Free Fleet #03 No Rest for the Wicked Read online

  “About eight months,” Min Hae said. “The Syndicate is slow and they will stop in every system they can, to pillage, trade and suck up as much free time as possible.

  “How was Kelu on us so quickly then?” Henry asked.

  “Kelu is this sector's enforcer. He must be connected into the FTL relay's that Lady Fairgate took over when she took the Union. He must be out of that range to send a Corvette to her. ” Min Hae replied.

  “Now the question is how we get them to attack before they get those reinforcements.” Salchar said, silence only cut by Salchar's fingers tapping the table in thought.

  “Hit them with cannons?” Henry suggested as Salchar shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

  “While that will do quite a bit of damage to them,” Salchar said, the short lived humor dying on his lips. “They’ll just run out of range again. We need to make them think that we're weak,” Salchar said, his tone business-like in contrast to Henry's.

  “Why don't we use the mines? Push them towards us,” Monk said.

  “That was going to be my final resort, but I want them to come in guns blazing so we can have the element of surprise when they get to Parnmal thinking they have the upper hand,”

  “Riot?” Min Hae said, as eyes turned to him with questioning looks. “We make a show of some stuff blowing up. Then we have someone send a panicked message to Kelu saying that the ones going against Jorsht need his assistance,”

  “For what reason would they attack Jorsht?” Monk asked. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

  “Took their ships and there's a reward for his head,” Min Hae said. It made sense for the Syndicates.

  “Make the preparations, in one week we'll lure them in, or pull them in,” Salchar said.

  “We're going to lose the PRC's that they saw already. To sell this we're going to have to prove that the PRC's are out of order. We'll have to give up a few not facing the syndicate as well.” Monk had learnt that when Min Hae said something it was always true. In the world of lies and treachery, he had never lied to Monk or the command team.

  I guess dealing with possibilities all the time would make the truth more valuable than gold, Monk thought as the others grimaced in the room.

  “Line it all out for me. We might just have to bite the bullet on this one,” Salchar said.

  “Henry, how are our Commandos?” Monk knew Salchar was up to date on the Commando's situation, but the others in the room might be interested in the information.

  “They're all fighting fit. I've made mixed companies with veteran leadership throughout. We've got thirty two thousand Commandos fully trained. Thankfully the next rotation of trainees weren't slated to be here for another two weeks meaning there's no new boots around.”

  He threw something into the centre of the table, which turned into a model of Parnmal. A rainbow of colors highlighted the map.

  “Each squad has been assigned primary, secondary and tertiary areas throughout the station, creating defences as they each felt fit. They've turned it into a true killing ground,” Henry beamed with pride, a small grin on his tired features.

  “I've had them conducting drills on every site, making it so they can switch between multiple areas depending on where the Syndicate comes from. There's companies ready to board any ship that connects to our airlocks. Airlocks have been blocked off in certain areas, so that there are fewer entry points and bottlenecking for the enemy when they come.”

  Henry's calm demeanour changed to an unsure tone.

  “The one thing I have an issue with is the Syndicate prisoners.” Henry finally said, looking to the others in the room. Identical grim looks came back from around the conference table.

  “If I may,” Monk said as he raised his hand. Salchar waved for him to take the floor,

  “We will be securing them in the new barracks. They're being made for the new trainees. They're like the current barracks, with isolating squad pods which have their own air supply, food and such, in case the station becomes open to vacuum. They however do not have any electronics in them currently. Everything is manual, and the doors leading in can be fitted to only open from the outside. It's actually better than the hangar we're keeping them in now,” Monk finished.

  “Is that satisfactory?” Salchar asked the others, seeing clearly that it wasn't. “Very well take it up with Monk afterwards. I do not want to be worrying about fighting a battle on two sides.” That got a few grim faces.

  “Any other issues?” Salchar asked, but no one looked to have anything.

