Talosian Chronicles 5: Raptor Squadron Page 8

  "Of that, we have little doubt, Lord Shalo. May the Gods guide your path, temper your heart and keep you from harm," the Revered Father spoke. That was their standard words of departure.

  Shalo bowed as if receiving them as an invocation as the image faded from view. He remained silent for a few moments to consider what was, and what was not said.

  "Master?" Glamia asked softly.

  "Arm the demolition charges on the gates and have the fleets retreat to a safe distance and hold position. I want hourly reports from the investigation of the destruction of those ships and I want to know immediately if anything else happens, no matter how strange or seemingly irrelevant," Shalo ordered.

  "Yes Master," Glamia replied.

  Raptor Apache

  Grimaria System

  Failspire Sector, Imperial Occupied Space

  Major Jana Cromwell, Commanding

  "I don't get it, we blow their ships up and damage the ship yards, and they send in more light cruisers?" Rat paused. "I think we failed to panic them."

  "No, we only confused them because they can't see us; they don't know what happened, but they are not sure it was a hostile action," Jana explained. "Now we blow the facilities on the moons while we pound the planet."

  "We still have some time before the Admiral is in position at Hyperion, Jana. Why don't we play with them some more?" Thomas suggested. "We plant charges on the new ships and maybe plant some charges down on the planet in certain places, then just sit back and wait a couple of days? The more damage we can do to them while we have the time, the better."

  "I understand and agree, Thomas, but we need to get the bigger ships back here so we can get to our real job of destroying those damn gates," Jana said.

  "I think we may accomplish that mission anyway, Major," Gouyen, the Apache AI, replied. "When the fleets at the gates withdrew, we detected a new signal from the gates that could be a self-destruct charge. Perhaps the local commanders are under orders to ensure the gate technology does not fall into Alliance hands under any circumstances."

  Jana looked thoughtful. "So in order to destroy the gates, all we would need to do is get close enough to scan them and make sure the enemy sees that we are?"

  "The act of getting close enough for a detailed scan would ensure we are seen. The problem is that the entire Imperial attack force is also at that location. So we are back to the original problem of drawing them off," Gouyen explained.

  "Perhaps it would be good enough just to let them know we are here. If they do have orders to destroy the gates to prevent us from getting the tech, it would seem to me that finding enemies within a light year of the device would justify destroying them as a precaution. Equipment can always be rebuilt," Carl replied sensibly. "We have five more days before the Admiral arrives at Hyperion. We should use that time to set up as much sabotage as we can, try to get AM charges on the larger ships, and then allow our presence to become known and see what happens. In that way, we should be covered from all angles."

  Jana nodded her agreement as did the other commanders.

  It was the start of a very bad week for the Imperial forces at Grimaria. The industrial facilities on the moons were gone. Several hundred fighters had been destroyed on the ground. A hundred and fifty-two major munitions and supply centers, armories, and heavy armor vehicle depots were now smoking craters. Through it all, the Imperial forces never detected a single weapon being fired, or any evidence of an enemy presence in the system at all. However, no other explanation remained to them.

  Acting on orders from Lord Shalo, the fleets stationed at the gates sent in their heavy assault ships for a detailed, high resolution scan of the entire star system. By that time, it was getting close to the Hyperion deadline; Ian and the fleet would be arriving in a few hours to begin their own scans of the Hyperion system. Once that was finished, the attack would be on.

  The Raptor teams, feeling that time was running out, planted the heavy charges on the capitol ships as soon as they arrived in system. During the seeding of explosives on the moon installations, the Raptors Gotham and Dynasty also installed very sophisticated 'listening' posts hidden some distance from anything else on the moon. Those devices would allow the Alliance to monitor what happened in this system in close to real time. The other Raptors left small, specialized drones at the ship yard facilities that would attempt to integrate themselves into the facilities during repairs. They would hack into the Imperial data and communications nets allowing more intelligence to be gathered.

