The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet (27 page)

“I left one of your legs working; you will go to the armouries and fix your Mecha.”

“That’s a Kuruvians job.” He spat dismissively. I grinned evilly.

“It’s now your job.” I said my face inches from his.

“You will be under chief engineer Eddie until he approves your transfer back to the AMC.” I turned to some Kuruvians doing work on a shuttle who’d heard what was going on.

“Take him to Eddie.”

One nodded to me and then talked to the others two still worked on the craft as four came to me still wrapped up. They pressed his immobilizer and carried him away.

“Good luck, you’re going to need it.” I said in a sing song voice as I turned back to my group.

“That’s how to immobilize a Mecha with holds.” I looked to the room as a whole.

“Who said it was time to rest, we’re making planet fall in a day people!” My tone like iron as people rushed back into their lessons. As if to punctuate my point the overhead speakers started.

“Prepare for worm jump.” A voice sounded. People pausing to look up until they caught my look as I stared at them pointedly as I walked back to my class. The crew started a countdown

Everyone in the hangar paused briefly as the sensation of passing through a worm hole started and then we were violently shaken. Those with their Mechas boots connected to the ground staying upright. Those not taking a tumble as their squad leaders took care of them.

The rest of the training time went well I worked through three groups before Yasu appeared her face thoughtful as she walked in until she saw me and became an icy mask.

“I’ll leave them in your capable hands Yasu.” I said bowing to her; she made half of the motion back to me.

I walked to the mess grabbing food, some people looked at me oddly as I clanked in, still in my Mecha. I didn’t pay them any attention I ate as I read my data pad. There always seemed to be more information to read.

With my paranoia gained from being a gamer star and an orphan I liked the safety of the armour. I felt invincible and it had saved my life more than once already. I began to wonder if I could have it charged while I was in it.

With that thought I wandered into armoury one, it and two were outfitting Mechas with human joints instead of the Mecha general joints as well as auto injectors and the kill switch disablers. The third was being used as a fitting station for the other Mechas and four was Min Hae’s base and meeting room for Henry and Yasu to teach the leaders and Commander strategy and tactics. It had put a hold on whatever marital issues we had, though I had a feeling they wouldn’t disappear as easily.

It was a mad house, there was a mix of humans getting stuck in and Kuruvians that were pulling apart and putting Mechas back in what resembled a factory line.

I walked up to Shrift wrestling with a bent overlapping plate of armour that lay underneath the hardened outside shell, it dissipated the force of the projectile over a wider area making it harder to make a hole in the under layers of armour and kill the user or wound them, but it would still leave them bruised to all hell.

“I heard you told them to start fighting in their top class Mechas!” He said brandishing the crowbar in his hand as I approached now my hands up in the air in surrender.

“I might have done something like that.”

“Might! Do you know how much time it takes to get out the dents you put in the armour!”

“You showed us maintenance, just show them all how to look after their kit, plus the tools and I’ll see they look after it and take any issues to you. They need to fight in their armour, the more time they spend in it the more used to it they’ll be.”

“It would make it easier on the armourers who’re all trying to make the armour more amenable to your body types!” He said, clearly frustrated.

“Alright I’ll have a talk with Henry and set something up, in the meantime, do you have anything like a mat for Mechas?”

“A mat?”

“Something they can fall onto or hit and not damage the bay or their Mechas.”

“I think that there’s some insulation around.”

“That’s good idea. Have to talk to Eddie, to see if he can get his people to set it up.”

“Yeah he should have something up in a few hours.” He made to leave.

“Could I charge my armour while being in it?”

“Yeah sure, could sleep in it if you wanted just run a power line into the main feed in your quarters?”

“Wonderful!”

“You’re not going to sleep in it with Lady Yasu trying to sleep there.” He said in a disapproving tone.
 
Lady Yasu was it now?
 
I grumbled in my head.

“Just wanted to know if we needed to sleep in them on planet.”

“Of course.” He said in a tone that made his doubt clear.

“Also I need you to work on some kind of non-lethal projectile for the rail gun.”

“The only kind I can make is electric rounds they’ll incapacitate people as long as they’re not in armour. Though there is a slight chance that they will kill.”

