Earth Fall: Empires at War, page 13
“Agreed,” replied Mark. “Set them up and I’ll give approval. The crews need to be as sharp as possible by the time we reach our destination.”
-
High Commander Kaldre was in one of the construction bays of the massive shipyard. In the construction cradle a new battlecruiser was having the last of its armor plating put in place. Special robots overseen by Trellixian supervisors were welding the plates into place. A web work of scaffolding covered the ship, allowing access to every part of its hull.
“This is the first ship to have all the upgrades you requested,” Commander Malborr informed the High Commander. “It was nearly finished when you arrived so it was relatively simple to update it to the new standards you’ve requested with the new fusion reactors and the designs you submitted to my engineers. We have several other ships under construction we’re updating as well.”
“What about the new workers?”
“All in place,” replied Malborr. “We took workers from factories and construction facilities to fill out the required workforce. In another two weeks we’ll be building the first of the new battlecruisers.”
Kaldre spent several moments looking around the construction bay. Specially programmed robots did most of the heavy work. The bay swarmed with them. Kaldre knew inside the ship Trellixians did much of the more intricate work. There was a steady influx of materials going inside several open cargo hatches. Progress had been much quicker than he expected. Commander Malborr had cut the expected time to modify the shipyards nearly in half.
“How long does it take to complete a ship?”
“Forty to fifty days depending on the availability of materials,” Malborr replied.
Kaldre turned toward the shipyard commander. “Make sure you don’t run out of supplies. I want as many of these ships built as fast as possible. Also, any ship coming in for a refit is to be updated with the new fusion reactor and what ever else is necessary.”
Malborr nodded. “I will see to it.”
Turning, High Commander Kaldre left the construction bay. He was deeply concerned whether there was enough time to build the fleet he felt was necessary to protect the core worlds. If not for High Commander Thatrex much of what Kaldre was hoping to accomplish would not be possible. As one of the oldest High Commanders, the other High Commanders were willing to listen and respect his views. However, earlier in the day High Commander Danaar had made an inquiry if one of the shipyards tasked with building military vessels could be modified to build more colony ships. Kaldre had informed him that wasn’t practical at this time. Kaldre knew Danaar wasn’t pleased with the answer.
Even more aggravating, the planetary governor of Traxis Three had inquired if Kaldre could to anything to increase the amount of food shipments arriving daily. The governor had stressed that if there was no increase there could be widespread unrest on the planet. Kaldre had promised to look into it but doubted there was anything he could do. The food supply for the Empire was limited and due to the growing population was becoming less with each passing day.
-
Returning to the Dawn Reaper, Kaldre sat down in his command chair thinking about what could be done to keep the Humans and the Voltrex in check until the new fleets were ready. After awhile he realized there were only two possibilities.
“Lamarr, send a message to Battle Commander Balforr. I want him to use his fleet to patrol the core worlds. They are to spend one full day in each system scanning for any threats.”
Kaldre waited as the message was sent and acknowledged. “Now, send a second message to the High Command requesting they send four of our fleets to the Human system. They are not to attack but are to make their presence known.”
“What good will that do?” asked Second Officer Calaah. “Where will they get the ships?”
Kaldre grinned, allowing his flesh ripping teeth to show. “It will keep the Humans pinned down. With our fleets nearby they will dare not launch any military task groups toward us. They can pull the fleets from some of our core worlds if necessary.” He wasn’t worried about an attack in the immediate future in the heart of the Empire. Later the fleets could be pulled back if necessary. Besides if a fleet was launched to attack the core worlds it would most likely originate from Earth. With fleets positioned close by the attack could be headed off.
Calaah’s eyes lit up with understanding. “It is a good strategy.”
Standing up High Commander Kaldre left the Command Center. He had some additional messages for Battle Commander Balforr as well as the Battle Commander who would be in command of the fleets going to Earth. He was determined to save the Empire from what he considered to be a growing and serious threat.
Chapter Ten
Fleet Commander Kamuss let out a deep breath. The two Voltrex fleets were nearly to Kalone Four. Three stealth scout ships were already scanning the system for Trellixian ships and bases.
“First scans are coming in,” reported Zalurr as his sensors began lighting up with data.
Kamuss shifted his gaze to the tactical display with his eyes widening at what it was showing. A low growl erupted from his throat. The display was full of red threat icons!
Lieutenant Commander LeLath echoed the Fleet Commander’s growl. She gazed at the screen in dismay. “There must be hundreds of warships in that system!”
“We don’t know if they’re all warships,” Kamuss said as he stepped away from his command chair and moved closer to the tactical display. “Zalurr, do we know the ship types we’re looking at?”
Zalurr looked at some data on his console. “Shortly; the data on ship identification is just now coming in. I can tell you there are large numbers of cargo ships, colony ships, and warships.”
“Do we continue on into the system?” asked Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “We could lose a substantial portion of our fleet if there are indeed hundreds of Trellixian warships in the system.”
Kamuss frowned. They were deep in Trellixian space and couldn’t afford large ship losses, however, if they could destroy this base it would cripple the Trellixians’ efforts at colonizing this sector.
