrounding his fleet. Captain Tanner’s ship was hopefully in the middle of their formation by now. Safe from the Falton Two Humans.

“Stay away from our planets. We do not need any interference from you and your kind,” Kenan said, with obvious disgust.

“Are we not both Human? Are we not the same kind?” Derrick questioned.

“We may look the same, but we are not. You are not welcome in our systems. If one of your ships is spotted in our systems, it will be destroyed,” Kenan said coldly.

“We know only of the one planet. Maybe you should share where your systems are so we can ensure our explorations do not accidentally find the others,” Derrick replied.

Kenan gave Derrick a disgusted look. “I will not reveal the location of our planets. Do not explore this area. You have been warned.”

“Why would we not be allies and trade goods with each other?” Derrick asked in return.

“Who is your leader?” Kenan asked.

“High Princess Layla Starguard,” Derrick replied.

Kenan looked thoughtful for a moment. “Who were her parents?”

“Bramdon and Claire Starguard,” Derrick said.

A cold smile spread across Kenan’s face. “Yes, I remember Bramdon and Claire. We kept them in cryo until recently.” A smug look now filled Kenan’s face.

“We have seen Bramdon and Claire recently, with Morag Councilor Addonis. That was right before we destroyed Morag Prime,” Derrick said coldly in return.

The shock was visible on Kenan’s face. “This fleet destroyed Morag Prime?” Kenan questioned doubtfully.

It was Derrick’s turn to smile. “No. We had help and lots of it. This is only a fraction of our allied fleet. They are nearby though. Before we are finished in the Morag-controlled area of the Confederation, the Morag will have little with which to make war.”

Kenan was obviously disgusted. “So you are murderers then. Preying on those weaker than you.”

“No. We have been subject to the Morag’s attacks for thousands of years. We are only destroying our enemies who first attacked us,” replied Derrick.

Kenan shook his head. “Stay out of our systems, or you will meet your demise.”

“Why is it that you have no interest in trading with us?” asked Derrick. This might be the only time he had the chance to talk to a Human from Falton Two. He had better use the opportunity for what it was.

“We have everything we need in our Human Federation. We do not need anything you could possibly offer us.”

“I am sure our High Princess Layla Starguard would like the opportunity to speak to your leader,” said Derrick.

“Emperor Rowan has no use for your High Princess Layla. If he wants to speak with her, he can easily get in touch with her,” Kenan said, with a smirk.

“How’s that? Do you know of our Human Empire and our home planet?” Derrick asked, puzzled.

Kenan again gave a sly smile. “Of course we know about your precious homeworld of Golan Four. We actually have spies imbedded in your leadership.”

Derrick swallowed. This was a development he had not expected. “Then you must know of our plans to destroy the Morag. Long before we ever started this mission. Yet you did nothing to stop us.”

“We have no use for the Morag. You helped us by destroying them. Now no one is left with a war fleet the size of ours. We are free to take what we want,” Kenan said triumphantly.

“What exactly is it that you want?” asked Derrick.

“You will see soon enough.” Then Kenan laughed. “Actually you won’t see, not until it’s too late.”

The transmission ended, and suddenly the alarms rang out, and hundreds of red threat icons appeared. Derrick’s fleet was surrounded. Then, as suddenly as the ships appeared, they were gone.

Derrick looked around frantically. “Where did they go? Did they enter hyperspace? Or are they still here?”

The sensor officer replied, “No way to tell. We could not sense their location, even when we were transmitting with them. They are invisible. They could still be here, or they may have left. No way to tell.”

Derrick looked around the room. He did not like this, not one bit. “Let’s go. I don’t want to wait around to see if they decide to attack us.”

The Human fleet quickly entered hyperspace. “What if they follow us?” asked Colonel Bryant, Derrick’s XO.

“Again no way to know. We still have much more to do before we are ready to return home to the Human Empire,” Derrick replied.

“Where are we headed now?” asked the navigation officer.

“To the nearest Morag-inhabited system. We have more targets to destroy. Once we get there, if we find no Morag warships, I want Captain Tanner on this ship. I have a lot of questions for him,” commanded Derrick.

“Yes, sir,” said the navigation officer. “We will arrive at Morag Twenty-Seven in approximately three hours.”

Derrick had a lot to think about in these next three hours. Somehow they had destroyed their greatest known enemy, only to find a secret one—possibly stronger than the Morag.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The two days passed quickly, while Golan Four prepared for the incoming attack of the Druins. Resistance ships were arriving from all over the Empire. Even attack interceptors had been sent from nearby planets to enhance the defenses of Golan Four.

Marloo knew that they would destroy the Druin fleet. He wasn’t sure though how long it would take. Would the Druins get a few missiles through to the planet? That was Marloo’s fear.

The evacuations were going smoothly. It appeared everyone had heeded High Princess Layla’s warning. Of course a few stragglers would wait until the last minute. Layla herself would not go down to the bunker under the Imperial Palace, not until the Druin fleet arrived. She would keep tabs on the battle from the underground Command Center beneath the Imperial Palace. It was much smaller than the one Marloo would be in, but it was large enough to know what went on.

If the Druins had the audacity to attack Golan Four, they would pay dearly for it. The Empire fleets would pay a high price too, being that they would be outnumbered.

Marloo was in constant contact with Captain Iris, who followed behind the enemy fleet. Admiral Cleemorl also trailed slightly behind Iris. Marloo was confident the Druins knew they had company, that they were being followed.

The last communication with Iris confirmed the Druin fleet was approximately half an hour from the Golan Four system. The final alarms would sound on the planet, as soon as the enemy fleet was spotted in the system.

Marloo expected the Druins to immediately begin their attack on the planet’s defenses. As for Golan Four’s defenses, they were already at Condition One. The defensive grid was ready and waiting for the enemy to arrive. It had been enhanced more since the last attack on Golan Four.

The sitting and waiting for the enemy to arrive had Marloo tense. He was ready to get on with it.

Things were still going well in the Confederation. The Human and allied fleets had successfully visited over sixty-one Morag star systems since this attack had begun in the Confederation. They still had many more systems to hit, including the one where High King Bramdon and his wife were likely being held.

Marloo understood that Derrick was waiting until he had destroyed more shipyards and military bases before he went to that system to negotiate for the release of the High King and Queen. Assuming they were still alive.

The confrontation with the Humans of Falton Two had gone well—at least in the sense that there had been no exchange of firepower. The Falton Two Admiral Kenan had revealed there was a Human Federation. How many planets this entailed remained a mystery.

Captain Hadley had been stopped from exploring her mystery planets. Marloo did not need another war right now. He did not want to provoke the Falton Two Humans. Not with the stealth capabilities of their warships. The Human Empire had a lot of catching up to do.

The thing that bothered him most was that Falton Two’s Admiral Kenan had revealed they had spies in the Human Empire’s “leadership.” Was this in the highest parts of our military too? Was it a bluff? Marloo surveyed the room. Was one of these a spy? How would he ever know? How could he figure it out? Closer research into their families and backgrounds? Marloo shook his head. That was a worry for another day.

Derrick had not known about the other member of the Starguard family, who remained on Falton Two. Derrick might by now, since he had likely had a briefing with Captain Tanner. The allied fleet’s first priority had to be destroying the Morag’s ability to make war and then getting Bramdon and Claire back. Lastly maybe dealing with Falton Two. However, that might depend on what all Bramdon and Claire knew about the situation.

Suddenly alarms sounded, bringing Marloo out of his thoughts. He immediately stood. “Status.”

“We have Druin ships exiting hyperspace, Admiral,” said the sensor officer.

