Free Fleet Box Set 2

by Michael Chatfield

  “Thank you, I had read the files on the Empire, but I felt that hearing it from someone that is at the heart of it would give me a clearer perspective,” Cheerleader said, inkling her helmet the small amount it would allow her.

  “Please follow,” Chief said as the elevator came to a stop outside a merchant freighter.

  The Kuruvian bobbed and weaved through moving stream of his kind. Cheerleader and her protection detail had a harder time, trying to cover whatever they dictated as possible threats and make it through the Kuruvians whizzing around.

  “Hey, get a move on loafers!” One Kuruvian said, having to stop as the Commandos passed. A few other Kuruvians added similar phrases.

  Cheerleader sped up in an effort to keep pace with the Chief. The Commandos hurried themselves.

  They crossed through an open airlock, the freighter and yard sharing oxygen. Parts flowed in and out at alarming speeds. Cheerleader dodged and weaved, reminded of the few times she had been in mega sales in South Korea, or the one time she had been in America for black Friday.

  They moved to the rear of the freighter.

  “What damned idjit did maintenance on this thing?” A Kuruvian bellowed from the Engine room as they approached.

  “The freighter's chief,” someone said in tones that expressed their—displeased—feelings towards the freighter chief's skills.

  “Well send him back to damned school and tell the captain that he is to have a new chief or none of the yards will repair this hunk of junk,” the first voice bellowed.

  “Yes Empress,” the second answered.

  Cheerleader made it into the engine compartment, it was an organized mess of bad parts in one pile and new parts in another. There was one Kuruvian at a control panel, and another at work underneath a massive panel.

  “Are you replacing the couplers, or refurbishing them?” Chief said as he moved to the pile of new parts.

  “The bastard pushed past operating time and replaced his nitro cooling flow with a seventy-five twenty-five chloride-nitro mix. The whole friggin assembly is melted together!” The Kuruvian under the panel said. Cheerleader didn't need to see their manipulators to know they were unhappy.

  “Idjit,” the Kuruvian at the panel said.

  “Sounds like it,” Cheerleader said. “Did they use clean chloride at least, or the stuff from Boshcat?”

  “Boshcat,” the one under the panel said.

  “Going to have to change out the entire valve system and scrub the coolant tanks. They gave us a batch, checked it. It had an acid mix,” Cheerleader said, remembering how furious the engineers had been with the traders that had sold the chlorine which was supposed to be used to clean environmental filters, but instead would have caused people to get sick from the additional acid.

  There was a cease of noise from under the panel. Cheerleader looked to Chief who was showing signs of nervousness.

  “Those bloody cheap skating pieces of dog arse!” The person pushed out from under the panel. The Kuruvian's eyes were alight with fury. She looked from Cheerleader to the engineer at the control panel.

  “Chair, I want you to find those damned idiots and have them recall all the bad chemicals they've distributed. Also tell the captain, if it was the chief not checking the goods we'll take on the cleaning. Make sure the Captain understands that he'd better check what the hell is coming aboard his ship more carefully. As well as pay closer attention to the crap he puts in his bloody system!” The Kuruvian barked, her manipulators moving in fury. She looked back to Cheerleader.

  “You must be the representative of the Free Fleet,” the Kuruvian said, offering a hand. “Empress.”

  “It's good to meet you Empress,” Cheerleader said, taking the hand. It seemed that the Empress wasn't just a tittle, it was her name. It also looked like she had spent more than a little time researching the Free Fleet and its customs.

  Though for what purpose, I'm going to have to find out. I have the feeling she doesn't do anything that might waste her time.

  “Let's walk and talk, I am too angry to deal with fixing things right now,” Empress said, leading the way, not looking for confirmation as Chief had done when Cheerleader had arrived.

  “Certainly.” Cheerleader walked beside Empress.

  “For a time the Kuruvian Empire has lived in agreement with the Syndicate. We don't agree with what they do, or their practices. Yet it has worked for us. Since you and your merchant fleet have come along it seems that our agreement with the Syndicate has come to an end. My merchants bring much needed and rare supplies back from the planets that your group protects. I have heard reports about your yards which run with an eighth of the personnel I use, yet work at nearly a hundred and sixty percent more efficancy than my own. I have learnt of the freed Kuruvians and for all of that I am interested and grateful. I will be frank though. I do not trust you, I do not see you as a military force, but as mercenaries,” the way Empress said mercenaries made Cheerleader think that the Kuruvian probably looked it up prior to this conversation. “This suits us, yet it also makes me apprehensive,” Empress slowed her progress, as if unsure of how to continue.

  Cheerleader was curious, Empress didn't seem like the type of person that needed time to decide how to say something.

  “How so?” Cheerleader said, keeping her tone light, hoping to get the point across to Empress without being confrontational.

  “You have people from multiple systems, planets and races in your Free Fleet. This makes it incredibly hard for the Free Fleet to turn on a planet or start becoming a tyrannical force. Yet Salchar is a charismatic and damned hero to the people of the Free Fleet. I do not doubt that he could sway people to annex a planet if he so desired.” Empress looked to Cheerleader, as if asking her to convince her otherwise. Cheerleader knew that saying James wasn't that kind of person wouldn't help.

