The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book Four) (31 page)

“Fifty-six
hours at that distance.”

President
Kincaid nodded, knowing they could do no more. “If Admiral Streth succeeds in
buying us the time we need to finish our defenses, it will be a miracle.”

Fleet
Commander Johnson stood up and smiled. “That’s why we’re sending Fleet Admiral
Hedon Streth. He has performed miracles in the past, we’re just asking for one
more.”

President
Kincaid looked at the map depicting the new Human Federation of Worlds. He just
prayed they were all still there a year from now.

-

Admiral Streth
watched the main viewscreen as the StarStrike and the rest of First Fleet made
the transition from hyperspace and exited the spatial vortexes. First Fleet
comprised seventy-one powerful warships.

“Jump complete,”
Captain Jarvis Reynolds reported from the ship’s main sensor console. Captain
Reynolds was from Harmony in the Alpha Centauri star system

“All ships
moving into standard defensive formation,” Colonel Trist informed the admiral.
He was standing at the main tactical holo display, watching intently as the ships
moved into position. Trist had been third in command of the old StarStrike and
had gone into cryosleep along with the admiral.

Hedon nodded and
switched his gaze to the tactical display as the ships moved into position.

“No trace of
enemy ships,” Clarissa added as she checked the ship’s powerful sensors.

She was
standing just behind the admiral, her deep blue eyes gazing with pleasure
around the large Command Center. Since Katie had given her the ability to
appear as a hologram, she very seldom missed an opportunity to do so. It had
made her ability to communicate and interact with the crew far better than ever
before.

“The supply
fleet?” Hedon asked as the main viewscreen switched to show one of the other
ships in the fleet. It was the Conqueror class battle cruiser Matterhorn.

“It will be arriving
in five more minutes,” Clarissa reported in her contralto voice, which sounded
like an attractive young woman. Clarissa was wearing her blonde hair cut short
closer to Fleet regs, but it was still longer than most of the women on the
ship. She liked her long hair and had decided to compromise and not cut it back
completely.

Admiral Streth
leaned back in his command chair and gazed speculatively around the large Command Center. There were two tactical holo displays to his right and two more on his left,
which allowed him to see and direct any battle or needed fleet deployment. Two
fleet officers manned each one.

In front of
him, in a gentle arc, were the rest of the ship’s major control stations.
Communications, Helm, Navigation, Sensors, Damage Control, Tactical, and Life
Support. Tactical was the largest, with six officers sitting in front of the
massive control console. Other stations and control consoles were set up
against the walls with numerous controls and viewscreens. On the front wall of
the StarStrike was a massive center viewscreen with secondary viewscreens on
both sides of it.

“Supply fleet
emerging now,” Clarissa informed Hedon as the main viewscreen switched to show numerous
blue-white vortexes forming a short but safe distance from First Fleet.

Hedon watched
as over the next two minutes. Another one hundred and fifty three ships blinked
into existence as they exited the swirling spatial vortexes.

“Rear Admiral
Kimmel is reporting everything normal,” Colonel Trist said as he spoke to the
admiral over his mini-com. “He is requesting that we stay in this system for an
extra two hours as several of his supply ships are reporting a slight harmony
discrepancy in their FTL drives.”

Hedon nodded
as this was not unexpected. “We can do that. We were going to stop in the next
system to retune the FTL drives anyway. Captain Duncan, inform all fleet units that
we will be staying in this system for eight hours.”

There were six
fleets taking part in Operation First Strike. They were currently traveling in
three separate task groups so if the Hocklyns detected one group they wouldn’t
realize the full extent of the forces coming toward them. All six fleets were
scheduled to make rendezvous in a double star system a short distance away from
Hocklyn space.

“Four days and
no sign of the Hocklyns,” Colonel Trist commented as he walked over to stand
next to the command console. It was located on a slightly raised dais so the
commanding officer could have a good overall view of the Command Center.

“The risk of discovery
will be higher as we near Hocklyn space,” Clarissa reminded him as she stepped
over closer to the colonel. “The Hocklyns are bound to have a few escorts
cruisers and armed scouts on patrol as we get nearer to their empire.”