“Right on time. Admiral Cleemorl is about twenty minutes behind them. We must hold out until then. Sound the alarms on the planet and activate all planetary defense systems. Alert High Princess Layla as well. It’s time she made her way to her bunker,” commanded Marloo.

The Command Center was a busy hub of activity.

“How close are they to the engagement range of the fleet?” asked Marloo.

“Seven minutes, Admiral,” replied the sensor officer.

“Let’s launch the attack interceptors. Maybe they can get in there and destroy some enemy ships, before they get in range of Fulmar’s fleet.”

“Right away, sir.”

Marloo watched one of the viewscreens, as the attack interceptors launched from their secure hangars all over the planet. A smile crossed his face. The Druins would soon realize their mistake in coming here.

-

High Princess Layla heard the alarms sounding outside the Imperial Palace. It didn’t take long for Cheryl and Emira to get to her side, and they all headed to the bunker beneath the Palace.

Once safely in the confines of the bunker, Layla promptly headed to the Command Center located there. Cheryl would want to know what was going on above Golan Four, since her husband, Admiral Dylan Cleemorl, would arrive shortly to help defeat the Druin fleet.

By the looks of things, the battle would soon begin. Layla noticed the attack interceptors headed off the planet and toward the enemy ships above Golan Four. Hopefully they would eliminate a good portion of the enemy fleet. Layla hoped Rear Admiral Fulmar was ready for this attack and could hold off the Druins, until Cleemorl and his ships arrived.

General Katelyn Mase was in charge of this Command Center, and Layla quickly asked her, “How close are they?”

General Mase replied, “Five minutes. We are hoping the attack interceptors can get in there and launch the first wave of attack, before the Druins are in range of Fulmar’s fleet.”

Layla and Cheryl sat down in the chairs indicated for them by one of the many workers in the room.

Layla took a deep breath and slowly let it out. All she could really do was watch and stay out of the way.

-

Rear Admiral Fulmar launched his attack interceptors, as soon as the Druins started to exit hyperspace. He had with him 11 battlecarriers that held a total of 1,760 attack interceptors. Soon after he gave this command, the command came through from Fleet Admiral Marloo to launch all attack interceptors from the surface of Golan Four. That would add an additional 5,000 attack interceptors into the fray.

Should he hold off his attack interceptors from his carriers and wait for the rest of the interceptors to arrive from the planet? Fulmar quickly decided against waiting. He could get more interceptors reloaded on the carriers, if they staggered their attacks.

Fulmar watched as the interceptors formed into their squadrons and headed toward the advancing Druin fleet. It wouldn’t take them long to close the distance and to launch their first round of missiles.

Fulmar sat forward in his command chair, anticipating the release of hundreds of missiles at the enemy ships. As the interceptors from his carriers reached the engagement range of the enemy fleet, the Druins opened fire on the small attack craft.

Fulmar winced, as small bright flashes of light could be seen across the viewscreens. He quickly said a silent prayer for those interceptor crews who had just breathed their last.

The remaining interceptors dove and spun and expertly maneuvered around the fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles being thrown at them. Fulmar was always impressed by the maneuverability of these small ships. He imagined it would be quite fun to pilot one. Maybe one day he would get the chance. Not today, however. Today he had Druins to destroy.

-

Druin Admiral Falorr stared at the Human fleet assembled before him. A smile crossed his face. If he could destroy a majority of this fleet before the one that followed him arrived, he might just win this battle.

As the Druins closed the distance between them and their enemy, the Humans launched their small attack craft. Falorr slammed his hand on the armrest. “Launch our drones. It’s time these Humans saw the destruction of their precious small attack craft.”

Falorr watched as the drones launched from all 18 of his drone carriers. In all, he had 2,250 drones with which to destroy the lion’s share of these enemy small attack craft.

The drones were larger than the Humans’ small ships but could still go toe-to-toe with them. At least it would keep most of the enemy’s small attack craft from targeting his main fleet.

-

“Rear Admiral Fulmar, the Druins are launching their drones,” said the sensor officer.

“How many do they have?” Fulmar asked.

“One thousand and counting, sir.”

Fulmar watched, as the tactical display lit up with countless red threat icons. This would put a damper on his plans. “Tell the attack interceptors to destroy the drones first. Then they can help destroy the fleet.”

Fulmar had experience with these Druin drones. The Druins had used them in their attack on the Hagen Star Cluster months ago. While the drones were maneuverable, the attack interceptors were more maneuverable. The drones were about 40 percent larger than the interceptors, but the AI that piloted the drones worried Fulmar slightly. If those AI had learned from the last battles with the interceptors, there could be problems.

“Tell the interceptors to use their fusion missiles to destroy the energy screen of the drone and then to use their fusion energy beam fire to finish off the drone. This way each interceptor can theoretically destroy four drones before needing to reload.”

As the dogfight began between the attack interceptors and the drones, the fleet-to-fleet battle commenced as well.

“Have the interceptors reload and refuel at the carriers as much as possible, so they will waste less time going to the surface to reload,” commanded Fulmar.

The Druin warships were now in combat range of Fulmar’s fleet. He must hold them off for another thirteen minutes, before Cleemorl would arrive. Fulmar swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Yet he was not alone. Rear Admiral Liam Anderson, with his Resistance fleet, was here to aid him in destroying the enemy fleet.

-

Rear Admiral Liam Anderson surveyed the Druin fleet just entering his ships’ combat range. He had fewer battlecruisers than Fulmar, but he did have a large number of support ships. These ships were smaller than the cruisers but, with a team effort, could take down an enemy battlecruiser.

The Resistance fleet was on Fulmar’s left side. The first stage of the fight would be out here, away from the planet. The planet’s robust defensive grid would play a significant role in eliminating the enemy ships, but not before the fleet had a go at them first. The farther they could keep the enemy from the planet, the better.

Weapons fire erupted from both fleets, as they moved in range of each other. Anderson assigned his supply ships into squadrons, like the interceptors. He had ordered them to stay in a loose formation to help make them harder to target and destroy.

Thankfully all his battlecruisers had the accelerator cannons. With the advantage of having the superior weapons, they’d slice right through this front line of the Druin fleet.

Already explosions and debris littered the front line of the enemy fleet. More ships filled in the holes created. The Druins currently were in a wedge formation, with their more powerful battleships scattered throughout the formation.

The Druin battleships were being targeted by Fulmar’s dreadnoughts and particle beam cannons. The particle beam cannons slashed holes through one and then another.

Anderson’s gaze switched to another viewscreen, showing his support ships. They neared the enemy and had begun their coordinated attack. Their fusion energy beams and antimatter missiles were being hurled at the incoming Druin ships.

Suddenly a bright flash of light lit up another screen, causing Anderson to shield his gaze. Then he felt his ship shake beneath him. “Status,” he commanded as he could gaze again at his viewscreens.

“Sir, a nearby battlecruiser was destroyed,” said the sensor officer.

A quick glance at the tactical display showed that his fleet had lost more ships than he was comfortable with. “Send a message to Fulmar and let him know we will reposition closer to the defensive grid. We need more firepower.”

Anderson slowly had his fleet move backward toward the defensive grid, as they continued their attack on the Druin.

“Fulmar says he will do the same. It won’t be much longer, and Cleemorl’s fleet will arrive and will join the fight,” said the communications officer.

The Resistance fleet moved in closer to one of the ODPs. As the Druin fleet moved in range of the Resistance fleet, it began targeting the enemy ships.

Anderson was surprised when the Druin fleet switched its focus from firing on his ships to targeting the ODP. This must be the Druins’ goal, to get through to the planet. While the Druins focused on the ODP, it freed his ships to destroy the enemy fleet, while not being targeted themselves by the enemy.

