Free Fleet Box Set 2

by Michael Chatfield

  “That's what he's saying,” Min Hae paused in thought before continuing. “He's also the one that was able to find our little virus and for now has stopped it from spreading. He says that he hasn't told anyone, and if we grant him asylum he'll allow the virus to spread.”

  “Does he know who we are?” Salchar said, the tension in the room growing. Many people in this room had friends and family on Earth or on Chaleel. If they failed, they would pay the price.

  “He and the fleet he's with still aren't sure. Though they seem to suspect that Orvunut is out of the picture. Captain Kelu who is leading the Syndicate force, is focused on taking Parnmal before any excursions past us,” Min Hae said. "I agree with Henry about trusting this Gog. I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't think it might be somehow useful.”

  He looked around the table, those solemn faces agreed with his own thoughts.

  “There is one other thing he said of importance.” Min Hae said, pausing as if he was trying to figure out how to best say it.

  “Just spit it out or we might be waiting an age.” Salchar said the grin not quite making it to his eyes when debating such serious subjects.

  “Very well,” Min Hae's own serious tone making a few people shift in their seats. “The Corvette Kelu sent was to gather more reinforcements as we thought, though not from the nearest people. He sent the Corvette to report directly to Lady Fairgate. So whatever's coming will be a large force indeed,”

  “How long will it take that force to get here?” Salchar asked, his grin evaporated int steely tones.

  “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. I want to see if we can get them to come in guns blazing and overconfident first.”

  “Riot?” Bok Soo 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.” Bok Soo shrugged, it wasn't elegant, but it could work.

  “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, money was god to them.

  There were no arguments from around the table.

  “Make the preparations, in one week we'll lure them in, or pull them in. 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,” Salchar said, Monk making notes as well as a few other people in the room. "Henry, how are our Commandos?” Monk knew Salchar was up to date on the Commando's situation, but the others in the room. Yet the commander also knew that others might not be. A leader didn't just make sure he was up to date with information. He made sure everyone was on the same page. If people didn't know what was going on at a company level, then things could quickly unravel.

  “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, modifying defenses as they each felt fit. They've turned it into a true killing ground,” Even as tired as he was, Henry's pride in his people was clear.

  “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 bottle-necking for the enemy when they come. We've got dead ends, automated turrets, blow out panels and every contraption we can think of to bleed the enemy.

  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 were being made for the new trainees. They're like the current barracks on Hachiro. Each squad pod has their own air supply, food, power and such. They haven't had any electronic systems installed. So everything is manual, and the doors can be modified 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 the same unhappy faces as Monk. Though there was no other way to secure them. “If you have any suggestions for Monk, pass them on 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 Monk wanted to Salchar to have more than just Wake up keeping him functioning.

  Chapter - Holding Back Is Harder Than Rushing in Sometimes

  Rick looked over his systems. Nothing different, he surmised, as he shifted uncomfortably in 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 became Salchar, cold and ruthless as space itself, yet under that hard exterior he cared for his people, the Free Fleet came first, and the personnel that followed his orders knew his devotion to them. It pushed them to do better as he tried to do his best by them. That said he didn't get into people's way, he let them carry on, pushing them forward. It was clearest in the middle of a battle.

  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. While chaos took over, Salchar trusted in his people, they trusted one another and they threw themselves into their work.

  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. 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.

  Even with all of that pressure Salchar looked like the epitome of calm. A storm raged around him as he forged on, pushing his own worries and fears from his mind as he concentrated on one thing. Keeping the Free Fleet alive, and protecting the people in it.

  Right now that meant the Free Fleet had to fight for every damned inch they took, and defend it at all costs. The Syndicate wouldn't give up, so Salchar would rush in at every opportunity to smash them back, pulling the Free Fleet with him.

  Now as Rick took the position as 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 video of a Kalu-Union battle. He sighed, he needed to do something else other than mope on the bridge

  “Aleya, take over for me,” he said to his second in command, an Avarian female who stood at his words, crossing 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 spots 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 Commandos 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.

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  Rick stretched as he left the bridge.

  “Will do.” Aleya said giving him a two finger salute. He returned it, finding 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 of what was happening at Parnmal. The rest of the Fleet were focused on expanding the FTL network, and supporting those squadrons if the Syndicate got past Parnmal.

  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 or so. Rick's current schedule was to have the FTL relays in place within two weeks, creating a chain from Parnmal, down the corridor to Earth.

  He felt useless, yet he also knew that having 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 wasn't the easiest charge.

  ***

  Yasu sat in on the meeting with the training staff as Takahashi introduced the staff that would be running training programs on the newly finished or almost finished facilities of Hachiro, Mars and Nancy. Greetings went around as Yasu memorized names and faces. There was no need for her to introduce herself, everyone knew who she was. She nodded to a few she knew from her time on Chaleel, or on Resilient. Takahashi went on to explain how the new selection process for people would work, now it would be based on a score not age. Humans' growth cycle had been greatly enhanced, meaning that in a year a baby could be accelerated into adulthood as long as their nutritional needs were met as well as learning implants.

  With the Syndicate they had changed everything, having people join the military at sixteen or eighteen years old was gone. As long as a person proved that they were mature enough and smart enough to be in the Free Fleet, then they would give them a shot. It was the job of the people in the room to weed out those that the selection process didn't get rid of, and train those that deserved it.

  “For now the people that will be receiving this new training will be already graduated Free Fleet personnel, until the trainees have completed their Basic Powered Armor and Space Training. We will have trainees coming from Chaleel and AIH, meaning that we will have five races in our training facilities. Specism, sexism and racism will not be tolerated.” Takahashi's hard eyes made more than one person move uncomfortably. Salchar's policies had been made clear on these points. Anyone that let their discrimination impact their work within the Free Fleet were quickly shown the door.

  Takahashi didn't mention the storm of civilians that would also be training with the civilian contractors that had left the Free Fleet. Not everyone wanted to be in the Free Fleet, but few wanted to leave space behind for a planet. So they had made their own businesses and had applicants out of the door. Trading ships were already starting to move along the corridor. Nancy was doing a brisk trade pulling cruisers apart, ad tacking their useful systems to a wide body suitable for large cargoes.

  Thankfully I just have to worry about training people, Commander Whorst will be the one dealing with the rest of the madness. That and if James and my friends will live through the defense of Parnmal. Yasu's jaw worked as she suppressed the well of emotions that opened with that last thought. She glanced at Commander Whorst who was sitting beside her, two data pads on his crossed leg as he moved through a mass of reports.

  Commander Whorst was already 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 which usually left Yasu spinning.

  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.

  It'
s not like they had to pay billions to get to space in the first place. Oh wait... She didn't let her inner annoyance at political games color her face.

  Though there were also quite a few good things even 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 produced more materials for the Free Fleet and Earth than the other three top mining companies on Earth. The ship yard Nancy, 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 made to control the Kuruvians. 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 which had led to more than one project being tested out, and the productivity of the yard climbing ever higher.

  Thankfully the Kuruvian’s were invested in learning more and trying more ideas out. They'd taken their Chief's ideas, turned them into a reality and run with it.

  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. While it would be possible, the number of ships that needed overhauls were mounting and it was faster to pull a ship apart, put it back together and spit it out, than make a whole new ship. For now.

  Nancy was growing one yard at a time, the process getting faster with every iteration yard. 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 and cheaply as possible, without proper med bays, secondary systems, and four layered backups with easy access systems. These ships had been meant to last for a few battles, not a decade, now they were quickly coming up on a century.