Ashota reciprocated the sign of respect, not going as low, as was due his station.
“The council will see you,” one of the guards said through their speakers.
The other indicated for them to move with their weapons.
They moved through a large hangar, Ashota had to stop himself from pouting as Deltai made her way directly to him, her personal guard's weapons were trained on Min Hae and Bregend as well.
“Seem to like pointing guns at people,” Bregend said, half annoyed, half bored.
Ashota spared his armor a sideways glance, even though he couldn't see the man inside the armor, he could tell that despite everything, Bregend was calm, much calmer than Ashota would have been in his position.
Those kinds of thoughts, and thoughts in general were washed away as Deltai reached his chair. She was one of the most beautiful creature's Ashota had ever seen, though he knew his place. No one was going to mate with a cripple, no matter how far the Kalu Independent's had come, it wasn't far enough.
While Deltai was beautiful, she was also incredibly smart, she was the Kalu independent's planner, her hand was in every project the Independents were working.
“What the hell did I tell you about traipsing across space looking for more enemies?” She barked, her eyes fiery.
Ashota felt warmth fill him at the pain in her voice.
“Why, you miss me?” He teased.
Her eyes thinned and Ashota remembered his vulnerable position, yet he couldn't stop shaking his head in mischief.
She let out a half-snort and sigh.
“There is no winning with you Ashota,” she said, calming down. “Who are these?” She asked, indicating to Min Hae and Bregend with her nose.
“This is Commander Bregend of the fleet you see in our system, and sub-leader of Salchar. This one is the commander of the Free Fleet spies and another sub-leader of Salchar,” Ashota used his own nose to indicate to his two hosts.
“Ma'am,” Bregend said, Min Hae just simply nodded before taking a knee and fiddling with something on Ashota's chair.
It came to life, Ashota checked his controls and found that he had full functionality again.
“Well council leader, the other council members are ready and eager to know what you have learned in your time away from us.” Ashota held Deltai's eyes for a second, looking away in anger.
Do not think of things you cannot have, he chastised himself.
“Very well,” Ashota said, using his chair to navigate to the conference room. He knew the designs of these ships intimately. While they were different in a few ways between ships, there weren't that many changes.
“Are we ready for link up and acceleration?” Ashota asked absently as they walked.
“We are, navigation is going to be using route Beta that our scouts plotted,” Deltai said, bowing their head to indicate Ashota preceed him, a sign of great honor.
“Thank you,” Ashot said, entering the conference room, it’s vid-screens showing the other council members were all present via vid-screen. Ashota had made it clear that having a clear line of succession, and with those successors being on different ships was key to the Independents moving, even if they lost a number of council leaders.
Ashota rolled into his location at the head of the table. Bregend and Min Hae were waved into seats by their guard detail. Two guns trained on them at all times.
“So who is this Free Fleet?” Kalvin asked, not one for small-talk. Neither was Ashota.
“I will start with my entering what was Union controlled space.”
***
“...That is how I ended up in Min Hae's care and here. I admit that I deceived them in thinking we would band with them. At the time I had no want for us to join our forces with theirs. Now however, I have been swayed. If Min Hae will have me, then I will apply any and all skills I have to helping the Free Fleet in destroying, or at least wounding the Kalu traditionalists.”
Ashota didn't miss how Min Hae's helmet turned in his direction slightly.
“I can think of a number of ways we could put your skills to work, though I think that kind of information should remain between us,” Min Hae said.
“That is not your decision to make,” Deltai said hotly, Ashota could see the pain in his eyes. He knew that they were close friends, and he had never pressed for more than that, since he was unworthy.
“Being an independent, it is completely my choice!” he said, a little heat entering his voice.
“Of course you don't listen to others and do whatever in the hell you want again!” she barked at him.
“If you are going to have a quarrel of mates, may you have it when we are not in meeting?” Kalvin growled. The grizzled Kalu's remaining eye looked to both Deltai and Ashota. Deltai looked away, ashamed. Ashota anger was spiked, Kalvin hadn't meant to remind him of his limitations, but Ashota knew that no one would dare mate with him. He quelled his anger, averting his eyes lest it be taken as a challenge by Kalvin.
“I agree with Ashota however, myself and any volunteers from the Independent army will join you. There are still a number of our people within the traditionalist's ranks. A number of my people did not feel it was right to leave them there while we made good on our escape. We will still send the fleet to its designated home, but adults that are not essential to the setup of the Independents will be given the choice to remain here and fight if they desire,” Kalvin said, his eye moving to Min Hae and Bregend as he seemed to judge them. Both of the human's seemed to straighten and lean forward at the perceived challenge.
“If you are right about the Free Fleet then they will be worthy allies,” Kalvin said.
“I think that it would be best if we discuss a few things privately before we continue on,” a council leader which had been quiet so far said, her eyes were boring into Ashota and Kalvin.
“Very well, guards, please escort Commander's Min Hae and Bregend outside. Please get us some refreshments,” Ashota said, feeling that this would take some time.
***
“Well that was better than I expected,” Bregend said over a private channel to Min Hae.
