The Slaver Wars: First Strike (The Slaver Wars Book Four) by Raymond L. Weil

of
Federation history. You were all on the New Horizon, and some of your parents
were very important in creating the new Federation as we know it today. There
is no doubt in my mind that you will continue that tradition on this ship. Make
us proud.”
    “Yes,
Admiral,” all five responded.
    “The ship is
yours, Commander,” spoke Admiral Johnson, saluting Jeremy.
    Karla turned
and left the Command Center, heading toward a transit tube. She prayed that
nothing happened to those five, or six if you counted Ariel. Losing them and
the history they represented would be almost as bad as losing Admiral Streth; it
would be a hard blow to the Federation.
    Jeremy watched
the admiral leave and then slowly made his way over to the command console. It
was nearly twice the size as the one in a light cruiser. He looked at it for a
moment, noticing there were two chairs instead of one. He sat down and saw a
mini-com lying on top of the console. Picking it up, he inserted it into his right
ear.
    “Don’t worry,
Jeremy,” Ariel spoke in a pleasant and soft voice. “I will help you with everything;
no one else can hear what I am saying to you. Tell the others to go to their
stations and insert their mini-coms, and I will help them also. All but Katie,
she has already been working on the Avenger’s computer systems for over a week
and knows what to do.”
    Jeremy passed
on the order to the other three and watched as they went to their stations. In
just a few short minutes, everyone was busy learning the differences that three
hundred years can make in a warship and its intricate systems. Fortunately,
they had Ariel, and she could work and speak to all of them simultaneously.
After an hour, Jeremy began to feel his confidence returning. Then the reality
set in. He was aboard a Federation heavy strike cruiser, and he was in command.
Letting out a deep breath, he looked back at the computer console where Katie
was sitting. So much had changed and Katie had certainly changed. Jeremy
wondered just what that might mean for the future.
    Katie was
working on the computer system and thinking about what Admiral Johnson had
said. When the admiral had commented that her remote ancestor had been with
Jeremy’s father when the Avenger had been discovered, a shock had passed
through her. It had never occurred to her that she and Admiral Johnson might be
related. She allowed a smile to cover her face; it felt good to know she had
other family still around. She wondered how closely she and the admiral were
related. Perhaps someday she would ask her.
    -
    In Hocklyn
space, Commodore Resmunt looked at the latest reports from the escort cruisers that
were out on exploration missions. His large, dark eyes grew wider when he saw
that two of them were missing. Getting up, he made his way over to the large
star map hanging on the wall, which depicted this section of the galaxy. It
took him only a few moments to plot the general area where the two ships had
vanished. He stepped back and thought for a moment. The two escort cruisers had
disappeared in an area that had not been previously explored.
    Activating his
com system, he sent out orders for War Leaders Bisth and Sangeth to report to
his office. Walking over to the large window, he looked out over the busy
spaceport. Shuttles and small ships were coming and going constantly. From the
last report, there were over ten thousand slaves working on the spaceport and
the surrounding support facilities. In another six weeks, his forward fleet bases
would be completed.
    Looking upward
toward space, he wondered if he should set up some type of orbital defenses.
Only the home worlds had them, but he was facing a new and possibly dangerous
situation. He was also a long way from major military support if he were to
need it. The decision wasn’t hard to make; once the shipyard was completed, he
would begin building some basic defense satellites.
    -
    A few hours
later, War Leaders Bisth and Sangeth reported to