“That’s why we
have the stealth scouts with us,” remarked Hedon, looking over at Clarissa and
Colonel Trist. “They will continue to reconnoiter ahead of our line of advance
and report if any Hocklyns are waiting for us.”

“Commander
Layton is launching the scouts now,” Captain Janice Duncan reported. She was
from the planet Horizon in the Tau Ceti system.

Hedon glanced
at the tactical display nearest him where the battle carrier Columbia was
located. It depicted half a dozen green icons leaving the carrier, but Hedon
knew the small scout ships were nearly undetectable. A few moments later, the
large viewscreen showed six blue-white spatial vortexes form as the scouts made
their jumps to check on the nearer star systems and then on to the Fleet’s next
planned destination.

“Carrier Challenger
is launching a full CAP,” Captain Reynolds added as twenty Talon fighters
launched from her flight bay. Due to the size of the two fleets, a full
squadron of fighters was being used for patrol.

“Final scans
of the system are in,” Clarissa reported as her eyes seemed to focus on a faraway
point. “System is clear of any artificial emissions.”

Hedon breathed
a relaxed sigh of relief. There was always the chance they could stumble across
a Hocklyn escort cruiser that the stealth scouts had missed, but so far their
luck was holding. Turning back to the main viewscreen, which was now focused on
one of the battle carriers, Hedon thought about what this mission meant. To
him, it was the first step to someday returning home. He knew the odds were
against him, but he fully intended to return to Maken someday. To rebuild that
cabin by the lake was a burning desire if not for him, for the memory of his
brother and his brother’s wife Lendle. The cabin had become a symbol to him of
what it would mean to defeat the Hocklyns.

-

Jeremy
breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the Avenger re-entered normal space. Every day
they came nearer to Hocklyn occupied territory. Prior to each emergence from hyperspace,
he could feel the nervous expectation in the command crew. Each exit out of a
spatial vortex could find a Hocklyn escort cruiser or even a fleet waiting for
them.

“All ships
reporting successful jumps,” Kevin spoke from his sensor console as he watched
the twenty-eight green icons on his sensor screen. “Fifth Fleet should be
appearing shortly.” Looking at the screen, he noted that even with Ariel’s help
the average ship was still separated by a minimum of ten kilometers.

“Four more
days until we arrive at the rendezvous,” Ariel commented from where she was
standing next to Jeremy.

She looked
over and smiled at the young admiral, knowing his father would be extremely
proud of his son. Ariel’s eyes glazed over in remembrance; she had lost so many
friends over the years. The entire crew of the first Avenger, Katie and Jeremy’s
parents, and there were others. She also knew that if not for Katie, she wouldn’t
be here either.

“Fifth Fleet
emerging,” Colonel Malen reported as more friendly green icons began appearing
on her tactical display above the plotting table. After a few minutes, sixty-two
more Federation ships were in the system.

“We’re getting
closer,” Angela spoke to Kelsey over her mini-com as she looked up at the main viewscreen,
which at the moment was focused on a sea of unwinking stars. The star patterns
were not familiar as they had moved far away from Federation space.

“I know,”
Kelsey replied as she entered hyperspace equations into her computer; she was
already plotting the next jump. “I talked to Ariel last night, and she has all
the confidence in the world in Jeremy. She won’t admit it, but I think Ariel is
anxious to attack the AIs.”

“They
destroyed my home worlds,” Ariel spoke over the girl’s mini-com. “The first
crew of the Avenger died without getting a chance for revenge for the
destruction and death the Hocklyns brought upon us.”

Kelsey sighed;
sometimes she forgot that Ariel could hear everything they said. They had all
agreed before the start of the mission that Ariel would be allowed to listen to
everything they said over the mini-coms. The only place they had complete
privacy were their quarters and then only if they asked for it.

“Revenge is
not a good reason to go into battle,” Katie suddenly spoke. “We are fighting to
preserve the new Human Federation of Worlds, and perhaps someday we can even retake
the old Federation planets.”

