The Vanguard Emerges (Maraukian War Book 2)

by Michael Chatfield

  Legate Alves was the first to speak. “Where?”

  “Andromeda system, sir. You will get a call from sensor station 549H in a few minutes. They’ve detected something in the Otarvi system.”

  “Has it been confirmed?”

  “It has on our side.” A text message came from Castillo.

  “549H has also confirmed.”

  “You know the drill. Have them feed it through you.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Looks like they’re ready to rumble.”

  Tuvio couldn’t help but catch the weariness in the Legate of the Ninth’s voice. The legion had been fighting for two and a half thousand years, but they’d been able to keep their families and homes safe behind their lines. Now the Maraukians had taken that away: war was at the legion’s doorstep and back door simultaneously.

  Tuvio pushed those thoughts from his head as he got to work, studying the reports from his sensors. He held his breath while nervously checking the board for another red symbol.

  Chapter 14

  The Yard

  Sol System

  8/3354

  Earth and Her Colonies seemed to teeter for a few days before it completely imploded. Now, with Nivad gone, there was a massive power vacuum, not to mention the people who were in high positions within the governments and corporations who had been removed.

  Mark might have told them about Nivad and Jones, but Moretti, seeing the system for the broken piece of crap it was, decided to tear it all down. Mega City had turned into a war zone, looking more like the slums that were oddly quiet. Gangs and others went to the corporate cities to try to gain some loot and goods to sell in the slums.

  Most of them continued to watch on.

  The Colonies were in a much better position. Knowing that the EMF was falling apart at the top and there were few people coming for them, they didn’t do anything but it was clear from the messages Jerome was passing back and forth that they were ready to start living their own lives, away from the corporate rule.

  The Yard had been sealed up. Three different groups tried to attack them but they hadn’t made it past the first line of combat shuttles that were drifting around the Yard, ready to meet any possible threats. No one else had attempted anything after that.

  As chaos reigned in the outside world, the Yard had a freighter visit them. They’d pulled out machine shop machines, nanite vats and parts that were generations ahead of anything that was in Earth and Her Colonies.

  They’d been updating as well as modifying their ships. Some smaller inter-system freighters had tested out the drive a few times, tweaking a bit here and there as needed.

  Jerome was in the command center as three of the smaller inter-system freighters disappeared in three different directions. Two of them were going to meet up with the massive freighters that they’d sent out toward the different Colonies. What would take the inter-system freighters just a few short days would take the system-to-system massive freighters years.

  The third was headed to meet up with an Earth Military Force carrier nearby.

  The carrier was filled with people he’d fought beside in the Osdal system.

  There were plans for them to reach out to all of the Earth Military Force carriers, offering them payment to turn over their ship, as well as jobs as private contractors.

  “Well, now the first step is underway,” Ortiz said.

  “We just need to move the entire yard as well.” Jerome looked at massive rings that were growing around the Yard’s mid-line.

  Ortiz clapped Jerome on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll get there,” Ortiz reassured him.

  Chapter 15

  SLS {ship name}

  In Transit

  8/3354

  Mark had been relieved of watch and had shuttled over to the closest Vulcan-class maintenance ship. The captain at first hadn’t been willing to let Mark use the nanite vat but had since relented as Mark could churn out the parts he needed in a quarter the time it took his people and make his own parts. Plus, Mark had promised a resupply of the materials he was using.

  “Ah Leo, good to know you’re alive,” Mark said as the comms officer of the rusty bucket finally put Leo on the line.

  “Hey, boss. Got a bit hairy and I couldn’t get away till everything was locked down tight.”

  “Understandable.”

  “Why’re you still in orbit?”

  “Well, we’re getting millions of requests of asylum, so smarter people than me are figuring out what to do.”

  “Okay, makes sense. I sense you didn’t ask to talk to me about immigration.”

  “Well, I did in a way. Is the VCF Fernix ready?”

  “Why?”

  “I can get you the supplies needed to make her jump capable, possibly. I don’t know about jump pilots but send out a general ad and I think you might be happily surprised.”

  “Really—a jump drive! Think of that. Damn.”

  “So get your ass up here. I need to tell you what you need to do and offload the parts you’re going to need.”

  “All right. I’ll get the first ship spaceward. This is fucking brilliant!” Leo said.

  As the line went dead, Mark had no illusions of the man running around like a child with a brand-new toy, trying to find a ride.

  Mark focused on the nanite vat in front of him, letting himself be absorbed in his work.

  “Captain Benoit, could you get us close to the United Shipping Company docks?”

  “Certainly. Changing course. There appears to be a ship docking with the shipyard currently. Can’t believe I’m seeing them for the first time.” Captain Benoit’s excitement was palpable. He might be a captain but his passion was engineering. He loved working with the massive machines that could jump between systems and fly to planets. He loved the complexities all working together.

  So when he was asked to fly to the largest commercial docks in existence, he was thrilled. He took his time coming around the massive five-dock large shipyard. It didn’t have many docks but they produced the only cargo ships over twenty-five kilometers long. The newest ship, the Camel, floated in the largest bay. It was forty-five kilometers long and more than twenty from side to side and top to bottom. It was one of three such ships. In the other docks, there were different ships, from a quarter completed to more than half.

