Table of Contents
No Rest For The Wicked | Prologue
Chapter - Siege of Parnmal
Chapter - Holding Back Is Harder Than Rushing in Sometimes
Chapter Final Preparations
Chapter - Disarray
Chapter - It Always Starts with a Bang
Chapter Best Laid Plans
Chapter Halls of Darkness
Chapter – By Any Means
Chapter - Patience
Chapter - This Ends
Chapter - Pushing On
Chapter - Reunited
Chapter - Moving out
Chapter - New Frontiers
Chapter - Part of the Job
Chapter - Freedom
Chapter - Too Smooth
Chapter - New Resident
Chapter - It's a Trap!
Chapter - Control
Chapter - Breaking Point
Chapter - Progress and a Surprise
Chapter - Devil's Express
Chapter – Down but Not Out
Chapter - A Win?
Chapter - The Obstinate and the Gamer
Chapter - Off To a Jokester's Game
Chapter - Hard Decisions
Chapter - Linking Up
Chapter - Some Trust is Earned, Some Takes a Leap
Chapter - Shifting Tides
Chapter - Fragile Trust
Chapter - New Allies and New Enemies
Chapter - Preparations
Chapter Preparations
Book 4
From The Black
Chapter Preparations
Chapter Saying Hi to the neighbours
Chapter A few last minute additions
Chapter A few last stops
Chapter Parnmal at last
Chapter Waving the Flag
Chapter, promises at the heart of the Union
Chapter The search ends, a battle starts
Chapter decisions and honour
Chapter And the Universe keeps spinning
Chapter Heija
Chapter Time to plan
Chapter To find those lost
Chapter Love it when a plan comes together
Chapter Things start moving
Chapter A Message and A Chance
Chapter Sorry we're late honey
Chapter The Reinforcements
Chapter War rages on
Chapter Karma is a bitch
Chapter Beasts of war
Chapter A nasty surprise
Chapter Rosho, a rock against the Kalu Sea
Chapter A change in management
Chapter Hit them hard and hit them fast
Chapter A new war-leader
Chapter Murhpy's minions
Chapter Awake
No Rest For The Wicked
Prologue
Lady Fairgate sat in her command chair, her face serene as she looked upon the Galeesh Captain who grovelled at her feet.
Her robes were spun of the finest material, which seemed to flutter with a nonexistent breeze. She was a statue of power in what was called her throne room by many. It overlooked Worshun, the planet of many, and now Lady Fairgate's seat of power in the Quarst system. When it had been the home world for the Union, this system had hosted ambassadors from every inhabited system in the known galaxy. Its tranquil atmosphere of purples, greens, and blues had been turned to grey and black with the Syndicate using the city-planet's surface as target practice.
Fairgate looked upon it, silent fury building behind her calm facade.
Who the hell would challenge my authority? My Captains wouldn't. I've assured their loyalty, or at the very least they're too scared to do anything. The middling systems know that they only exist because I find them useful. Maybe I should take their vessels anyway. Yet still, no one would do this. Jorsht is a smart man. He might be able to get Welick on his side, but then to get a force that fights that well together. It's almost like... No.
She looked back to the Galeesh Captain, who was trying to become part of the floor. There was no way that the Union existed, but then there were also strange goings on throughout her syndicate empire.
Plus there's that activity. Something's happening. She thought darkly, snapping her fingers.
“Foshunti, take the forces you deem necessary, and get me back my station,” she said as the Dovark moved forward, his slick smile terrifying to all but Fairgate.
He was one of her three carrier captains, and one of the most twisted.
“With pleasure my lady,” he said as he gave a sweeping bow.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Fairgate thought, looking at what she considered her plaything. Seeing him do as she said without question sent a thrill through her. If the rumours were true he might even rival her love for pain. Foshunti rose and turned, stroking his fingers over the still prostrate captain. Fairgate didn't miss the dark delight in Foshunti's eyes as the Corvette captain shuddered.
“Come toy, we shall have a lot of fun,” Foshunti said, looking to Fairgate as the Galeesh reluctantly stood.
I've done things you can't believe, Foshunti. A little power trip won't sway me. Fairgate thought as her bored eyes turned back to Worshun.
“See that you do not fail,” Her tone was light, but she saw Foshunti's eyes became darker. He clearly didn't like being told what to do. But you still fear me don't you, Fairgate thought with wicked pleasure.
What is love and trust when you can make them fear you.
She stopped, her eyes to turning to where Captain Lifendi usually sat. Sometimes fear is essential to survival.
Chapter - Siege of Parnmal
Captain Kelu looked at the enemy fleet as it exited Parnmal system. While it made tactical sense, no one in the syndicate would choose to fight without an exit plan if the battle turned against them. Which only furthered Kelu's suspicions that Jorsht hadn't just rebelled against Lady Fairgate.
If it was a syndicate coup then there would have to be some clear gain. No one in the Syndicate does anything out of the kindness of their hearts. That leaves two possibilities. One it's not Syndicate personnel, or two it is a Syndicate coup. He hid a shudder at those thoughts, neither one was particularly comforting. It has to be an outside force, just look at the condition of those ships. That damned PDS was definitely not Union tech. So there has to at least be a new player. Why am I trying to figure this out? I've got Gogs for that.