With the Druins focusing their firepower on the ODP, it didn’t take long to blast it into pieces. The Druins then continued to target other defensive grid elements in the area around Anderson’s fleet.

A quick check of the tactical display showed he had lost no more ships since they had relocated the fleet. The Druins, however, were losing ships almost faster than he could count.

Anderson kept plugging away, targeting one ship after another with the accelerator cannons on the battlecruisers he had left. The support ships were still teaming up to destroy the Druin cruisers too.

Druin ships were dying all over their formation. At this rate, they would not get through to the planet down below.

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo didn’t like that the Druins were already targeting the defensive grid. He had agreed with pulling the ships back so the defensive grid could aid in the enemy ships’ destruction, but now it appeared the enemy was only interested in destroying the defensive grid.

On the surface of the planet, missile interceptors, energy beam turrets, and ground-based PDCs were ready to fire. Marloo was still concerned the Druins might get a few missiles through their defenses.

When Cleemorl’s fleet arrives, Marloo planned to pull more attack interceptors back into the atmosphere of the planet to help shoot down any missiles that might make it through.

Cleemorl was approximately five minutes from the Golan Four system. Once his ships arrived, Marloo would feel a little more comfortable. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. He just couldn’t figure out what it was. Marloo checked the tactical display again and again. Why did he have this terrible feeling inside him? All their ground defenses had been activated. The bunkers were all full and sealed. He had done everything he could to prepare for this attack. So why couldn’t he shake this feeling of danger?

High Princess Layla was safe inside her bunker. His family was as well. Why this foreboding feeling?

Marloo focused again on the viewscreens at the front of the room. One showed an attack interceptor zeroing in on a Druin drone. The AI piloting the drone seemed very advanced. Perhaps even more so than the last time they had faced this foe.

Was it possible the Druins had enhanced their drones and the AIs that piloted them? It took the interceptor pilot a few go-arounds before it finally had the drone in its crosshairs. One fusion-tipped missile was immediately sent to eliminate the drone’s energy shield, and then the energy beams finished off the drone.

The drones were equipped with fusion energy beams and fusion and antimatter missiles. This gave the drones a tactical advantage over the interceptors. Plus the drone’s shield protected the entire drone.

The drone’s fusion energy beams blasted the interceptors from space. Bright fireballs littered the area, as Human interceptors in the dozens died. The AIs controlling the drones demonstrated superior targeting. Explosions and flashes of light were everywhere.

Marloo felt his heart pounding in his chest. The number of drones was dwindling, but he was losing many attack interceptors with them.

Marloo’s gaze shifted again and again to the clock. Cleemorl would be here soon with reinforcements.

The fleet battle was intense, as the Druins seemed to throw everything they had at the defensive grid. The Human ships used the opportunity to pick off the enemy ships. The tactical display showed the red threat icons disappearing one after another. What was left of the Druins wedge formation was not pretty. Holes dotted the formation, as more and more ships met their end.

Alarms sounded, and Marloo sat forward in his chair. He held his breath as he waited for the confirmation that Cleemorl had arrived. When the icons turned green, cheers erupted across the Command Center. Now the Druins would be crushed.

-

Cleemorl was relieved when his ships arrived at Golan Four. His wife was down on that planet, and he had every intention of seeing her again when this fight was over.

A quick survey of the battle told Cleemorl a lot. The Druins were focused on the defensive grid, while Fulmar’s ships and the Resistance ships focused on the enemy ships. Now Cleemorl’s ships would join the fight.

He had the attack interceptors launch from the carriers and head in to help exterminate the drones. Cleemorl’s fleet would hit the right flank of the Druin formation. He would crush them.

“Six minutes to engagement range, Admiral,” called out the sensor officer.

Patience was not his strong suit. He closed his eyes and visualized how the battle would go. When he opened them again, he checked the viewscreens and consoles around him. Everything was ready.

The attack interceptors soon reached the ongoing battle with the drones. Cleemorl kept a close watch on that fight, until his ships were in range. As he received the confirmation that they were in range, Cleemorl’s fleet lit up the space above Golan Four with a tremendous amount of firepower.

Druin ships were blown apart in large explosions, as the accelerator cannon fire and the particle beam cannon fire reached the enemy fleet. Cleemorl watched for any change in the Druins’ focus. They were not deterred.

The Druin fleet, or what was left of it, still remained laser-focused on the defensive grid elements within range. The defensive grid was targeting the enemy ships in return. Flashes of light indicated where the Druins had successfully destroyed the defensive grid. With their few remaining ships, the Druins continued their mission. It wouldn’t last much longer.

-

Druin Admiral Falorr had a sinking feeling. They wouldn’t make it through to the planet. With his goal unachievable, he should just retreat and save what ships he had.

Falorr sat back in his chair, defeated. He couldn’t get through to the planet. Maybe with a few more ships. He had come so close to obtaining his goal. Now he had to sound the retreat.

“Tell the drones to return to their carriers. We are done. It’s time to head home,” Falorr commanded.

As the drones returned to their carriers, Falorr kept fighting. His attention switched though to the warships. At least he could destroy a few of them first.

When Falorr received the message, confirming all surviving drones were safely on board their carriers, he said, “Let’s head home. We’ve done enough here.”

With that, the Druin fleet entered hyperspace. Only sixteen battleships, sixty-four battlecruisers, and ten drone carriers remained. The number of drones now stood at one-quarter of what it had been at the start of the battle.

-

Fleet Admiral Marloo was relieved when he saw the Druin ships enter hyperspace. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that the battle wasn’t over yet.

“Keep the fleet at Condition One,” ordered Marloo. “Keep all defenses on high alert.”

General Gantts turned and said, “But, sir, the Druins have left. No enemy remains to defend against.”

“That’s not what my gut is telling me. We will remain at high alert for another hour,” replied Marloo.

-

Layla was puzzled that the Condition One had not been lifted. “General Mase, what’s going on?”

“Honestly I am not sure. Marloo said we would remain at Condition One for another hour,” replied Mase.

“I am certain he has his reasons. How many ships do we have left?” asked Layla. During the battle, both Cheryl and Layla had kept a close watch on it. Cleemorl and his fleet were safe. At least for now.

“We have 76 dreadnoughts, 418 battlecruisers, and 11 battlecarriers left. Many need repairs. It’s a good thing we will have time to rebuild our fleets. None of our enemies are large enough to threaten us now,” said Mase.

Layla thought that as well, but, then again, why were they still at Condition One?

-

Cleemorl was unsure why they were still at Condition One. The Druin fleet had left over fifteen minutes ago. “Get Marloo on the comm. It’s time we figured out what is going on around here.”

Once Marloo was on the comm, Cleemorl asked him why they were still on high alert.

“I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that we are missing something. I feel like we are being watched,” replied Marloo.

“By whom? No enemy is left with a fleet large enough to threaten us now. We are finally safe,” replied Cleemorl.

“Perhaps,” said Marloo. “I plan to leave the heightened threat level for another forty-five minutes. I figured we would rather be safe than sorry.”

“You’ve got to trust your instincts. I hope your instincts are wrong though,” Cleemorl said, as he disconnected the comm.

Cleemorl studied his command console in front of him. Nothing was on the tactical display. “Let’s check in with Captain Iris. I want to make sure the Druin fleet is headed home.”

After a few moments, the reply came back from Iris. “Captain Iris confirms that what’s left of the Druin fleet is, indeed, headed back toward the Confederation,” said the communications officer.

Cleemorl once again studied his consoles. Why did Marloo have that bad feeling? What could they possibly be missing? Only green icons filled the tactical display. Cleemorl sat back in frustration. Marloo would soon realize he was being overly cautious. Then they could all relax a little.