“Do we know what planet their base is located on?”
“It’s not on a planet,” answered Zalurr. “From the scouts’ sensor readings the base is located upon a large moon around a gas giant in the system. It actually has an atmosphere though the sensors haven’t reported whether it’s breathable or not.”
Kamuss thought over the tactical situation. He needed more information before taking the two Voltrex fleets into what might be a very dangerous situation. “Meetric, we will slow our travel through hyperspace to give the scouts more time to scan the system. I want twenty minutes of additional scanning time.”
“Slowing down,” reported Meetric. “The entire fleet is following our lead.”
-
In the Kalone Four System, the three Voltrex scout ships moved farther into the system in order to get clear sensor readings of all the space in the system, particularly around the planets and the system’s moons. As the scouts neared several of the planets they took great effort to remain undetected. However, one scout made the mistake of sending back sensor readings to the fleet with a Trellixian cargo ship in a direct line of its hyperspace communication signal.
-
On the large moon orbiting Kalone Four, Commander Garron stood silently as his communications officer reported a strange message from a cargo ship traveling to a mining operation on the outer most planet of the system.
“A hyperspace signal,” said Second Officer Tarack. “There should be no signals originating in that region of space.”
“Was the cargo ship able to understand the message being sent?” asked Garron.
The communications officer shook his head. “No, it was highly encrypted and he only intercepted a small segment.”
Commander Garron looked over at one of the sensor officers. “Are we detecting anything unusual in the system? Sensor scans or communications?”
“It’s impossible to tell,” the primary sensor officer replied. “There are too many ships with active sensors and if the hyperspace signal is directional we won’t be able to detect it unless a ship is in the right location.”
Garron looked over at Second Officer Tarack. “Send a squadron of our battlecruisers to that location where the cargo ship intercepted the signal. Also, order all of our ships to go on alert and to scan for any signs of unknown vessels or probes. They are to listen for any unauthorized hyperspace communication signals.”
“Do you believe it’s the Voltrex?” asked Tarack, his large eyes widening. “Would they dare to attack us here?”
“I don’t know if it’s them or not. However, we can’t overlook the possibility. If they know of this base they must realize that by destroying it they would make this entire sector untenable for colonization.”
Garron watched as Tarack hurried to carry out his orders. Looking at the multiple sensor screens he grew uncomfortably aware of how spread out his battlecruisers were. There were squadrons patrolling all the space of the Kalone Four System. Perhaps it was time to recall most of them in case they were needed to defend this moon. Over the past few weeks he had called in many of the fleets assigned to protect this sector from the Voltrex. The colony ships and cargo ships which had fled from Capal Four to Lantoll Six and then Kalone Four had come here. All of them had been sent farther into the Empire for their own safety. That still left quite a few that had other colonies as their destinations. They had orders to check in at Kalone Four before continuing to the colonies.
Gazing at the tactical displays, he realized there were quite a few cargo ships and even some colony ships in the system. The cargo ships were resupplying the system of Kalone Four and some were due to jump into hyperspace for some of the nearby colonies as were the colony ships.
“Communications, order all colony and cargo ships not assigned to this system to enter hyperspace and proceed to their designated destinations. Inform them there is a chance this system may soon be coming under attack.” That should speed up the evacuation of those valuable ships. It would also get them out of the way in case there was a battle.
For nearly an hour there were no additional reports of unusual communication signals or sightings, then three things occurred nearly at once. Battlecruisers on patrol reported intercepting two separate signals. A cargo ship preparing to enter hyperspace reported a small unidentified craft in their area and finally a battlecruiser on the outskirts of the system reported detecting a large number of unknown ships dropping out of hyperspace.
“It’s them,” said Second Officer Tarack, his eyes focusing on a tactical display. “Our computers have confirmed the messages are in the Voltrex language and we believe the small ship spotted is one of the Voltrexs’ scout ships. They are rumored to have stealth capability. That’s why they’ve been so difficult to spot on our sensors.”
“Take the base to high alert,” ordered Commander Garron, sitting down in his command chair. “The same for our battlecruisers. Recall all battlecruisers back to Kalone Four. If the Voltrex want a battle we will give them one.”
-
Instantly klaxons and red lights began flashing. Across the entire base Trellixians raced to their battle stations. Heavy energy guns rose up from the ground and turned toward space. Missile hatches slid open and heavy ship-to-ship missiles were loaded into the missile tubes.
In orbit, there were two shipyards and six space stations. On board the largest shipyard Malken antimatter missiles were loaded aboard six battlecruisers docked to the station. As soon as the missiles with their one hundred-megaton warheads were loaded the six battlecruisers joined the rest of the gathering fleet. The two shipyards brought their defenses on line, including increasing the power to their energy shields.
All across the system squadrons of Trellixian battlecruisers raced to Kalone Four. Some made short hyperspace jumps to get there quicker. In total four hundred and seventeen battlecruisers were assembling over the large moon.
The three scout ships rapidly noticed the new deployment of the Trellixians’ battlecruisers as well as the sudden departure of numerous cargo and colony ships. This was quickly reported to Fleet Commander Kamuss on the Claw of Honor.
