When he indicated for the video to play, instant shock reverberated around the room at the sheer monstrosity that faced them. Maraukians.
Then came the information of the Victors’ betrayal. This brought more shock than Aaron thought it would. All of them alike sounded off at this: “How could they?” and “Why?”
When the video ended, there was, however, no talking at all. They waited for Marcelle to speak. Marcelle instead turned to Aaron.
“Now you have their attention. I suggest you tell them the plan and their choices.”
Aaron moved to center stage. “You have seen the forces we are up against and the inner betrayal that has bestowed upon itself in the EMF. We would never force anyone to join us. You, however, have been woken by your captain as his most loyal men and women. You may stay and fight with whom I’m here representing, the Victor Corporation, and this vessel will be taken under their protection, not known as the EMF Avenger anymore, but the VCF Avenger. There are two choices for you: you may stand and fight with us, or you may choose another life. Osdal is a thriving community—there’s a place there, a life you can have there, but the decisions are yours.”
Shouts started then: “No way,” and to his surprise, “We stick together.” He had to stifle his chuckle, but he was proud. There were no indications that they would turn their back on this fight. For one brief moment, Aaron hoped that this would be ship-wide. If they could turn all twenty-five ships to their advantage, then the EMF and the legion would have a force to be reckoned with. VCF wouldn’t be pushed over anymore. He kept his fingers crossed behind his back and carried on.
“Then all of you will be assigned tasks. This ship is in dire need of some upgrades. We’ll be negotiating with Osdal for the resources we need to do this. My techs will come aboard and instruct all departments. I’ll be heading toward Osdal for some further negotiations while these are happening. Then, once your upgrades are complete, you will be heading toward the main defense position of Emarl. It’s a long journey. You’ll have time to upgrade and learn more about the timeline you’re in. More about the politics that surround us and are separating these once great civilizations.” Aaron turned to Marcelle. “I think after we speak with General Ortiz, I can leave these very capable people in your hands.”
Marcelle nodded. “Thank you, Captain.”
Aaron moved to leave the room. “Let us see how the general is getting on, shall we.”
Marcelle led the way. “I’ve heard a great many things about him. It will be an honor to talk to him. If he succeeds in waking all the ships, this will be a day to record. Most of us are generations apart.”
Chapter Fifteen
Legionnaire Headquarters
Roma, Hellenic System
5/3556
Reports were still coming in from the Ramesh system. Damus had hesitated at first in sending in more reinforcements as it seemed the legatus there was in control, but the longer their incursion lasted, the more it seemed like they might lose. It had taken Legatus Placus Sita too long to get through to him and the obvious was evident. Without more men, they’d lose the system. Damus was given no other choice in the circumstances but to remove him from his position and put someone else in charge. It hadn’t been an easy decision, but it was for the best. Ramesh wasn’t a system he wanted to lose; their resources were almost in line with that of Emarl.
It was the new legatus who was trying to get through to him now over secure comms. Not wanting to take the call right away, he had put it off, but then relented and took it.
“Apologies for disturbing you, Legatus.”
“What’s the problem?”
“We have sighted four more Maraukian barges heading this way.”
“You’re sure?”
“There were several reports coming through from different locations.”
“How many do you still face?”
“The usual four came through and hit. We’ve been in constant contact with them in waves. We believed we’d beaten them back enough to go on the offensive.”
“Just the number, Legate.”
“Down to two million in contact outside the city, sir.”
Damus brought up the ships he had in that area that might make it to Ramesh alongside the Maraukians. But it would leave someone else exposed, and he wasn’t very comfortable in doing that. However, their need for raw materials now that Nerva’s gardens had departed meant that the growing cities in Ramesh were too valuable to let go. Relenting on that decision to end the protection for their neighbors, Damus quickly passed over orders to the ships nearest. “We’ll have reinforcements heading your way as soon as possible. If the Maraukians arrive before they do, I can only hope that you hold out.”
Damus could see that he wanted to say more, but he cut the comms. He’d need to speak to the senators who managed the systems he’d just left exposed.
Legatus Legionis Fabius Varius wasn’t hesitant to get him on comms. He faced his equal with a stern look, knowing what was coming.
“How dare you move those ships without speaking to me first!”
“The more we debate the actions we could have taken, the quicker the demise of the Ramesh system, you can see that surely?”
Fabius’s cool blue eyes pierced his, and his face flushed. “There are protocols you should stick to, Damus, no matter the intentions.”
Damus was fresh out of patience. With the thought of losing the system came many more thoughts about the Maraukians getting closer to Roma herself.
He found himself drawing closer to the screen.
“I do not give a fuck about protocol when our people are dying. I do not give a fuck if your feelings were hurt. What I do give a fuck about is there are four more Maraukian barges heading in toward the Ramesh system. Without Nerva’s gardens, and without Ramesh, you do realize how royally screwed we are for food production?”
Fabius’s eyes dimmed and he didn’t hesitate to cut their call.
Damus sat back and ran a hand through his hair, his decision the right one.
