“Good work everyone, as always,” I said, overriding Edwards’s comments.
I dreaded what Edwards had written on his nefarious tablet, but more than anything I wanted the man off my ship.
“Take us in, nice and slow,” I said and Milra did so, Ben giving directional and speed information to the rest of the fleet.
“Sphere,” I said simply as the four sided triangle became a sphere, bringing the maximum guns to bear.
“Clear up to five minutes. We also have a clear look at the planet,” Walf said, as the main screen split, half the solar system, half the planet itself, visibly rotating.
“Not picking up any signatures of warships in the system. Got a whole bunch of merchant freighters, however.” He continued his rolling commentary as I pulled the information from the main screen onto my armrest.
The planet was an ice ball other than the cities, just like what we'd got from Bregend's Rebirth. The cities base dome, curved up into a thinning spire. Everything was covered by sheeting of some kind to keep the heat inside the cities, but there were protrusions and parts sticking out, making the covered city look less than pristine. Air vapours could be seen exiting the tops of the massive peaks, and spewing gasses could be seen on the horizon as more cities came into view, all with a similar structure.
“Looks like a bunch of hershey kisses,” Rick said.
“Quite the apt description,” I drawled, a few signs of amusement coming from the bridge crew as he looked completely unperturbed.
“Based off of incoming information there are only merchant freighters in system as of yesterday,” Walf said.
“We'll wait till that's down to six hours. Then we'll send a message. Take everyone down to twenty five percent readiness,” I said getting comfortable in my chair as Shreesht nudged me, a tea in hand.
“Why thank you Shreehst,” I said as I saw him roll his eyes. There was a glimmer of a grin on Calerd's face.
***
The tea was gone and I had finally staved off paper work for some time. With more departments set up it meant that I could pass off these issues to others, and often they never had to reach me.
It was slow going but the Resilient was still moving at a good pace into the system. The freighters were still running their trade, but most of them were leaving the system.
“We have an incoming transmission,” Vort said.
“Play it.” They must've sent the message just a few minutes after finding out that we were in the system.
A creature with a dulled expression and a droopy snout like an ant eater’s, with four limbs and a purple body looked was on the screen. The surroundings made some of the worst alleyways I'd seen look presentable. Obviously the conditions within the cities weren't the best.
“This is Overseer Marhtu. We have already made our payment to Rovkew a month ago. Are you here to drop off Recalcitrants?” Something glimmered in the creatures eyes that made the hairs on the back off my neck stand up.
“Marhtu out,” The overseer said, raising its snout and lowering it again as the channel went dead.
“Send it to the Intelligence department. See if they can pick up something on what these Recalcitrants are. I want to know what's going on in this place,” I said to Vort who got to sending the file and my orders out.
I didn't know what it was, but something made me wary of Marhtu and his sleepy expression. It took a few minutes for the information to come back. I answered the buzz on my armrest screen.
“Go.”
“Simply, we have no idea what he means. When Min Hae arrives and starts building his web he'll know more,” the Intel chief said as I nodded.
“Very well. Thanks.” I cut the channel and looked to Vort who had just started his shift after entering the system.
“Call them up”
“Ready to record,” he said as the screen lit up again with the image of the creature.
“Overseer Marhtu, I am Commander Salchar of the Free Fleet. The Free Fleet has been created with the sole purpose of defeating the syndicate and looking after those that require or are under our protection. We would also like to set up trade with you if at all possible. Good day,” Pretty straight forward, I thought as I dropped a line to the public relations department. They would be the one dealing directly with the people on the planet. After Earth I found it was best to let someone else deal with that. I'd just run the fleet. I stood and stretched, noticing a gleeful look on Edwards face.
“What is it that you're so happy about?” I grumbled, not really meaning for it to reach him.
“Just thinking of how when I make my report to the President, I doubt that I'll ever see you in command of so much as a cash register again,” Edwards said.
That's one spiteful, and fortunately naive little man. He still thought that the United States somehow had some power over me. No one had power over me. Well... Other than Yasu and the rest of the Fleet. I would do anything for my people, but unfortunately for me that anything seemed to be sitting in a rather large and uncomfortable chair, doing a lot of paperwork and seeing those that trusted me die in the hope that a few others might live and make a change.
“I'll take over if you want,” Rick said, turning to me from Edwards and his lovely personality.
“Thanks, bud,” I said, tapping his shoulder as Krom and Dave trailed me.
I bumped into Carsickle as I walked through the corridors. He made to give me a somewhat professional salute and I waved it away.
“We're not that posh here,” I said, grinning as I indicated for him to join my wander to the mess. I smiled and nodded to a few people I knew as they passed.
“How are you liking Resilient?” I said, looking to the man.
“She's a beauty. Your Commando detail are very well trained.”
“Any trouble with command?” I said, sure he knew that the last Platoon commander had died on Parnmal.
“Minor issues. They're not hampering me and I'm not hampering them. It's strange treating them more like equals than ranks,” he said as I studied him.