  “Alright, let's get some grub then. That includes you too Min Hae,” Salchar said as the man was about to make an excuse. Min Hae cracked a grin, Monk smiled at the sight. The man put himself under a lot of stress, and when he'd gotten the message about Orvunut too late he'd buried himself in work. Monk had told Salchar, who'd had a talk with Min Hae, getting him to lighten up a little. Now Monk had to see if he could mutter a few words into Salchar's ear in an attempt to get him to at least rest before this all kicked off. The battle was coming no matter what, and there was no reason for the commander of the whole thing to be at his limit when it kicked off.

  Chapter - Holding Back Is Harder Than Rushing in Sometimes

  Rick looked over his systems. Nothing different, he surmised, as he shifted uncomfortably in James’, no Salchar's, chair.

  There was something about James that changed when he walked onto the Bridge, the way he sat in the very seat Rick was sitting in. He was cold and ruthless, yet there was a care for not only his crew but the fleet underneath that metal. He didn't fight battles. He orchestrated them like some kind of conductor. His music was life and death, a melody of rail cannons, missiles shields, and ships. He sent orders and the creatures of the fleet reacted as if they were Salchar's own body. It was as awesome as it was terrifying.

  Rick spent his time in battle keeping everything flowing. He had the pulses of every ship under his finger. He was merely a relay to Salchar, who took everything in, from whose weapons were in the best condition to the shield levels of every ship, which was summarised by Rick and squirted directly into his command console. Rick and Salchar hardly ever needed to converse now, as Rick constantly updated his commanders’ plot with information he knew he'd find useful.

  Yet now Rick was missing his other half in battle. It was as if he didn't have half of his cannons.’ He was spending every waking minute—and sleeping thanks to the sleep training programs—working on his skills as a fleet commander. It was terrifying the lives he was directly responsible for. When he was second in command his responsibility was compacting and relaying information, working at such a furious pace he didn’t have time to think about the lives that he held in his hands until afterwards. Then there was nothing but regrets that he hadn't been able to do more in order to help those that had been lost.

  Now as a Fleet commander he saw how the erratic pacing of leading a fleet allowed one time to think, time to doubt themselves and reflect on the lives lost. Every decision they made was wrought with the cost of lives it might take.

  How the hell does he do it? Sitting there like some statue as he dives into enemy formations, nothing but the certainty that he will win the battle no matter what.

  Rick knew that wasn't true, he'd spoken to Salchar about all that was lost before. But thinking know he couldn’t help it, that was what he felt.

  James just makes it look so easy, as if he has the easiest job, when in fact it's the hardest. How the hell am I going to come up with any tactics like his? Rick thought as he finished watching a sped up tactical view of a Kalu-Union battle.

  Annoyed he stood.

  “Aleya, take over for me,” he said to his second in command, a lithe Avarian female who crossed to his seat.

  “Taking control,” she said, the natural way she moved speaking of someone that could do a lot of damage with only their hands. Instead of just following in the footsteps of many Avarians, she trained to be a tactical commander. Since there were few s
pots she'd been slotted as third shift second in command. She spent most of her time around the Tactical area of the bridge, but her time as a commander with the Commanders made her the right choice to fill the second in command slot for the third shift as well.

  Rick was having one hell of a time getting everyone sorted out into their positions.

  Rick stretched as he left the bridge, Wruck following him. Gorjuv his cousin and equally big bastard but more of a joker, and Josein a Chaleelian who switched with him were evidently off. Some of the Chaleelian's had been a bit unsure about the Free Fleet after training, but they'd quickly adjusted.

  Haven't got many ships, but we've got five races in the fleet, not including the Syndicate Labor Force, Rick thought.

  Rick walked the halls, talking to a few and nodding to others in recognition as they walked past. Commander Boot's battle cruiser, destroyer and five corvettes were in AIH by now. They were splitting into two squadrons. One Destroyer and three corvettes would patrol AIH, Commander Boot, his BC and the final two corvettes would patrol Earth and pass the word. The rest of the Fleet were focused on expanding the FTL network, and if the Syndicate got past Parnmal, then it was their job to stop them.