“Hopefully we can get a few Independent's to help out. Thankfully our training programs are coming to fruition. We'll have fully manned ships for the first time ever with our next two rounds of trainees graduating this month and next,” Min Hae said.
“The next group will be another four months, and I have the feeling we're going to need the numbers,” Bregend's voice was dull while talking about implied casualties. It was a hard reality, but one that a commander had to realize. People were going to die under their command. They could do everything possible and people would still die, this was war and it was far from bloodless.
Bregend sat back, the two of them sitting in silence as he went over reports.
Never ending damned paperwork, he said, happy for once to get his mind focused on the mundane trivialities.
***
“The council is ready for you,” one of the guards said, the original ones had been rotated out some time ago, this was the third pair.
Bregend and Min Hae proceeded into the council chambers.
“There are volunteers from every sector that wish to ally themselves with the Free Fleet. Many want to be allied with the Free Fleet, while others wish to join the Free Fleet,” Ashota stared.
“How many battle capable ships are you pledging?” Bregend asked.
“None,” Kalvin said.
“We're going to have to get them some damned ships, having them on our ships is going to be, odd, for the crew,” Bregend said, picking his words with care as he talked to Min Hae.
“I think we can share our plans with them. If the Kalu Traditionalists had people among their ranks I think they would have destroyed their ships before they were able to leave the planet,” Min Hae said, they needed the trust of the independent's. Having their conversation's and discussions on private channels was only going to show their lackof trust.
G
ot to know when to play your hand, and hold it close to your chest, Bregend thought, not sure how Min Hae could live in the world of grey and shades of the intelligence department.
Bregend pulled off his helmet and leaned on the conference table, it groaned under the strain as he looked at the council leaders.
Let's see if we can't forge an alliance with these independents. Think of the Sarenmenti, they didn't know what the hell they were doing before we told them about the realities of the Planetary Defence Force. Bregend thought of his fellow Sarenmenti commanders and Free Fleet personnel, while they were working to rebuild their race on AIH, they still made up a large amount of the Free Fleet. They were Fighters just like the Kalu were. If Bregend could give them tools to fight their oppressors, then they could be damned effective.
***
Ashota felt something change in Bregend's eyes. His face became hard as he looked upon the council. Before, behind closed doors the council had challenged Ashota's belief that the Free Fleet was made up of great Warriors.
He saw as every Kalu in the room and on the vid screens prickled with battle hormones.
“We need to start hitting yards as fast as possible. If Orshpa is at Rosho then he will make sure that Edvasho stays there. Then he's going to bring all the damned ships he has, right down on the Free Fleet's planets. If he follows the tactics he's been telling us.” Bregend moved his head to indicate Ashota. “Then we're going to be facing a war on all fronts. We need to deprive him of as many numbers as possible, and the ability to make more ships. We might have to push our schedule so we're hitting the yards before our reinforcements come. Now that we have the relay we can split and hit them with squads instead of hitting them as one unit. We won’t have to wait in the system for the secondary fleet, a major boon for us,” Bregend shrugged, waiting to hear Min Hae's thoughts.
“I agree, good old guerilla tactics. If we could get the independents on our side then we could maybe take some of the Kalu's ships and arming ourselves. They could conduct raids as they're Kalu, say that they’re a rival clan, insight fights and increase tension.
They can gather information that we wouldn’t have access to. Then we hit every damned system we can think of. If a system is too big then we hit other systems until there are enough ships around to smash the system, or at least run their building capabilities into the ground,” Min Hae said thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow to Bregend who nodded his agreement.
“Alright, has anyone got anything else to say?” Bregend said, opening the floor to everyone in the conference. All of them looked to be trying to hide their state of shock. Kalvin looked rather amused.
“I believe that is a good plan, I think that we have much to offer one another,” Kalvin said, Ashota had the distinct feeling that Kalvin wasn't just talking about military power.
Ashota toyed with the idea of having the independent's working together.
“Sounds like we have a plan. Let's go bag us some Kalu ships,” Bregend said with a lopsided grin. He sat back, tapping out a message on his data pad.
The two had worked together to come to make a plan of what they were going to do. There hadn't been a drawn out argument over the person's plan. There didn't need to be a fight. There was no bickering over who had come up with the best ideas.
They’ve made a blend of Kalu traditionals forward motion, with the independents ability to work together.
He kept his features neutral as he felt a new resepct for Bregend, Min Hae and the Free Fleet. They were indeed valuable allies if they could continue that trend.
Chapter A change in management
The cannons were gone, the Kalu had ripped most of them apart. Thousands of the bastards surged through his Rosho. Hundreds still waited just out of reach.
Five of the AI ships had survived the Kalu barrage and had jumped out. The Free Fleet battle carrier had as well. The Jump fighter's watched as Rosho fell.
Lifendi knew that his time was closer than ever, but Rosho hadn't gone lightly, it had smashed the Kalu fleet. They had broken it, and drained it of its ships. Fighters that didn’t have enough Destroyers to refuel and rearm had flown into weapons systems and shields. Even Lifendi couldn't rouse the shields anymore. They were well and truly dead.