One thing Cleemorl wanted to do was check in on his wife. This was a call he didn’t want to make from the Command Center. This would be one he’d take from his quarters. “Captain Bidwell, you are in charge until I return. I will be in my quarters for a few minutes.” As he walked out, he took one last look at the viewscreens. Empty. There were no enemy ships.

Cleemorl walked toward his quarters. As he passed his fellow crew mates, he smiled and greeted them. Freedom. They finally had it. He took a deep breath and basked in that feeling that washed over him.

When Cleemorl turned the last corner that led to his private quarters, alarms rang out. Red lights flashed down the corridor. “What the hell?”

Cleemorl ran back to the Command Center as fast as he could. Once inside, what he saw on the viewscreen brought him to his knees.

-

Marloo continued to stare at the viewscreens. No red threat icons shown. His heart still pounded in his chest with a feeling of foreboding. Maybe it was just the adrenaline that pumped through his body that made him feel like this. He closed his eyes to try to steady himself.

When he opened them again, his gaze returned immediately to the viewscreens. He glanced over and gave a small reassuring smile to General Gantts. When his gaze returned to the viewscreen, he saw something. He stood and walked closer to the viewscreens. What was that?

As he walked closer, it became clearer. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat. Alarms sounded, and red lights flashed. Before him, on the viewscreen, hundreds of warships began to appear. They did not appear from hyperspace though. No these ships had already been here. For how long, there was no way to tell.

Marloo realized pretty quickly that he was staring at a fleet of Falton Two stealthed warships, now revealing themselves.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Admiral Collison was content with their progress so far through the Morag star systems. They still had a way to go, probably another four days or so before they had this mission wrapped up.

They had again split the allied fleet into smaller groups to cover more ground faster. They had yet to run into any more Morag warships. The allied fleet overall lost a few ships in each system, between destroying the shipyards and military bases. Plus each system had interceptor killers to be destroyed. This was what had hurt them the most. The smaller ships of the allied fleet had been the target of the enemy’s interceptor killers.

Collison had just received an update from Barsoon Commander Kyran that they had successfully destroyed all targets in their designated system.

Reports had come in from Creetin Supreme Commander Ephenius too. Another system had been relieved of its war-making abilities.

Collison and Masters had agreed to let their allies destroy the target systems that did not possess terraformed moons to be destroyed. Those would be annihilated by the Humans, Visth, or Lormallians. Their fleets were larger and stronger, better able to deal with the potential firepower a massive base like that might possess.

The scout ships following the fleeing Morag ships had all ended up in the same system—where Morag 112 was located. According to the scout ship stationed in the system since before the attack on Morag Prime, hundreds of transport vessels had arrived on the planet over the last few days.

Captain Laine, who had followed the transport vessel that they had suspected the two Empire Royals had been on, had also appeared in this same system. This planet looked to be the Morag’s new homeworld. No terraformed moons were in this system. Also no military bases had been detected on the surface of the planet.

A scout ship must be stationed here at all times to keep an eye on what the Morag were up to. To ensure they were not rebuilding their military.

Time grew near to visit this system where the Morag were congregated. Would they negotiate for the two Humans? Or were they already dead?

Collison would leave the negotiations to Admiral Masters. These were Empire Humans and his wife’s parents. Collison did not envy Masters being in that position at all. Collison hoped it would turn out the way Masters hoped it would.

-

Derrick paced back and forth in his quarters. He kept a watchful eye on the clock. He had about fifteen more minutes before the Human fleet exited hyperspace near Morag 112. He was more nervous now than he’d ever been.

Things were going well in the Confederation. They had almost destroyed all their Morag targets. They had, in fact, brought the Morag to their knees, at least Derrick hoped they had. Would the Morag be desperate enough to trade their Royal captives for their own safety? Derrick would soon find out.

Derrick had to be strong and confident, even if inside he was scared out of his mind. Would Layla ever forgive him if this negotiation went badly? Or what if there was no negotiation because they had already executed the two captives? No, that couldn’t be. The Morag would have done that publicly. To show the Human Empire that the Morag showed no mercy. Of course that wouldn’t bode well for how the Human fleet would handle the Morag.

A deep breath in and out. Time to head to the Command Center. Derrick took one last look in his mirror and straightened his uniform. He had this. He must have this.

-

Rear Admiral Barnes surveyed what still remained of their combined fleet. Rear Admiral Carrie and Drake had been phenomenal to work with. They would soon be rendezvousing with Admirals Collison and Masters at Morag 112.

Collison and Masters would arrive shortly before Barnes did. Currently a small group of Morag warships were in the system, but they all had agreed that these ships would likely leave the system when the Humans appeared. If not, they would have the chance to finish off what was left of the Morag fleet.

They had more work to do and more Morag targets to destroy, but first they must try to negotiate the release of the Morag’s two Human captives.

In less than five minutes, Admiral Collison should arrive in the rendezvous system. Barnes and her task group would be about ten minutes behind that.

-

Derrick sat in his command chair. He was focused and ready for what was to come. He felt the familiar twinge in his stomach, as his ship exited hyperspace.

Alarms sounded, and red lights flashed. A quick check of the tactical display showed about one hundred Morag warships in the system. Would they stay? Would they leave? That question was answered rather quickly when the sensor officer said, “The Morag warships are charging their hyperdrives.”

Derrick was a little disappointed. He really wanted to hunt down every last one of those enemy ships. He may still have the chance, but, right now, that wasn’t his priority.

“Send a message that I want to speak with Morag Councilor Addonis,” ordered Derrick.

After a few moments, the communications officer confirmed she had Addonis on the line.

“Put him up on the screen,” Derrick ordered. He stood, ready to face his destiny.

Morag Councilor Addonis appeared on the viewscreen. He stood so tall. Derrick was a little relieved this negotiation wouldn’t take place face-to-face. This was as close to a Morag as he ever wanted to get.

“Why are you here, Human?” Addonis spit out.

“We are here to negotiate for the release of your two Human captives,” replied Derrick in a calm but commanding tone.

“What makes you think we still have those two captives?” replied Addonis.

“I have learned enough about the Morag to know that you are not stupid enough to destroy the one thing that would give you some leverage in these negotiations,” Derrick replied, as he narrowed his gaze at the Morag in front of him.

“What negotiations?”

“Either you hand over the two Humans unharmed or face your imminent deaths.” As Derrick finished that sentence, then, right on cue, alarms sounded. Derrick smiled. It was Barnes, Carrie, and Drake with their task group.

The Morag didn’t bat an eye. He looked completely unaffected by the arrival of the Human reinforcements. An evil smile spread across his face. “You do not know which vessel the Humans are on. Would you risk killing them?”

Derrick had suspected Addonis would use this tactic against him. This was why Derrick had Captain Laine closely keep tabs on the transport vessel. No ships had come or gone from the vessel. Nor had the ship itself gone to the surface.

Derrick nodded to his tactical officer. A group of ships moved in toward the planet.

“What are you doing?” asked Addonis.

“Preparing to take out the defensive grid of the planet,” Derrick replied.

Addonis showed no visible signs of distress. “What if your Humans are on the planet?”

“They aren’t.”

Derrick once again nodded to the tactical officer. A dreadnought aimed and fired a particle beam at a nearby transport vessel. Not one nearest to Addonis, but close enough.

Addonis looked away for a moment. When he turned back, he said, “You are playing a very dangerous game, Human.”

“Perhaps. I am under the impression you are the one playing a dangerous game though. About those negotiations, are you willing to begin now?” asked Derrick.

“I will give you one Human, not both,” Addonis replied.

Derrick turned and again nodded to the tactical officer. Soon another particle beam fired, destroying another transport vessel. “Both Humans, unharmed. I will allow you to live out the rest of your days here on Morag 112,” said Derrick.