-
“We’ve been detected,” said Lieutenant Commander LeLath in dismay as she saw the movement of the Trellixian ships on the tactical display.
“We’re facing slightly over four hundred Trellixian battlecruisers,” added Zalurr as identification of the ships still in the system was received. “There is also a moderate sized shipyard, one large shipyard and six space stations. Both shipyards seem to be protected with energy shields. There is also a large base on the surface of the moon and the sensors readings from the scouts indicate numerous energy cannons protecting the base.
“Does Fleet Commander Masurl have this information?” asked Kamuss as he studied the tactical display. Four hundred enemy battlecruisers were a concern even if Voltrex ships had superior weapons and shields.
“Yes,” replied Lieutenant Commander LeLath. “He’s receiving the same tactical feed from the scout ships as we are.”
Kamuss leaned back in his command chair. This would be the biggest battle since the Trellixians attacked the Bator System. “If we take this base and those warships out the fighting in this sector might very well be over. Our worlds will have nothing to fear, particularly if we keep pushing the Trellixians back.” He knew there were several other Voltrex fleets searching for any Trellixian fleets still near the border of the region of space controlled by the Voltrex.
“We’ll lose some ships as well as have some damaged,” warned LeLath. “Where do we go after this battle for repairs?”
“Earth,” replied Fleet Commander Kamuss. “They have a shipyard they’re working on and by the time we get there part of it should be functional. Also by then perhaps we will know more about what Captain Dolan found on his mission to the Trellixian core worlds.”
LeLath let out a deep sigh. “I should have gone with him. There are many of our people on the Fury.”
“Lieutenant Commander Katana is qualified,” replied Kamuss. “Besides, I needed you here.”
Lieutenant Commander LeLath nodded. “What are your plans for the attack now that we know what we’re up against?”
Kamuss took a deep breath. “We will divide into separate fleets. Fleet Commander Masurl will strike the Trellixians from one direction and our fleet from another. We will target the warships first before dealing with the orbiting shipyards and stations. We will save the surface base for last. It may be a difficult nut to crack as our Human friends would say.”
LeLath allowed herself to smile. A few Human idioms had made it into the Voltrex language, particularly among fleet personnel. “How soon before we attack?”
“Immediately,” replied Kamuss, his face taking on a serious look. “If the reports from the scouts are correct, the Trellixians already know we’re here. There is no point in delaying. Take all ships to Battle Condition One and prepare for hyperspace jump. Metriic, I want our two fleets to exit hyperspace sixty thousand kilometers from Kalone Four’s moon. Once there we will separate the fleets and commence our attack.”
Meetric began entering the hyperspace jump coordinates into the navigation computer. Once everything was set in motion he sent the coordinates to the rest of the ships in the two fleets. “Jump in twenty seconds.”
Kamuss tightened the harness which held him in his command chair. The twenty seconds counted down and he felt a slight wrenching sensation as the Claw of Honor made the transition into hyperspace. After only a few minutes the wrenching sensation returned as stars once more filled the viewscreens. On one screen a large gas giant appeared with an orbiting moon.
“Sixty thousand kilometers from target,” confirmed Meetric.
Kamuss nodded. “Separate the fleets and move us toward the moon. Fleet Commander Masurl will attack the far side of the moon and we’ll attack the side currently in sunlight. Be aware of the gas giant. It has high gravity and dense atmospheric layers. All ships need to stay away from it.”
The message was sent and the two fleets separated and began moving toward the moon and the ships that were their target.
Fleet Commander Kamuss leaned forward in his command chair as the fleet rapidly neared missile range. The Trellixian ships seemed intent on protecting the shipyards and the six space stations. Their ships were positioned defensively around them. Kamuss wasn’t pleased his two fleets would be slightly outnumbered. He hoped the Jelnoid weaponry and shields his ships were equipped with would bring most of them through unharmed.
-
Commander Garron drew in a sharp breath as he saw the red threat icons appear on the tactical display. His fleet had a slight advantage in numbers but not by much.
“Contact our ships with the Malken missiles. They are to strike first. If we can make the Voltrex think we have a large number of antimatter missiles they may withdraw.”
Second Officer Tarack quickly sent the orders to the appropriate ship squadrons. On the large tactical display, six squadrons of ten ships each broke off from the main fleet and began accelerating toward the Voltrex.
-
“Enemy ships accelerating and closing rapidly with us,” reported Zalurr, his eyes widening. “Sixty Trellixian battlecruisers are in the formation.”
“They’re already within our missile range,” Lieutenant Commander LeLath informed the Fleet Commander. “They’ll be able to launch their own missiles in a few more seconds at the rate they’re closing.”
Zalurr looked confused. “Why attack us with such a small number of ships? Surely they know our own missiles will destroy them.”
On the main screen, the image shifted to show the inbound enemy ships. Sixty two-thousand-meter battlecruisers rushed directly toward the heart of the Voltrex fleet formation.
“Launch our own missiles,” ordered Fleet Commander Kamuss, leaning forward in his command chair. “All battleships and battlecruisers to launch two missiles each at the inbound enemy force.”