  The Raptors received the attack signal shortly after the Imperial ships began scanning the Grimaria system. Their time had run out.

  "Okay boys and girls, it's time to drop our pants and moon 'em!" Rat said.

  Jana laughed at him. "Yes it is, Rat. As we agreed, all Raptors, detonate our final presents and jump for the Gate devices!"

  On the planet, several of the almost city-sized Imperial Marine bases began exploding as charges planted there began to detonate in a predetermined pattern. As one, all six Raptors engaged their jump engines and disappeared in a flash.

  Palace of Imperial Enlightenment

  Onalau City

  Planet Proferus Three

  Orgatan System, Gar Sector

  "Master, the Grimaria ships are beginning their scans of the inner system, they should be complete…" Glamia was interrupted by another alarm going off on her terminal. She silenced it as she accessed the emergency message.

  "The Hyperion system is under attack by Alliance forces. It is believed that the force is two to three ships, but sensors are having a hard time locking in on them. The Governor there has initiated martial law."

  "This is an odd time for an Alliance assault on an uncontested world," Shalo replied. "What do we have there to defend them?"

  "Only two light cruisers, a division of garrison troops and a squadron of older fighter craft. As you said, Sir, this world has been uncontested and far from the war for some years. Uh, it's also a former Talosian colony, My Lord. It has a human population," Glamia replied, urgently.

  She no more then finished saying that when yet another chime sounded on her terminal. "My Lord, our forces at Grimaria have detected six enemy ships in the system. No identification or classification was possible as they were detected by their hyper jump signature as they departed. Master, this can't be a coincidence!"

  Glamia made sure to manipulate the displayed holograms so her Lord could see all the information she had as she received it.

  "The Alliance has never taken back a world from us, but if we do nothing at Hyperion, they will. The presence of Alliance ships at Grimaria threatens the security of the gates." He paused while thinking hard.

  "Have the thirteenth assault fleet reassemble and gate to Hyperion immediately. Once they are clear, destroy the gates. The rest of the fleets at Grimaria are to locate and destroy the enemy ships as quickly as possible. Do we have a track on the ships that jumped from Grimaria?" Shalo asked.

  She typed and got her answers. "Yes Master, they are heading for the gate devices. However, they cannot drop out of hyperspace close enough for a detailed scan. They will have to arrive in the midst of our current forces on location. Also the speed indicated by our sensors would show them to be smaller, Centurian class ships."

  Shalo nodded. "Get them moving, Glamia, we're fighting the clock here. Those ships cannot be allowed to scan those gates."

  "Orders sent, Master. Our commanders have anticipated your orders and had already begun acting on them. They had already begun moving to safe jump locations. The thirteenth has begun moving back to the gates and the capitol ships will make rendezvous at the gates. They should be able to depart in twenty minutes.

  "The rest of the fleets are reassembling and preparing for the arrival of the enemy ships. They will not escape us, Master," Glamia said confidently.

  "Glamia, they have spent the last week systematically laying waste to the base at Grimaria. They had to know the location of those gates. So why didn't t
hey make a move on them sooner?" Shalo asked.

  "Because of the Gates' location, there was no way even a cloaked ship could get within scanning range of the gates undetected. To attempt such a thing would be suicide. Perhaps their mission was to destroy the parts of this operation that they could reach, which would be the base at Grimaria. By doing so, they would cripple our efforts much as they have done. What we are seeing now is a last ditch, desperate attempt to get viable data on the gates before they are destroyed. Perhaps they believe they can get close enough to destroy them with missiles," Glamia replied.

  Shalo looked thoughtful as he considered her words. "You may very well be correct, Glamia. However, I do not agree with you on the last assumption. Alliance forces do not engage in suicidal missions. There is something here we are not seeing, but for the life of me, I have no idea what it could be." Again he paused in thought. "What is the timing here? When will the enemy ships arrive near our fleets, and how close to that will the thirteenth gate out?"

