The Slaver Wars: Galactic Conflict (10 page)

Kelsey turned
and glanced up at Jeremy in surprise. He'd always been careful not to show
affection toward her in front of the crew. “Jeremy, what is it?”

Jeremy took a
deep breath, knowing that most of the crew in the Command Center were watching.
“Kelsey, I love you, and if we make it back to the Federation someday, I want
you to be my wife.”

Kelsey felt
her heart skip a beat. She and Jeremy had spoken of a life together, but this
was the first time he had actually suggested marriage. It was a strange time
for a proposal, but she suspected she knew the reason behind it.

Kelsey stood
up and put her arms around Jeremy, kissing him deeply. Then, with a smile, she
said the magic words. “I accept.”

The entire
command crew broke out into loud cheers and clapping. It was as if they were
not shortly going to be in a fight to the death. For a moment, they all shared
the joy that Jeremy and Kelsey were feeling.

Katie, Kevin,
Angela, and Ariel all felt a swelling of happiness at the proposal. All four
were determined they would survive this battle and be part of the happy couple’s
future. The proposal gave them another reason for living.

Jeremy stepped
back and nodded at the smiling crew, then made his way back to the command
console as various crewmembers wished him and Kelsey congratulations.

“About time,”
Kevin teased with a big grin on his face as Jeremy passed the sensor console.
“We were all wondering when you'd finally break down and propose.”

Jeremy reached
the command console and sat down. Ariel was already there with a big pleased
smile on her face. If they could only survive this battle, then someday she
would have more special children to look after.

“Hocklyns are
exiting hyperspace,” Kevin announced, breaking the joyous feeling in the Command Center. “Two million kilometers from the edge of the gravity well.”

Looking up at
a viewscreen, Jeremy could see hundreds of distant white spatial vortexes
forming. He knew that each one of those vortexes represented a Hocklyn warship.

“AIs are
arriving,” Ariel added as ten large orange icons appeared on the tactical
display.

“They are
accelerating toward us,” Kevin reported as he studied the data coming across
his sensor screens. “Ten minutes until they reach the gravity well and another
fifteen at their current speed until they reach us.”

“Put me
through to the entire fleet, the battle stations, and the space station,” ordered
Jeremy, looking over at Angela.

After a moment,
Angela nodded back looking at Jeremy expectantly.

“This is Rear
Admiral Strong. In approximately twenty to thirty minutes, we will be fighting
the final battle to save the planet beneath us. For weeks now, the Carethians
have fought bravely at our side and died with us. We don’t know what's happened
back in Federation space. There's a remote chance we are all that's left of the
new Human Federation of Worlds.” Jeremy paused as he looked around the Command Center. Everyone was listening to his every word.

“We will not
be leaving this system in defeat. If the Hocklyns win this battle then let it
be known that every Human in the system gave their lives to protect the freedom
of the Carethians and what the Federation stands for. In the coming battle, we
are one with our Carethian friends and as they would say, let us stand and hunt
together!”

“Hunt
together!” echoed the crew in strong and committed voices. The same words were
repeated aboard every Federation ship and the battle stations. Grayseth and his
people on board the space station repeated the words with respect and
admiration. What Jeremy didn’t know was that his words had been transmitted
live on every media station on Careth. Every Carethian on the planet stood tall
knowing that this was a Human that understood the Carethian way.

Grayseth
looked around the crew of his massive Command Center. There were Carethians as
well as Humans. “Know well that today we hunt with our Human allies. There can
be no greater glory than to die with such warriors. The evil ones come and we
will live as one or we will die as one!”

-

 Commodore
Krilen looked with growing anticipation at the waiting Human ships. He was
confident that over the last few weeks he'd weakened the defenses enough to
finally allow him to attack the planet itself. The Humans could not have too
many more of their deadly sublight missiles left and the planet’s defense grid
had been greatly degraded by using the AI ships. Even the Humans' small
fighters and bombers had been greatly reduced in numbers.

He still had
nearly five hundred warships, all with flight bays full of fighters. In the
coming battle, the fighters would be tasked with eliminating all remaining Human
fighters and bombers as well as the few the Carethians had left.

