Free Fleet Box Set 1

by Michael Chatfield

  I turned to the wall, my claws coming out as I held my rifle in one hand. “Up to the roofs. Sharpshooters and support,” I told Henry; he was running his own show and he didn’t need me confusing his troops as me and my personal detail ran, or in my and Krom’s case, lunged up the wall.

  I threw myself over the lip of the building, getting into a prone position. There was no entrance to the roof as I peeked over the raised lip of the roof. I didn’t see anything; neither did my HUD or the linked sensors of every battle suit and Mecha. The roofs swarmed and my smaller protection detail was reinforced by a combination of Sarenmenti, Avarians, and humans.

  “All right people, let’s go crush some skulls.” I queued music on my HUD and took off at a run, throwing myself to another building, rolling and continuing my headlong progress as I used a wall and pole to get to another roof. Below us, others moved through the deserted village.

  The Avarians were slow at first. The humans and Sarenmenti happily showed off as we parkoured through the maze of buildings, showing how skilled they were with their Mechas.

  Once the Avarians got the feel for the quick, transitional running, jumping, and rolling, I could see a few grins through their visors along with us. I slowed our headlong charge with quick hand gestures so that those below us could keep pace.

  Henry, who’d connected with the forces at the plant, now had a sensor feed, which he uploaded to us all. He sent orders, splitting us into three groups: One, Two, and Three. I was Three.

  We were coming from the south, organized in three extended lines running from east to west. One and Two created an arrow-like formation with Three in an extended line along their base.

  “Only shoot Syndicate forces. If a civilian runs, do everything in your power to provide them with protection,” Henry said over the general channel, repeating the rules of engagement I’d given out days ago. The rapid advance that reminded me of parkouring athletes back on Earth was now slow and silent. Everyone’s nerves were on edge as they waited for battle to be joined.

  “Contact!” a squad commander yelled out as the mini-map on my HUD changed colors. Syndicate forces were highlighted and those commandos engaged changed from blue to green.

  Quickly, both One and Two were engaged in firefights.

  “Three, move in and link up One and Two!” As an extended line, we carried forward. Using roofs for cover, we moved quickly, as our heavy support weapons were with One and Two.

  “Fire and movement in squads!” the commander of the third detachment said as squads moved forward, yelling “Covering!” and “Moving!” while we advanced.

  A Sarenmenti was looking east, where fire had been coming from Two. He didn’t see me as I raised my rifle, sending a burst into the unknowing Mecha and dropping him to the ground. A group behind the building moved out to see what the noise was from. Already, my PD was with me as we opened fire. The Syndicates realized what was happening and returned fire, causing two to go down due to injuries before Krom’s use of a grenade put an end to the fight.

  I waited as my squad checked to make sure the dead were actually dead before we moved off.

  The lead commandos were far ahead of us by the time they were done with their search, leaving me to think that my PD had taken their time about the task.

  “James, can you use your PD to check over the corpses?” Henry asked.

  “On it,” I said, as much as I didn’t want to interfere. This was his battle and he had a million and one things to attend to, as I well knew.

  “We’re on clean-up duty. Disable weapon systems and check to make sure the dead are actually dead; if they’re wounded, we call in a waiting shuttle and get them attention. Same with our own people,” I said to my PD and they split up accordingly.

  “I do not understand why you humans help your enemy even if they’ve tried to kill you,” Krom said on a private channel.

  “Humans have been fighting one another for thousands of years. We created these rules to remain somewhat human and after we’ve fought one another, both sides can have something they can fall back on—a base of trust that each side treated their prisoners humanely and tried their utmost to preserve life. It gives them grounds to work together in the future, possibly preserving life instead of ending it. It is how we’ve kept surviving. Without rules, humans return to their barbaric ways, as with the Mechas who arrived on Parnmal station after we took it.”

  We’d moved to another tagged group of downed Mechas. Three-quarters of my PD disabled weapons as I talked to Krom and stayed back from the searchers.

