The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (44 page)

“The enemy are
concentrating their fire on them,” Colonel Malen reported as she checked the
tactical data on one of her screens.

“Jeremy,
Admiral Streth is warning everyone to be aware of possible suicide runs by the
Hocklyns,” Angela said in a concerned voice.

“Pass the
word,” Jeremy ordered. He agreed with Admiral Streth. The Hocklyns would try to
ram once they knew they could not win the battle or escape.

-

Fleet
Commodore Resmunt felt himself flung violently forward against the command
console. Looking down, he saw a large dent in the chest plate of his battle
armor. “Report!” he barked. The War Room was becoming full of smoke from
several consoles that had shorted out.

“We can’t
escape,” First Leader Ganth rasped. “Too many of our ships have been destroyed
or damaged. Even the Borzon report they are helpless to stop the Humans.”

“Then we die!”
Resmunt spoke, his voice shaking with rage. “Today we go to find our final
honor. Order all ships to go to full sublight and ram the nearest Human vessel.
We will take as many of the Humans with us as possible.” Resmunt knew that his
dreams of rising in the Hocklyn Hierarchy perhaps even to the exalted rank of
High Councilor were now over.

“Honor comes
for us,” replied First Leader Ganth solemnly as he passed on the commands to Navigation
to ram the nearest Human ship.

-

Hundreds of surviving
Hocklyn ships suddenly accelerated and headed toward First Fleet and Ceres
Fleet. This was what Admiral Streth had expected, and suddenly every missile
tube in the Human capital ships belched forth Devastator Three and antimatter missiles.
Hocklyn ships began to die as massive explosions obliterated their energy
shields, leaving their armored hulls vulnerable to attack.

The space
station, shipyard, type two battlestations, particle beam satellites, and the
Alton battlestations joined in, firing every weapon and missile in their tubes.
Numerous missile platforms launched their remaining Devastator missiles in an
attempt to stop the deadly charge. However, there were just too many Hocklyn
ships. Some began to make it into the Human fleet formations. Battlecruisers
began to die, strikecruisers tried to dodge out of the way but to no avail.
When a Hocklyn ship struck a Human ship’s energy screen the Hocklyn ship usually
exploded violently. The released energy and the ship debris then impacted the
Federation ship, destroying it.

-

“We’re losing
ships,” Colonel Trist spoke, his eyes wide in shock at the devastation the Hocklyn
suicide attack was causing. On the tactical displays, Federation ships were
dying faster than he could track.

On the main viewscreen,
a charging Hocklyn escort cruiser exploded in a fiery blast as an antimatter
missile destroyed the ship just short of the StarStrike. The ship’s shield
glowed brightly as debris from the destroyed ship struck it.

“Ceres Fleet
is taking the brunt of the attack,” Colonel Grissim warned as she watched green
icon after green icon vanish from the tactical screens.

Hedon quickly
passed the orders for First Fleet to move closer to Admiral Telleck’s command.

“Sir, the
Ceres!” yelled Captain Reynolds, pointing to one of the main viewscreens.

Four Hocklyn
escort cruisers were bearing down on Ceres Fleet’s flagship. One of the
cruisers exploded followed quickly by a second, but then the other two struck
the battlecruiser’s energy screen, obliterating it. For a moment, the Ceres
vanished as a brilliant light surrounded it. When the light faded, a riddled
wreck was all that remained on the screen.

The crew in
the Command Center of the StarStrike were stunned speechless. Everyone’s eyes
were focused on the viewscreen and the heavily damaged ship.

“Admiral
Telleck!” exclaimed Colonel Trist his face turning pale.

Hedon knew
that if any of the crew on the Ceres survived it wouldn’t be many. He was
surprised the ship’s self-destructs hadn’t activated. “Have two strikecruisers
move over to cover the Ceres.” He hoped Admiral Telleck had survived. It would
be a devastating loss if Admiral Telleck had been killed. Hedon tried to put
that worrisome thought out of his mind, he still had a battle to finish.