“Honor comes
today,” Angoth spoke, pleased that the final battle was upon them. He felt
confident in a Hocklyn victory. Perhaps if Commodore Krilen rose in rank then
he could become a War Leader.

“There will be
much honor for all,” Krilen replied self-assuredly. This victory would make him
very popular amongst the High Council. Perhaps popular enough to be assigned to
one of the home systems. From there, he could work toward his eventual goal of
becoming a High Councilor.

-

On board the dreadnought
Viden, War Leader Versith gazed with deep concern at the waiting Human ships.
They had to know they could not win this battle, but were making no efforts to
flee.

“These Humans
are warriors,” First Leader Trion commented as he gazed at the tactical
display. “They are willing to die in the defense of this world.”

Versith nodded
as he studied the deployment of the Human ships. He took note of the four large
battlecarriers, which were deployed beneath the planet’s defense grid. “This
will not be an easy victory,” he spoke, knowing how a cornered enemy with no
hope would fight. I fear that many Hocklyn warriors will find their honor
today.”

“It is the Hocklyn
way,” replied Trion, gravely.

Second Leader
Jaseth had overheard the conversation between the two commanding officers. He
was standing at his weapons console ready to throw his missiles and other
weapons at the Humans. He grinned in vicious anticipation of causing more Human
deaths. When they were done today, there would not be a single surviving Human
in the system. For a while, his taste for their blood would be satiated.

-

“Hocklyn ships
are nearing engagement range,” Ariel reported as she checked the status of the
Avenger’s weapons for the hundredth time in the last thirty seconds.

“They’ve split
up into three groups,” added Colonel Malen, looking worriedly at the tactical
screen. The largest force of nearly three hundred warships was coming directly
toward the newly augmented Fourth Fleet, another group of eighty was moving
toward the space station, and the final group of ninety was heading toward the
planet.

“AIs are
jumping in,” Kevin uttered in worry as all ten AI ships suddenly jumped into
range of the defense grid and started hammering it with their deadly beam
weapons.

“Order the
strikecruisers to attack,” Jeremy spoke, his face looking grim. “All ships are to
fire when enemy ships reach optimal engagement range.”

A few more
seconds passed and then Jeremy felt the Avenger shudder slightly as missiles,
railgun rounds, and the power beams were fired.

In space, the
area between the two opposing fleets became filled with deadly ordnance. Human
fighters flew up and above to stay away from the deadly conflagration. From the
space station, its twenty power beam installations suddenly fired, blowing two Hocklyn
escort cruisers to oblivion. From its flight bays, squadron after squadron of
fighters and bombers were launching. None were being held back.

Jeremy winced
as the Avenger shook violently. He glanced at the damage control console,
seeing several lights turn amber.

“Several nukes
hit the shield,” Colonel Malen explained with narrowed eyes. “A couple of
railgun rounds made it through before the shields regenerated.”

Devastator
Threes began pounding the Hocklyn fleet, tearing holes in shields and
occasionally detonating against a ship’s armor. Two warcruisers died in raging nuclear
fire as the Devastators unleashed their forty megatons of nuclear inferno
against the ships’ hulls.

“Light
cruisers Dawn and London are down,” Kevin spoke in a voice that sounded like
someone else. “Battlecruiser Aspen is down.”

On the main
viewscreens, brilliant explosions lit up space. Ships on both sides were dying
as the exchange of weapons fire grew even greater. Blue Hocklyn energy beams,
violet Human power beams, and orange-red laser beams flashed between the two
fleets.

-

In space,
Major Thurman grimaced in anger as he watched a Monarch heavy cruiser explode
as numerous Hocklyn energy beams ripped the ship apart. “Hocklyn fighters
inbound,” he calmly spoke into his com as he watched the massive red wave of
icons that was quickly approaching his fighters and the few bombers they were
escorting. “All squadrons engage; the more of them we destroy, the more likely
some of our bombers will get through.”

“That’s a lot
of enemy fighters,” a female voice spoke nervously over the squadron com channel.

“Just more for
us to shoot at,” a male pilot responded. “Makes it harder to miss.”