  “Until the space god came and saved us from the planet killer, we fought viciously, never getting above living in caves. Our population was small and near extinction. When the space gods came, the awakening priests could make my people reach their full potential, creating two main groups, the warriors and creators.” He changed channels quickly before he returned to his story.

  “The creators spent their lives studying the machines of the space gods; the warriors went out and kept the peace between the major groups, becoming the leaders by majority. Others won over control later as less people were awakened, but those who had their parents awaken still had the majority of their awakened abilities. But without the code that the warriors and creators swore to, they were free to do as they wish. We again began to fall into chaos; the creators who spent their time with the space gods’ machines died off and weren’t replaced because the priests saw it as a waste of the space gods’ gift since the creators had shunned the rest of the Avarians.

  “Then the Kareet came. They were a vicious race of creatures who were a match for ten Avarians. Warriors underwent extreme testing before they were awakened. Most pledged at least one child to the awakening when they came of age and accepted the responsibility to keep the sons and daughters from committing the atrocities their predecessors had. The four clans joined and fought the Kareet. And the second rebirth came. Awakening priests were accepted into every clan. Warriors pledged loyalty to their battle master, who was also their clan leader, as long as it didn’t interfere with the code of awakening. Creators weren’t awakened as they had lost their chance, and that is how we’ve survived until the third death, which you saved us from.”

  “Why don’t the priests awaken creators now?”

  “There was talk of doing so when we left, to see what they could do to help our people move to the stars. It is something for the awakening priests to decide. With the third death passed and the third rebirth, it seemed that they were accepting of the idea. There was talk of awakening your creators if they were accepting of the idea.”

  “The Kuruvians? There are quite a few of them with modifications already. Seeing as most of them are working with computer systems, nearly all of them wanted improved implants that would allow them to use internal universal ports so they could directly connect to computer systems instead of having to take complex equipment around with them. They wanted to wireless message one another. With every race, there’ll always be a few who are willing to try it out,” I surmised.

  “Indeed. Let’s move onto the next group, Commander.”

  “Of course.” I let him lead on as I had a lot to think about. The PD put me near the rear as we roof jumped to the next group. This was a large one. The PD spread out a bit more to not cross arcs as one checked the fallen, the other covering them. I was on the ground to make myself less of a target. The team assigned to me watched out as I stood there, thinking about the story Krom had told me.

  “There, behind you!” I heard as a team of my PD opened fire.

  “C’mon,” I said to my team. My HUD showed me where the team under fire were positioned as we ran to them. I was greeted by the sight of Sarenmenti tossing off their fellow dead as they got to their feet, firing and screaming wordlessly. A team in the same open area turned and shot them as more got out of other piles of bodies or hiding places they’d found. Hundreds of rounds hit the other team before they had time to react.

  My team and I
fired as our HUDs painted them as the enemy. The Sarenmenti shifted their fire onto us as we continued to fire.

  “Get back into cover!” I followed my own advice, taking a bound that with my Avarian strength put me behind a wall as I turned to provide covering fire.

  The first team member made it behind cover as the second team member cried out in pain. She fell, catching a round. I checked the vital signs on my HUD, dropping my rifle and grabbing the first team member’s pistol as well as my own.

  “COVER ME!” I yelled as I ran around the corner. Now, in the movies, using two pistols is amazing. Everyone dies and the main character reloads. When I first got a pistol, I tried this out and found out how much Hollywood had lied to me. Hitting one target wasn’t all that bad but hitting two that weren’t even moving was damned near impossible. The recoil on pistols just threw it everywhere, and you couldn’t sight down the weapon.

  But add in the additional strength of whatever the awakening priests had done to me and the linked-in weapons that gave me an aiming carat on my HUD, it was like playing Duck Hunter.