For the next
few minutes, the devastation continued. One Hocklyn warcruiser managed to ram
the space station, damaging a major portion of it. A dreadnought and two light cruisers
struck the shipyard, annihilating two of the construction bays. Three Alton battlestations
died in fiery explosions from suiciding Hocklyn ships. Finally, it was over and
all that remained were three AI ships and several hundred Borzon
battlecruisers. Admirals Nagumo and Sheen were already beginning to engage them
with additional bomber strikes clearing the way.

-

On board the
Ceres, Admiral Telleck was busy evacuating the survivors out of the Command
Center. The ship was severely damaged and he greatly feared that the
self-destructs could activate at any second. “Everyone get to the flight bay,
we need to abandon ship!”

“What about
you?’ demanded Colonel Barnes, seeing Admiral Telleck hesitate and look around
the wrecked Command Center. It was full of smoke with numerous small fires
burning. Kathryn wasn’t going anywhere without the admiral.

A sudden explosion
jarred the ship and Admiral Telleck grabbed Kathryn pushing her out of the
hatch. At the same moment, the reinforced ceiling collapsed. Admiral Telleck
felt a sharp pain in his chest as a massive beam pinned him to the floor.

“Admiral!”
screamed Kathryn, running back into the burning Command Center. She kneeled
down next to the admiral.

“Save
yourself,” ordered Telleck, coughing up blood. “I’m finished. Tell Fleet
Admiral Johnson I’m sorry, and it just wasn’t meant to be.” The admiral closed
his eyes and was gone.

Kathryn stood
up, not believing that the admiral was dead. How could this happen? With tears
in her eyes, she ran out of the Command Center toward the flight bay. She would
make sure the Fleet Admiral got Admiral Telleck’s last message.

-

The Command AI
studied the ship’s sensor screens carefully. The Hocklyn suicide attack had
markedly weakened the defending Human ships, but not enough to allow them to
attack the planet. The remaining Borzon ships were under heavy attack from the incoming
Human warships.

“Jump us out,”
ordered the Command AI, reaching a decision. “We must report the results of
this battle to AI Command.”

The Command AI
knew that, after the report, AI Command would give even more importance to
finishing the Great Project. It was now obvious that the Humans, along with
their allies, would in all probability defeat the Hocklyn Empire. Only by committing
a major portion of their fleet could the AIs turn the tide of this war. However,
those ships were needed for the Great Project at the galaxy’s center. The
Hocklyns would be left on their own. The survival of their Empire would be up
to them.

-

Admiral Sheen
watched the main viewscreens as the last Borzon battlecruiser died under the
heavy fire from the WarStorm’s power beams and its particle beam cannon.
Looking at the remains of First Fleet and Ceres Fleet, she knew the Federation
had paid a steep price. Over half of the ships in both fleets had been
destroyed. Even worse, she'd just received word that Admiral Telleck had been
killed on the Ceres as he tried to evacuate the crew out of the ship’s Command
Center. A falling beam had ended the valiant admiral’s life as he pushed the
last crewmember out of the hatch.

Her own fleet
had taken substantial losses. She knew that the total losses to the Federation fleets
would be over four hundred vessels plus thousands of fighters and bombers. However,
the Hocklyns had been defeated. The Borzon fleet had been destroyed and the
last few remaining AIs had jumped away. Amanda knew that this battle was a
turning point. From now on, the Federation would be on the offensive.

-

Hedon looked
over the latest casualty lists, feeling numb. Not only had they lost Admiral
Telleck, but Rear Admiral Bixby and the battlecarrier Essex were gone too. They'd
paid a heavy price in personnel and ships, but they had won the battle.

“We survived,”
spoke Colonel Trist, surprised they were still here.

“But we paid a
high cost,” Hedon responded with a heavy sigh. He knew he would have to send a
personal message to Fleet Admiral Johnson and Governor Malleck about Telleck’s
death. He would be sorely missed.

-

Out near the
edge of Careth’s gravity well, the Hocklyn dreadnought Viden drifted. Its hull
was torn open in numerous places and most of its weapons had been destroyed. In
the War Room, Jaseth struggled to stand. Looking around, he saw with shock that
everyone else was dead. Commodore Versith and War Leader Trion had died when
several large beams crashed down from the ceiling, crushing them. Both had gone
to find their final honor. The room was full of smoke and small fires were
burning in several consoles.