  “If he annexed a planet then Resilient herself, or any of the AI's could rebel and be within their rights, so would every other creature in the Free Fleet. Yards would stop working, infrastructure would stop coming in. The Free Fleet would grind to a halt,” Cheerleader said.

  “It is good to know that the AI's have come to fight alongside us, but it would take time for the elements that Salchar would control, to grind to a halt,” Empress rebutted.

  “Yes, but with the Avarians rebelling since their battle master has gone against his own code, whoever is loyal to the Free Fleet and not Salchar would also go haywire,” Cheerleader said.

  “So it is a gamble,” Empress said, the statement rhetoric. “Very well, then I want to know what the rates are for the elimination of the Syndicate and Kalu threat. I like your institution, but I do not want the empire to come under Free Fleet protection. We want to be as free as possible. If my people wish to contract you for protective services that is fine by me. Yet unless our situation changes drastically I will not look to be pay for the continuous protection of the Free Fleet.”

  “It will be rather steep for what you are asking, we are already fighting a war with the Kalu,” Cheerleader said, an iciness creeping into her voice.

  “Those damn creatures? We truly do live in terrible times.” Empress walked, her manipulator's showing a range of emotions.

  “So you see, us eliminating the Syndicate is not an easy request,” Cheerleader said.

  “In a month I can have my merchants set up a FTL relay across all of known Union space. I can take on the repairs of your merchant fleet, freeing your people to deal with the military ships. I can also trade you parts that would take your people weeks to make, making month long repair jobs, turn into weeks or days of work,” Empress said.

  “I will have my Free Merchant Fleet attache contact you regarding the terms of our agreement and have my planetary relations team see if what you are asking is possible. I will talk to Salchar about the possibility that we can deal with the Syndicate,” Cheerleader said.

  “Very well. I have no doubt that you will be returning to Free Fleet space with the engineers y
ou have poached from my yards.” Empress's manipulator's showing amusement.

  “We will be staying here if you will allow it. We have no orders to go anywhere else yet. Like you said, we have an eighth of your engineers, with half of them we will be beating you in a few months,” Cheerleader said, issuing a clear challenge.

  “A few months, you have but four yards, Nancy with three berths, Nelly and Nate are just completing their second berths and Parnmal's yard is working on its third, though it will be able to hold a super-carrier,” she said, not without some begrudging acknowledgement. “It will take you some years to yet to become rivals of my Empire.” The challenge was clear in her tone.

  “We shall see,” Cheerleader said, sounding quite confident.

  Chapter A Message and A Chance

  Lady Fairgate paced her throne room. She looked at the floor to roof vid screen, which showed images of Rosho station, she quickly looked away in disgust.

  She should have sent Lifendi, she knew that now. Instead she'd sent that idiot, even the mention of its name had made her beat a slave to near death. Not only had he lost a fight with the Free Fleet, he had lost her a precious carrier, and ships she would need in order to reclaim inhabited space after the Kalu-Free Fleet battles.

  She promised herself that she would send Lifendi into Kalu space to bomb the creatures into extinction. After they had served their purpose of destroying her enemies for the second time.

  She caught a glance of one of the damaged Destroyers that had returned. It was floating off of Rosho station. Still leaking atmosphere, its captain was low on creds and goods to trade. Either his people would keep his craft alive, or he would die and Fairgate would hold a bidding on the ship.

  There was a beep on her pad, it had been a regular occurrence for a few weeks now. Strange crafts would jump into Rosho long enough to collect data from a web of sensors they'd put up and then dart back out. Fairgate had no idea how many of them there were. There was only one in the system at any given time, they jumped in at random locations, well out of the range of her ships.

  “Get me Lifendi,” Fairgate said, nashing her teeth together in annoyance.

  Moments later an unknown communications officer had the Captain Lord on the vid screen.

  “My Lady,” Lifendi said, bowing as he would if he was in her presence, everyone in the command centre around him bowed similarly. None wanted to piss off the irate Lady Fairgate, especially after the rumours of what she had done to three of the captains of the returning force.

  “Lifendi, we are blind. Send scouts to find out the situation of the Free Fleet and the Kalu, I want to know the moment one side has won so that we can attack.”

  “Yes my Lady.” There was a slight pause to his reply, making Fairgate's ire grow.

  “I want them sent within the hour,” she said, her tone implying an unknown threat.

  “Your word is my command my Lady,” Lifendi said, lowering himself even more. Fairgate thought she saw him shaking slightly, she scanned the command centre, asserting her power.

  “End it,” she said with a wave of her hand, her screen going back to the image of Rosho station as it slowly rotated.

  Within twenty minutes thirteen Corvettes headed out from Rosho at their best speed. Fairgate watched them head for the closest jump limit.

  “Get me Marhtu, I have become bored and wish to see his Kaaorv's work,” she said, seeing a slight shimmer in one of her slaves.

  Fairgate raised an imperious finger, levelling it at the slave like a gun.

