The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet

by Michael Chatfield

  “I will.” I said cutting the channel as I checked the time for the next shuttle down to Asul.

  Chapter Damned men!

  She watched as the shuttle touched down on the landing pad. There was a hover car already waiting by the landing pad which was moving quickly towards the city after a few moments.

  She stood on top of the administration building as a large figure uncoiled himself from the car. Even three stories above him she could see the blood red eyes which sent a chill down her back.

  He’d changed so much with the awakening, how was she to know that he would? She shivered as she remembered the metallic table which had restrained him, how he’d screamed his body morphing and changing as he’d fought the restraints until his throat was raw. Then he finally ran out of energy as he collapsed back onto the table in exhaustion, the moment when she thought he was dead.

  She was still trying to figure out the emotions she’d felt as she saw Krom march out to James, bowing down to him as low as he could. James barked something and Krom was on his feet in an instant.

  Then James in full Commander Salchar mode began roaming the city.

  She watched him as he talked to groups working; to those from the fleet recoiling from his appearance keeping out of arms reach as he tried to reassure them.

  He continued moving trying to not let it bother him, she could tell by the tension in his shoulders no matter his outward appearance he was annoyed and saddened by the way the people from the fleet, especially the humans reacted to him.

  After an hour people were getting more relaxed but they were still edgy around him as he walked into the administration building. She waited, using the sensors in her Mecha linked to the administration building to track his progress through the building. He had an exceedingly long conversation with Ursht trying her patience, before he made his way to the roof.

  She turned looking at him, his face a controlled mask. For the first time she wanted to touch him, to reassure him as he tried to hide his pain only her training similar to his own showed her the smallest shadow of emotion.

  He walked up to her so he could see out over the growing city which wasn’t much more than a town without anyone being able to see him.

  “It’s impressive.” He said grudgingly. She wanted him to continue to say it was amazing, how she’d done well keeping the fleet running, helped with their lack of personnel and brought another race into space. Or that she’d transformed Asul city from a series of underground warrens into a town which would with time and resources turn into a city and a port for the entire planet.

  “Thank you.” She said as she saw he wasn’t going to. He was still too angry with her to give her any more praise.

  “I’ve ordered our people to return to the fleet, we’ll be leaving tomorrow. We’ll retain two thousand Avarian warriors; we don’t have the resources to suit more. I’m going to leave three corvettes and a small contingent of shuttles in the system who will continue moving water comets into the atmosphere. One corvette is already travelling to Parnmal to get the biggest jump capable ship and bring it here to take Avarians to be trained on Parnmal.” She wanted to demand why he would take away the resources of the fleet that were busy creating their home city but remained quiet fuming as she stared at nothing.

  “We need to go and release the people of Chaleel from the Syndicates clutches, plus the Avarians are already getting a handle on things. Ursht is an able administrator of the town and will do well in your stead.” He said as if reading her mind.

  “Our stead,” She corrected him. “You are the battle master of the Avarians we might have the fourth largest warriors to our banner but we have the most civilians and people that want to do other things than swing a plasmid or mono blade sword. Our city will be the forerunner for this planet it will become the centre of power over the entire planet.”

  “As our city grows so will the number of warriors that swear loyalty to you. They will follow you into battle and obey your commands. They will never stab you in the back as you believe I will.” She felt rage making her shake.

  “That is one thing I do like about you.” He said a smile on his lips as he looked over the city seemingly unaware of the Sato sisters a few metres away within striking distance with their chained swords.

  “What could that possibly be?” She said hotly. He walked up so he was a bare foot away from her his breath hot as she felt heat rising on her cheeks.

  “Your passion.” He said a smile on his lips as he looked at her in the eyes as if searching for something. Then with a sigh he stepped off the edge of the building. She rushed to the side to see him walking to the hover car as if he’d stepped out of the main doors instead of dropping thirty feet.

  She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell in frustration, how could a man, a person act like that and leave her more confused afterwards than before.

  Mentally she was already making a list of people that needed to stay behind to keep the projects that she had started going as well as a few ships to keep the system safe and keep the comets coming in until AIH was refilled with water.

  Avar Interi Hermanti was quickly losing its name, little to no one called it by it’s full tittle, to everyone it was AIH, and the Avarians loved it. They were brutally practical, if there was a better way to do something, and it was proved then they would change to it as quickly as possible.

  Ursht had been a godsend to Yasu, he’d taught her all about the Avar and their ways. The Avars were a proud people, but the planner had taught them that they had to work with one another or they would fall apart. The lesson had been so imprinted that when the awakened that had become smarter became recluse the Avars turned away from them without thought.

