The Lost Fleet Box Set, page 42
part #1 of The Lost Fleet Series
“They did find Admiral Strong and his fleets,” spoke Admiral Kalen. “They’re not alone.”
Governor Barnes was silent, as his heart felt empty. “We used to come here together and gaze at the habitat. We would have a contest to see how many different bird species we could identify. I think her favorite were the scissor-tailed flycatchers. She used to get so excited anytime she saw one.”
“She became a fine officer,” Kalen said. “Admiral Teleck would have been proud of her.”
Governor Barnes let out a deep sigh. “We’ve lost so many good people since the start of the war with the Hocklyns and the AIs. Sometimes I wonder if we’re destined to go from one war to the next with no end in sight.”
“We’ve had relative peace the last few years,” Kalen pointed out. “Just a few skirmishes with the Borzon and the Shari. The Federation and our allies are growing stronger as new civilized worlds become members. We’re not as alone as we once were.”
“I spent too much time worrying about politics instead of her in recent years,” Barnes said with sadness in his voice. “I used to drag her around to diplomatic dinners, hoping someday she would follow me into politics.”
“She chose the fleet instead,” Kalen said. “That must have been a shock.”
“It was,” Barnes responded with a slight smile, recalling the argument he had had with Kathryn over her decision. “But she’s as stubborn as her mother was.”
Admiral Kalen was silent for several moments, knowing the governor was grieving for his daughter. “I’ve studied the data packet Admiral Tolsen and Admiral Jackson sent. The Simulins will be a problem. I don’t think the Federation Council will be anxious to rush into another war, even considering the potential danger these Simulins pose. Many of the senators desire peace and will do almost anything to keep it, even if it means ignoring this threat.”
Governor Barnes let out a deep sigh and nodded. “Former Fleet Admiral Streth has been sending messages across the Federation, requesting aid for Admiral Tolsen at the black hole. He also wants to send a relief fleet to the Triangulum Galaxy to aid Admiral Strong in his fight against the Simulins.”
“From what I read in Admiral Strong’s report, he plans on returning to Gaia and staying there,” Kalen replied. “He’s built some powerful defenses and has the ships to protect it, if the Simulins ever stumble across it. They’ve already begun colonizing the planet.”
“Kathryn’s new home,” responded Governor Barnes wistfully. “I wish I could see it.” Nearby he could see a pair of birds circling. Were they scissor-tails?
“What do you want to do?” asked Admiral Kalen. “Ceres hasn’t always followed the will of the council.”
“I’m meeting with Ambassador Tureen and Senator Karnes later this week,” Governor Barnes replied. “I’m not sure what we can do, but I’m not standing idly by and letting Admiral Strong and my daughter fight the Simulins alone.”
“What about President Malle?” Kalen asked. “What will you say to him?”
“The council will be in a quandary,” Barnes said, shaking his head in disgust. “Governor Fulbright will never agree to commit any forces to fight the Simulins. He’ll instruct the senators from Serenity to block any such attempt. The senators from Bliss will support him, as their world is also in the Epsilon Eridani System. I don’t see any help coming from the council because it’ll get bogged down with political infighting.”
“Do you want me to speak with Fleet Admiral Nagumo? He might be more responsive for a request to send aid.”
Governor Barnes hesitated. He hated dragging the fleet admiral into this, but anything he could do to help would be appreciated. “Yes. Make sure he understands we feel the Simulin threat is real and needs to be addressed. If he’s interested in helping, I want to meet with him.”
“He’s currently in the Alpha Centauri System, visiting Harmony,” Kalen replied. “I’ll do a quick flight over there in the Ceres and speak with him.”
“Thanks,” Governor Barnes replied. In the distance he could see a pair of scissor-tails circling above a grove of trees. He wished Kathryn were here; she would have loved the sight.
-
Two weeks later Admiral Race Tolsen stood in the Command Center of the WarHawk, staring at one of the tactical displays showing the current disposition of the ships under his command. After the Distant Horizon’s drone had come through, he’d been expecting the Simulins to show up at any time. The Federation fleet was practicing battle maneuvers on a regular basis in preparation for meeting the threat.