He rose and walked out of the bridge. It didn't take him long to navigate his Dreadnought's corridors. He walked into a room of cluttered parts, screens and cabling that surrounded a young Ershue that peeked of his screens at Kelu. The race was notorious for pranks, Kelu had taught the kid to not prank him. Which was why his normal wings were just stubs on his back.
“Gog I need to know what's been happening recently in this area,”
“Humans got used as replacement crew,” Gogs said swinging in his chair, looking at the ceiling in thought.
Kelu nodded. He didn't agree with having entire races lied to and having such people as unknowing slaves. One slip up and your trained cannon fodder would turn on you. The cost to replace them after using their kill switches. Just annoying.
“There is a plan to cut off trade in the area. The planet Chaleel, an agricultural world should be suppressed by now.” Gogs paused before looking to Kelu. "That's about it."
“What were the Chaleelian forces?” Kelu felt a flash of hope that he'd found the cause.
“Ground based. Their space abilities were outdated Corvettes without parts,” Gogs said, spinning a stylus in his fingers and pushing his seat from side to side. Ershue had an inability to stay still. Unless Gogs was focused on his console, he was always moving in some erratic manner.
&
nbsp; “Orvunut was also guarding something,” Gogs said. Kelu didn't miss the coy look in Gogs' eyes.
“What was he guarding?” Kelu hoped his tone would get it across that he was not in a mood for games.
“Well, it was large,” Gogs said slowly, trying to draw out some kind of response from Kelu.
“Dreadnought?” Kelu sighed, his tone hard as he looked at Gogs. Gog's features fell into an almost sulk. Kelu wasn't playing along.
“You know that was his ship and not what he was taking,” Gogs said, now his turn to be annoyed.
“Gogs,” Kelu's said with some bite in his tone.
“It had factory ships attached to it,” Gogs said in an attempt to keep the guessing game going.
“Station?” Kelu said, damning himself for the slip up as Gogs grinned. Kelu usually liked these little back and forths, but right now his baser instincts were getting ahead of him, as his finger tapped his rail pistol.
“Close, bigger,” Kelu's finger stopped tapping his pistol.
No, it couldn't be, why the hell would there be one out here? There's only one thing bigger than a station, with factory ships attached to it.
“A shipyard?” He half whispered.
“Nancy,” Gogs confirmed, tapping a command on his console. A three dimensional wire frame of the shipyard unfurled on all the room's screens.
“What's that doing here? I thought it was destroyed.” Kelu said, leaning closer to Gog's view screen to get a better look at the ship yard.
“Nope. Lady Fairgate kept the movement quiet. She used ships with slave crews, so there was less people to talk about it,” Gogs said. Kelu knew it was better than to ask where Gogs had got that information from. Or if the Ershue would have shared it before he asked about it.
“Why all the way out here? There's nothing,” Kelu stood, still looking at the view screen thoughtfully.
“Exactly,” Gogs said as if Kelu had pointed out his own question's answer. With another tap of controls, a star map appeared. “There's no one here from the old Union. Plus none of the races tried expanding in this direction. So it's the furthest from The Line.” Gogs voice took on a dark edge as Kelu felt his fight hormones spike. He pointed to the region of space which had been long ago referred to as simply 'the line'. The worst battles of the Union-Kalu war were fought there.
"You're not trying to say that the Kalu are back." Kelu asked.
"Nope, I'm just saying it looks like Lady Fairgate is making a nice little bolt hole if anything happens."
“Nothing was confirmed,” he said, looking at Gogs who lifted his limbs.
“Nothing was denied either,”
He's got you there, and there has to be a reason that Lifendi isn't down here.
“I want you to see what you can find out about that. Also I want to know who the hell is in Parnmal as soon as possible,”Kelu said. His mind turned towards how much he would get if he captured not only Parnmal, but Nancy back from these bastards. The other stuff he could worry about later.
First he had to have Parnmal, he might as well shoot himself if he disobeyed Lady Fairgate's orders.
***
Since Salchar had returned to Parnmal he'd been a man possessed. Mad Monk hadn't seen his commander this focused even when he and Mecha Tail had been preparing for their return to Mecha Assault Two.
Mad Monk doubted if the man had slept in the three weeks that he'd been at Parnmal. He'd had everyone training in hand to hand combat. Shrift and Felix had finished creating a mecha factory, Powered armor factory. Monk reminded himself, Lady Fairgate had changed the name of the armor for some unknown reason. True Mechas were towering machines, usually with damned massive weaponry. Though there was other things to worry about other than the name of his armor.
The powered armor, or mecha factories, were pumping out mechas for every creature on Parnmal at an alarming rate. Salchar wanted everyone to not only have a suit of powered armor, but to also know how to use them before the Syndicate forces attacked.
The mechas increased a person's strength, allowed them to operate in any environment and were heavily armored. They were the workhorses of the Free Fleet. They were as likely to be used for training inside a Free Fleet ship, as they were to be moving heavy materials, or working on the surface of Parnmal.