“What gives you the authority to make these deals?” asked Addonis.

“I am Vice Fleet Admiral of the Human Empire,” replied Derrick.

“Stop all your attacks in the Morag-controlled area, and we would be willing to arrange the transfer of the two Humans,” Addonis said.

“No. We will continue our attacks until all your shipyards, military bases, and terraformed moons are destroyed. Then we will stop our attacks. I am willing to give you this star system to live in peacefully.”

“That is not enough. Why destroy all our terraformed moons? They are no threat to you.”

“On the contrary, we have found a few of these terraformed moons to be massive military bases. We will not take the chance of leaving one unharmed,” Derrick replied.

“So you will not destroy any of our inhabited planets, and you will agree to keep your scout ships out of our systems,” said Addonis.

“We will not destroy an entire planet. We will take out any military establishments on the planets, however. Other than that, we will leave the inhabited planets intact.”

“What of your scout ships?” asked Addonis.

“They will remain here to ensure you do not begin rebuilding your military.”

“How are you any different than us? It seems to me that you have become the very thing you’ve fought against and believed to be evil all these years. Destroying innocent lives in your pursuit of revenge.”

Derrick paused for a moment, knowing in many ways the Morag spoke the truth. Derrick sighed. “I hope that, in the future, we can find a way to get past our differences. Build a new future where we can all live peacefully.”

“That will never happen. The Morag will not rest until we have revenge on the Human Empire and Earth,” Addonis replied.

“What of your peace with the Humans of Falton Two? How can you have peace with those Humans but not with us? Why are we so different?” Derrick couldn’t help but ask.

“That is none of your concern. The Humans of Falton Two are very different from you, and that’s the end of that. I will only give you my two captives if you agree to keep the scout ships out of this system. I do not want to be watched. I am sure you can understand that. What could we possibly do in one system?”

Derrick paused. He could agree to that. They could always keep tabs from long-range scans and intervene if necessary. “All right. I can make that deal. We will not completely destroy any planet, only military bases and terraformed moons. We will not station a scout ship in this system. You will return Bramdon and his wife, Claire, unharmed to us immediately.”

“That is agreeable to us. Which ship should we dock with to transfer the prisoners?” asked Addonis.

Derrick wanted them on his ship, but was this a trap? He would need them on another ship first. Which one though? “When our ship docks with yours, I want no Morag in sight. Only the two Humans.”

Addonis narrowed his eyes at Derrick. “Done. You know which ship we are. Dock when you are ready.”

“I hope that things can change for us in the future, Councilor Addonis. We do not enjoy destroying worlds or lives. We do what we must though to defend ourselves.”

Addonis ended the transmission without another word. Now for the transfer. Derrick couldn’t put this on anyone else. He had to do it.

“Prepare all our Marines for the transfer. There may be Morag who are very hostile toward us. The Marines must be armed and ready to fire at the first sign of trouble,” Derrick ordered.

Derrick would remain far from the physical transfer, until they were safely out of this system. Thankfully there were no targets they needed to destroy in this system.

All ships in the fleet remained on high alert. If this went badly, the fleet would be quick to respond.

Derrick’s flagship moved in toward the Morag transport vessel. He sat on the edge of his seat. He tried to calm his nerves.

The Marines were assembled and armed, waiting at the airlock where the two Humans would come through. This would be a tense few minutes.

-

Admiral Collison watched as Derrick’s flagship moved in toward the Morag vessel. There were so many ways this could go wrong.

Would the Morag uphold their end of the bargain? Were the Humans really not leaving a scout ship here? What could the Morag do with one system left unmonitored? What was so important about this system?

“Let’s run some detailed scans of the planet. I want to confirm we aren’t missing something here,” Collison commanded.

Collison stood in front of his command chair and surveyed the various viewscreens. Part of the fleet was stationed near the planet. If this hostage transfer didn’t go well, they’d destroy the planet. Other ships had transport vessels assigned as their targets. If things went badly, no Morag would survive in this system.

Collison began to review the scans coming in from the surface. Nothing unusual was showing up. Not one thing made him question that a base might be here. Something must be there though. Why else would the Morag pick this planet in this system? Collison had to be missing something.

One viewscreen showed Derrick’s flagship moving in closer to the transport vessel. It dwarfed the Morag ship. Surely the Morag would not pick this time to try something stupid. They had to realize it would mean death to them all.

Collison couldn’t stand still and watch. He paced around the Command Center. Derrick’s ship inched closer to the Morag ship. Any moment now, and the two would be docked.

-

Bramdon Starguard and his wife, Claire, sat in their room, talking about the past. It had been days since they had spoken with anyone else. The Morag would bring them food three times a day. Other than that, they had no idea where they were or what was going on.

The Morag must still think Bramdon and Claire were of value, or they would already be dead. They didn’t even have a window from their room to see outside. It was a lonely and sad place to stay.

The door suddenly opened, and Bramdon put himself between the Morag and his wife. Then Councilor Addonis walked in. “You are being released to the Humans. Follow me.”

Bramdon looked at Claire. He could see the joy, relief, and hope in her eyes. “What made you decide to release us?” Bramdon asked, as they followed Addonis out of their quarters.

“Our safety. I’m sure the Humans will fill you in,” Addonis replied.

“Thank you for treating us well. If there is anything I can do to help pave the way for our races to stop killing each other, I will do it. Please feel free to reach out to me in the future,” Bramdon said sincerely.

The Morag were not what the King had envisioned in the past. He had spent a lot of time with Addonis, and, although Bramdon would not call him a friend, Addonis was an intelligent and thoughtful councilor of his race. Bramdon had hoped he had done some positive things to show the Morag a better side of the Humans as well.

“I hope you can talk these Humans out of destroying all my terraformed moons. They claim military bases are on them, but that is not true. Only a few hold these bases, yet they plan to destroy them all. Billions of Morag will die because of this. If you can do anything for my race, it would be to stop this senseless massacre of my people. Remember how well we treated you and respected you and your wife. Please do what you can to save my race from this needless massacre. Innocent Morag, who have nothing to do with this war, will be destroyed. All because they dared to live on a terraformed moon. If you can do that, it will pave the way for peace between our people.”

“I will do what I can. I give you my word,” Bramdon replied. Then he took hold of Claire’s hand and faced the airlock. Humans. They were about to see other Humans. Possibly even get to go home to Golan Four. Maybe even see their daughter.

The door slowly opened, and Addonis said, “Good luck. This is as far as we go. If we meet again, I hope it will be under different circumstances.”

Bramdon nodded and walked through the airlock to the other one waiting on the other side. As it opened, he was overcome with relief, as he saw Marines waiting there. They all had their weapons up, and he had to fight the urge to tell them to stand down. He was not the commander of this ship or even of these people. His daughter was their ruler now, and he couldn’t be prouder of her.

As soon as they were in the Human ship, the airlock closed, and they were rushed to a conference room.

One of the Marines said, “Please wait here. The admiral will be in to see you, as soon as we are safely out of this system.”

Bramdon nodded at the Marine and then looked around. A few snacks were set out on the table. The aroma was tantalizing. He took in a deep breath of air, savoring the smell. Then he grabbed a plate and filled it up. Claire laughed at him and grabbed a plate. He looked at his beautiful wife again. He was one lucky man.

-

As soon as Derrick had confirmation the two Humans were safely on board the ship, he gave the order to enter hyperspace. The relief he felt at having escaped without anything going wrong was overwhelming.

A thought occurred to him. What if the Morag had not sent the two Humans he had intended? No one had been down at the airlock who could confirm it was Bramdon and Claire.

Derrick felt his heartbeat quicken, as he got up and headed to the conference room, where his wife’s parents should be. He paused just outside the door and said a quick prayer. He then moved into the doorway and smiled, as Layla’s parents turned his direction.