  I flung one empty pistol back in the direction I’d come from, reloading and hitting the activator as I grabbed the fallen Mecha who, to her credit, was firing with her rail gun. I dragged her as I shot. My battle suit’s enhanced strength, and the odd assisting kick from her, worked to help me move the near ton of armor and person.

  Her teammate covered us, making his rounds last to keep the Sarenmenti back. I felt blazing agony across my forearm as a round grazed it and another across my trap as I made it to cover.

  “Use Hellfire,” I told her. The auto-injector had been upgraded so that it didn’t fire unless the user was going to die immediately without the powerful drug or they couldn’t fight without it. It was worse to be in writhing pain over your entire body an immobilized than endure so you could fight.

  She took her finger off her trigger and fired the Hellfire through her system.

  I reloaded my pistol, grabbed my rifle, and tapped the other team member still firing. “Switch out!”

  He fell out and back as I took his spot. I could hear him and his wife/team member talking as he reloaded while I lined up my sight picture with the advancing Sarenmenti.

  “Can you move?” I asked her as I fired.

  “Yes, Commander.” Anger and resolution were in her voice as she picked herself up.

  “Good.” I changed channels. “Krom, we need support.”

  “We’re to your left flank. I can’t get people to you; they’re covering the rooftops and a road in between us. I have support moving in from the north. Hold your position. We’ll take their fire. Remember, we’re your shields.”

  “I don’t think I’ll have much choice in the matter if I get in this fight or not.” I cut the channel, talking on the local channel.

  “What are your names?” I asked the two with me.

  “Dave.”

  “Janice.”

  “All right, well, get those swords ready. We have ten advancing Sarenmenti.”

  “Yes, sir!” they said. Janice moved her leg, finding decreased mobility, but her Mecha’s exoskeleton was damaged. They positioned themselves to jump around the corner between me and the advancing Sarenmenti.

  I pulled back, slinging my rail gun and pulling my plasmid sword, mentally counting in my head. “Go!”

  Dave and Janice ran out with wordless cries as they clashed with the Sarenmenti so close that the leading shooters couldn’t bring their weapons to bear. I jumped up the wall, grabbing with a hand before I threw myself into the fray, coming alongside Janice, making a half moon with Dave, hugging the wall as Sarenmenti finally got their swords free.

  I cut down two before a Sarenmenti had a blade free. I parried it, turning my opponent’s sword outward. Slashing inward, I brought my blade across his chest and he stumbled, dying. One to my right barreled into me, grabbing me and taking me to the ground as another came at my head with his plasmid sword.

  My longer blade saved my life as my attacker’s blade glanced off the tip, burying itself in the ground inches away from my face, close enough to hear the humming of the retaining electrostatic field. I flicked my wrist, bringing my sword back and across my attacker’s chest, leaving a rivet in his armor from the plasma in my blade. Janice finished him off with a backward blow across his neck, dropping him backward as the Mecha holding me tightened its grip.

  “Mother fucker!” I yelled as it continued to tighten its hold, making my world go darker as I found it harder to breathe.

  I drove the hilt of my sword into the back of his helmet with vicious, jerky blows, blunted by his grip on my upper arms. I was having a hard time breathing as I finally heard the armor of his helmet crack. Two more hits and my world was going dark; pain swelled from my chest as a pop sounded.

  Pain brought me out of the darkness as newfound rage and adrenaline flooded my system. I put my last ounce of power into opening his arms. With monstrous effort, I was able to gather a breath and I turned my sword, bringing the blade instead of my hilt across the back of his helmet.

  I didn’t cut through his helmet but the ferocity of the blow made plasma spurt from the interacted electrostatic field. He thrashed as plasma burnt through his neck. He clawed at his neck as I got out from under him. I ended his suffering with a blow across the visor as I turned to Janice and Dave.

  I’d been forgotten. I faced the backs of the remaining Sarenmenti attackers. I jumped in again, raking one across the back and then opening his neck, burying my blade into another’s side with the same blow. Before he could turn, I pulled my pistol from its holster, placed it against the seam of his helmet and collar and pulled the trigger. He dropped like dead weight as I pulled my blade free.