  “Mark, is that you circling us?” Leo asked as Sarah connected him.

  “You bet. Clear supply bay Four Alpha.”

  “Understood.” A few minutes later, Mark watched the lights of the bay flash orange as it opened. “All clear.”

  “Captain Benoit, we have been cleared to land in supply bay Four Alpha.”

  “Seen. Clearing with the admiral.” He cut off.

  As he changed channels, Sarah shifted Mark back to Leo.

  “Just clearing it through COC. That would be them.” Mark opened the channel to Admiral Ciriaco.

  “The hell do you think you’re doing, commanding my ship and telling them to land on an unknown EHC facility!” the admiral demanded.

  “Well, I think more than a few people are going to want to get out of this system so I was going to aid them by giving the biggest commercial shipyard some jump drives. Say it’s a loan—they have to pay back the materials and time in full.”

  “I can understand about wanting to get out of here, but just giving them the technology…”

  “Admiral, they’re going to get it one way or another. At least this way, the shipping company can jump people out of Sol system to somewhere safe instead of worrying about getting stabbed in the back. Plus the majority of them are going to be retired EMF, the very people we need to fill our ranks fighting the Maraukians.”

  “All right. Make sure the shipping company isn’t going to make these people bankrupt.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “No problem. I hope this at least goes to plan.”

  The admiral apparently sent the orders to Captain Benoit as the ship descended into the supply
bay. Leo was waiting with a group of engineers and laborers as the materials door opened. Laborers with huge exoskeletons and machines supplied the incoming materials part of the ship. Engineers inside the ship took it, forming the millions of items they needed to make their plan work. The parts already finished and those just completed were pushed out of the unloading door on the other side of the ship.

  The maintenance ship was made to eat asteroids on one side, process them, and spit out everything a fleet needed. In this case, they were given near pure raw materials to change into what they needed. The bay was a hive of activity as materials turned into hundreds of round pods of various sizes, jump drive nodules, sensor relays, even the command console and the power tubing required. Mark built three massive reactors, piece by piece, each of them being taken by Leo and the engineers, who put together the smaller parts according to the plans Mark sent him into a jump system.

  “What’re you doing here?” he asked as two more supply ships docked, feeling the Phantoms onboard them.

  “They wouldn’t want us moping around on a ship after them if we could be doing this.” Chyna’s calm voice settled Mark.

  “All right. Well, here’s our work order.” He flashed them lists of parts to be made. He could see the managers of the dockyards already had people moving to feed the maintenance ships more materials and receive more of the goodies that spewed out from them.

  On the second day, Mark looked at the empty list in bewilderment. He unconnected himself from the nanites as they stopped moving, looking like liquid mercury.

  “All right, you good, Leo?”

  “Sure thing, boss. We’ll have her ready within a day or two. People who help out—we’re giving them passage. The nanites are already reinforcing her frame. We’re setting up the thrusters you gave us and those we have on hand to the reactors we have installed and those you supplied us. Good thing you had us keep a supply of helium-3. We’re going to need it in the near future.

  “You think you could’ve told me about this plan earlier, though?” Leo complained.

  “Well, it’s just my original plan, just faster than we thought. Isn’t my fault it got pushed ahead.”

  “Wendy freaked when I told her. She’s on her way up, riding the rust bucket, as well as the kids. And we’ve got ourselves a jump pilot!”

  “All right, well, it looks like you have a lot to do. Remember to…”

  “I already paid them,” Leo said. “Now go and look after yourself.”

  “All right. And one piece of advice: the Tricticus system’s nice.”

  “Is that so?”

  “You should have a full star system jump map on your console. For now, keep it a secret. Don’t want some people knowing about it.”

  “Understood. Well, time to get cracking, I guess.”

  “See you later, Leo.” Mark cut the channel. “Captain Benoit, we’re done here.”

  “All right. Magnificent docks, if I do say so myself. Shame that they’re here.” Captain Benoit and most of the crews of the maintenance ships had been guided around the docks, which were like a miniature city. Housing, entertainment—everything a person could expect of a tower was built into and around the docks.

  The three maintenance ships lifted off and turned toward the fleet, which was coming past on its roam around the system. Mark checked his suit as he entered an air lock as they approached the Moby.

  “Until we meet again, Mark,” Captain Benoit said as the last door of the air lock opened and Mark was blasted into space. A track plan lit on his HUD as lights flashed from his armor. He knew there would be other lights behind him as the Phantoms followed him, jumping from their own ships.

  His anti-grav still worked, using the mass of the ships and anything around Mark to push him toward the Moby and into its open drop bay. After a few minutes and a headcount, the rest of the Phantoms were aboard. The drop hatch sealed and they unsealed their helmets.

  “All right, people, go and get some rest.”

  “When will our R and R be over?” Rachel asked.

  “Not sure, but at least a week.” This got some weak smiles, but at least they were smiles, Mark reflected. The net hummed as Phantoms, just like any other soldiers, repeated the plans they’d promised themselves if they got some off time, the highest being a shower, followed by the dilemma of sleeping or eating.