  Ursht had also made everyone that applied to be a trainee of the Free Fleet make a blood oath to Yasu and Salchar. It meant that the Avars would never go against the Free Fleet code.

  While on the outside the Avarians were the perfect soldiers they were also a caring folk. Children were prized above all, and any Avar would die for another and their family if they were under the same banner.

  There were no large battles between different bands under banners anymore, games had replaced wars as a way of proving one’s worth.

  Now I just have to get them thinking again. Their tactics up to this point had been mostly basic, they didn’t think independently, something that the Free Fleet needed. Yasu had talked to Ursht and come up with a few ideas of how to assist in the change over. Those that were going to be part of AIH’s space workers were already being made to think for themselves as the Free Fleet trainers imprinted how dangerous space was, it had made them adapt in a hurry.

  Yasu watched the departing hover car. She was his wife, it was expected that she look after things in his stead, but he was at most of the meetings himself, getting her to deal with the time consuming details!

  He hated and suspected her that much that he didn’t want to deal with her, or give her a free moment. That was going to have to change, as well the fact that he was staying out of their room with another one of the crew.

  She’d kept a quiet eye on him as it was not her place as his wife to go chasing after him and going to him. Still she’d been cautious when she’d seen the way that his old team mate crazy cheerleader In Soo—his rumoured lover back on Earth—acted with him.

  She hadn’t been able to find proof that they were doing anything that was outside of their marriage vows. Though there had been times where she could find no record of his and In Sook’s whereabouts while they were on the station. She would allow him to rescue his friend Iron Bok Soo and Takahashi if he was still lacking in his duties as her husband there would be a reckoning.

  For now she had to plan to keep her hold running at least until she got back. With a sigh she went back inside the administration building, so many things to do and so little time in which to do it.

  Chapter Time to kick ass and take names

  I sat in my command chair feeling strange as was my new
norm, I filled up the seat even without my Mecha, but missed the confidence and security it gave me.

  “Emergence!” Nav called out.

  “Configuring shields.” Tactical followed.

  “Main engines coming online.” Helm said as the ship thrummed and jerked like a bucking bronco toy.

  “Capacitors still holding charge and escape point plotted into the navigational computer.” Nav said after confirming.

  The sensor and tactical pits taking up either side of the bridge were quiet as sensor arrays scanned their sectors the basic overlay for the system changing as more information was added. Tactical were going through weapons testing and visual scanning to make sure everything was ready as gun crews waited nervously for immediate attackers.

  “Immediate area clear.” The sensor chief announced as everyone on the bridge relaxed minutely. That meant that there was no one within firing range of us.

  Tactical were already relaying this to the gun crews who changed to medium ranged targeting pictures.

  “Nothing medium range, getting data around Chaleel.”

  Symbols that depicted ships now floated above Chaleel. All the tension that I’d bled off returned.

  I could see on my split command screen as the weapons crews had their weapons ready aimed at the ships around the planet even if we were hours away.

  “Sensor pit what ships are we looking at?” Rick asked.

  “We’ve identified the two troop carriers. Now with the upgraded sensors we can pick them out better, they’re actually converted merchant carriers. The ones we left behind. There are five corvettes, two cruisers, a destroyer, and a battleship also in orbit of the planet. There’s also what we believe to be a factory ship.”

  “What is the factory…?”

  “We have an incoming message from the Battle cruiser.” The comms officer interrupted.

  “Is Welick’s hologram ready?” I overrode everyone.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Alright put it up, change my voice as I talk.”

  “Done sir.”

  The alien on screen had massive eyes and a neck that reminded me of a turkey’s with precious metals and fierce looking clothes covering his body.

  “Captain Welick what’re you doing back here, we don’t need your help.” He said dismissively.

  “Just passing through the area thought I might drop by and see if you were interested in some trade.”

  “You don’t have anything worth trading.”

  “How are you enjoying having the humans fight for you?”

  “They are, good, though not as obedient as the Sarenmenti, and they are crafty.” He allowed.

  “I just got a surplus of them from Parnmal station.”

  “You did, how much of a surplus?”

  “Four thousand.”

  “That is interesting, interesting indeed.” The Captain said looking away for a few seconds before locking his gaze with the holographic Captain Welick.

  “I think any more talks should be had in person. Come alongside and dock with my ship.” The Captain cut his channel and we continued into the system.

  I opened a direct channel to Henry.

  “Are we ready?”

  “Yes sir, like taking candy from a baby.”

  “Not everything is as easy as it initially seems.”

  “Yes commander.”