“You’ve done everything you can,” commented Commander Arnett, as they finished the latest drill. “Third Fleet is in the best possible tactical position.”
“Yes, but it’s not enough,” Race said, stepping back from the display. Later he would go over the results from the drill to see if he could spot any obvious weaknesses in his plan.
Third Fleet was circled around the expected emergence point of a Simulin attack. Admiral Jackson’s flagship, the Dauntless, along with his two battlecruisers and four strikecruisers, were mixed in with Race’s command. Jackson’s two battlecarriers had been assigned to protect Capacitor Station One, all its civilian ships, as well as the fleet repair vessels. Admiral Bachal’s Alton ships were close by and would be used as a quick-response strike force, once the Simulins arrived. The Alton ships would hit the Simulins head-on as they emerged from the spatial vortex.
“You’d think they’d come through in force,” stated Colonel Cowel. “It’s what I would do. I’d keep sending ships through, until I had a beachhead established, and then move out to secure the area around the black hole.”
“We’ll give a good accounting of ourselves,” Madelyn said confidently. “They won’t find us so easy to overcome.”
“I know we will,” Race said. “But, damn it, Madelyn, we’re talking about facing 1,700-meter-long battlecruisers with technology equivalent to the AIs and possibly even the Altons. How can we stop something like that?”
At that moment the alarms on the Sensor console sounded. “Spatial vortices detected,” reported Lieutenant Davis, his trained eyes shifting to his sensor screens. “Two million kilometers.”
“I’m getting Alton ID codes,” added Lieutenant Travers with relief in her voice. When the alarms sounded, everyone was instantly afraid it was the expected Simulin attack.
“Altons?” Madelyn said, looking confused. “Admiral Bachal didn’t mention any other ships showing up.”
“Put them on the main viewscreens,” ordered Race, shifting his attention to the front of the Command Center. He hoped the Alton vessels were warships and not more research ships.
The viewscreens zoomed in on the new arrivals, and Race felt his breath taken away. “Please tell me those are what I think they are.”
“Twelve Alton battleships, each towing an Indomitable Class battlestation,” Commander Arnett said with eyes aglow. “Now that’s a relief for sore eyes.”
“I have Admiral Victell on the comm,” Lieutenant Travers said with a smile. “He wants to know where you want the battlestations.”
“The only way they could get Indomitable Class battlestations here so quickly was if they came from Astral,” Colonel Cowel said, his eyes widening. “They must have removed them from orbit.”
Race nodded, still finding it hard to speak. He knew exactly where he wanted them. The Indomitable Class battlestations were one thousand meters in diameter and armed with numerous heavy particle beam cannons and sublight antimatter missile tubes. They also had multiple energy beam turrets for defense. They’d be a hard nut to crack with their powerful defensive screens. They could easily be a game changer in a battle with the Simulins. He’d have to adjust his battle plan to take into account this sudden addition to his forces.
“I want them around the expected entry vortex for the Simulins,” Race ordered, finally able to talk. With these Alton battlestations, he just might be able to drive back the expected Simulin attack and keep them from the capacitor stations.
-
Over the next few weeks, additional reinforcements straggled in. A full squadron of fifteen battlecruisers from New Providence, a fleet of thirty battlecruisers from Careth under command of the Bear battleship Hunter, as well as a few more Federation ships. More surprising was the fact that New Providence sent twenty Type Two battlestations as well as five hundred particle beam satellites.
Admiral Tolsen carefully placed the Type Two battlestations in positions where they could support the more powerful Indomitable Class stations. The five hundred particle beam satellites he ordered as close as he dared to the suspected emergence point of the Simulins. For the first time Race felt he could beat back any conceivable Simulin attack.
-
“That’s one hell of a mousetrap,” commented Commander Arnett, while she watched the last particle beam satellite being put into position on one of the viewscreens.