Bramdon smiled at him. “Admiral Derrick Masters. It has been a long time since I saw you face-to-face. You look a little older than the last time I saw you—when I trusted you to take my daughter and Krista to safety at Sanctuary, which we had created in the Solar System.”

Derrick chuckled. “That was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then.”

“I am sure it has. How are Layla and Krista?” asked Claire.

“I am married to your daughter, and we are expecting our first child soon,” Derrick said and gave a shy smile. He wasn’t sure how they would handle this news.

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” said Claire. “Morag Councilor Addonis had informed us of your marriage. I would love to hear the story of how that happened.”

“How long have the two of you been married?” asked Bramdon, a little more reserved.

“Not that long really. I am sure there’s footage of the wedding that we can get our hands on for you to watch. I am also certain that Layla would love to tell you the story of how our relationship changed.”

“And Krista, how is she?” Claire asked slowly.

“She’s doing well. Krista is in the Solar System right now, while we battle what’s left of the Confederation. We thought it might be safest to separate the two of them, just in case,” Derrick replied.

“So the Solar System is involved in this fight too?” asked Bramdon.

“Yes. Without them, we wouldn’t have gotten this far as quickly. With their remote location far from the Confederation, they have built up stronger defenses and larger fleets, without interference from our enemies. They are our strongest ally.”

“Why are we fighting in the Confederation?” asked Bramdon.

“We are finally strong enough to destroy our enemies. We have allied with many other races to go against the Morag. The Seven Races of the Confederation fractured, after discovering the Morag were telepathic and had been controlling the others for centuries.

“I’m sure we can fill you in on all the details later. The short of it is that the Lormallians are now our allies and fight with us against the Morag. The Zang and Morphene are neutral. The Lamothians, who we have come to find out like to feast on Humans, have been destroyed. Only a few remain, living on a planet that doesn’t belong to them.”

“Wait. You are saying the Lamothians eat Humans?” asked Bramdon, as he visibly swallowed.

“Yes. The Humans we have sent to the Confederation over the years have been sent there to be eaten. We have found no Humans on any other Confederation planet. Well, besides Falton Two, but that’s a whole other story.”

Claire once again looked troubled. “You know of Falton Two?”

“Yes. We’ve had a stealthed scout ship observing them for some time now. One was recently chased out of their system. The Humans of Falton Two don’t sound like they want to be our allies.”

Derrick noticed the look exchanged between Bramdon and Claire but couldn’t decipher it. “Do the two of you know anything about Falton Two?” Derrick asked hesitantly.

“Yes, we do. We can get into that in more detail later. We were taken there, when the Druins took us from Golan Four. The Druins handed us over to the Morag, and then the Morag took us to Falton Two. We spent some time there, before they put us into cryo. When we were brought out of cryo though, we were back in the hands of the Morag,” said Bramdon.

“Would you agree that these Humans are not our allies? More possibly our enemies?” asked Derrick curiously.

“It’s hard to say. The last time we were awake was over one thousand years ago on Falton Two. I’m sure much has changed since then,” said Bramdon.

“I must get back to the Command Center. We have more Morag targets to destroy. Please make yourselves at home. Captain Elaine can show you to your quarters. Feel free to explore the ship. You are welcome to come to the Command Center anytime you want,” Derrick said, as he stepped toward the door.

“I would love to see the Command Center,” said Bramdon.

“Is there any way we can talk with Layla?” asked Claire.

“It takes a while to send and receive messages from this far away, but we can send her one.”

“Is there something wrong?” asked Bramdon.

Derrick wasn’t sure how much he should tell them. He didn’t want them to worry. “Golan Four was attacked by a Druin fleet. We haven’t had any word from them yet.”

Claire’s eyes widened with worry. “Can we check?”

“Is a fleet there to handle the threat?” asked Bramdon.

“Yes. I am sure we will hear from Fleet Admiral Marloo, once the threat has passed. We can send a message to Layla from my office. Please follow me.”

Derrick was worried about Layla and Golan Four, but he had a mission to do. They’d send a quick message to Layla, and then he would return to work. He could do nothing else to help Golan Four from here, besides eliminating their enemy.

Once they finished with the Morag, they would head to the Druin area of the Confederation and eliminate all their shipyards. Depending on how things went in the Empire, the allied fleet may have more targets than shipyards to destroy.

As they headed to his quarters, one of the officers from the Command Center found him and said, “Admiral, we have news from Golan Four.”

Derrick turned to Bramdon and Claire and said, “Sorry, our plans have changed. We’re going to the Command Center instead.”

The group quickly changed directions and headed to the Command Center. Once inside, Derrick said, “Bryant, report. What news do we have from Golan Four?”

“Admiral Marloo reports that the Druins have been defeated and have left the system,” said Colonel Bryant, Derrick’s XO.

Derrick was relieved. He sat down in his command chair and was overcome with relief. Layla was safe, and he had her parents safely on his ship with him. He noticed the communications officer looking at him. “Is there more?”

“Admiral Marloo sensed a threat to the planet, even though the Druin fleet had left. He reports that he feels like they’re being watched. His gut tells him they are under extreme threat.”

Derrick was puzzled. “What type of threat?”

“He does not say.”

“We must send a message to Marloo and Layla. She needs to know her parents are safe.”

“Right away, sir,” replied the communications officer.

Derrick was worried about what the threat could be that Marloo felt. Who could be watching them? An enemy they couldn’t see? Derrick felt a cold chill go down his spine. Could it be Humans from Falton Two?

Derrick looked around the room. He pushed the thought from his head. “How long until we are at our next target?”

“Three hours, Admiral,” replied the navigation officer.

“Okay. Please find me if you hear anything from Golan Four.”

Derrick then turned to Bramdon and Claire. Derrick had to keep busy, so his mind didn’t wander to all the possibilities about what Marloo might be facing. Derrick faced Layla’s parents and said, “Why don’t I take you on a tour of the ship. We can also send a message to Layla from my office.”

They both looked concerned, as they left the Command Center. “What I have seen so far of your ship is very impressive. How large is your fleet?” asked Bramdon.

“Currently, between the Human Empire and the fleet from the Solar System, we have 131 dreadnoughts, 785 battlecruisers, 41 battlecarriers, and a little over 3,000 attack interceptors.”

“Can you show me these different vessels? I would like to see how similar they are to what they were when I was last in the Empire,” remarked Bramdon.

“Yes, of course. We can look at all of that in my office. The vessels are very similar to what you would remember. Only now they are more advanced. We also have more powerful weapons than our enemies. The Morag had a few ships that had developed the same or similar weapons. We hopefully have destroyed all of those. This is why it’s imperative that we destroy the Morag’s abilities to make war. If they have the weapons that we do, that could be disastrous.”

“Is this why you plan to destroy all their terraformed moons? Even though most do not have military installations?” asked Bramdon.

“Yes. We had not detected these bases until we attacked one of the terraformed moons that were home to one. The entire moon was a base. Can you even imagine the kind of warships a place like that could churn out? We cannot take the risk that even one remains,” Derrick replied.

“I see. What about the possibility that most of these moons are not bases? Only a few are? You are risking killing billions of Morag for no real purpose. How are we any different than them?” asked Bramdon.

“We are very different. Even as we speak, the Morag are evacuating as many personnel as possible from those moons. They know that we intend to destroy them. We are giving them the chance to evacuate. We have hit other targets first. As we come across a system that contains a terraformed moon though, we must destroy it. It could mean the difference in peace for a few years or peace for one hundred years.”

“Who is actually in charge of this fleet? Is it you?” asked Bramdon.