  The other syndicate ships grouped together resembling a haphazard formation; for once I was thankful for our own messy formation which hid our talents. These syndicates must be an untrusting bunch I thought as we came alongside the battle cruiser.

  “Docking tube connected. Airlocks opening on both sides.” Engineering said.

  “Object coming from the syndicate ship!” I’d been watching the main screen as our fleet got into position to take the syndicate fleet to my personal screen with a feed to the airlock. I saw as a familiar spherical device flew into the main bay where the Mechas were waiting.

  Without thinking one of the Avarians kicked the grenade back at the syndicate ship.

  Debris and smoke billowed out from the airlock as the Commandos rushed into the tube weapons raised. The Avarians let out a guttural cry of bloodlust as they rushed in behind the commandos armed with battle suits and plasmid weaponry.

  I wished I was with them as I looked to the main plot punching the general ship command channel.

  “Ready all weapons and fire as ships bear.” I cut the channel as the bridge which had been deathly quiet was now filled with volume.

  “Tactical slave our arcs to my screen. Comm. ask the syndicate to surrender and send a message to the commandos on the planet. Resilient I want that kill switch program checked!”

  In space the biggest thing that kept you alive was momentum, I didn’t have any so it was time to use one of the ‘stupid unless it works’ manoeuvres I was thinking. This is a terrible idea.

  “Engineering connect me to Eddie.” The comms officer was already busy dealing with my orders made the connection before continuing.

  “Commander?” Eddie asked in a way that made me think he was working as I was talking to him.

  “Do we have bucking cables?”

  “Yes sir, but I don’t see what good that does with helping us.” He said in a harried voice.

  “Would we be able to pull the battle cruiser with us?”

  “Well the Resilient’s engines are much bigger than your normal Imperial Dreadnought and even the originals out powered the Battle cruiser, biggest problem is getting the ship to stop and not turn us into red mush at the same time. Why?”

  “Get those bucking cables connected to the battle cruiser.” I cut the channel at his protests, he’d obviously figured out what I was planning.

  “Helm adjust the engines to compensate for having the battle cruiser attached to us. Nav help crunch the numbers and get us a plot to Chaleelian orbit.” Kuruvian and human looked at me stunned, before quickly looking to one another and hurriedly working their stations.

  “Yes commander.” I was looking at the arcs on my personal screen and swearing, the battle cruiser was blocking one of our flanks that provided the massive broadside that made the Imperial Dreadnought famous and feared.

  “The corvette Needle is leaking atmo. The Destroyer is moving into position behind the Battleship we’re docked with. Their fleet is also massing to charge from behind the battleship.” Rick said.

  I looked up to the main screen displaying the battle raging in space seeing what Rick had described before my eyes. The enemy’s corvettes raced through our formation raking everything with their fire. The Destroyer was opening missile tubes to fire around the Resilient and the enemy’s battleship. A precious resource we didn’t have due to lockout codes written into their programming.

  “Destroyer Ferocity you’re the bait, Corvettes, split into teams of two and separate the syndicate’s forces, close and kill those that are without support. Cruisers assist the corvettes when engaging, take out the cruisers engines then work on the corvettes before coming back and finishing their cruisers.”

  “Bregend get that damned Battle cruiser over Chaleel, pumping Commandos into the atmosphere, co-ordinate with Iron Bok Soo. Destroyer Malignant go with Bregend to provide support, we don’t need one of these missiles getting near the Battle cruisers shuttle rails. Pump out your shuttles with the Battle cruiser for Chaleel. Bregend retain a third of your force to take that factory ship then provide cover for the planet. Malignant once completed get back here and assist.”

  I changed my screen to the boarding party as they were being bogged down by fortified emplacements. My people had learned from Parnmal. If they couldn’t get to the enemy through corridors, then they could get to them through the walls. It was slow going in a ship we didn’t have blueprints for. No one wanted to hit a plasma conduit.

  The Avarians once they caught up with the new tactic happily hacked the ship apart making me wince.

  “We have airlocks opening across the Resilient!” Tactical said as a
larms sounded. I’d devoted my entire commando force to the Battleship leaving us unprotected except in places with watches, engineering and the bridge. This was mostly to make sure that if one or more of the crew panicked then the commandos could subdue them as everyone else carried on with their job. Well that’s what I’d told everyone.

  In fact it made it also damned hard for someone to sabotage the ship or kill me. Though the rest of the ship was left unguarded. With engineering rushing about getting buckling cables and connecting them to the battleship it left them in the open, and targets.

  “Alright Commandos on me we’re going to get those bastards off of our ship.” I said pulling myself out of my seat as I was heading for the blast door.