“Sync all weapons systems,” Lifendi said, looking at the internal scanners. The Kalu were still being held up by booby traps, but there was too many of them and not nearly enough surprises to stop all of them.
Tactical didn't even wait, releasing all lockouts. The computer systems started worked together like they were never supposed to.
“We have AI formation,” Sensors said, the fatigue clear in their voice. They were past caring about what happened, all of them had been awake for at least a week and a half, fighting to keep Rosho in the fight.
“Well that's that then,” Lifendi said, standing and stretching as much as his powered armor would let him
“By the black I smell bad,” he said, getting a few laughs out of his command crew. They had been thrown together, doing all they could to stay alive. They all knew what the outcome would be and in their own odd way, they had bonded together.
“Damn,” Sensor's said as they put the space-map of Rosho and the surrounding area up. Weapons systems belched fire and hell into anything in range. All of the computer systems and some sensor links of the command centre had been separated from the rest of the systems as Tactical cross-linked nearly every other system on the station.
Rosho, like some damned berserker was rocked with lasers, Fighters smashing into its weapons as it kept firing. Rosho in that moment was something more than just a station. It was a living a breathing thing, it was a symbol. The Kalu had smashed the station and the Syndicate that lived aboard it, but still they had held on, they hadn't given up and they had made the Kalu pay.
“Comms, open me a channel,” Lifendi said with a grin that would have made the communications officer recoil in fear once. Now it spread across their own face.
“Yes Sir!” they said, opening every damned channel they could.
“This is Captain Lord Lifendi of the Syndicate, of Rosho! Today Rosho will fall.” Explosions rocked even the massive station as the final weapon systems fell.
“But we will not be forgotten, we will not walk into the black without company! We have guided legions of Kalu to their demise. Watch us. Bear witness to the fall of Rosho. The Kalu can be beaten and they will. We might be creatures of different planets, of different beliefs, we might be criminals and we might be soldiers, but we are beings that search for life,” Lifendi pointed at the screen, directly at the camera.
“It is up to you to fight!” Lifendi laughed to himself, letting it roll out of his mouth. As more explosions rocked the station and the last guns went silent. He could hear as the portable cannons outside of the command centre started firing.
Lifendi took his seat.
“It's your turn Salchar, show these fuckers just what the creatures of the Union can do.” With that, Lifendi pressed the command button that he had prepared so very long ago.
***
Kelu watched as Rosho was smashed into submission, he listened to Lifendi's final words.
No matter what he had done in his life, his people had fought to the bitter end, they might have lived as criminals, but they died as soldiers.
Kelu felt pride in his chest, he’d felt disgusted at being part of the Syndicate at one point, but now that was washed away.
They had been bastards, criminals, slavers and the most despicable kinds of scum. Yet they had gone up against the Kalu, against their will and they had fought with everything they had. They would answer for their crimes in the black. They would be hated, and despised, but Kelu still felt pride for them. He would be cursed for being a member of the Syndicate, and at times he would hate the things the Syndicate for what they had done. Yet for that illogical moment, emotion carried him as he thought of when he had first joined the Syndicate, how blinded he had been by their massive ships, the pos
sibilities of what he could do.
Now the Free Fleet was his home, they had given him purpose, they had put him back on that path of possibilities, yet the Syndicate had molded him into the adult he was.
Rosho seemed to shake, then come apart as multiple explosions rocked the station.
“It appears that the Power plants are being overloaded on purpose,” Sensors said, sensing the question before it was ever uttered. Debris drifted away from the station, its surface too thick in most places for most explosions to make it to the surface. Holes in the surface where weapons, docks and airlocks had been, blew out in a spectacular manner.
“All ships, this is Commander Cheerleader, ready for immediate wormhole transition. Battle-stations,” she said, her voice like liquid nitrogen. Kelu felt a grin, one not too dissimilar to Lifendi's own, grow across his face.
“You heard the Commander!” Kelu said, causing a few people to jump.
He looked over the combined fleets of Cheerleader and Boot. They were two times bigger than the fleet he had taken to Parnmal, with actual upgraded warships. Of course then there was War-station.
The massive mobile station's shields flashed into existence as it went through checks, massive batteries extended and then stored again. The patrolling wings returned to their home as ships that had been waiting for weeks bared their teeth and prepared to close on the Kalu.
It's about time we got our hands dirty, Kelu said, thinking of the Human saying.
“We're ready across the board,” Kelu's second in command, Urlow said. He was Kelu's old communications officer.
The kid was smart and capable, something he'd proven in the battle for Parnmal.
“Interesting isn't it that fate has led us to this,” Kelu said conversationally.
“What way?” Urlow asked, his face turned to his reports, he after all had to deal with all of the issues of the ship while Kelu dealt with seeing that the overall plan that Cheerleader created was followed.
“We have come to the end of the Syndicate's control, and we stand on the precipice of our first engagement with the Kalu, side by side with the people we terrorized, fighting for the same goal,” Kelu said.
Free Fleet Box Set 2 Page 65