“I am in charge of the Empire fleet. Admiral Collison is in charge of the fleet from the Solar System. You will no doubt get to meet him soon.”

“Layla has ordered the destruction of the Morag military installations?” asked Bramdon.

“Yes. Along with the Imperial Council. Many things have changed since you were last in the Human Empire. Layla does not solely make decisions about the Empire. She is guided and advised by the Imperial Council.”

Bramdon had a thoughtful look on his face. A smile then spread over his face. “I am sorry for my many questions. We have missed so much. Is there not a way that we can show some mercy toward the Morag?”

Derrick replied, “We already have. We allowed their leadership to live. And to live in a system where we won’t observe their every move.”

The trio walked down the corridor, and then Derrick opened the door to his office. A picture of him and Layla on their wedding day stood on his desk. He smiled. Derrick grabbed it and handed it to her parents. The smile that crossed their faces was something he would remember forever.

After sending a message to Layla directly from her parents, they continued their tour. Derrick wished he could see her face when she saw the video of her parents. She would no doubt be very relieved.

After touring a large part of the ship, Derrick was summoned to the Command Center. Must be news from Golan Four. Not wanting to alarm Layla’s parents, he sped his walk slightly, hoping they wouldn’t notice their change of pace. Yet he was worried.

When he arrived at the Command Center, what he saw on the viewscreen nearly made his heart stop. “What is that? Where is that?” Although deep inside him, he already knew.

“This was the communication we received from Marloo. This fleet just appeared above Golan Four. When he mentions appeared, Marloo does not mean exited hyperspace. His report mentions they appeared out of nowhere,” the communications officer said, with more than a hint of worry in her voice.

Derrick nodded. “It’s a war fleet from Falton Two, similar to the one that followed Captain Tanner. The ships are the same. With them appearing out of nowhere confirms they were stealthed. What else does the message say?”

“There is no more. We’ve sent a request for an update but have received no reply yet.”

Claire stepped forward. “That is a war fleet from Falton Two or the Human Federation. If they are, indeed, above Golan Four, it is not because they want peace. It would only be to destroy the planet.”

All of the crew in the Command Center turned toward Claire.

Derrick asked, “How do you know this?”

Claire shook her head. “That does not matter. Is Layla on Golan Four?”

“Yes. Most likely still in a bunker beneath the Imperial Palace.”

Claire looked surprised. “The Imperial Palace still stands?”

“Yes. It had to be repaired, much of it rebuilt, but it does still stand,” replied Derrick.

A sadness swept over Claire’s face. “I fear we will not receive a reply. And that we will not get to see our home from so long ago. If the Human Federation is there, it is because they see the Human Empire as a threat. The Federation does not take lightly to being threatened. They immediately eliminate the threat.”

Derrick looked at Claire with desperation. “What can we do?”

“There is nothing to be done. If the war fleet is no longer stealthed, it is because they were preparing to fire their weapons. You will receive no more messages from Golan Four, I am afraid.”

Derrick sat down, as the shock overtook him. What had gone so wrong?

Epilogue

After destroying the remaining targets in the Morag-controlled space, the Human fleets, along with the allied fleets, moved on to the Druin area of the Confederation. After ensuring the Druins had no more war-making capabilities, they met once again to discuss the future.

Trade deals were hatched out with the allied races, and mutual defense agreements were agreed to. Many of the races in the allied fleet were too far away from the Humans or for the Lormallians to be of much assistance. The Visth and the United Worlds Alliance gained more members.

It was agreed that roaming patrols would ensure the Morag and the Druins stayed out of trouble. These patrols would be left to the Humans and the Lormallians to supply and to oversee.

Scout ships would continue to keep watch throughout the Confederation.

When everything had been hashed out, the allied fleet returned to their various homeworlds. Never in recorded history had so many races come together to destroy a common enemy. The allied fleet not only came together but accomplished their mission. Now they had only to return home and to live in their newfound freedom.

For many, this freedom would be something they had never experienced. They all agreed it was necessary to keep vigilant. No matter how much they monitored their enemies, a time would come when the Morag and the Druins would rise up again. Just as the Human Empire had done. Right under the noses of their enemies.

For now though, most of them could breathe much easier. As for the Humans and the Human Empire, in particular, it seemed they had defeated their greatest enemies, only to find one far superior to the others.

No word had been heard from Golan Four. It had been over two weeks. They feared the worst. The last communication had been the picture of the fleet above Golan Four.

The Human Empire fleet and the fleet from the Solar System neared the Human Empire. They would drop out of hyperspace at the Hagen Star Cluster. Then, after recharging their hyperdrives, depending on how things looked in the Hagen Star Cluster, the entire fleet would move on to Golan Four.

-

Derrick was a wreck. He tried to keep his mind off Layla and Golan Four. It had been easier while they were in the Confederation, and he had been busy eliminating their enemy. The last few days of hyperspace travel, however, had been a nightmare. It seemed that time crawled slowly on.

Derrick spent a considerable amount of time combing through all the data that Captain Tanner had sent over. Most of what he found only made him more concerned.

Layla’s parents were also worried sick. They spent a lot of time together in their quarters. Bramdon made a point of visiting the Command Center multiple times a day.

The fleet had been unable to contact anyone in the Golan Four system. Nearby systems were communicating but not with Golan Four. They had debated sending a transport vessel to see what was going on. After much discussion about whether it might be followed and then jeopardize another planet, they decided to do it anyway. They had to know. The transport vessel was never heard from again.

After that incident, no one entered the Golan Four system. The fleet would be the next to enter the system, but that was days away.

The fleet was still a sizeable fleet. With 131 dreadnoughts, 785 battlecruisers, 41 battlecarriers, and over 3,000 attack interceptors. Could they match up against the Falton Two warships?

Claire understood much more than she had said about Falton Two. How and why, Derrick had no idea. He had tried to get her to talk but to no avail. He had even tried to get more answers from Bramdon, but he hadn’t been any more cooperative than his wife. Derrick had grown weary of trying to get information out of them. He had spent hours talking with them and trying to get them to trust him. Maybe they knew nothing and were just consumed with worry.

-

For Admiral Collison, time had dragged slowly on. The Human fleet would exit hyperspace in the Hagen Star Cluster soon. Collison was worried about what they might find. He had had contact with Pallas Admiral Reynolds and Earth, so nothing was amiss there.

The more Collison thought about the Falton Two Humans and their stealthed warships, the more nervous he became. Were they being watched? How powerful were their ships? Their weapons? He could drive himself crazy thinking about it.

Collison gazed at the clock. Five more minutes until they dropped out of hyperspace at Tantula Five. The long-range scans had come in and had shown a couple hundred ships in the system.

The five minutes passed quickly, and the fleet exited hyperspace. Collison had hoped to find Cleemorl’s ship in the system but quickly realized it was not there.

Rear Admiral Manson had heard nothing from the admiral. Nor had he heard from Rear Admiral Fulmar. Collison assumed the worst.

After recharging their hyperdrives, the Human fleet wasted no time heading to Golan Four. In another two and a half days, this mystery would be solved.

As much as Collison didn’t want to admit it, the only thing that made sense was that Golan Four had been destroyed and all of the warships along with it. He had not mentioned this to Admiral Masters. Collison wanted him to hold out hope.

Of course, even if the planet had been bombed, it was possible that Layla and the others had all survived in their underground bunkers. Either way, they would find out in a few days. The longest few days of Derrick’s life, Collison thought.

-

Derrick paced in front of his command chair. The last two and a half days had been torture for him. He had summoned Bramdon and Claire to the Command Center. They wanted to see firsthand their beloved home planet and what had happened to it.

