The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet

by Michael Chatfield

  “Will you meet with me in armoury four?”

  “Sure, see you there.” I squeezed the remainder of the drink into my mouth as I walked into the armoury.

  “What’s up?” I asked looking at Min Hae’s confused expression.

  “Why aren’t we trying to break free of the Syndicate?”

  “We don’t have people with the skills to fill all of the positions needed. Say we take the ship, that with our Commandos skills is questionable, then what? We don’t have the people trained or proficient enough for us to control the ship. Sure the Kuruvians can keep us afloat, but we will still need to learn everything. Right now we’re learning as much as possible so that our people can take over. Yet that is just three ships. Other than Rick and Bok Soo’s ship, no other has begun training their people to take over ship functions.

  If we take this ship, the other ships find out and we don’t know how to use the ship then we will die. If we do know how to fight with the ship then we kill all of the other humans with us. This means we have to convince the other ships of the threat and get them trained up as well. All of this takes time. If we attack now we lose that advantage. Also as we wait we gain more information from the Syndicate crews on their activities and we know what the hell we’re getting ourselves into.”

  “Yes sir, I just hate not being able to do something. Plus we’re doing the same thing to this planet that the Syndicate did to Earth.”

  “I know your frustration, but we need to wait. We even need this battle to happen, just so that we can link up with other groups from other ships and pass on what we know and get them ready.”

  “I… I understand.” He said, visibly deflating

  “It’s just that people are going to die, both the people on the planet and our own, and while we can do something about me, it isn’t enough. I guess this is what is meant between a rock and a hard place.” I put my armoured hand on his shoulder.

  “I know.” I’m going to be sending these people in to battle when I could be taking this ship, but to do so would condemn us all to death. For us all to survive a few must die, that is the most heartless saying I’ve ever heard.

  I walked out of the armoury, me and Min Hae with our own mental battles as we waited.

  Three hours later everyone was awake and our Sarenmenti officers were coming down from their areas.

  “Henry, have individual squads attach themselves to an officer so we don’t have a break down in command.” I said through a private communications channel

  “Understood Commander.”

  I saw Yasu moving with a squad which I fell into place quickly as I realized it was my own as we marched up to the officer.

  “Formation, HALT!” I said as we came to a stop. Henry had worked through drill with the weapons skills to give him a tool to enlighten the Mechas to the errors of their ways. It had been a worthwhile training tool and I could see the pride in everyone’s faces, even as our feet came down sounding like a wave instead of a solid noise. It was still damned good in the short time we’d had.

  “Who in the hell are you?” The Sarenmenti officer demanded as we stood there for a few seconds.

  “We’re your Platoon.” I said. The officer grunted with the hint of a Sarenmenti smile on his lips I could see through his visor.

  “Well not too bad, looked good with that stomping thing you did there. I’m Officer Turek I’m in charge of the first company,” He pointed to me. ”You will gather others to be my personal squad. Which means you will be the frisking best! Line up for weapons, unless you’ve got any other surprises for me?”

  “We have planned insertion points, objectives and defensive perimetres from our thought objectives.” His eyes seemed to go wide at this as he came close to me.

  “Show me.”

  I took off gauntlet grabbing my data pad from my back pouch showing it to him as he came close.

  He took off his helmet and gauntlets taking the data pad from me and studying it.

  “Damn, this is a better battle plan than I’ve ever seen. Who came up with this?”

  “We worked together sir.”

  He nodded in acceptance. ”Alright looks good, I think I’m going to push it higher I know that I’ll feel better if more of my people have these plans especially the way that some always have an… internal battle plan shall we say that never fully forms.”

  I nodded in agreement with a grin. I saw as he transmitted the information to his commander, my HUD tracing the electronic tracker and recorder I’d put in the plan as it passed through the golden refuge’s communication array and onto the other ships that made up the fleet, being digested and used by over ninety percent of the Mecha troops.

  “You’ve just become this Platoons commander as I won’t have time to hold your hand having to co-ordinate with higher and other platoons. That also means you will be my second in command on the field, no matter what the other officers say. Now go and grab your weapons we’ll be one of the first shuttles down.” He raised his voice making sure everyone could hear.

  “Right turn!” I said as we all turned our feet thumping into the ground in synchronization.

  “Forward March!” Again we moved off towards the armoury. We split into our team filing through and grabbing weapons as they were handed out of the now open armouries.

  I secured my weapons and ammunition as I had with the raid before running back over to where Turek was waiting.

  “Alright you know your people better than I do so help me to pick out their officers.”

  “We prefer commanders, sir.”

  “Very well doesn’t matter to me I just want to know who I punish when their group doesn’t perform as ordered.”