“Alright, something’s better than nothing I guess. Anyways I, I’ve got to go to a meeting.” I said hurriedly as my HUD pinged an alert. No rest for the wicked I guess.

Shrift waved goodbye as he made for the nearest maintenance walkway. They were much easier to use to get through the ship than the pathways the Syndicates had made by welding shut certain doors, making it a curled maze to get to the heart of the ship.

I went to the fourth armoury. “Alright gunners, on me.” This group was the ones that had opted to be gunners for the Golden Refuge. If I was going to take over this ship I needed to defend it. While sensors, communications and most positions that were needed on the bridge could be practiced with a Mecha and a simulation program being run as well as some sleep training and data pad tests, that could only go so far for gunners. Gunners needed to actually use the interface, change out capacitors fix stoppages, know how to aim properly, all things a veteran knew and no computer program could show.

I didn’t wait for them as I stomped out of the armouries across the hangar and to the weapons bays. Weapons were pulled in and most of them had their guts pulled out with Kuruvians and Sarenmenti working on them. I felt the group tense as they saw the Sarenmenti. They were seen as the officers, trainers and ultimately the ones that would and could kill them with a flick of a switch. Something I was going to have to do something about.

I found the gunner chief a Kuruvian named Brusk he looked over my group a grin spreading across his face as I said that they wanted to become gunners and they were taking sleep teaching already to that extent.

“Thank god maybe some sentients that can hit a broadside of a barn and aren’t worried about the breakage.” A few savage grins among the crew behind me made his grin spread wider.

“What is a pinwheel mounted one hundred and eighty millimetre rail guns’ rate of fire?” Hands shot up as he looked at them questioningly. As I supplied an explanation.

“In our culture chief to answer a question instead of having everyone answer at once we put up our hands and the person asking the question picks an answerer.

“Interesting.” He pointed to someone.

“Which model chief?”

“Medium X110 model.” He pointed to someone else.

“With unlinked, linked motherboards or manual?” His grin became dark.

“What do you mean by linked?”

“Linked mother boards,”

“That much linked together could create an AI.” I saw the answerers face split into a grin.

“Have an auto-shutdown command feature built in.”

“It’s overridden and the AI is growing.”

“Grenade.”

“All run by computer programming. It’s been hacked”

“Homemade explosive rig, chemical compound with a manual firing Mechanism.” This made the chiefs eyes light up. You have prior knowledge of weapons?”

They nodded.

“They were picked for their willingness and their previous experience. Most of the people in front of you have pulled apart weapons, made their own rounds, made weapons, put them back together and in one case have a patented automatic rifle.”

“Chief Zor!” A Sarenmenti ambled over, grease on his overalls as he chewed what looked like a baseball sized chunk of gum.

“What you got Chief?”

“I think we got some recruits.” Zor’s eyes lit up as he looked at the group. “Maybe, aren’t a proper race until they chew something?” The translator said in its electronic voice.

I turned seeing more than a few grinning. There was a relaxed feel to these Sarenmenti that there had never been with the trainers. Plus after the video quite a few people understood it wasn’t the Sarenmenti’s fault that they were the way they were. A large chunk of them had been bred by the PDF to be Mechas.

One raised his hand. “Well if you’re
 
sharing
?” Chief Brusk let out a deep laugh as Zor’s face took on a sour expression.

“You were the one that wondered if they’d chew.” Brusk said, elbowing Zor who retrieved a tin from his leg, tossing it to the gunners.

“That’s my personal chew, yah damned animals. Make sure I get that tin back, and you’ll be making your own after this!” He said as the tin was passed around, Brusk clearly enjoying his fellow chief’s discomfort.

I took a chew too before handing it back. It tasted like salty raisin, yet made me feel strangely alert. I saw a few didn’t like the taste, but no one spit it out as a small smile grew on my face.

“Chiefs I think I’ll leave them in your capable hands.” I said as few of the Sarenmenti/Kuruvian gunner teams wandered over to inspect the newbie’s.

“Thank you commander, we’ll make them fine gun bunnies yet!”

“If you ever are able to make chewing tobacco maybe some games between the AMC and gunner core might be in order for a prize.”

