“None,” Kalvin said.
“We're going to have to get them some damned ships, having them on our ships is going to be, odd, for the crew,” Bregend said, picking his words with care as he talked to Min Hae.
“I think we can share our plans with them. If the Kalu Traditionalists had people among their ranks I think they would have destroyed their ships before they were able to leave the planet,” Min Hae said, they needed the trust of the independent's having their conversation's on private channels was not going to bolster their relationship.
Got to know when to play your hand, and hold it close to your chest. Bregend thought, not sure how Min Hae could live in the world of grey and shades of the intelligence department.
Bregend pulled off his helmet and leaned on the conference table, it groaned under the strain as he looked at the council leaders.
Let's see if we can't forge an alliance with these independents. Think of the Sarenmenti, they didn't know what the hell they were doing before we told them about the realities of the planetary defence force. Bregend thought of his fellow Sarenmenti commanders and Free Fleet personnel, while they were working to rebuild their race on AIH, they still made up a large amount of the Free Fleet. They were fighters as the Kalu were. If Bregend could give them tools to fight their oppressors, then they could be damned effective.
***
Ashota felt something change in Bregend's eyes. His face became hard as he looked upon the council, before, behind closed doors the council had challenged Ashota's belief that the Free Fleet was made up of great warriors.
He saw as every Kalu in the room and on the vid screens prickled with battle hormones.
“We need to start hitting yards as fast as possible. If Orshpa is at Rosho then he will make sure that Edvasho stays there. Then he's going to bring all the damned ships he has, right down on the Free Fleet's planets. If he follows the tactics he's been telling us,” Bregend moved his head to indicate Ashota. “Then we're going to be facing a war on all fronts. We need to deprive him of as many numbers as possible, and the ability to make more ships. We might have to push our schedule so we're hitting the yards before our reinforcements come. Now we have the relay we can split and hit them with squads instead of having to hit them as one unit, and be at a set system to meet up with the secondary fleet,” Bregend shrugged, waiting to hear Min Hae's thoughts.
“I agree, good old guerilla tactics. If we could get the independents on our side then we could maybe take some of the Kalu's ships arming ourselves, taking away from the Kalu. They could conduct raids as they're Kalu. While we hit every damned system we can think of. If a system is too big then we hit other systems until there are enough ships around to smash the system, or at least run their building capabilities into the ground,” Min Hae said thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow to Bregend who nodded his agreement.
“Alright, has anyone got anything else to say?” Bregend said, opening the floor to everyone in the conference. All of them looked to be trying to hide their states of shock. Kalvin looked rather amused.
“I believe that is a good plan, I think that we have much to offer one another. Kalvin said, Ashota had the distinct feeling that Kalvin wasn't just talking about military power.
Ashota toyed with the idea of having the independent's working together,
“Sounds like we have a plan. Let's go bag us some Kalu ships,” Bregend said with a lopsided grin. He sat back, tapping out a message on his data pad.
Ashota hid his shock, the two had worked together to come to make a plan of what they were going to do. There hadn't been a drawn out argument over the person's plan and then character. There didn't need to be a fight. There was also no bickering over who had come up with the best ideas and such.
The Independents took time to do everything, they fought over the right way to do things almost constantly. They weren't Kalu, but they weren't free of all the limitations that the Kalu placed on one another.
Chapter A change in management
The cannons were gone, the Kalu had ripped most of them apart. Thousands of the bastards surged through his Rosho. Hundreds still waited just out of reach.
Five of the AI ships had survived the Kalu ships and jumped out. The Free Fleet battle carrier had as well. The Jump fighter's watched as Rosho fell.
Lifendi knew that his time was closer than ever, but Rosho hadn't gone lightly, it had smashed the Kalu fleet. They had broken it, and drained it of its ships. Fighters hadn't had enough destroyers to refuel and rearm had flown into weapons systems and shields. Even Lifendi couldn't rouse the shields anymore. They were well and truly dead.
“Synch all weapons systems,” Lifendi said, looking at the internal scanners. The Kalu were still being held up by booby traps, but there was too many of them and not nearly enough booby traps to stop all of them.
Tactical didn't even wait, releasing all lockouts as computer systems worked together as they were never supposed to.
“We have AI formation. Sensors said, the fatigue clear in their voice. They were past caring about what happened, all of them had been awake for at least a week and a half, fighting to keep Rosho in the fight.
“Well that's that then,” Lifendi said, standing and stretching as much as his powered armor would let him
“By the black I smell bad,” he said, getting a few laughs out of his command crew. They had been thrown together, doing all they could to stay alive. They all knew what the outcome would be and in their own odd way, they had bonded with one another.
“Damn,” Sensor's said as they put the space-map of Rosho and the surrounding area up. Weapons systems belched fire and hell into anything in range. All of the computer systems and some sensor links of the command centre had been separated from the rest of the systems as Tactical had cross-linked nearly every other system on the station.