“Stay with you
wingman and let’s engage,” Thurman ordered. Increasing his fighter’s
acceleration, he targeted an approaching Hocklyn fighter and fired one of his
Hunter missiles. A fiery explosion confirmed the kill.

-

Jeremy watched
the growing carnage through narrowed eyes. He felt gut wrenching pain every
time a friendly green icon vanished from the tactical display. “Order Grayseth
to launch their small warships. Their target is the fleet attempting to attack
the planet.”

Colonel Malen
nodded and quickly passed on the order. She knew the battle was getting
desperate as the Hocklyns threatened to overrun the fleet.

Moments later,
numerous green icons began rising from the surface of Careth. Two hundred and
thirty small, one hundred-meter spacecraft had been built secretly in the
hidden underground cities of the planet, each armed with railguns and nuclear
tipped Klave missiles. They also had an energy screen to give them some
protection from incoming fire.

“Strikecruisers
got an AI,” Ariel reported excitedly as one of the orange icons flared up and
then vanished.

“Strikecruiser
Taurus is down,” Kevin spoke in a strained voice.

“Bear bombers
under fighter escort are beginning their attack run on the fleet targeting the
space station,” Ariel reported. She was using the Avenger’s sensors to try to
keep track of the entire battle.

“Jeremy,”
Colonel Malen gasped in shock. “Look at the screen!”

The viewscreen
she was pointing at was focused on Careth. Upon the surface the tell all flash
of a nuclear explosion was evident.

“Twenty
megatons,” reported Ariel, grimly. “It detonated above the Carethian city of Presden.”

“Second AI
ship confirmed destroyed,” Kevin reported as he watched another of the orange
threat icons vanish from his screen. It had hurt deeply to see the nuclear
weapon strike Careth. Kevin just hoped there were no others.

“The bear
bombers and fighters are taking heavy losses,” Ariel added in a pained voice.

As she watched
with her sensors, dozens of brave pilots were dying as their fighters and
bombers were blown apart by Hocklyn fighters and heavy defensive fire from
their warships. Undeterred by the losses, the bear pilots continued toward
their targets. They would not turn back until their missiles were fired.

-

In space,
Major Thurman fired his last Hunter interceptor missile. It struck a Hocklyn
fighter, blowing it into a thousand pieces. A red warning light suddenly flared
up on his console indicating a missile was locked on. In desperation, he juked
his fighter through several barrel rolls and dove away at a sharp angle, releasing
a canister of countermeasures, which blew apart, attracting the missile away at
the last second. The explosion rocked his fighter but caused no damage.

Letting out a
deep breath, Major Thurman dropped his Talon fighter in behind another Hocklyn
and pressed the firing button for his thirty-millimeter cannons. Instantly, the
Hocklyn fighter exploded in a brilliant fireball. Taking a second to look
around, Thurman could see numerous explosions around him indicating dying
fighters. Glancing down at his sensor screen, he saw very few green icons still
surviving.

-

Jeremy felt
the Avenger shake violently and for a moment, the lights in the Command Center flickered. A few people screamed in fright. On the damage control console, a
number of new lights turned amber and then red.

“We’re venting
atmosphere,” Colonel Malen reported as she issued orders rapidly to damage control
teams. “A Hocklyn energy beam hit the hull and cut through six decks.”

“Jeremy, the
New Eden has suffered major damage!” Kevin spoke loudly with deep concern on
his face. The New Eden was Admiral Stillson’s flagship.

“Order several
light cruisers to give her covering fire!” Jeremy ordered his face turning
ashen.

On the main
viewscreen, it had changed to show the New Eden. The battlecruiser was under
heavy attack and even as they watched, a nuclear explosion ripped out a major
portion of the ship’s hull.

“Her screens
are down,” Ariel reported as she used her sensors to scan Stillson’s flagship.
“Heavy structural damage to the hull and there is massive internal damage as
well.”

Even as they watched,
half a dozen blue Hocklyn energy beams struck the ship, cutting into the hull and
doing irrevocable damage. Suddenly, four bright balls of energy formed and the
New Eden vanished as its nuclear self-destructs initiated.