“Indeed.” Brusk said looking thoughtful.

I gave them all a two finger salute as I walked out of the deck.

“Let’s see what you know other than damned numbers! Ready the deck for simulation!”

I looked back at the two chiefs seeing the same gleam in his Henry and my physical trainer for MAT had had in their eyes. The look that all military trainers seemed to have when promising new meat was given to them to turn into hardened veterans to be proud of.

Zor gave me a two finger salute. I grinned as I returned it. I thought I saw a hint of a grin under his unrelenting chewing.

I walked back into Mecha territory making sure the kids hadn’t set fire to the place in the time I’d left I thought with a grin; before I settled into a professional mask as I stomped through the hangar which was filled with training Mechas. It was a good sight, we were finally getting organized.

I looked around happily as I returned to the fourth armoury, grabbing a stool and began the last meeting I’d have before we made it to Chaleel.

“Alright Min Hae.” I said. He’d been waiting as a holographic projector fired up and a star system filled the area between us. Planets with little descriptions were highlighted.

“This planet matches the projected one we saw in the hangar.” He zoomed into the planet.

“I didn’t know we had access to sensors.”

“We only got access to them today, I was wary as we still don’t know much about the base coding but I thought it was worth the risk.”
 
Resilient is worth her weight in gold.

“I agree, continue.”

He zoomed in on the planet which now swelled the screen.

“At this range we can pick up fifteen different power stations, as well as three orbital platforms along the planets equator used to pass goods into space via elevators for ships to dock and trade. As we entered the system the ships that were docked with these platforms all lit their drives and powered away.

I haven’t been able to identify weapon systems as we don’t know what to look for at this point and we may be too far away to pick up that kind of detail. We’ll know more later, but we assume there’s something at least on the platform but they’re all civilian so they won’t do very well against the battering they’ll get from the Imperial Dreadnought and her sisters.” He zoomed in on the massive elevators that extended from the surface of the planet, and into the orbiting path around the planet.

“The platforms from intercepted comms traffic look like simple harvest collectors. From the planet’s surface she looks to be a farm planet she makes food and sells it from the platforms to ships coming and going. From the platforms and the fact she has three makes me think it’s a very profitable planet.” Eddie put in.

“Alright pass the information to the others and bring up those power plants get as much detail on them.”

With grim determination we ran through scenarios for each looked for the best landing sites, entrance points and defensive formations. Everything we needed to invade another planet, take over multiple power plants and hold them for an unknown period of time.

Eddie was up next, he looked over the planets hologram picking out probable areas where he thought the machines to make the kill switch disablers would be located. As well as information centres, we were still critically low on information and we needed more to convince the humans in the fleet. Hell we still didn’t have a tenth of the information I wished we had for the planetary invasion.

Finally all of the assaults planned as well as hopeful drops into areas we hoped held information and the fabbers we needed and we sat back feeling drained.

“Alright people make sure to get everyone rested and give them plenty of time dealing with their own personal issues. Take your people by groups to the mess so they get something in them. We’re going into combat possibly tomorrow so we need to be ready.” I said wondering to myself where the time had gone as I’d rushed around the ship constantly.

“You’ve made me proud to serve with you, hopefully we can find out what we need to know and figure out a plan of what to do afterwards.” I said catching Min Hae in my peripherals.

“I’m going to grab some food, and then some sleep.” I said slapping my gauntleted hands against my legs. With that the meeting was over as people talked to one another. I got into a rack and took off my armour, I liked the comfort it gave me while wearing it, but I didn’t want to be sore and chafed from the un-adjusted soft points which I numbly adjusted. I didn’t realize how much training and planning tired someone out. I wandered to the mess everyone seeming a little nervous around me, but thankfully not stopping me as I got some of the same old slop.
 
What I would do for a steak, or just something to put my teeth into!

I looked around the room scanning for a seat and seeing Yasu saying goodbye to a couple she knew as she sat by herself. For once I felt sorry for her as she sat alone isolated eating her food a sad expression on her face.
 
Fate is for cowards
 
I thought to myself as I walked over, not really understanding why I did.

