“Yes I am, we both know that we are going to basically running our yards like mad to get out what we need now. My facilities here are already working to make a second version of Hammer.
We need to get as many ships as we can working, as has always been the case. Now we can actually see the number of ships we're up against and unless we come up with something really damned impressive, we're going to be pulling everything we can together. Hell we might even have to cut some training times short in order to have the people that we need to man everything we can pull together,” Felix said.
“I know,” Silly said, a light entering his eyes as his hands moved in a sign of interest and excitement. “Which is why I'm going with you. I can't very well have our chief Research and Development guy just thinking that he can man a station of that size and keep it running. I've already arranged transport for the other yards, Nelly, Nate and Parnmal's yards will all be supplying people in order to get these damned Destroyers up, running and working for us. The super-freighter has also been released to us, with a small squadron of warships,”
Felix opened his mouth to argue and then promptly closed it. He had seen the scans of the yard and the ships, the sheer size of it was mind boggling, it was thirty kilometers long fifteen wide.
It had been based off an asteroid which was mined out as a yard was built from the materials. As the ships had also been built as a single piece and not in the factory style that Felix's people would be using shortly and was being used to create the smaller ship types. There was a massive amount of room that was used in the beginning of making a Star-Destroyer that was later left empty and useless.
Managing that by himself, the people and resources that would be needed.
“Thank you Silly, it would be rather nice to actually work on a project in the flesh as it were, for once,” Felix said with a grin.
“I will also be there in spirit, as it is linked to the FTL network. However the AI Dashunder has expressed an interest in being the station's administrative AI,” LaRe said.
“Thank god for the FTL network, we'd be lost without your computing power,” Silly said, shaking his head, actual sadness in his expression even under the joke. Silly had been the one to get LaRe to join the Free Fleet, and had known him after a few months after he had formed on a Battlecruiser, a syndicate Captain's last resort, which is where LaRe took his name from.
“I'll be in Sol in another three days, just need to get everything we can loaded on. Picking up the cannons in AIH..,”
“We know we know,” Silly said, interrupting Felix.
Felix nodded absently, realizing that of course they know everything, they made the plan with me!
Chapter Awake
Light intruded in on me as I winced, blinking faster as if it would make the pain of light at least piss off for a few more minutes. I heard something move around me.
“About time you woke up,” Rick said, sounding damned tired.
I just grunted as I tried to sit up.
“Lie down you monkey, you've only barely been put back together,” Rick's tone stopped my movement as I settled back down.
I tilted my head, finding him by the door. Yasu was to my side, asleep on top of my legs.
“You've got a lot to deal with when you’re up,” Rick said a small smile appearing on his face.
“Thankfully little of it is to do with the Fleet. Cheerleader is in commando of the patrols. Min Hae and Bregend have been pounding on the Kalu forces and ships.
Whorst and Boot will get there shortly. We're moving back to Parnmal and the corridor to get our people some time with the shrinks, decompress and ready for the next engagement,” I could see the muscles in Rick's jaw tighten in anger.
“Data pad?” I said, my throat hurt as it always did after waking in hospitals.
Someone rammed a damn tube down my throat again. I thought in annoyance. There was no sensation quite like having a tube put down one's neck, or pulled out of it.
“Not for now, for now she is going to need considerably more time,” Rick said, as if trying to give me a hint. A look of pride and happiness passed over his face, turning into a smile of relief, as if now, now it was over, for a bit.
I saw the new lines of worry, those tired eyes which I saw every time I looked in a mirror.
Yasu stirred on my lap, taking my attention as Rick let himself out of the curtained off area around my bed.
Yasu blinked sleep away, looking up at me, the mental cogs turning before she launched herself at me, jumping on the bed and hugging me.
“I thought you were gone, when they got you out of the HAPA you were so close to leaving me, to leaving us,” She said, tears falling from her face and falling on my neck and shoulder.
“I'm okay,” I said gently as her grip tightened on me.
It took her some time to stop her tears and release her vice-like grip on my frame.
“So what was the damage?” I asked, semi-playfully. I needed to know if anything was going to affect me. Memories of how the hellfire had hurt my upper body but not hurt my lower body flashed through my mind.
“Your legs will be a bit odd for a short time, you need to rebuild some muscle in your back to support your new spine and nerves. You shouldn't move at all, no sudden movements, just bed rest for a while,”
That sounds good. I thought, mentally shaking my head.
“Your lungs will be good, they were cut open. A lot of your stomach had to be grafted back together. So instead of running right into battle, you can concentrate on how we're going to raise our child,” She said, my head snapped to her, my eyes going alarmingly wide as time stopped, as well as my ability to breathe. I looked at her stomach, as if I would be able to tell that she was indeed correct.
I looked from her stomach to her face, her tears of relief turning to ones of joy.
“I think this is the first time I have seen you well and truly speechless,” She said, the most beautiful woman in the world, tears clouding her eyes as she flicked her hair out of her face. A laugh on her lips.
I went against everything she had told me not to do as I wrapped my hands around her, dragging her back down.
“I'm gonna be a dad,” I said into her ear, the disbelief clear in my voice.
“I'm going to be a dad!” I said, the biggest smile stretching my face as pain, war, all of it disappeared.
“I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!” I yelled as loud as I could, laughing in joy as I held Yasu even tighter, she sat up on top of me, both of us just staring into one another's eyes.
“We're going to be parents,” I said, almost breathlessly, as if it scared me as much as it exhilarated me.
“Yes, yes we are,”
“I think the entire med bay knows,” Krom said from behind the curtain around my bed.
He and Shreesht opened the curtains to the entire med bay. Whoops, cheers, guttural grunts, chirps, clapping and all manner of noises greeted us as Yasu's face flushed, getting off of me.
I wrapped a hand around her mid-riff pointing to her stomach.
“I knocked her up for the second time!” I said, Yasu looking to me, her eyes thinning at the low jab, trying to stifle a smile of joy by pressing her lips together.
The roar of the med bay of our Free Fleet family greeting what was to be another addition to their numbers, did more than any medical machine could do.
I pulled Yasu to me, my arm reaching for her neck, I made to move but seeing what I meant to do. She bent down, kissing me, properly kissing me I might add! Which was only punctuated by the agreeing yells, catcalls and whistles from our spectators.
Yasu and I opened our eyes as our lips parted, our eyes dancing as we looked at one another. No words can encompass what went between our eyes, love? Trust? Care? Hope? Excitement?
All of it, everything in me wanted to hold onto her and never let go and I could see the same sentiment in her eyes.
“I love you,” She said, in a whisper, as if saying it loudly would break that statement.
That promise. That vulnerability.
“I love you too,” I said back.
From the Black (Free Fleet Book 4) Page 39