Ariel was
silent for a moment. While she did have and understood human emotions, they
were still very difficult for her to handle at times. “You’re right, Katie,”
she replied. “I just hope to see that day come. Clarissa and I both would like
to return home someday. I think all of the Federation survivors want that.”

Kelsey nodded
her head in understanding. Her parents were over two hundred years in the past,
and there were days she truly missed them. Not hearing her father’s strict voice
as he instructed her how to fly a shuttle, her mother reminding her that
Admiral Anlon only had his daughter’s best interests at heart. She was glad that
she had her friends with her or this would be almost unbearable.

Katie was busy
at her computer system’s control console. She became aware of a presence behind
her and turning saw Ariel standing there. She had come over from where she had
been standing by the admiral.

“Emotions are
very difficult to handle,” Ariel confessed with her hands on her shapely hips.
“Even more so since I can now use this hologram to project my feelings.”

“You are
becoming more human every day,” Katie responded with a friendly smile. “You’re
my best friend, Ariel.”

“And you are
mine,” Ariel replied with a pleased glint in her eyes. “I have never regretted
the day I first made my presence known to you.”

“Not even
after I used our friendship to sneak aboard the New Horizon?” Katie reminded
her. After the New Horizon incident, Ariel had given Katie a very strict
lecture about friendship.

“Not even
then,” Ariel admitted. “All friendships have their bad moments.”

Katie nodded,
even now she could sense the care and concern in Ariel’s computer generated
voice.

-

Rear Admiral
Sheen was studying the tactical display and all the green icons floating there.
Second and Third fleet had jumped into the next system on their way to the rendezvous
with Fleet Admiral Streth.

“All ships
reporting normal status,” Colonel David Bryson the ship’s executive officer
reported. On the tactical display, one hundred and twenty Federation warships
were shown.

“Two more
days,” Commander Samantha Evans commented as she stepped over closer to the
admiral. “Still no sign of the Hocklyns.”

“The odds of
us encountering a Hocklyn ship or even one of their scouts increases as we near
their space,” Amanda reminded the ship’s commander.

“Sensors
report no threats in our immediate area,” Lieutenant Stalls informed them.

“Still no Hocklyns,”
Lieutenant Trask commented over her mini-com to Benjamin. “I get more nervous
every day.”

“We will find
them soon enough,” Stalls replied. This wasn’t like the old days aboard the old
StarStrike. They were actually going on the offensive to take the fight to the
Hocklyns.

“I just worry
about what we will find,” Lieutenant Ashton added, her voice sounding
concerned. The young blonde navigation officer had already finished plotting
the next jump. “Remember what happened when we went into Hocklyn space and then
returned? I don’t want that to happen again.”

“It won’t,”
Angela Trask promised. “We are laying communication buoys between us and the
Federation. If anything were to happen we would know about it and return.”

“I think it’s
the Hocklyns that should be worried,” Benjamin said in firm voice. “The new
Human Federation of Worlds has had over two hundred years to prepare for this. The
Hocklyns are in for a rude awakening, and for once it will be them losing
worlds, not us.”

-

Amanda sat
back in her command chair and looked around the bustling Command Center. She felt some comfort at seeing Lieutenant’s Trask, Stalls, and Ashton at their
consoles. They had been with her from the very beginning, and she had all the
confidence in the world in them. She just hoped they all lived to see the end
of this. She closed her eyes briefly and thought about Richard and his concerns
about this mission. He understood its importance and her role, but it was
always difficult for a husband and wife to be separated in these circumstances.
Amanda understood there was a chance she wouldn’t make it back. If that
occurred, she had left a message for Richard with Fleet Admiral Johnson. She
hoped that Admiral Johnson would never have to deliver it.

-

It was
rendezvous day, and Fleet Admiral Streth watched as his various commands put in
an appearance. In the past six hours, all of the separate task groups had dropped
out of hyperspace and reported in. Four hundred and thirty-two friendly green
icons were represented on one of the large tactical holo displays. This included
the supply ships and other non-combat vessels, but it was still a massive
amount of firepower the Hocklyns were about to be hit with. Far greater than
anything the old Federation had possessed.