  One turned to face me but was met by my pistol in his visor. I swung under the next’s attack; my plasmid blade and my enhanced strength cut through his leg. I put a round through his shoulder and into his central mass. I turned to face the attackers between me and my protection detail.

  Dave had lost his sword but his hand-to-hand was putting him in good stead, his moves familiar to those I’d seen what felt like ages ago when I’d been researching Yasu’s fighting styles for our upcoming tournament.

  “Reinforcements coming in!”

  “About damn time,” I muttered to myself, changing to the close-area general channel. “Need, maybe, three fireteams here to assist. The rest, check on Krom,” I said. My newest attacker’s sword went to his side as he dove in front of me; his sword flicked out as if to disembowel me. I jumped away as he flicked his wrist, making it go low and down instead of higher and across my now out of reach stomach. I stabbed at his falling form as his sword found its mark, coming across my left leg.

  “SOUNVABITCH!” I said as auto-tourniquets went off in my leg, signaling it was gone—also, the fact I was now falling with my now dead enemy. I grabbed my pistol. My HUD linked with it as I drew it; I snapped off two shots, hitting two follow-up attackers in the visor and killing them. I hit the ground, using my upper body’s weight to jerk myself into a position so I could see those attacking Janice and Dave.

  “The commander’s down!” I heard as I lined up my next target, putting two shots into his knee, dropping him as Janice took off their head.

  “Goddamn fucking piece of shit bastard spawn, shitting saints on a stick!” I yelled at the pain, as if I could swear it away.

  I kept firing on their remaining attackers, weakening them to take them down. I heard a roar and then the sound of a crew serviced rail gun firing nearby. The sound approached and then stopped as I found I had no more targets in front of me or on the HUD anymore. I heard more people approach.

  Someone was fussing over me, looking into my eyes as I tried to communicate them not to, finding out I’d destroyed the built-in communicator of the battle suit. I hit the manual release of the hood.

  “Will you please get off me?” I growled as someone else picked up my leg. “Gimme that.”

  They quickl
y obeyed.

  “Thank you.” I aligned it, using my battle suit’s lines. Thinking it looked good, I pressed the stumps of my leg and thigh together, which was not the most pleasant feeling in the world.

  “Hold it,” I said. As someone did so, I grabbed a Hellfire needle from their shoulder kit. With a breath, I stabbed it an inch above the leg and pressed the depressing tab on my suit. The Hellfire lanced through my thigh and, thankfully, into my leg. As the commando held my leg together, the muscles contracted as they connected. Which was more odd than painful, and it was very painful.

  It took a good few seconds. I could do nothing but grit my teeth as my body was being wracked by Hellfire.

  “Goddamn limbs never want to stay right where they damned well are,” I said, lying on the ground and gathering my strength as I moved my toes.

  “Seems all right.” Dave helped me to my feet as I tested the leg and then stood on it, moving my ankle.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. It does work,” I said, impressed. I retrieved my sword and reloaded my weapons, everyone staring at me.

  “Well, don’t stare at me—check on them.” Iron threaded my voice as they sprung back into action. Dave and Janice also rearmed themselves as they tagged along with me.

  “Thank you, Commander,” Janice said. “I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”

  “Same here.” I rested against a wall, feeling drained as I sipped on my suit’s inner water bladder. “Call me James, seems only right.”

  “Okay, James—thank you,” Janice said. Obviously, she was not comfortable calling me by my real name.

  “How’s the leg?” Dave asked.

  “It tingles still, but I think it’s working. I’ll have someone look at it later.”

  “I would suggest that. It looks like the muscle and tendons are connected, but the blood vessels might be messed up as well as the bone and nerves.”

  “You sound like you know quite a bit about legs, Dave,” I said with a grin as he looked up in thought.

  “I was training to be a doctor before I was recruited.”