The fleet exited hyperspace. Derrick sat down in his chair. His fears were confirmed. The viewscreen showed large debris fields that Derrick could only assume had once been what was left of Fifth Fleet and First Fleet. The ones they had left here to defend the Empire, while the remainder went to the Confederation.

Another viewscreen showed the planet. Well, what you could see of the planet. The surface was hidden below the debris clouds that filled the atmosphere. They needed to get the ships in here to start cleaning the atmosphere.

The bunkers, Derrick thought, might have survived the destruction of the surface. There was still a chance Layla was alive. Down there under the debris cloud and deep underground. He felt hollow inside.

Bramdon held Claire beside him. She was overwhelmed with tears.

“Admiral, we are receiving a message from an unknown source,” said the communications officer.

The mood in the Command Center instantly changed from one of sadness and despair to one of fear. Derrick stood. “Put it up on the screen.”

A Human appeared on the screen. One Derrick did not recognize. By the movement and gasp beside him from Claire, she recognized him. “Greetings from the Human Federation. We have destroyed your fleet and your homeworld. No doubt you have witnessed that if you are receiving this message. Before destroying your little planet, we took a few hostages. Do not attempt to rescue them. When we deem it is time, we will negotiate for their release. They will be well cared for. If you try to rescue them or to send any ships into our Federation, we will destroy another of your planets. Here are our hostages,” the Human said, as he gestured toward a small group of people. Derrick recognized them all. Emira, Cheryl, Layla, and Cleemorl. The message then stopped, and the screen faded to black.

At least Layla was alive and not alone. Cleemorl, Emira, and Cheryl would make sure she stayed safe. How long would she be gone? When would they return her? Derrick collapsed in his chair.

He could do nothing for Layla right now, but what he could do was start cleaning up this system. No space stations or shipyards were left in orbit. The once-massive shipyard that had been online only a short while ago was now just small pieces of debris floating around their once-beautiful planet.

Maybe the others were still alive in their bunkers. Only one way to find out. They would start sending messages and see if anyone responded.

Even if they didn’t receive any responses, they would still clear the atmosphere and would clean up the planet. It might be two years before they knew who had survived and who hadn’t. Admiral Marloo, Andrew, Kala, and all the others may still be alive in the bunkers.

They also had a lot of research to do. They needed to comb through all the data they had on Falton Two. See exactly what they were up against.

Derrick looked over at Claire, a newfound hatred for his mother-in-law. “You know more than you’ve told us. I think it’s time you told us what you know of these people,” Derrick said angrily.

“Yes, I think you are right. It’s not a short story though, rather long,” Claire replied, as she took a deep breath.

“I think we have the time,” Derrick replied.

-

Claire took a deep breath. They wouldn’t like what she had to say. Even her husband didn’t know the depth of what she actually knew. “Let’s go somewhere where we can sit and relax.”

Derrick and her husband followed her out of the Command Center. Once she found her way to her quarters, they all went inside and sat down.

“Now let me begin …”

This is the end of The Forgotten Empire series for now. My dad, Raymond L. Weil, started this series before he passed away in October 2020. I took over for him and did my best to finish the series in a way that I thought he would appreciate. There really were no notes or outlines on how he wanted the series to go. He kept all of that in his head. I did my best and knowing my dad as I did, I feel like I did it justice. Someday we will return to the Human Empire and The Forgotten Empire series.

Next will be the story of the Human Federation and Falton Two. This series will be called The Forges of the Federation. The first book in the new spinoff series will be entitled Explorer and should be ready for publication in January 2023. You can sign up for updates at www.raymondlweil.com. Feel free to contact me at weilpublications@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook at Julie Weil Thomas. Read on to get a hint of what this next series will bring, with the first installment, Explorer.

A story of adventure, danger, deception, and forging one’s own destiny. Soren sets off to forge his own path. Along the way, he discovers a world of intrigue and danger. Rebellion and deception lurk at every turn.

Exploring the unknown can be dangerous and exhilarating. Soren finds himself in the midst of the growing sparks of rebellion. While in search of new worlds to colonize, danger lurks at every turn. Danger from newly discovered alien races to a spy’s feeding his enemies information. Who can he trust? Will his growing power and influence put him in a dangerous position?

Growing political unrest threatens those he loves. An alien war fleet is hunting for his new home. Can he find the enemy fleet and navigate the political pitfalls in time to save those he loves?

Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

And Julie Weil Thomas

Available on Amazon

Moon Wreck (The Slaver Wars Book 1)

The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact (The Slaver Wars Book 2)

Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (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)

The Slaver Wars: Endgame (The Slaver Wars Book 7)

The Slaver Wars: Books 1-3

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Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

Dragon Dreams: Firestorm Mountain

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Star One: Tycho City: Survival

Star One: Neutron Star

Star One: Dark Star

Star One

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Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction (Book 1)

Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence (Book 2)

Galactic Empire Wars: Rebellion (Book 3)

Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (Book 4)

Galactic Empire Wars: Insurrection (Book 5)

Galactic Empire Wars: Final Conflict (Book 6)

Galactic Empire Wars: The Beginning (Books 1-3)

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The Lost Fleet: Galactic Search (Book 1)

The Lost Fleet: Into the Darkness (Book 2)

The Lost Fleet: Oblivion’s Light (Book 3)

The Lost Fleet: Genesis (Book 4)

The Lost Fleet: Search for the Originators (Book 5)

The Lost Fleet (Books 1-5)

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The Star Cross (Book 1)

The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders (Book 2)

The Star Cross: Galaxy in Peril (Book 3)

The Star Cross: The Forever War (Book 4)

The Star Cross: The Vorn! (Book 5)

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The Originator Wars: Universe in Danger (Book 1)

The Originator Wars: Search for the Lost (Book 2)

The Originator Wars: Conflict Unending (Book 3)

The Originator Wars: Explorations (Book 4)

The Originator Wars Explorations: The Multiverse (Book 5)

The Originator Wars Explorations: The Lost (Book 6)

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Earth Fall: Invasion (Book 1)

Earth Fall: To the Stars (Book 2)

Earth Fall: Empires at War (Book 3)

The Forgotten Empire: Banishment (Book 1)

The Forgotten Empire: Earth Ascendant (Book 2)

The Forgotten Empire: The Battle for Earth (Book 3)

The Forgotten Empire: War for the Empire (Book 4)

The Forgotten Empire: The Confederation and The Empire at War (Book 5)

The Forgotten Empire: War in the Confederation (Book 6)

The Forgotten Empire: The Path to Victory (Book 7)

The Forgotten Empire: The Fall of the Confederation (Book 8)

All Dates are Tentative

The Forges of the Federation: Explorer (January 2023)

The Forges of the Federation: Oasis (April 2023)

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Raymond Weil lived in Clinton, OK with his wife, Debra, of 47 years and their beloved cats. He attended college at SWOSU in Weatherford, Oklahoma, majoring in Math with minors in Creative Writing and History.

His hobbies included watching soccer, reading, camping, and of course writing. He also enjoyed playing with his six grandchildren. He had a very vivid imagination, writing more than 47 science fiction novels over his writing career.

He was an avid reader and has a huge collection of science fiction/ fantasy books. He always enjoyed reading science fiction and fantasy because of the awesome worlds the authors would create. He was always amazed that he was creating these worlds too.

Julie Weil Thomas lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband Barrett and two boys. She attended university at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK where she received a degree in Finance with a minor in Accounting.

Her hobbies include watching her boys play numerous sports, reading, camping, and scuba diving. She got her imagination from her dad. She grew up listening to Raymond’s many imaginative stories and watching anything and everything science fiction.

Julie is honored to carry on her dad’s stories as best as she can. For as long as the fans are interested in reading the stories, Julie will continue to write in the worlds that her dad created.