  Parnmal sent updates every six hours of their current status. For the last two weeks it hadn't changed. Yet Salchar believed it would in a week, and Rick was putting down FTL relays which would take two weeks to get to Earth. He felt useless, yet he also knew that Resilient and the other ships at Parnmal would only take damage that Parnmal itself could suck up.

  Doesn't stop it from being annoying. He thought, knowing he was moping.

  An alert sounded on his data pad, he pulled it from his back pocket. On one of Edward's many tours he seemed to have been trying to take pictures of the armories. Edward's thought he was being covert, but he still didn't understand the sheer gap in technology between his resource's and the Free Fleet's. Thankfully Rick had been able to keep him out of his hair and mostly sat on by his commando handlers.

  Out of sight, out of mind. He thought, feeling sorry for the Commando minders. Edwards was not the easiest charge.

  ***

  He wasn't the only one in the Free Fleet not very pleased with the esteemed commanders’ decisions. Yasu sat in on the meeting with the training staff as Takahashi was explaining how the new selection process for people would work, as well as introducing the staff that would be running these advanced training programs on the newly finished or almost finished facilities. Greetings went around as Yasu memorized names and faces. There was no need for her to introduce herself, everyone knew who she was.

  “For now the people that will be receiving this new training will be already graduated Free Fleet personnel, until the trainees have completed their instruction. We will also be having trainees coming from Chaleel and AIH.”

  Takahashi didn't mention the storm of civilians that were coming, as well as trading ships that would plague Sol system for the foreseeable future. That I'm going to have to deal with. Yasu thought, as Commander Whorst would be undoubtedly swarmed with the other issues that came with a rapidly growing solar system and military institution. Commander Whorst was good at his job. He was young, had fighting experience, and he had a knack for wading through information. He excelled at understanding an issues and passing off solutions while managing multiple ventures, this usually left Yasu in awe.

  Commander Whorst said the skills came from playing fifteen different computer games, mostly at the same time. Still he didn't take all the issues on. He had initiated a liaison office just because of the issues that had cropped up. It had been rapidly copied by other system commanders to deal with the native occupant's demands. It seemed the native occupants of the Sol system wanted the Free Fleet to do everything for them at no extra cost. Even though they were just getting into space, it seemed that they thought the Free Fleet did everything for free. Things that would cost billions. It was ludicrous.

  Though there were also quite a few good things Yasu had to acknowledge the Free Fleet had gained from Earth. There were trainees, civilian contractors and miners. Shirley Manley now owned AB Mining Incorporated, and her mining colony elite produced more materials for the Free Fleet and Earth than the other three top mining companies on Earth. The ship yard Nancy owned, needed every resource she could find, now that Parnmal's ships were waiting to be not only refitted for battle but to have all the new upgrades that had cropped up from across the fleet.

  Silly, Nancy's commander and head engineer had a new fire in him. He no longer stuck by useless rules and regulations that were outdated. He could use drones in the thousands. He had automated systems, factories that worked non-stop and an unending stream of ideas bouncing between him, Felix his brother Shrift and his Uncle Eddie. Some of the systems were damned exciting and he was finally getting to use some of the ideas on the BC monstrosity in front of him. It would only be another month or so until he could start laying down keels for ships of the line, proper ships that were purpose built to be on the front lines for a long time. Nancy was growing her business one yard at a time, the process getting faster with every iteration. Soon Resilient, Salchar’s Dreadnought and Eddie's passion, would have a dock to fit her, and there were plans for a carrier, and then a super-carrier dock.

  Yasu had been educated on the current ships that had been around at the end of the Union. They'd been made as quickly as possible, cheaply as possible, and without the modifications such as anti-matter storage systems—that Resilient only got because she practically built herself—proper med bays, not only secondary systems, and four layered backups and easy access systems. These ships had been meant to last for a few battles, not a decade, and they were quickly coming up on a century.