  Glamia typed for a moment. "Because of the faster engines on our ships, the thirteenth will gate out two minutes before the projected arrival of the enemy near our fleet."

  "We could not detect them while they were in the Grimaria system. They had to know that we would detect their jump, which surrendered their advantage. How would they get it back? Would that invisibility hold while they were in the nebula?" Shalo asked himself. He shook his head. No matter how he looked at it, the gates had to be destroyed. The risk was simply too high to allow any other option.

  "My orders stand," he said to Glamia. "But warn the commanders remaining at the gates that this enemy has advanced stealth capabilities. Inform the Hyperion Governor that we are sending assistance, but he is to immediately institute his corporate security protocols." He paused. "Tell our commanders that information on these enemies is secondary only to their main objectives. We need as much information on these ships and the race operating them as we can."

  Glamia nodded and relayed the orders. Shalo sighed and added. "Tell the Garrison commander at Grimaria I need his damage and loss reports as soon as he gets them finished." He reached out and touched the icon from a system near to the one being assaulted. When it opened its information window he grinned. "Glamia, inform the twenty-ninth Circadian Guard about Hyperion."

  Glamia paled. The Circadian Units did not belong to the Imperial Military. They had their own missions and chain of command. No one knew for certain exactly who they answered to, but most thought the Priests controlled them. They were brutal, ruthless units that did anything and everything necessary to accomplish their mission. While the units were made up of her people, they no longer belonged to any clan or family. They were completely isolated from the rest of their society and acted as if they were another race entirely. If they took an interest in the planet of Hyperion, it would not be a good thing for the population there.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TDF Star Dancer

  Deep Space Entrance vector

  Aurigae system, Durnam Sector.

  Commander Jennifer Williams, Commanding

  "You know, since Ian mentioned this assault, I've always wondered why the system doesn't share the name of the planet like most other systems in the Talosian data base?" Jenny asked, looking at the image of the planet on the main viewer.

  "The Aurigae system is far removed from nominal Talosian 'space'. It is the most distant of their colony worlds. The system had originally been discovered by a Benesian survey mission, but they did not explore the system. Through an agreement with the Benesians, the Talosian Alliance claimed the system with plans to build a remote ship yard and mining facility here. However, when they arrived, the colony ship discovered that the planet was ideal for agriculture.

  "The agreement with the Benesians was contingent on this being a mostly dead system. When they discovered there was a viable planet here, they named it Hyperion and forbade the development of heavy industry on the planet. For some unknown reason, House Bjorin never built the facilities here it had intended," Star explained. "It was captured by Imperial forces with a minimum of fighting due to the lack of assets placed here to protect it."

  "Maybe the Admiral should insist it be annexed into the House Cronos so the people here would at least be taken care of," the comms officer suggested.

  "That is an excellent idea and I will make the suggestion to Councilor Noren after we finish taking it back," Ian said as he entered the bridge. "I can't insist, but I can make the suggestion based on past Bjorin stewardship."

  Jenny stood and smiled at him. "As you know, we've arrived at our entry point and have begun scanning. Raptors Damocles and Icarus have already launched and are on course for the planet."

  Ian nodded. "We're actually here early. We're going to delay out here for a bit longer than planned to make up the difference. Tell the Icarus and Damocles they will have a bit more time on planet than originally planned."

  Jenny glanced over at Chloe who nodded and took care of it. Having all the combat departments available to the commander seemed like a good idea, but it had yet to be tested in a combat situation.

  "Admiral, Fleet Admiral H'joles is on secure comm for you," the communications officer said.

  Ian grinned up at Jenny. "I'm going to get a lot of exercise on those stairs to my office!" he nodded to the comms officer. "I'll take it up in my office, Ensign." He turned and re-climbed the stairs to his loft office.

  After raising the security curtain around his desk, Ian accepted the call. "Good Day, Fleet Admiral, what can I do for you today?"