  “Hey, Charles,” Mark said to the eccentric man as he walked out of the bay.

  “So how were the modifications? I heard that you’re putting together a jump ship to transport people from Sol system to other systems. Were the new calibrations of the M20 good?”

  Charles’s eyes sparkled. Building and tinkering with things was his call. He’d helped Mark build the suit and ever since, he’d been attached to Mark and the Phantom Lords in a way. Even without the ability to merge or having the modifications that mergers had, he could easily outspeak—and sometimes outthink—them. A lot of mergers had wondered why they needed to have an information database with the eccentric engineer around.

  “Modifications were good. Going to need more nanite, and materials for repair. Yes, and yes.” He put up a finger to stop the man. “And yes, I will get the raw data to you as fast as possible.”

  “Good! Now, I’ve had a few ideas that I’ve been thinking of since Gilese...” He started wandering as he talked, getting five feet before he turned back. “Well, are you coming?”

  Mark wanted to say he needed a shower and some food but they both knew his suit eliminated the waste and subsequently made the food he ate. Plus, if Charles had some new toys for Mark…

  “I’m coming.” Mark grinned, which Charles returned. They might be two very different people, but they were men and as the saying goes, men don’t grow out of having toys; they just get bigger ones.

  Charles guided him to the workshop he’d taken over, where Gomez, Jess, and Maxine waited. Mark walked in the room, being greeted and welcomed by them as they worked on different prototypes around the room. Mark opened his data ports on his Pluto, allowing Charles to drain it of information. He unsealed his armor and stepped out in the black/purple fatigues of a Phantom Lord. The standard of a M20 and a mono-blade crossed behind a grinning skull with red orbs for eyes was visible for all to see.

  “Welcome back,” Jess said first. The others nodded in agreement.

  “All right, enough of that. Now, what have you been working on?” Mark said, there were still parts moving and he needed to manage.

  “Well, there’s a new propulsion system called the Thunderbolt…”

  Chapter 16

  The Yard

  Sol System

  8/3354

  Jerome watched from the ship’s office as all the blips on his screen started to move out from their home system. It was with a heavy heart that they were moving on, but the best made plans were in motion months before the shit had hit the fan.

  The video Mark had sent him through secure comms of Nivad and Jones’s deaths had given him the satisfaction he needed to help put Tyler and Alexis’s murder away. But the pang of guilt for not pulling the trigger himself stung a lot. He sat there now, watching and re-watching them, trying his best to put himself by Mark’s side. In the end, he knew he couldn’t and his finger hovered over the delete button. He had to get rid of the evidence, even if it would serve as a good reminder that not only revenge had been served but by the right man to do it.

  His door pinged and his wife, Esamai, stepped inside a moment later. “I thought you might need some company.” She moved behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders. Jerome stiffened, but she didn’t let up. Instead, she gently kneaded his shoulders back to a relaxed state.

  “This isn’t easy on any of us, Esamai,” he said.

  Esamai leaned over and wrapped him up in a hug, taking in a big breath of his smell. “No, it’s not.”

  Just as she was relaxing and getting comfortable, she let out a confused groan, quickly releasing Jerome and looking to her stomach. She leaned against the ta
ble, with a look of surprise on her face.

  Jerome was up and by her side in a flash. “What is it?”

  A pained smile permeated her lips. “I think we are about to become a three.”

  Jerome glanced to her larger-than-life belly. But it was too soon. It wasn’t time. “Not yet, no.”

  Esamai’s lips narrowed as she fought off another contraction. “Oh, he’s coming. You’d better believe it.”

  Jerome hammered his comms. “Medics to my office, immediately.”

  Esamai gripped his hand, as her pain worsened. Her eyes widened. “Something’s wrong.”

  They both looked down not only to see water hit the floor but a trail of blood within it.

  Jerome heard the door ping, but his mind fuzzed as medics rushed around him. Ortiz was giving him a shake before he realized they were down in one of the medical wards.

  “Come on, don’t space out on us that much.” Ortiz shook him once more before his reactions hurtled back.

  Jerome grabbed hold of his friend. “Where is she?”

  “Esa’s being well looked after, but they needed your sorry ass out of the room.”

  Jerome glanced through a glass wall, where he could see Esamai and the medics. She looked awful, but she was also smiling. “How can she be smiling at a time like this?”

  Ortiz laughed. “That’s women for you. She might be in pain, but she’s doing the one thing you both wanted. Giving birth to your son.”

  “There was a problem?”

  “Our medics are more than capable. Said she’ll be a few hours yet, maybe even all night.”

  He’d wanted an easy birth for Esamai but she declined it, and wanted a natural birth, without the medical intervention a lot of women had. The arguments they’d had over that alone had seemed to be endless, but Esamai won out, as she always did. Eventually her cute pouting and wicked sense of humor always did.

  Jerome’s heart now was torn. He wanted to order the medics to take over, push her wishes aside. He couldn’t bear to lose her. But he stopped himself.