The call went out to the Fleet to prepare for engagement. This time they would use all their forces, which now numbered eight-hundred fifty-two ships, not counting those that had remained in the Fringe to mop up the remaining Juirean-loyal forces and the twenty-five that had been destroyed on Melfora Lum.
Word had spread quickly throughout the Fleet regarding the nuclear explosion on Melfora Lum, and the annihilation of the Marine Force Alpha at Hi’Jea. Over a million Melforeans had also died during the explosion, which just showed how cruel and heartless the Juireans could be. Even though the Human High Command had devised a plan to lure the Juireans into a false sense of security regarding the coming space battles, the destruction of General Taggert’s forces meant that the Juireans were also capable of doing the totally unexpected. This reality had brought a somber atmosphere over the entire Fleet. The war with the Juireans was now in full gear, and the enemy was proving to be quiet a formidable and ruthless opponent.
The Human forces tore into the Juirean lines with a renewed ferocity, aimed at avenging the deaths of the Marines. The Juireans suffered far more losses in the first few minutes of the engagement than they had during their prior meeting with the Humans. KFV’s whipped between the Juireans lines, laying barrage after barrage into their diffusion screens, overloading them. And then other Human units would lay more bolts into the weakened areas of the shields until their shots impacted the metal hulls themselves. The next runs sent bolts through the hulls and into the ship’s interiors, resulting in massive explosions from within. Twenty-one Juirean ships exploded into vapor within minutes.
Although only a handful of the commanders knew of the master plan for the battle, the actual Human casualties were not all that bad, with only five ships lost and seventeen damaged but repairable. Without the damage suffered in the planetary rings or the asteroid field, the Humans came out of this conflict relatively unscathed — before the Juireans bolted away again.
And yet on the Juirean screens they saw nearly a hundred of the Human attackers leave the battlefield or their signatures go dark. Normally, this would have been cause for celebration aboard the Juirean ships, as well as impetus for a continuation of the battle. Yet their orders were clear, and so once again, the Juireans fired up their deep-wells and fled the scene.
With the current strength of the Juirean fleet, plus any waiting reinforcements, it was estimated that the Humans forces would be down to minimal strength after only two more engagements.
At least that was what Admiral Allen wanted the Juireans to believe.
To the Human commanders, their plan was working perfectly. Soon the main Human fleet would be down to well under half its original strength, making it an inviting target for the Juireans as the warring factions moved deeper into Expansion territory. And by that time the shadow fleet under Captain Schwartz would be almost double the size of the remaining fleet. If Schwartz could keep the fleet a secret up until the time of the final battle, the Juireans could be in for a quite a surprise.
Chapter 26
For the military planners on Juir, it was now time to plan the location for the final destruction of the invading Human forces. The reports from the second battle with the Humans had been very encouraging, surpassing even their most optimistic projections. The Human forces were falling like stalks of grotion weeds in a windstorm. At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before the Juireans would have an overwhelming advantage against the remaining Human forces.
The Juireans began to focus their attention on the planetary system of Falor-Kapel. They surveyed the lay of the planets, as well as the other assorted obstacles that could be used to their advantage. All available resources on this side of the Core would be sent there.
After a few more hit-and-run engagements, the trap would be set. And the Humans were falling right into it without fail.
Chapter 27
Pleabaen Linuso Summlin of the Klin was in receipt of two sets of intelligence reports, and when taken together, his heart began to race, a feeling of euphoria overtaking him. Could this be it? Could the time really be at hand?
Linuso had chosen to print out the two reports and lay them side by side on the table before him. Even though the practice was archaic, there was a sense of permanency associated with the plastic-infused paper. This was something he could hold in his hand, as opposed to a fleeting image on a computer monitor. And if the reports did foretell accurately the events to come, then these were documents that must be preserved for all eternity.
The first report was from the most-highly placed Convert in the Human fleet, a person named Noah Lukeman. Of course Linuso had never heard the name before, but the route the report had traveled to reach his eyes confirmed its authenticity. The report told of the unexpected weakening of the Human fleet through the first two direct encounters it had had with the Juireans to date. The losses were greater than had been anticipated, though acceptable. The Human Fleet was still a formidable force, adequate to do the job it was designed to accomplish. And now a third battle was on the horizon. If the casualties from this encounter were in the same range, then the Juireans would have no reason not to act.
And that was the theme of the second report, the one from the Klin spies within the Juirean High Council. For thousands of years, there had not been much that the Juireans did that the Klin were not intimately aware of. Masters of negotiation and manipulation, the Klin had managed to build a spider-web network of spies and informants throughout the Expansion. Even though most of the Klin underground activities involved simply monitoring the Juireans, they occasionally practiced manipulation as well. At times false data was supplied, or a suggestion whispered; whatever the operation, the Juireans were nearly as gullible and susceptible to propaganda as were the Humans.
The second report relayed the information on how the Juireans were also fully aware of the diminishing strength of the Human invasion fleet. The Council had concluded that a decisive battle against the remaining Human forces could come as early as two months hence. At the pace of the supposed Juirean retreat, as well as the headlong and oblivious pursuit by the Humans, the conclusion of this phase of the war could soon come to a close. Efforts were in motion to assure that the Juireans would come to the same conclusion.
The Juireans were a pragmatic race. They had suffered considerable loss of credibility in the eyes of the other Members of the Expansion as a result of the conflict with the Humans. This was understandable, since so many of the Members had not experienced the more militaristic side of the Juireans — all the Members knew were the stories. There had been no need to show what the Juirean race was capable of militarily, at least not over the past thousand years or so. Now, in the face of this savage and primitive enemy, the strength and invincibility of the Juireans was being openly questioned throughout the galaxy.
So the sooner this conflict could come to an end, the better. And what better way to end it than with a decisive Juirean victory over the invaders.
Fortunately for the Klin, this final battle would not be as decisive as the Juireans wished. Drilling down in the Juirean report, Linuso had found the tidbit of information he had been hoping to find. It was an admission by the Juirean Council that, even though the Human fleet may be destroyed in this great battle, the Elites were willing to sacrifice all their remaining military forces they had available on the Orumo side of the galaxy just to eliminate the threat. Once the Humans were destroyed, then the Juireans would have ample time to rebuild their forces and return to Earth and put a final end to the threat. The need for a substantial reserve force would not be necessary, at least not at this time.