“Don't get me wrong. Rank is useful and all, but it makes sense for people to work together based on the person, not what they wear on their shoulder,” Carsickle said as I nodded. “Especially with your tactics, anyone should be ready to take any position at any time. That's the nature of internal ship battles.”
“It's one hell of a mess in those fights,” I said as I came up on Shrift with his head in a panel.
“Want food?” I yelled into the panel.
“No! Go away. This damned wiring is all backwards,” he said, his manipulators waving me off.
I caught Carsickle's look.
“He's doing a job. No sense in pestering him, getting him to mess it all up just for a meal,”
“Not going to mess it—oww, shit! Well, you're still alive,” Shrift said as I grinned, Carsickle and I moving on.
“You eat yet?” Carsickle shook his head, Dave and Krom doing the same.
“I doubt you'd say you had, yah big lug,” I said to Krom.
“Not my fault you humans don't know how to eat properly,” he said, raising his massive shoulders slightly.
“And I smell a food eating contest,” I looked to Carsickle, who looked confused while Dave looked amused.
“Right, you’re not humans,” I forgot how a race's sayings meant something completely different to other races sometimes. “Dave?”
“Like the human ruddy thesaurus,” He complained quietly.
I let out a snort of amusement as he cleared his throat.
“Right, well a food contest is where a group of people sit down to an enormous amount of food, and the person to eat the most in an allotted time, or all of it, wins,” Dave said as Krom nodded.
“You have enough food on Earth for these contests?” Carsickle asked Dave as we got on a transport.
“I guess not technically. A lot of people on Earth still starve because they don't, but in the richer parts of the world they have the resources to
farm a great deal and supply themselves,” Dave said.
“Something that we're looking to fix with the implementation of growing towers,” I said.
“Yes, I looked into them, they are quite ingenious. The environmental section of the ship has already adapted some of the practices. I think that Chaleel would be willing to trade a great deal for the plans of these places,” Carsickle said, quite excited.
Chaleel had experienced massive food shortages, making it near impossible for them to feed all of their people. It was why they had made their planet one big farm essentially. They were a race of gardeners, which is why it wasn't odd at all to find a hardened Commando that kept a flower garden in the environmental section, or watched gardening television for hours on end.
Normal was an abstract word when talking about the Free Fleet, and I kind of liked it that way.
****
Captain, turned Free Fleet Personnel member, Connolly looked at his orders, his eyebrows climbing.
“You've got to be kidding me! I'm going to Nancy to assist with operations there as I complete my Commando training?”
Yasu arched an eyebrow, and Connolly became rigid.
“Yes, you are. Commander Everez requested you specifically,” she said, and Connolly felt a ray of pride, while still continuing to be as straight as possible. Even as he was expecting something like drill, or pushups his mind turned back to working with Everez.
Sure the Company Commander might be a kid, but he was a damned good commander, Connolly had seen that in the defence of Earth, or the second battle for Earth depending on who you asked.
“I thought he was on the Resilient?” he asked. Yasu's eyebrow dropped and her eyes thinned before disappearing and Connolly saw past Training Commander Yasu's image.
“He got messed up on Parnmal, lost a few limbs and we can't regrow them. He has mechanical prosthetics. He had to go to Nancy to get them, and until the Resilient comes through here, or he can get a transfer to another ship, he's doing training and labour on Nancy,” she said, looking to him. Don't piss him off or you'll have to deal with me, her eyes seemed to say.
“Thank you commander,” He tapped his head, even though he felt like saluting. She had broken that habit out of every military person that had joined pretty quickly. She returned the finger-head touch.
“Look after yourself, Connolly. Protect your fellow free Fleet personnel and you'll keep Earth safe,”
Does she know my mission? He wondered. They saluted one another before the next graduate tapped their data pad to Yasu's.
He and his company of Marines had been sent to the Free Fleet by the United States Marine Corps to gather information on the group. Not only that, but provide support in the event that the United States decided to make a play for the Fleet.
Min Hae is supposed to have gotten a network of spies already in place on two other planets. Would it be so unreasonable that he has one on Earth? Do they know of Earth's plans? His thoughts were cut short as someone jumped on him.
“It is you! Captain Connolly!” Captain Adam Smith of what had been Roman Candle One, the ship which had carried Connolly and his men into the bowels of Resilient said with an excited look on his face.
“What the hell were you going to do if it wasn't?” Connolly said.
“I would've thought of something,” Smith said with a grin.
“Good to know you haven't changed,” Connolly said, his own smile growing. Smith’s smile was infectious.
Smith had been originally from Hawaii, giving him a large build not usually found with fighter pilots. Now however he looked normal among the Basic trained Free Fleet personnel. Other than his tan and Hawaiian features.
“Where are you going?” Smith said after a quick handshake.
“Nancy.”
Adam's eyes went wide.
“They're building the new fighter prototypes there I heard. That's so cool! I thought you would be a Commando for sure,”
“I'm doing Commando training and helping the yard too, apparently,” Connolly shrugged.