Jaseth
staggered over to Navigation and saw with surprise that the FTL drive was now
showing as functional. There must still be someone alive in Engineering. Sitting
down in front of the Navigation console, he began entering the coordinates to a
nearby star system. He was going to jump the ship, but they were still within
Careth’s gravity well. Jaseth knew it was a gamble, but it was the only chance
he had to survive.

Taking a deep breath,
he reached out and pressed the FTL activation button. Moments later, the Viden
jumped into hyperspace amongst the sound of tearing metal. Jaseth reached down
and touched his blade. Perhaps if he survived, his blade might still someday
know the taste of Human blood. Around him, the Viden shuddered and shook as
hyperspace attempted to tear the dreadnought apart. Jaseth took another breath.
He had survived and someday he would return to extract revenge on what the Humans
had done.

High Leader
Nartel was back on Calzen in the chambers of the High Council. Once he had been
satisfied that the attack would succeed, he'd ordered his dreadnought and
escorts to return to Kenward Seven. He'd been waiting at Kenward Seven for an
FTL message from Fleet Admiral Resmunt. While he waited, he had been busy
directing the rebuilding of the shipyards and the bringing in of tens of
thousands of new slaves to work on the construction. He had been stunned when
the dreadnought Viden had returned in its stricken condition and under the
command of its Second Leader. The news that Resmunt had been defeated was a major
shock.

Nartel immediately
left the system to return to Calzen and the High Council. The war had taken a
dangerous and ominous turn, which might not find the Hocklyn Slave Empire
victorious in the end.

“The Borzon
defeated, our own fleets in ruins, and the AIs driven back to the galactic
center,” Councilor Ruthan growled as he looked accusingly at High Leader
Nartel. “You brought the Borzon in without even consulting us!”

“I did it to
ensure our victory,” responded Nartel defensively, not liking the tone of the
council. “If I had gone through the council, there was a good chance the
decision to involve the Borzon would have been voted down.”

“And what good
did it do?” Ruthan spat back in anger. “Counting the Borzon and the losses at
Kenward Seven, nearly four thousand ships have been destroyed. What are we
going to do when the Humans and their allies come here?”

“It is a logical
course of action for them,” High Councilor Berken added with a heavy frown.
“They will come for our home worlds just as we came for theirs.”

“We must
recall our fleets,” Ruthan demanded, his large eyes glowing with fire. “The
home worlds must be protected at all costs!”

“With our
massed fleets, the Humans and their allies will fail in their attack upon our
worlds,” High Councilor Jarles added. “Once the Humans have been defeated then
we can move swiftly to reclaim our Empire.”

“I agree,”
added High Councilor Desmonde. Several others nodded their consent.

“It shall be
done,” replied High Leader Nartel, knowing he had no other choice. He'd taken a
gamble and it had failed. “I will recall our fleets.”

Nartel knew
they would not be able to count on the AIs or the other three races that
controlled different sectors of the galaxy for help. An AI ship had entered
Calzen space the day before and summoned Nartel for an immediate audience. The Command
AI had informed him that the AIs were pulling back to the galactic center and
would no longer be involved in the war against the Humans. It had also warned
Nartel not to seek out the other three proxy races for assistance.

Looking around
the council table, Nartel knew that, for once, the Hocklyns were truly on their
own. He wondered just what would happen when the Humans came for them. He was
not as confident as the others that their massed fleets would be able to stop
them. The Humans were coming for revenge and they would show no mercy, just as
the Hocklyns had shown no mercy when they had wiped out the original Human
Federation of Worlds.

-

Fleet Admiral
Karla Johnson was standing upon a large balcony overlooking the Aquaria Habitat
inside Ceres. Admiral Telleck and she had spent many hours standing here
discussing the war, the Federation, and occasionally future plans. She felt a
tear roll out of her eyes, knowing she would never be able to speak with him
like that again.

“He was a good
man,” Governor Malleck spoke from where he was standing at her side. “He would
have wanted us to continue and finish this war.”

“I know,” answered
Karla, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice that was so close to
spilling out. “It’s just so difficult to accept that he’s really gone. I keep
expecting to see him come into my office or to receive a com message informing
me he's on his way.”