Rosho, like some damned berserker was rocked with lasers, fighters smashing into its weapons and it kept firing. Rosho in that moment was something more than just a station. It was a living a breathing thing, it was a symbol, the Kalu had smashed the station and the Syndicate that lived aboard it, but still they had held on, they hadn't given up and they had made the Kalu pay.
“Comms, open me a channel. A grin that would have made the communications officer recoil in fear once, now spread across their face.
“Yes Sir!” they said, opening every damned channel they could.
“This is Captain Lord Lifendi of the Syndicate, of Rosho! Today Rosho will fall,” Explosions rocked even the massive station as weapon systems were destroyed with explosive results.
“But we will not be forgotten, we will not walk into the black without company! We have guided legions of Kalu to their demise, watch us. Bear witness to the fall of Rosho. The Kalu can be beaten and they will. We might be creatures of different planets, of different beliefs, we might be criminals and we might be soldiers, but we are beings that search for life,” Lifendi pointed at the screen, directly at the camera.
“It is up to you to fight!” Lifendi laughed to himself, letting it roll out of his mouth. As more explosions rocked the station as the last guns went silent. He could hear as the portable cannons outside of the command centre started firing.
Lifendi took his seat.
“It's your turn Salchar, show these fuckers just what the creatures of the Union can do,” With that, Lifendi pressed the command button that he had prepared so very long ago.
***
Kelu watched as Rosho was smashed into submission, listened to Lifendi's final words.
No matter what he had done in his life, his people had fought to the bitter end, they might have lived as criminals, but they died as soldiers.
Kelu felt pride in his chest, he had felt disgusted at being part of the Syndicate at one point, but now that was washed away.
They had been bastards, criminals, slavers and the most despicable kinds of scum. Yet they had gone up against the Kalu, against their will and they had fought with everything th
ey had. They would answer for their crimes in the black and while they would be hated, and despised. Kelu felt pride for them, he would still be cursed for being a member of the Syndicate, and at times he would hate the things the Syndicate had done. Yet for that illogical moment, emotions carried him as he thought of when he had joined the Syndicate, how blinded he had been by their massive ships, the possibilities of what he could do.
Now the Free Fleet was his home, they had given him purpose, they had put him back on that path of possibilities, yet the Syndicate had molded him into the adult he was.
Rosho seemed to shake, then come apart as multiple explosions rocked the station.
“It appears that the Power plants are being overloaded on purpose,” Sensors said, sensing the question before it was ever ushered. Debris drifted away from the station, its surface too thick in most places for most explosions to make it to the surface. Holes in the surface where weapons, docks and airlocks had been, blew out in a spectacular manner.
“All ships, this is Commander Cheerleader, ready for immediate wormhole transition. Battle-stations,” she said, her voice like liquid nitrogen as Kelu felt a grin, not to dissimilar to Lifendi's own, grow across his face.
“You heard the Commander!” Kelu said, causing a few people to jump.
He looked over the combined fleets of Cheerleader and Boot. They were two times bigger than the fleet he had taken to Parnmal, with actual upgraded warships, and then there was War-station.
The massive mobile station's shields flashed into existence as it went through check's massive batteries extended and then stored again. The patrolling wings returned to their home as ships that had been waiting for weeks bared their teeth and prepared to close on the Kalu.
It's about time we got our hands dirty. Kelu said, thinking of the Human saying.
“We're ready across the board,” Kelu's second in command, Urlow said, Kelu's old communications officer.
The kid was smart and capable, something he'd proved in the battle for Parnmal.
“Interesting isn't it that fate has led us to this,” Kelu said conversationally.
“What way?” Urlow asked, his face turned to his reports, he after all had to deal with all of the issues of the ship as Kelu dealt with seeing the overall plan that Cheerleader created was followed, and keep his people away.
“We have come to the end of the Syndicate's control, and we stand on the precipice of our first engagement with the Kalu, side by side with the people we terrorized, fighting for the same goal,” Kelu said.
“The Universe moves in mysterious ways,” Urlow said, looking to Kelu. “Plus the foods a lot better, and they can actually make you take a shower, seriously I thought you didn't know water existed when you were captain,” Urlow admonished, showing signs of humour.
“Har, har,” Kelu said, his own face betraying his, lighter feelings, turning to the main screen as he looked at the ships lined up in their formations.
It's about time we tried out these new Rail Cannons out on something more than target practice.
***
Orshpa looked at Rosho as sections were thrown free and chunks spun off.
Edvasho is dead. He thought a smile that only he could feel and no one could see, spread across his face.
See what just charging into battle will get you war leader? The last two words making a disgusting noise even in his head.
“Sub-leader Darsoo, inform all Kalu of Edvasho's death, as per clan rules I am elevated to war-leader. We will proceed to Xentar to pass on the news. I want ships dispatched back to Kalu controlled space in order to bring up our reserve forces,” Orshpa, looked into Darsoo's eyes.
“All of our reserve forces,” Orshpa said, Darsoo nodding knowingly, he was part of Orshpa's personal clan and completely loyal to his leader.
