The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (45 page)

“We’ve lost a
lot of people over the last few years,” Malleck said in a voice that sounded
tired. “If what the Altons have told us is true about what the AIs are building
at the center of the galaxy, we have to find a way to stop them. Glenn would
have wanted that. He would have expected it out of us.”

“You’re
right,” Karla said with a deep sigh, turning to face the governor. “He always
seemed to know what needed to be done.”

“I spoke to
Admiral Kalen yesterday,” Malleck continued in a steady voice. “He’s now in
charge of the Ceres Fleet. We hope to have all of our losses replaced with new
construction by the end of the year.

This caused
Karla to raise her eyebrows. No one really knew what the ship building capacity
was inside Ceres. It was a secret they had always insisted on keeping.

“Admiral
Streth will be moving to retake the old Human Federation of Worlds shortly,”
she said. Already, the necessary defensive stations and satellites were being
built for placement around New Providence. “The next attack against the Hocklyns
will be launched from New Providence as soon as Admiral Streth has the forces
he needs for success.”

“As it should
be,” Malleck responded with a nod. “From what Admiral Kalen has told me, Fleet Admiral
Streth is already planning the attack on the Hocklyn home worlds.”

“The Hocklyn
home worlds and then the AIs at the center of the galaxy,” Karla said. She took
a deep breath and turned back to look out over the habitat. It was so beautiful
with all the flowing rivers, lakes, small forests, and the modern city at its
center. “I just can’t help wondering how all of this is going to end.”

Governor
Malleck didn’t respond. He stood next to Karla, looking out across the habitat.
The survivors of the old Human Federation of Worlds had settled Ceres centuries
in the past. Now, at last, they were at war with the Hocklyns, a war they might
just win. However, the AIs were another matter. He felt a cold chill run up his
back as he thought about the metal monstrosities created by the Altons so long
ago. He too wondered just what awaited them at the galaxy’s center.

-

Karl Arcles
was in a room at a very fancy resort on New Tellus. Looking around, he saw only
one bed and as far as he knew, Lacy had not reserved another room. Perhaps
there'd been a mix up. As soon as Lacy came out of the shower, they would go
downstairs and get everything straightened out.

Karl heard the
shower turn off and then a few minutes later the door opened and Lacy stepped out.
His eyes popped open upon seeing the black see through gown she was wearing.
“Lacy,” Karl stammered, not sure what to say or what to do.

Lacy walked
over to Karl with a seductive smile on her face. She reached up, tilted his
head, and kissed him deeply. “You said I could have anything, and this is what
I want!”

Karl allowed
Lacy to lead him over to the large, king-sized bed. He was extremely glad that
a rescue shuttle had found them after the battle before their air ran out. As
Lacy undid the buttons on his shirt, he wondered where this new relationship
would lead.

Six Months Later

Jeremy and
Kelsey stood in front of a small house on Careth in the suburbs of the capital
city. It was located in a new neighborhood built by the bears for their Human
benefactors.

“It’s
beautiful,” Kelsey said as she looked around. It was close to the spaceport and
she could easily take a shuttle up to the space station where she was currently
assigned.

“I hear that
Kevin and Katie are finally talking about getting married,” Jeremy said with a
grin. “They’re looking at a house a few blocks over.”

“It’s going to
take some getting used to,” responded Kelsey, taking Jeremy’s hand. “You,
Kevin, and Angela will be on the Avenger fighting the war against the Hocklyns.
There will be months when we won’t be able to see one another.”

“I'll send you
a com message every day,” Jeremy promised. He knew it was going to be difficult
for them to be apart.

“I heard that
Grayseth’s people have finished their first warships in the new shipyard.”

“Yes,” Jeremy answered.
“He’s spending a lot of time in his new battleship, training the crew and
getting ready to take the war to the Hocklyns. When we go out, he'll be going
with us.”

“How soon?” asked
Kelsey. She knew plans were being made. Every day, new warships arrived from
the Federation and their allies and then after a day or two, were sent on to
Admiral Streth.

“Probably
another six months yet,” Jeremy responded with a sigh. “The Federation Senate
is demanding all of our losses from the battle here at Careth be replaced by
new construction before we take on the Hocklyn home worlds. They are also
building up the home fleets.”

Kelsey nodded.
At least they still had some time to spend together, and she planned to make
the most of it. “Let’s go inside and see our new home.” It would be the first
time since they had gotten married that they actually had a place to call home.
A few moments later, the door shut behind them; for a while, they could
actually be like a normal married couple.

-

Amanda and Richard
were in the Command Center of the WarStorm. The battleship was currently in
orbit around New Providence along with the rest of Second Fleet. They were in
the star system ensuring its safety as new and powerful defenses were put in
place. Strangely enough, they'd encountered no Hocklyn resistance at all. It
almost seemed as if the Hocklyns had pulled back from this area of space.

Between Careth
and the old Human Federation of Worlds, they'd found very few Hocklyn ships.
Many of the slave worlds had been abandoned and left on their own. Already, the
Federation was making plans to contact a number of them and see if they could
be brought into the alliance.

“It’s hard to
believe that so many people survived on New Providence,” Richard said as they
watched an Alton battle station being assembled on one of the viewscreens.

“General
Allister succeeded beyond his wildest dreams,” responded Amanda, recalling
those days so many years ago when the original underground bunkers had been built.

“Yes, he did,”
answered Richard nodding his head.