  He took me by three groups as I told him on a private channel who the best commanders would be keeping the commanders we’d previously had in their positions.

  “Very well, back to your squad,” He paused looking at me. ”What is your name?”

  “Salchar sir.”

  “Very well back to your squad Salchar.”

  “Yes sir.” I ran back to the shuttle my squad was loaded on. Everyone had their magazines loaded without their rifles cocked, yet still pointed down as to minimize the damage if their weapons went off. I checked making sure that none of them were actually readied with a bolt in the chamber. The training had done its job.

  I watched on my HUD as the other squads were quickly gathered and put on their own shuttles. Now with nothing to do but wait, the nerves were setting in.

  I looked at Yasu beside me wearing her Mecha, her face now set as she concentrated on a part of the ground as she gripped where she held her rifle.

  I felt butterflies fill my stomach as I too concentrated on my rifle, trying to distract me from what was going to happen.

  I saw the pilots as they boarded, one looking like the creature I’d seen which had declared we were going to be recruited. The other was scaly looking but with the same bipedal structure humans had.

  They walked into the cockpit which sealed and locked behind them. A few minutes later I could feel the power plants come alive as the doors shut and sealed before the thrusters and main engines fired, as we meandered forward. The view screens showing the massive hangar doors opening before the shuttle.

  We were going to the first planet that wasn’t located in our solar system. Armed to the teeth with technology we barely knew ourselves and here I was my nervousness turning to excitement. Sure there was a high possibility I could die, but I’d traveled through star systems, I’d been in a star ship and I was about to step on another planet that supported life tens of light years from my home planet. Adrenaline filled me as I couldn’t help stop grinning as the hangar doors finished opening as I looked at the beautiful marble that hung admist darkness, a perfect balance of just the right things, that had somehow come together to make something stunning, one of a kind and damned right awesome.

  This is what space travel is about. Seeing the incredible. I thought as the rest of the shuttle, the
ship and the universe left me as I admired that planet, stuck in a moment of peace before the shuttle rose, jarring me and ending that moment as I checked my gear. The time for reflection was over, the time for surviving had descended.

  We accelerated out of the hangar doors as to one side we saw the planet from the hologram and then back to the Syndicate ships which were belching fire, as the platforms at the top of the elevators that reached into space were halos of fire, striking out at the Syndicate ships in silence. The shuttle in front of us exploded as one of the streams of fire plowed into it, catching the engines. Already a hundred humans were dead.

  Then the pilots turned our world into a roller coaster as the world seemed to stop, as it did on a roller coaster, just before the drop. Then, you drop, your body and mind sure you’re going to die as adrenaline floods your system.

  My stomach plummeted as the shuttle did things that I didn’t think possible, with the floor, ceiling and walls becoming each other as acceleration and gravities assaulted my body. Then we entered atmosphere as our previous moving felt as if a light kiss as we were hurled against our harnesses. It didn’t seem they thought we’d had enough as they added in jinks swerves and dives as we were thrown across the sky to get away from incoming fire.

  “We’re taking incoming.” The pilots said a little too late as the telltale pings announced the incoming fire from the ground, thankfully nothing punctured as another series of moves took us out of the line of fire.

  With re-entry it wouldn’t take much to rip our shuttle, and us inside it apart. As I saw with other shuttles that got rounds in the wrong place and split into sections, and turning in to fireballs and shrapnel.

  I looked at the sensor tied in displays. I could see the small groupings of ground troops with their portable launchers as well as more than a few cannon emplacements.

  Here I was thinking that they’d clear the ground. Annoyed I activated my magnetic clamps in my boots as I hit my harness, standing up as it retracted.

  “I’m going to need this.” I said as I took a man’s crew serviced bead cannon and a magazine handing him my rifle in exchange as I opened a channel to support weapon teams.

  “One support team to each airlock, triple team to main ramp. Brace yourselves and fire at targets to warn them off.”

  I changed to Yasu’s channel. “Hold me.”

  “This isn’t the time…”

  “Just get over here.” I said as I punched the emergency open on the airlocks inner checking I was securing with my boots. She came up behind me as I jacked a round into the bead cannons chamber hitting the outer airlocks release. The wind howled as I grinned freely, only the Mechas power allowing me to lean out of the airlock, the high speed air buffeting me.

  “WOOO HOOOO!” I yelled as we rushed over the ground. My one fist held onto Yasu as I leaned out of the shuttle, my other hand holding bead support weapon. She planted her feet grabbing onto me with all of her servo assisted power ready to pull me back in once I’d stopped my idiotic stunt.

  I lined up my bead cannon with enemy positions my HUD was highlighting through the shuttles sensors. I zoomed in aiming close but not at the native fighters as I crunched in on weapon and squeezed off a burst.