  Yasu saw that everyone was looking to her to say something.

  “Welcome to the training team. I am Yasu Cook, the training commander for Hachiro. If you have any issues don't hesitate to ask one of the veteran training staff. I would like to get reports from all of you on your readiness to teach, what you need in order to get started and such. Does anyone have any issues at this time?”

  There were no nods in the positive or raised hands so Yasu rolled on.

  “Get yourselves acquainted with your areas. Before long this place will be crawling with trainees and Free Fleet personnel.” The faces around the table looked eager. It was always a great job teaching people one's trade.

  “Well, I say we call this meeting and go get some food,” she smiled as the others in the room grinned, however their race did. Standing, Yasu tapped her fingers to her forehead, the others doing the same as she left, letting the training team get acquainted with one another.

  She went to Ms. Li's a tea shop, hidden away in the entertainment district. Hidden away wasn't quite accurate, but it was a place where most commanders went, or people wanting their own space. Ms Li had purchased a holographic screen, which covered a full half of her shop, making it appear as if it was perched on the edge of space. There was a sped up video of the moons around Telhalra, a pleasure planet. The red, blue, grey and purple moons passed in a relaxing manner as people read books, sipped their tea, or did work, or just sat there taking time to look at the view. Yasu greeted a few people loitering around the café as she got to the serving counter. Ms Li looked up with a smile on her face as she put commands into her data pad.

  “How's it going, Yasu?” the woman asked. She was one of the older first generation recruits. Even though she was only twenty two and had the body of a Free Fleet commando she was a motherly figure to all of those that came into her establishment.

  “Not bad. Just wished I was there instead of hanging back here,” she said, knowing Li knew exactly what there meant.

  “These trainees need your skills though, Yasu,” Li said, and Yasu nodded, knowing the truth of those words.

  Yet still she was a warrior, and not being with her people, especially Salchar, when they were in battle made her feel as if she'd let them down in some way.

  “I u
nderstand,” Li said as she put a cup under a receptacle, pressing different buttons and adding a few things from a variety of bottles.

  “Sitting here making tea and seeing my old squad mates go off and fight at Parnmal makes me want to re-enlist,”

  “Why don't you?” Yasu asked, as Li handed over a large mug as well as a few snacks on the side.

  “That's a complicated question. Mostly because I don't trust myself.”

  Li got a faraway look as Yasu passed her hand over the payment sensor, and it beeped that it had taken the funds for her tea.

  “I was in the Aslarr district on Chaleel. We had to kill so many Sarenmenti that didn't believe that the Syndicate were really the syndicate. We had gotten to know them in our time there, and I had to kill them, or they would've killed me and my squad mates, and maybe people on Earth. I'm scared by how easily people can be convinced to believe something. Human's aren't the only ones that are easily turned by lies and people trying to gain power,”

  “It's scary, but it's the universe we live in. We just have to understand that people want power for themselves, no matter what. I'm just going to make sure that whoever tries to bully those less than them gets some right butt kicking.”

  Li grinned at this and Yasu did too.

  “Well I best get to doing some work,” Yasu sighed.

  Li's grin turned to a kind smile.

  “Good luck,” she said as Yasu's face adopted a disgusted look.

  “Thanks,” she said, a little sarcastically as she took her tea to an empty seat, looking out at the moons. She took a sip of the tea, finding it full of subtle flavours that soothed her tongue, body and mind. The aroma wafting from it was heavenly.

  Sitting there relaxed, she looked to the entrance of the Cafe. Standing there was Takahashi, who looked to be unsure of something. Yasu caught his eye as he went deep red and made to leave. Yasu crooked an imperial eyebrow as Takahashi thought better about his retreat and walked into the cafe, sitting in the chair beside her. He took a minute before talking.