“It should be enough,” Race said, folding his arms across his chest. “We’ll blow anything apart that comes through the vortex.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“We wait,” Race replied, looking at Madelyn. “We continue the repairs to the capacitor stations, so we can send a relief fleet through to Admiral Strong and Admiral Barnes. I just hope they can stay alive until we can send them reinforcements.”
Madelyn nodded.
There had been very little response from the Federation about forming a relief fleet. Discussions were still ongoing, but only Careth and New Providence had promised to provide ships. It was difficult to find people and crews who were willing to make the journey to the Triangulum Galaxy, particularly since it was most likely a one-way trip.
-
Fleet Admiral Nagumo was at New Tellus Station, still fuming from his meeting with the Federation Council. President Malle had asked him to present to the council the evidence of the threat the Simulins posed.
Nagumo had been pressed by the senators from Serenity and Bliss about whether any Simulin vessels had been detected in the galaxy. He’d been forced to admit they had not. Then Senator Davis from Bliss demanded to know when was the last time a Simulin vessel had been spotted in the galaxy. Stone-faced, Nagumo had admitted it had been several thousand years. In the end the vote was close, but the measure to prepare for a Simulin invasion had been voted down.
“Bureaucrats,” Nagumo mumbled, tossing back a stiff drink and staring across his office at a picture taken of the beaches on New Tellus.
“We’re not all assholes,” responded Senator Amy Karnes with a grin. “Some of us actually want what’s best for the Federation and our allies.”
“Sorry,” Nagumo replied, as he filled his glass a second time from the bottle on his desk, then placed it in the bottom drawer. He very seldom drank, but he was infuriated at the council.
“If the Simulins come through, as Admiral Tolsen believes they will, it’ll be the start of an intergalactic war,” Amy said in a calm voice. “The council will have no choice but to respond to the threat.”
Nagumo left his glass on his desk, stood up, and walked to a large viewscreen focused on the command asteroid fortress, twenty-two kilometers in diameter, with the Command Center located at its heart. The asteroid was honeycombed with passages and power plants, and a crew of twenty thousand operated the massive fortress and its intricate systems and weapons. Nagumo would give anything if Admiral Tolsen had something like that available to him to hold back the Simulins.
“I suppose you’ve seen the communiqué from former Fleet Admiral Streth that’s been floating around in some circles of the military and the political establishment?” asked Nagumo, still gazing at the viewscreen.
“Possibly,” Amy said evasively.
“It’s riled a few people,” Nagumo said, as he turned to face the senator. “Not anyone in the military, but a few of the higher-ups with deep political connections.” He knew Senator Karnes had been one of the recipients of the fleet admiral’s message. “It’s not like it was five or six years ago, when he was leading our fleets against the AIs and the Hocklyns. Several times he called the bluff of the council and got what he wanted. He’s a living legend and could get by with things I can’t even consider.”
“Will you help him?” Amy asked, her eyes focusing intently on the fleet admiral. “I believe I can guarantee enough votes in the council to prevent your removal as fleet admiral, if things go south.”
“What are you willing to do?” asked Nagumo. He knew they should be readying the fleet for possible war, but the council was too close-minded over this threat.
“Whatever is necessary,” Amy replied in a steady voice. “New Tellus was settled by people from the old Human Federation of Worlds. We owe our lives to Fleet Admiral Streth. If he’s asking for aid, we’re honor-bound to send it.”
“It’ll be risky,” Nagumo said, returning to his chair and sitting down.
“Politics are always risky,” Amy responded with a wry smile. “I can stand the fire, if it comes my way.”
Nagumo nodded. Senator Karnes had always been an outspoken senator and an ardent supporter of the fleet. “I’ll make calls and speak to some people. There may be a few things we can do that won’t raise too many eyebrows.”
“Fleet Admiral, you should know Fleet Admiral Streth has already set some plans into motion,” Amy ventured cautiously.
Nagumo laughed and smiled. “I suppose you mean the repair of the AI capacitor stations?”