  Thraaaap! The beads exploded as they hit the ground throwing up dust and debris; making the group of would be attackers duck as I looked for a new target and let off a longer burst getting used to the buck of the bead cannon. Again the weapon burped rounds in a telltale Thraaap! Reminding me of a Gatling gun but with each of its projectiles like miniature bombs upon impact.

  The other support weapon teams got the idea as they too were leaning out of the other airlocks, and were on the rear ramp hosing the enemy groups and emplacements.

  My nerves were forgotten as I looked out of the shuttle at the others in close formation. Apparently word had gotten out as team serviced weapons burped. It felt as if we were invincible, there was nothing that could stop us as we charged into battle I crunched back in on the bead cannon and lined up my next strafing run.

  I saw the landing zone come up ahead.

  “Support increase rate of fire!” The shuttle became the epicentre of weapons fire as beads, rail gun rounds and volatile plasma spat out from every opening ripping up everything in sight that looked questionable. The shuttle’s thrusters flared cutting our acceleration and halting us.

  I grabbed a pull bar above my head used when the shuttle was in zero gravity stopping myself and Yasu from being thrown from the shuttle as it touched down.

  “Alright out you get, move, move, move! Gun teams on top of the shuttle roof, lay down supporting fire.” Then on Yasu’s channel.

  “Disengage your boots and hold on.” I said as giving her a second as I used all of the servo assisted power I could get out of my arm to pull me and her up into a swing onto the side of the shuttle. She held on, quickly attaching her own boots as I walked up the side and onto the roof. She let go of me once on top giving me a cold stare probably from carrying her up the side of the shuttle. I didn’t have time for it as I checked my cannon and she loaded her rail gun.

  I checked my arcs as I messaged the original owner of the cannon.

  Other Mechas threw themselves onto the roof with leaps, hoists, or by simply walking up it like I’d done as they turned outwards. The power station was the only feature of the land for miles, a road led to a metropolis but any other features were hidden from view.

  The owner of the weapon jumped onto the roof in a single bound passing off his rifle to me.

  “It’s loaded and safeties on.” I said as I got out from behind the gun and dropped to the ground below.

  I put my rifle at the low ready pointing to the ground and cocking it as me and Yasu followed the Commandos that had already made it to the entrance to the power plant. We split up at the first intersection. Both me and Yasu bringing our rifles up into our shoulders as we walked quickly through the hall. Three people ran from left to right across the corridor we entered the building through. Yasu took down one as I took down two. I grinned to myself

  At least I’m still better with a rifle I mentally applauded myself as we moved up and checked the alien’s vitals, my HUD saying that they were still alive.

  “Secure them.” I said the team behind me doing so as another took their place.

  They announced their presence with an under arm tap to me. As I tapped Yasu as we moved from the wall now with enough people to cover both sides.

  “Corridor running left to right.” She called on the close channel that would reach those within ten metres.

  Again the tap was passed up as they signalled their acceptance of the news and what they had to do.

  Another team of two couples moved up on the right.

  “One, two, THREE.” We burst around the corner not finding anything the teams moved down their corridors now as another went straight.

  “Where do you want the prisoners?” The team that had bound the Natives asked.

  “Hold them in the corridor until we can find a room to leave them in.”

  “Yes sir.”

  We were moving down the corridor again as we came across a room to our right. We lined up again ready to take the door as Yasu moved past to cover straight ahead and I checked the door.

  “It’s unlocked, entry in three, two, one.” I pulled the door with me as the person behind me charged into the left another to the right Yasu following them and me following as the team behind us covered the hallway past us now coming to the door I incase we needed immediate help.

  The room was filled with machinery. “Left all clear.” Yasu and her partner said.

  “Right all clear.” I said as I lowered my rifle and pulled out my universal jack inserting it into a port on the machinery.

  The other teams were moving to the next room in the hall already as me and the others started pulling any information we could get from the confusing machines.

  We ran queries against the information not finding anything that we
needed immediately we tacked onto the end of the advancing teams.

  “Sir we have enemy forces approaching.” The gunner team’s leader said as I pulled his sensor readings seeing the advancing vehicles and their dirt plume.

  “Alright disable the vehicles, no damage to the drivers and such. Then I want you to fire a secure radio to them.”

  “Yes sir.” He sounded confused, but he had his orders.

  “We’ve found the control centre sir.” The teams that had gone straight reported as the support weapons on the shuttle began firing, the people around me and no doubt the rest of them moving to face the fire.

  “Good, Jack in and make sure everything’s kosher.”

  “On it commander.”

  The greatest thing with command is having people obey you, even if you were throwing around orders which sounded strange to yourself.