  H'joles was smiling, so Ian knew it couldn't be bad news. "You can recommend those teams of yours for medals when they return! They have planted several hidden surveillance devices in the Grimaria system and we have begun receiving data from them. Not only that, but they have managed to inflict massive damage on the enemy while they did it! They've been very busy while they try to lure the enemy fleet in."

  He lost much of his smile though. "Unfortunately, their efforts have not, as yet, been successful. The last reports we have received indicate that only light elements of the fleet have been sent to the system to investigate the 'mysterious destruction' of multiple facilities. However, that report is three hours old."

  "The data feeds aren't live?" Ian asked.

  H'joles shook his head. "Data burst transmissions. Given the distance and the security of the system, this was the best way to handle it. We should be receiving another data burst very soon. Perhaps we will know more when it arrives. What I am calling about is to express to you how amazed I am at the success of your teams. In the week that they have been there, they have managed to do more damage to the enemy than an entire Alliance assault fleet could have done." As he finished, his terminal beeped at him, which Ian could hear.

  H'joles quickly read the report. 'I was correct; we did get a new data burst. The Empire is moving several of their capitol ships into the system. Major Rathbone reports that they will continue seeding demolition charges, but will also equip the capitol ships with the charges made to destroy the gates. He goes on to report that the AI believes there is a possibility the Empire will destroy the gates themselves in order to prevent us from obtaining a detailed scan of the structures. To that end, once the charges are planted, they will jump toward the gate from orbit, thus revealing themselves to the enemy." H'joles looked concerned. "Admiral, if they do this, will not the Empire be able to destroy them?"

  "The action of revealing themselves is to remove any doubt in the enemy commander's mind that they have been attacked by a hostile force," Ian explained. "The action will also give the Empire the ability to track them while in hyperspace. It is a risky move, but if the AI are correct, it will accomplish the destruction of the gates. As for the danger to the teams, I wouldn't count them out just yet; they wouldn't be jumping into a trap without a plan."

  H'joles nodded his understanding. "I am forwarding all data to you as we receive it. I pray you are correct, Admiral. Because, from
what this report says, they are all committing suicide."

  "Chloe, there is an incoming data link for you and Major Eischens. Please get it analyzed as quickly as possible," Ian said as he returned to the bridge.

  "What's going on?" Jenny asked.

  "Our wayward children have been busy," Ian said winking at her. "Operations, what's the status of the Damocles and the Icarus?"

  TDF Raptor Damocles

  TDF Star Dancer

  Hyperspace Transit Vector

  Durnam Sector

  Two days before their arrival at the Aurigae System, Ian had briefed Cindy on a new team member she would have for this mission. Lieutenant Shannon Roberts was an engineering researcher, but she was also a very strong telepath that moonlighted working for Janet Laskar. Since one of their tasks would be to locate the Benesian exile on Hyclarion, Ian wanted Cindy to take the diminutive lieutenant with her.

  At first, Cindy objected to taking someone untrained with them. However, Shannon helped with that. "Major, I may not be as well trained as you and your team are, but I do know which end of a pulse rifle is dangerous. I grew up in a family that enjoyed hunting and was taught how to handle firearms at a very young age. I passed military basic training as well as advanced officers training at the top of my class. I can protect myself if I need to."

  "That's not really what I'm worried about, Lieutenant. We are going behind enemy lines. If we are compromised, my team and I stand a chance of evading the enemy long enough to rejoin our forces when the attack begins. If we have someone untrained with us, it lowers those odds. Honestly, I don't see the need to bring her along, Admiral," Cindy replied.

  "Cindy, according to Janet, Shannon is one of the strongest telepaths we have. She can search a much larger area than you could ever hope to on foot or even with the scanners on the ship. Besides, if the Benesian woman feels someone searching for her, there is a stronger chance she will help in her own location. She's going; you're going to need her abilities," Ian said.