She looked at me with a surprised look as I began eating my goop.

“Why are you eating with
 
me?
” She said in such a way that made it sound as if I was the one disgusted with her. This was probably one of the dumber ideas I’d had.

“Why not?” I said with a light smile.
 
Small steps.
 
I reminded myself as I continued eating. I smiled into my bowl as she looked into her own bowl and I thought I saw her lips quiver upward for a millisecond before she relaxed minutely and continued eating.

We ate in companionable silence both thinking over our own issues before we left together. I used the head first and promptly passed out on my pillow on the floor I was too tired from running around the ship to deal with the thought that Yasu would kill me in my sleep. I had bigger things to worry about and even that would have to wait till after we took the power plants on the planet.

I awoke in a cold sweat. I felt as if I was going to throw up and I was more scared than I’d been in my entire life. I flexed my forearms trying to feel the control I at least had over my own body. What I hadn’t been worrying about while I was awake hit me like a wave. I saw all the ways that what I was doing could go wrong and it could lead to all of the members of MT, hell all of the twenty thousand humans that where a part of this fleet, there were so many variables so many unknowns.

I picked myself up trying to tide over my anxiousness as I looked at Yasu sleeping. I was going to turn away but the look of peace on her face made me pause as I studied the sheets which were all that separated us, and well my battle suit.

Her long legs were drawn up to her, framed by the sheet as well as her side and her delicate looking but strong arms. Her face drew me in though her heart shaped face framing her eyes and mouth which was fuller than I thought as she wasn’t pressing them together in an angry expression. I leaned on the edge of the bed studying her hair she’d left free making a halo around her head but not taking away from her beauty.

I thought of the small glimmer of a smile I’d seen in the mess I grinned, my mouth turning into a soft smile as I looked at her.
 
She is beautiful.

She might’ve trained to be a fighter her entire life but there was something soft in her.

I forgot about war, the possibility of death or the dark thoughts I had about going on. “I wish I could see you smile before I die.” I said softly a sad smile coming to my face and my eyes becoming watery.

“You big softie.” I admonished myself as sadness overwhelmed me at the possibility of never seeing that.

“Hopefully someone somewhere will be able to smile because of what we do today.” I said to myself happy at that possibility, even if I was no longer alive to see it.

Soberly I walked out of my room and into the mess I found a lot of people that had been having a hard time sleeping I nodded to them content to be in my own world as I got a squeeze bottle of goop and continued down to the armoury.

“Report?” I said any nervousness I had gone as the person on watch came over to me giving me a data pad.

“We’ve continued our current course we’ll be in range in five hours.”

“Alright start waking people up in three if they aren’t already.” I said as I got into my own Mecha.

Shrift came in at that point looking like death warmed over.

“Hey Shrift.” I aid as I studied his appearance.

“You owe me more beers—as you call it—than you can count.”

“So you get it all done?

“Got it all done? Did you understand what you asked us to do? We had to refit four
 
thousand
 
Mecha’s for people, as well as design and make enough damned stun rounds for everyone to have a load out for the entire battalion. We’re still making more incase they’re needed.”

“Hopefully we won’t need them. Go and get some sleep you look like hell.”

“I feel like it too, I’m going to my quarters, ping me on the data pad if you need me.” He said his stare making it clear to not disturb him unless it was
 
vitally
 
important.

“Will do.” I said as he walked off through the hangar and to his waiting quarters in the inner layer of the ship with the other Kuruvians.

I turned back to the man on watch. “Tell Min Hae as soon as he’s awake to find me.”

“Yes sir.”

I walked out with the Mecha now taking off my gauntlets so I wouldn’t turn the squeeze bottle of tea into a colourful explosion from the enhanced Mecha’s power.

The hangar was quiet as everyone had been ordered to rest. A few early risers were using their Mechas to apply resistance to their movements allowing them to work out.

I joined them moving in the Mecha to limber up and wake up as I squeezed my purple goop into my mouth. It was a very delicate procedure, too much force and the bottle would explode. With Mechas, too much force was a very easy thing to happen.

“Commander Salchar?” I heard over my comm. channel.

“Yes Min Hae?”

“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