Free Fleet Box Set 1

by Michael Chatfield

  “We need to go and release the people of Chaleel from the Syndicate’s 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-most warriors to our banner but we have the most civilians and people who 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 center of power over the entire planet.

  “As our city grows, so will the number of warriors who 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.” Her rage made 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 meters away, within striking distance with their chained swords.

  “What could that possibly be?” she said hotly.

  He walked up so he was barely a foot away from her, his breath hot as the heat rose on her cheeks.

  “Your passion.” He smiled 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 afterward than before?

  Mentally, she was already making a list of people who 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 a long name so the Free Fleet personnel had taken to calling it AIH. The Avarians heard of it and adopted it as well.

  Ursht had been a godsend to Yasu. He’d taught her all about the Avarians and their ways. The Avarians 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 who had become smarter became reclusive, the Avarians turned away from them without thought.

  Ursht had also made everyone who applied to be a trainee of the Free Fleet make a blood oath to Yasu and Salchar. It meant that the Avarians 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 Avarian 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 changeover. Those who 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 so 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 as 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 teammate Psycho Cheerleader In Sook—his rumored 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. But 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.

  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 changed as more information was added. Tactical was 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 was 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 that 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 communications officer interrupted.

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

  “Yes, sir.”

  “All right, 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 looked away for a few seconds before he locked 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 gr
ouped 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. Air locks 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; I switched to my personal screen with a feed to the air lock. 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 air lock 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, link our arcs to my screen. Communication, 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” maneuvers, I was thinking. This is a terrible idea.

  “Engineering, connect me to Eddie.”

  The communications officer, 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 towing 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 each other and hurriedly working their stations. “Yes, Commander.”

  I looked at the arcs on my personal screen and swore. 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—coordinate with Iron Bok Soo. Destroyer Malignant, go with Bregend to provide support. We don’t need one of these missiles getting near the battle cruiser’s 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 air locks opening across the Resilient!” tactical said as alarms 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.

  “All right, commandos, on me. We’re going to get those bastards off our ship.” I pulled myself out of my seat and headed for the blast door. “Rick, sound the general boarded alarm.”

  He did so and a whine filled the air, the red lights now with an added flashing blue one.

  “Rick, you have the ship. Any of them come within range of our guns, blow them to hell, Marleen.”

  Quickly, the commandos fell in behind me, Jeremiah and my protection detail in evidence as the first and then second blast door opened.

  “All right, three teams for two decks. We’re going to clear outward.” I pulled up the roster, assigning teams to decks as they rushed to obey. “Eddie, tell me as soon as those buckling cables are connected and get your people back to the secured areas when they’re done.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I pulled out my pistol, checking the chamber was loaded. I kept it in my hand as I led my half protection detail toward the nearest air lock, which was showing that it had been forced open.

  We took the corner, coming face-to-face with eight Sarenmenti. Without a thought, I aimed at the nearest visor and pulled the trigger, riding the recoil to the next target as I advanced down the hallway.

  My people fired with me. The Sarenmenti we’d run into didn’t get a shot off as they fell to the ground, disabled or dead. I flicked my old magazine out, the second magazine already seated as I kept moving.

  “Why did we have to kill them?” someone asked and a Sarenmenti replied.

  “They didn’t know the truth and any hesitation could have meant that one of us would die. Their death meant the freedom of our people. They would have understood.”

  No one said anything after that.

  Jeremiah took point as we moved on to the next air lock. We came to an intersection and he came around the corner, firing, jumping back behind cover. “Crew serviced rail gun,” he yelled as a hail of rounds ripped the bulkhead opposite the hallway he’d fired down.

  There was a lull in the shooting as a grenade came around the corner.

  “Keep the commander safe!” Jeremiah said as commandos jumped on top of me. I saw him land on the grenade as less than a second later, light came past the commandos’ Mechas.

  “NO!” I grabbed the two Mechas on top of me, pushing them off with my inhuman strength. I was on my feet as I saw Jeremiah’s Mecha, his visor blown out from the pressure of the grenade, making it through his layers of armor.

  I grabbed his rail gun, cocking the action as I dove past the hallway. Now on the other side of the hallway, the rail gun was firing down as I ran into a maintenance hallway.

  I forgot everything about commanding my fleet and trying to stay alive as I ran a plo
tted path to the bulkhead beside the rail gun team.

  “Buckling cables connected,” Eddie said directly into my ear.

  Every muscle and fiber of my being wanted to continue onward. I was one bulkhead away from the gun team, yet the promise I’d made to myself that I was going to protect these people came to the forefront.

  “Thank you,” I said to Eddie and changed to the general bridge channel. I pulled out my data pad, studying the position of the destroyer.

  “Tactical, target the destroyer hiding behind the battle cruiser.

  “Helm, ready port and underside maneuvering thrusters for full power. On my mark. Tell me when ready.”

  “Ready, Commander.”

  “Tactical, are we ready?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Helm, fire thrusters, quarter burn.” I felt the vibrations of the massive thrusters as the Resilient turned itself and the battle cruiser. “Tactical, this will give you a full broadside on the destroyer.”

  “Yes, sir, moving to gunnery deck.”

  “Understood. Good luck, Marleen.”

  I thought she’d become an engineer after her time spent as a mechanic back on Earth. Instead, she was riding tactical while her husband Rick was my COS. She said it was because she wanted to keep a better eye on him, but I knew she just loved the damned cannons. She spent more of her time on the gunnery decks and checking the missile tubes than at her tactical station.

  I changed to my protection detail’s channel. “Keep them entertained—thirty seconds.”

  “Yes, sir,” a gruff and angry sounding voice came back. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I forgot it as I heard the increased chatter of rail gun rounds.

  “Good luck, Marleen,” Rick said, the only crack in his veneer as he coordinated with the helm. His wife’s progression to the gunnery deck gave her bare seconds.

  “We’re ready, Commander,” Marleen said breathlessly.

  “Helm, full burn! Gunners, light those fuckers up!” I tossed the data pad away as I plunged my blade into the last bulkhead.

  One of the three-man gun team noticed my blade, opening fire on the wall. I reversed my grip on my sword so I could balance my rifle on my forearm while still pointing my sword ahead of me. I finished off my hole with the rail gun. I elbowed the bulkhead. It gave way as I dived through the hole I’d created. I fired into the Mecha in front of me, my rail gun making his chest a bloody mess.