“Better than doing it on Parnmal and having to watch the Syndicates,” Adam said, the man could always see the good side of something.
“That's true. Where are you going?” Connolly asked.
“Fighter training school.” Adam's smile cranked up a few terawatts. He looked like all of his holidays had come in one.
“So you're staying here?” Connolly said, gesturing to Hachiro.
“Yeah, when are you leaving?” Adam said as Connolly checked his pad.
“I have to be there by tomorrow evening.”
“Well. How about some drinks with the boys?” Adam said as Connolly shrugged.
“Sure,” Adam dragged him through the corridors, talking the entire way, giving a few hellos to fellow female personnel. Getting a few rolled eyes in return.
Coupling and long term relationships weren't shunned in the Free Fleet as they were on Earth's militaries. People were stuck together for months. If they wanted to have relations then they would. Having the Free Fleet stop it would create friction. That said, issues with relationships were dealt with quickly, a few complaints from fellow team members, anonymously, and the two individual's commander's would talk to them and try to sort it out, or get them both transferred. It sounded a lot cleaner than it was. Romantic or emotional relationships were damned hard to deal with. More than one commander had needed a stiff drink afterwards. It was a rather fair system but it was still odd to Connolly.
They got to Hachiro's entertainment district, a place rarely visited by trainees as they were too busy or too tired to do much of anything. To Connolly it looked like heaven right now. Heaven with beer as Adam took him into a bar where Connolly saw others from the group that had come with him up to the Free Fleet ships. The now ex-marines grinned and made noises of greeting as Connolly found a beer in his hand and handshakes from his men. He grinned and joked, and for a short time he forgot what his real mission was.
****
Connolly arrived on Nancy, the detox injection clearing him of alcohol as he'd drunk litres of water to replace it. Leaving him sober, and ready to see what his project was. His data pad told him where he should go. After a few minutes he found himself in a squad pod identical to the one he'd used in training, other than the personal effects of the squad members.
“What's your name?” A Chaleelian asked from her bunk. Chaleelians, being closer to Sol than Avarians, had been sent to the Free Fleets bases there for training. There were still Avarians in Sol, but there were definitely less of them compared to the ranks of them on Parnmal.
“Connolly,”
“Good to meet you, I'm Gorvite,” she waved, an obvious Human gesture.
“You too. Where's Commander Everez?”
“He's getting a tune up, and waiting for all of the trainees to make it in,”
“Ah. So which bunks are free?”
“Those ones,” a woman said as she gestured to the free racks. Connolly looked to where she was pointing. Some of the other commandos were coming from the shower. He still found the coed showering a little awkward, but it was deemed as normal by the veterans of the fleet. Connolly guessed if you saw it enough you stopped caring.
“Uhh, thanks.”
He found a bunk, and put his bag packed with his battle suits, a few packs of gum, data pad and a few comfort items. Trying to keep his eyes off of the rather tanned and rather athletic looking girl as she towelled herself off. More people came into the room. Connolly looked to them and found most of them to have weathered but tanned skin. Ghurkas? He thought as the others said hello and moved around the room to find their beds. Squad pods kept on filling up as a message came over the communications screens.
It was a rough outline of their training. Everyone copied it down as they talked excitedly, introduced themselves and a few started going to the mess hall. Connolly found himself talking to a mixed group as they made plans to go to the mess and get some food before checking out the rest of
Nancy. Connolly was surprised with how the Free Fleet had grown into a true military institution. It was different to how the Marines were.
It was strange, but he liked it more for the way it accepted everyone and appreciated their skill set. In the Marines roles were set in stone. In the Free Fleet a commando could be a gravimetrics tech, or be a computer whiz and do that as a secondary role. Connolly followed the wave of trainees going to the nearest mess, and finding that it had the same buffet style serving as on Hachiro, complete with non-ration food. Which was a mandatory meal for all to feed their massive bodies.
****
George Everez had seen better days. He was missing both legs, as well as some of his arm, and his fingers. Yet it had all been replaced by the engineers on Nancy. Silly himself had looked over it after his brother Shrift had asked him to. Silly had talked of how Shrift had talked about George and Salchar's squad and how he'd been inspired by them. George owed both brothers a huge favour as Silly had got him fitted and using his prosthetics in record time. Now however it was George's time to help out Silly.
“So he's asking if he can be part of the Free Fleet?” George asked Silly as he sat at his desk, his fingers thumping against his own body in a thoughtful rhythm.
“Yes.”
“So let him.”
“But then he wants to become Nancy,” Silly said.
“Ahh... Why doesn't he want to be a Battle Cruiser anymore?” George asked. Similarly relaxing in his chair.
“I don't know. He won't talk about it.” Silly's rhythmic tapping picked up.
“So he wants to become the AI of Nancy. Why not?”
“Well because, it's rather odd. I don't know what he could do,” Silly said.
“Why not ask him?” George said, Silly looking to him and his tapping stopped.
“Hmm.”
Free Fleet #03 No Rest for the Wicked Page 12