The Commandos deadly skill with the armor was unmatched. Which served as a good deterrent to syndicate prisoners across Parnmal.
The syndicate personnel were used as a labor force getting Parnmal's interior ready. Salchar had laid out a plan to turn the station a death trap. Henry and his commanders had taken Salchar's initial ideas, and added their own twisted plans. Normal corridors were now deadly funnels lined with super-reflective walls which would take hours for plasmid weaponry to get through. Blast out panels filled with shrapnel lined corridors as portable cannons waited, ready to hammer anyone that tried to advance through those hellish gauntlets. The newest weapons system was taken from Earth. While railguns were hard to manufacture. Felix had found out that a few fifty or sixty caliber round's in upgraded machine guns and gatling guns, did the trick against Powered armor.
It was those weapons that Felix was talking about right now.
“With Min Hae's research with the solid projectile weaponry such as the weaponry from Earth as well as the railguns we've been able to create smart rounds,” A hologram filled the room as Felix stood indicating to the new round with obvious pride. Monk had seen the 'tests' which showed Felix and Shrift turning broken armor into truly useless junk.
“The first rounds will have a timed delay, and effectively your rounds become shotgun rounds,” Felix played a clip of a target as a round left the barrel of a gatling gun travelling a few meters before it shredded itself, turning into a cone of shrapnel that ripped it's target apart.
“The second is a round that will explode once inside a target,”
Again a video played as a round went through a plate of armor, entering the ballistics jelly behind it, and exploding. The video played again in full speed.
“Fuck me, we need to get some cleaner bots,” Felix's voice was clearly audbile as the armor plate and remaining jelly fell from their clamps.
“Well that wasn't supposed to be in there.” Felix muttered, pressing a button and going to the next video. Monk didn't miss the grin on Felix or Henry's face, or the way Salchar was trying to hide his own amusement by looking focused, and covering his mouth with his hand.
Min Hae didn't even bat an eyelid at the antics of his fellow commanders.
“The third one explodes behind cover,” Felix continued as the round passed through a doorway, exploding and hitting the jelly to either side of the door.
“Seems quite effective. How long till you can have reloads for every solid state weapon?” Salchar asked, the earlier humor gone from his eyes.
“I could have a hundred thousand rounds in two days’ time,” Felix said without missing a beat.
“What if I wanted Planetary Rail Cannons priority?” Salchar asked, leaning forward.
Felix looked at the ceiling as if finding the information there.
“I could get you a thousand rounds for the PRC's,” he said as his gaze returned to Salchar.
“For every fifty thousand rounds for other weapons I want a hundred rounds for the PRC's,” Salchar said as Felix made a note.
“Now Min Hae does it look like they've noticed our field?” Salchar asked, talking about the minefield that was now surrounding the approaching Syndicate Fleet.
Monk had been thorough in his creating defenses for Parnmal. The main defenses were a series of PRC's not only on the station but on thruster stabilized asteroids. A secondary tier of defense were hollowed out asteroids moved by pressurized gas. This made them damned near invisible to sensors as they sowed their deadly minefield.
The station itself had planetary grade shield generators as well as ablative armor covering areas not protected by the massive Asteroids thick natural armor. While Parnmal was massive, at over a hun
dred forty kilometers diameter, not including it's rocky off shoots. The syndicate and the Free Fleet had only dug into the asteroid about five percent of that. Min Hae was still piecing together what had happened to the planet Parnmal had been a part of. Whoever had done it had the power to crack planets, which was a scary thought indeed.
“They are in place as you wanted. Though I had something interesting happen, an incoming transmission.”
Min Hae had changed from the man that was grasping at straws trying to get information from the Syndicate from Resilient's armories. He had garnered a calm that rivaled Monk's as he talked about anything from the food you liked, to how a reactor could go critical with simple piece of code.
There was no question about him being the director of the Intelligence department. He was cold and as ruthless as the information he found. He dealt in facts and was one of the pushing forces that was trying to figure out what combinations of different societies tech could lead to. He reminded Monk of Henry for his drive and the way he treated his subordinates, but without the air of relaxed competence. Instead, Min Hae had the deadly calm of a serpent pointed at anyone that would dare hurt its family.
Monk had seen Min Hae in interview rooms. The cold efficient way in which he got subjects to talk had made him infamous amongst the Syndicate personnel. He had gained the nickname of Merchertevak. It was a bird native to Drvntrni that fired small poisonous needles at its prey, stalking them until it's enemy was unable to fight back. Then it would begin its feast.
He never hurt those he interrogated, but he was a master of mind games. Monk had seen many of the files on most of the garbage that called Parnmal their prison. Few if any of them deserved any kind of mercy, but Monk and the rest of the Free Fleet treated them fairly. If they didn't then they wouldn't be any better than them.
“Really? What was this transmission about?” Salchar asked, the other heads in the room focusing on Min Hae.
Min Hae was always finding useful tidbits of information and anything he had to say could save lives.
“There's a person by the name of Gogs who wants to defect,” Min Hae said.
“Are we sure that he's telling the truth?” Henry asked, unhappy to be trusting some unknown.
Free Fleet Box Set 2 Page 1