  “That one shall sing for me.” A smile played on her lips as the slave wept silently. They knew that any attempts to resist were futile, other slaves restrained their limbs so they couldn't try to kill themselves. Lady Fairgate had sent half of her slaves to the KaaOrv's pens when it was found that a slave had ended their life. None of Lady Fairgate's slaves had died of suicide since.

  ***

  I looked at the fleet that had gathered, it was no small feat. There was still tens of ships that were out protecting the interests of the Free Fleet, or waiting to be upgraded, or didn't have enough crew to give them two watches.

  I had a choice, take this fleet and smash into the Kalu, or try Min Hae's plan. It was risky as all hell and it was going to take some damned work to get it running Plus it would leave me weak along the line.

  “Still debating?” Rick asked from the conference room door.

  “Wouldn't you?”

  “Fair point,” he said, coming in and grabbing a seat. “What's happening in that old head of yours?”

  I sighed, leaning back in chair and pushing it from side to side.

  “If we try Min Hae's plan then we have a chance to split the Kalu forces. We will have to split the fleet as well. It will give us a good chance at rescuing our people on Heija. If we attack the Kalu full out, well invite counterattacks from Fairgate. Rosho is a damned fortress, Parnmal is like a hut compared to that damned station. Yet if we defeat the Kalu, then we don't have to deal with a war on multiple fronts, just one,” I said.

  “What about going to see these peaceful Kalu? The ones that are the supposed brains behind them?” Rick asked. I hadn't been thinking about them, they were something to deal with after the damned fucking wars raging around us. Screw being a person trying to fight an inferno with a bucket of water, I didn't even have a damned bucket!

  “I don't know,” I said to the ceiling before leaning forward, pushing my hair out of my face with my hand, looking at the desk but not seeing anything.

  “First you need to do a detox and sleep. Second, why don't we send some of Min Hae's people and a few Jump Fighters out there? Doesn't hurt to see what's beyond the veil. They can always hit the Kalu infrastructure if it’s where Ashota said it was.”

  “Done, that sounds like a solid plan,” I said.

  “Why thank you, I do have my moments,” Rick said proudly, eliciting a snort of amusement from me.

  “We'll go with Min Hae's plan. We're already poised to fight a war on two fronts. Anything that hurts the Kalu or Syndicate, or both, I'm all for it,” I said, leaning back and flicking my hair out of my eyes. Resolve filled me as I looked to Rick.

  “We will leave in thirty two hours, alert the fleet. I'll be down practising with the Heavily Armed Powered armor,” I said.

  “You're going to go down to Heija,” Rick said, knowing, rather than really asking. Ever since we had gotten the HAPA's I had been practicing with them till I knew them as well as my regular powered armor. I even taught a few classes on the massive super-carrier. The HAPA was damned big and strong, it made practicing with them in a normal shuttle bay a bad idea.

  “Yes,” I said, preparing myself for the onslaught.

  “For once I wish that I was the one going into battle. I haven't fought since Parnmal,” Rick said. I looked at him with new eyes, which turned faraway as memories came back.

  “That was a while ago,” I said, almost to myself.

  “It was.” His voice tinged with the recollection of memories.

  “Well you best be ready for this. While I'm on the ground, you’ll be up here in command of the fleet. If what Ashota said is true, those fighter groupings are going to be a hell of a time,” I said.

  “I know,” Rick said, knowing there was no way to deter me from going to Heija. He lent back in his chair, a new weight descending onto his shoulders.

  ***

  Bok Soo didn't know when the last time he had slept was, he didn't know the day or even the date. All he knew was the tactical layout on his HUD, the amount of ammunition he had and the dwindling numbers of his commandos.

  “Fuckers!” Bok Soo yelled, jumping and twirling on one foot to the other, his battle-axe crashing into one Kalu's head, killing it and sending it into its companion. Bok Soo side stepped, using his enhanced strength to flip himself and baring his axe into the surviving predator.

  The Kalu had broken the lines some time ago. Groups were fighting desperately to hold on. Ammunition was down a
cross the board. The landed ships were doing all they could to take out the damned fucking continuous stream of Star Warrior's. The bastards never stopped, thousands had died on both sides, and still they kept coming.

  It was like the first battle the Kalu and Free Fleet had in the same system.

  “Foshunti, I have a plan,” Bok Soo said, his mouth dry and his eyes gritty from a lack of sleep. Wake-up was the only thing keeping him on his feet at this point.

  “What?” Foshunti asked, sounding just as tired as Bok Soo. The Captain had joined the Commandos in fighting off the Kalu, co-ordinating the ships as he fought for his life.

  “We fire the thrusters, full burn,” Bok Soo said, the idea had come to him as the ships had landed, but it was a final solution. The power of the engines would be like a bomb, using the mountain range to direct the pure energy out towards the Kalu, incinerating anything that was on the ground, and quite probably setting the atmosphere of Heija on fire.

  “You know what you're saying right?”

  “Yes, I do,” Bok Soo said, attaching his battle-axe to his back and grabbing his rail gun in one fluid motion and firing into oncoming Kalu. They crumpled and rolled, their forward momentum making them flip over themselves. Bok Soo waved to his people, they followed, hey were truly Commandos now. All they knew and cared for, was what had been pounded into them with training.