Now Orshpa would have a real war. One that did not rely on taking one planet at a time. He would be the demons of old, visiting their wrath down upon their onto these creature's planets. His clan ancestors would ride with his star-warriors and Destroyer's. He would scourge these creatures’ planets with the full might of all the clans.
“Yes war leader,” Darsoo said, he, and all the command staff bowing to Orshpa. He gnashed his teeth together, finally he would have all the might of the Kalu behind him.
“What is our fleet's numbers?” He asked, ending the moment, there was work to be done.
“There are fifty star-destroyer's left, three hundred star-warriors and forty three thousand Kalu fighters War leader,” A seer said.
“Rally our forces and make sure they are ready to rally our people to battle. Make it clear that we are not pulling back, merely gathering the forces we need to entirely crush these creatures and that we will not deny any Kalu from joining us,” Orshpa said, knowing how to play on the mindset Edvasho had ingrained into the Kalu.
***
“It looks like it's time to get to work ladies, gents and the rest of you,” Smith said, reading a transmission from Cheerleader as he pressed play on his newest play list.
“I want those Destroyers,” he said, flight plans coming in hard and fast as a guitar started playing in his ear and over the comms channels.
“Livin' easy
Lovin' free
Season ticket on a one way ride “
Smith drained a capacitor, using the power to generate a wormhole, using the sensor platforms across Rosho he was able to pick his emergence point with damned good accuracy.
“Takin' everythin' in my stride
Don't need reason
Don't need rhyme
Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do
Goin' down
Party time
My friends are gonna be there too “
Smith muttered the songs' lyrics as he emerged from his wormhole, stabilized his Jump fighter, powering his drives and shooting nuclear bombs out of his back end. He rode the explosion, adding to his nearly non-existent acceleration. The bombs came out in sequence, each of them giving his craft a directed explosion as he came into missile range of his first Destroyer.
“This is Roman Candle one, lighting the fuse,” he said to his pilots as he armed and sent his missile's flying at the Destroyer.
“I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell”
The missiles were the bomb-pumped variants. They released their invisible beams of destruction on the Destroyer, piercing through multiple decks and causing explosive decompression.
“Here come the bastards,” Julxar said as fighters that had been heading towards the destroyer's or were on them, started to turn towards the new threat the jump fighter's presented.
“Thankfully they left the door open,” Smith said, selecting multi-head missiles, firing them right at the Destroyers fighter bays as he used a bank of capacitors to supercharge his rail gun, he unleashed a barrage of plasma bolts at the fighter bay he hadn't targeted with his missiles.
“Time to move,” he said, more to himself than anything as another Jump-fighter's bomb-pumped lasers raked the same Destroyer.
Smith plotted a wormhole, using a capacitor's charge to create the wormhole, he updated his new co-ordinates and his new intended target as his jump ship projected a wormhole.
“Nobody's gonna mess me around
Hey, Satan
Payin' my dues
Playin' in a rockin' band
Hey, mamma
Look at me
I'm on the way to the promised land” Smith murmured along with the song's lyrics, the last words coming out in a grunt as his jump-ship caught the wormhole, Smith using it, his bomb generated acceleration, his thrusters and drive, slowing him and turning him in violent g forces.
As soon as it started it was done and he was careening towards his next target.
“Woo hoo! That is what I am talking about!” Smith yelled, he would have jumped up if he was in a MEF, but the jump-fighter's jelly cock
pit which had kept him alive in that last turn stopped him.
Adrenaline and wake-up that had kept him alert buzzed through his system as he selected his rail guns, he was down to three capacitors at full charge, and good ole rail cannons would be fine for the beleaguered Star-destroyer in front of him. Rounds streaked out from his craft, catching the light of Rosho system's sun. The Destroyer was too big and too slow to get out of the way, though the fact it was piloted by Kalu Traditionalists was probably its downfall. It turned into the oncoming jump-fighter, the rounds hammering its forward sections.
“Don't stop me
I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
On the highway to hell”
Smith grinned like a shark.
“Well, if they're giving me such a nice opportunity, I should take it,” he said, firing his laser-missiles directly at the Kalu Destroyer. Laser's tried to catch him as he used the incredible manoeuvrability of the jump fighter to its limits. They didn't even care to shoot at the missiles as all four channelled their payload right down the already weakened frontal armor of the Star-destroyer.
The first two lasers hammered the armor into oblivion, the third added to that destruction. The fourth, hit where the second laser had struck.
“And it was juuuust right,” Smith said, the laser penetrated the armor, driving deep into the Destroyer.
“Course correction,” Smith said, seeing another target and plotting course changes, thankfully he wouldn't need to do any high g course changes on this one.
He submitted his path, putting on more speed to get clear of the destroyer and its surrounding star-warriors.
The destroyer he'd just raked with four missiles buckled and then broke apart in a flash of light.
“Seems you got that one's power plant commander,” Someone commented.
“Best aim in the game,” Smith laughed. “Keep those course corrections coming in, we won't be the only one's messing about with the Kalu for long,” Smith said, casting an eye to his constantly updating chart of his people and their jump fighters.
From the Black (Free Fleet Book 4) Page 32