“How … ?” Amy stammered, surprised. A lot of effort had gone into keeping secret the repair of the second and possibly third capacitor station.
“You didn’t think I’d know what was going on when one of my admirals takes his fleet to the galactic center without orders from me?”
Amy didn’t reply; she merely gazed questioningly at the fleet admiral.
“I trust Admiral Tolsen’s judgment in this matter. That’s why a few additional warships have been sent his direction. Not as many as I would’ve liked but still enough to sizably increase the strength of his fleet. I also placed documented orders in the records that I sent the fleet there on a special mission.”
“What about Fleet Admiral Streth’s plan?”
“To send a relief fleet to the Triangulum Galaxy to wage war against the Simulins?” Nagumo asked carefully, his eyes narrowing sharply. “Some will say we’ll be starting the war.”
“We won’t be starting a war. We’ll be saving the galaxy,” Amy said firmly.
Nagumo nodded. He had work to do, if he was to send any ships to aid Admiral Strong and Rear Admiral Barnes. If he was careful, he wouldn’t violate any regulations, and the Federation Council wouldn’t know what he’d done until it was too late. He was taking a risk with his career, but he trusted Senator Karnes to come to his aid, if needed. A number of ships were in the reserve fleet, which could easily be brought back into service. Nagumo was also fairly certain he could find the personnel to crew them.
-
At the galactic center, work was continuing on the three capacitor stations. With the aid of the Alton battleships, the third capacitor station had been moved closer to the other two. Now all three stations were nearby one another, with four of the battleships in defensive positions around them, and work crews had begun major repairs to the third station.
Race had been surprised at the number of Federation warships that continued to trickle in. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep them at the black hole, until they were ordered to return to their patrol routes.
“What of the relief fleets?” Commander Arnett asked Race, as they were shuttled inbound to Capacitor Station One for a meeting with the Alton and Human scientists working on the project.
Race gazed out the viewport. It still concerned him being so close to the black hole, but their distance and orbital velocity kept them safe. “I’ve received commitments from Careth, New Providence, and Ceres. The fleet will make transit in four months. There may also be a fleet from New Tellus, but that’s a little questionable.”
“Can we be ready by then?”
“We have to be,” Race replied, as the shuttle docked to the massive capacitor station. “The Simulins must be forced to focus on their galaxy and not ours. Only by attacking them there can we guarantee that. By now, Jeremy has pulled his ships into the nebula and won’t be venturing back out. He just doesn’t have the needed ships or the necessary manpower. It’s up to us to change that.”
“Will Admiral Strong fight? So far he’s been primarily in defensive mode,” Madelyn said. “They’ll still be vastly outnumbered.”
“Jeremy will fight,” Race said with a vicious grin. “Give him the ships and crews, and he’ll kick the hell out of the Simulins.”
-
After docking, they made their way to a conference room set up for the meeting. Shay, Pelel, Admiral Victell, and several other Altons were present, as well as a few Human engineers.
“Admiral Tolsen,” greeted Admiral Victell, stepping forward and shaking Race’s hand.
After greeting the others, everyone sat down and looked at Race expectantly.
“The relief fleets will be going through the vortex in four months,” he announced.
“Four months!” spoke Shay in surprise. “We can’t be ready in four months. Capacitor Station Three is too heavily damaged.”
“I’m assigning additional repair crews from our ships,” Race told her. “We don’t need to repair the entire station, just get online as many energy-collection dishes as possible.”
Pelel looked at Race with a frown on his face. “At best we may have it 20 to 25 percent operational. It’ll take years to repair the heavier damaged areas of the station.”
“That’ll be sufficient,” answered Race. “Once we send the relief fleets through, we won’t need the capacitor stations again.”
“What?” Shay said, confusion written on her face. “Why not?”
“Because of this,” answered Race, sliding a computer flash drive to Pelel. “The Alton scientists at Astral have come up with a solution to prevent the Simulins from opening an intergalactic vortex into our galaxy.”