Amanda turned
to look at her husband. He would be working with the New Providence military
setting up the new defenses for the planet. There was little doubt in Amanda’s
mind that they would be making New Providence their new home. “When we get the
chance, I'd like to take a quick trip to Aquaria,” she said. “I want to see
what Krall Island looks like.”

“I doubt after
all this time if your parent’s vacation home is still there,” Richard said,
glancing at his wife. “Too much time has passed.”

“I know,” responded
Amanda, feeling sad knowing that the family vacation home she'd been raised in as
a child was probably gone. “But someday, when this war is over, I'd like to
rebuild it.”

Richard
nodded. He could well understand why Amanda wanted to return there. Its
pristine white beaches and nearby coral reefs had been sensational the two
times he'd visited.

“When this war
is over, we shall,” promised Richard, taking Amanda’s hand. “But we still have
a war to finish first.”

“I know,” Amanda
replied with a heavy sigh. “I spoke to Admiral Streth before he left for Maken.
He already has a tentative plan for taking the Hocklyn home worlds. It’s daring
and risky, but it just might work.”

“Admiral
Andrews, Senator Arden is requesting your presence down on the planet,” Lieutenant
Angela Trask informed him from Communications. “They want you to meet with
several of their military leaders to discuss the deployment of the defensive satellites
they've built over the years.”

“Go,” said Amanda
with an understanding smile.

They still had
a war to win with the Hocklyns and eventually a final confrontation with the
AIs at the center of the galaxy. There was no way to know if they'd ever be
able to rebuild the family home on Aquaria, all Amanda could do was hope.

-

Hedon looked
out over the lake on Maken. It was much smaller than he remembered. With a
heavy sigh, he turned and walked back to the site where Taylor and Lendle’s
cabin had once stood. All that was left was a cracked foundation and a few
rotting timbers.

“It’s
beautiful here,” Janice said as she looked out over the calm waters of the
lake, watching several brightly colored birds skimming the water looking for an
evening meal.

“The dam has
eroded in several places,” responded Hedon, coming to stand next to her. “I’ve
assigned a number of work robots to begin repairs. In a few years, the water
level should be as I remember it.”

“I’m sure it
will be,” Janice replied with a nod. Looking around, she continued. “I can see
why your brother and his wife built their cabin here; the three of you must
have had some great times.”

“We did,” confessed
Hedon, recalling the fishing Taylor and he had enjoyed on the shores of the
lake. Those were memories he would always treasure.

Janice reached
out and took Hedon’s hand. “What’s next for us?”

“We have to
finish the war,” he replied evenly. He would love to rebuild the cabin and
settle down here and not have to worry about the safety of the Federation, perhaps
even with Janice. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face her. “Our biggest
battles are still ahead of us; the Hocklyn home worlds and the AIs. We have to
find a way to defeat both or the galaxy is doomed.”

“I have faith
in you,” Janice responded.

Hedon nodded.
“Let’s get back to the StarStrike; we have a war to win.”

Janice nodded;
there was no doubt in her mind that Hedon would find a way. He always did.
After all, everyone had been taught as a child that someday the great Fleet
Admiral Hedon Streth would arise from cryosleep and lead the Human race to
victory. Who was she to doubt a legend?

The End

If you enjoyed
Galactic Conflict and would like to see the series continue, please post a
review with some stars. Good reviews encourage an author to write and help
books to sell. Reviews can be just a few short sentences describing what you
liked about the book. If you have suggestions, please contact me at my website
listed on the following page. Thank you for reading Galactic Conflict and being
so supportive.

The Slaver
Wars: Endgame will be out in October. It is the planned ending to the series.
For those that would like to see the series continue, there will be a special
announcement at the end of the story.

For updates on
current writing projects and future publications go to my author website. Sign
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Website:
http://raymondlweil.com/

Other Books by Raymond L. Weil

Available at 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)

-

Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars

Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening

Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon

-

Star One: Tycho City: Survival

Star One: Neutron Star

Star One: Dark Star

-

Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction

-

The Slaver Wars: Endgame!

Coming October 2014

Galactic Empire Wars: Emergence

Coming August 2014

-

Turn the page for a
brief introduction to Galactic Empire Wars: Destruction

Destruction

Mason Randle
gazed out of the cockpit window at the approaching mass of gray rock. Vesta was
one of the larger planetoids in the ring of asteroids that existed between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid was approximately 326 miles in
diameter and contained the headquarters for the Smithfield Mining Corporation.
Mason was the current CEO and majority stockholder in the company originally
founded by his grandfather.

“We will be
landing in ten more minutes, Sir,” the pilot commented as he reached forward
and turned on several instruments on the complicated control panel. His copilot
mirrored his movements as they prepared to land.

“It will be
good to get back home,” Mason responded as he leaned back in his acceleration
couch and stretched. He had come up and taken a seat in the cockpit to watch
the approach and landing.

They were in
an interplanetary cargo ship that normally traveled between Earth and Vesta.
The Smithfield Mining Corporation owned twenty-seven of the versatile three
hundred-meter ships carrying refined metals to the company’s large space
station in orbit around Earth. From there they were sold to various Earth
companies for a very lucrative profit.

“I know how
you miss Vesta,” Captain Sanders replied with a smile as he made several minor
adjustments to the controls. “Smithfield will be a welcome relief after spending
the last two weeks at Holbrook Station.”

Mason nodded;
he was thirty-four years old and had gone to Earth to sign several important
contracts with a number of companies wanting metals from the company. Smithfield was the only corporation currently with the money and the resources to mine the
asteroid field and make money doing it. Several others had tried and failed,
losing nearly everything in the attempt.