Chapter Sixteen
Freighter O-41 (Wind Snapper)
In Transit from Emarl to Hellenic System
5/3556
His contacts had told him the forty-seven cities on Osdal Actual had become forty-nine and all but four were now under the control of the EMF. This planet and her systems hadn’t changed much in the last few years. The EMFC Avenger had stayed behind and cleared out the remaining Harmony Chosen, and that had brought with it an even greater respect for the EMF. But the troopers and the Avenger were back on the outskirts of the system now, retasked.
The cities and the mining facilities had all had a vast change of leadership but it had been for the best. Now it was a negotiating nightmare, though. And Moretti had his work cut out for him in getting the best possible trade going with her after their last encounters, but he was willing to try.
Moretti was set for an online meeting with Felicia, the owner of the Gold Runner. If she was his lead to negotiate with the other stations and facilities on Osdal, then opening communication was important. But he wasn’t looking forward to this. She was a tough old gal who knew her stuff and fought for every ounce of it.
When the screen came up with her face, she had a few more wrinkles and seemed to have lost a fair bit of weight.
Moretti smiled at her. “Good to see you.”
“Mister Moretti.” Felicia held his gaze. “What can I do for you today?”
Moretti nodded. “Straight down to business as usual.”
“I have a busy day ahead of me, so yeah. Did you get the changes on your paperwork?”
Moretti glanced down to his pile of notifications. He’d been through them, seen all the changes she’d asked for. “Yes. I think your prices are higher than I’d like to pay...”
Felicia’s eyes never left his. “But?”
“The materials I asked for from you are a much higher quality, I see that. You’ve been working hard.”
“Always do. Mini
ng here’s been my life.” Felicia nodded, and pointed to the view outside. “Without the EMF boys and Mark, there would not be a safe place for us, and we certainly wouldn’t have the facilities that we do.”
“I understand that. Moving away from the EHC to trade with the Victor Corp is a big decision for you.”
Moretti watched as her face changed. “A lot of us have lost faith in many, but Mark and his brother aren’t easily forgotten.”
“No.” Moretti remembered their encounters.
“So what did you really call about? It certainly wasn’t about the resources and their quality,” Felicia said.
“I want to offer a solution. The three freighters that were supposed to appear in Osdal in the coming decades will arrive within a couple of months. I want to give you an option, all of Osdal an option: wait for the Maraukians to show up, or the corporations, or come to the Emarl system. My terms are simple: pay your passage in raw materials or take on debt toward the Victor Corporation that can be paid through materials or service rendered. People can bring their own vessels, though we will be building more mining vessels in-system that people can once again buy on credit or with resources.”
Felicia didn’t show any signs. She was one tough cookie who had been in her fair number of negotiations. She might be friends with Moretti but this was talking about the future of her people.
“What rates will the resource buyback be at?” Felicia asked.
Moretti sent her an information package. “These are varying market rates based on platinum’s overall rate. This number can, of course, change. As you know with mining, one week there might be a ton of iron coming in, the next there’s a large shipload of gold and copper. The rates will change but we will honor the agreement and the interest won’t be too much. Also, if not resources, then people can pay with platinum credits if they can earn it in another industry.”
“This mining industry, will it be an umbrella of the Victor Corporation?”
“There will be assets of the Victor Corporation that are dedicated to mining, but anything that people bring here will not be under the purview of the VC, nor will anything that is built by people in the system become part of the Victor Corporation—unless it’s sold to them, of course,” Moretti said.
Felicia bobbed in her chair, looking at Moretti. “All right, send over all of the paperwork. If it is as good as you’re saying, then I’ll push it out to the people of Osdal myself. We both know that if the Luyten Conglomerate gets here, then it’s going to turn into a shit show. Always wanted to see another star system.” Felicia cracked a smile.
“I hope you’re ready for it.” Moretti smiled, relieved. He sent over all of the information packets for her to review with her people.
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” She signed off.
Moretti moved to the next job on his list, and the captain of the VCF Promise, Blu Austen’s, comm came in before he could do anything else. He answered it with a, “Heck, you miss me already?”
“I have a few issues I think I can sort out, but I wanted to talk over a couple of specific things with you.”
Moretti paused and focused on his old friend. “Whatever you need, we’ll get you sorted.”
“Nah, I’m not struggling for anything. I’d like to speak with the guy in charge of all the alterations, the new specs for these cryopods we’ll be building. Some of my guys think there are some risks and they need answers. I am all for wanting to bring our people to Emarl and all, but I don’t want a cargo hold full of dead bodies.”
“I will pass on the request. You should be able to speak with him yourself—why come to me?”
“There’s some internal fighting about what rights we’ll have when we get there. The terms from the Victor Corp are clear and very generous, but as you know, we like to operate under our own steam, without ties. When we get there, we have a lot of extra resources to sell. We’d like to clear any debts and begin afresh.”
He wasn’t so sure on the resources that Austen would have, but he understood the reasons. “You all standing on your own?”
“Of course. We’re staying under the radar. Our sorts of services are required all around the known universe; it just seems that our universe just shrank a thousand times.”
Moretti thought about this, and Austen was right: secret ops were carrying on even still within the ranks of many. He had tabs on most of them; he knew most of them personally. “The information and your standing will not change. All we need to do is find somewhere for you to base yourself and set up on your own. The people of Masoul have a decent reputation to uphold. I’ll make sure it stays that way.”
“Good. Last thing we all want is to just be absorbed by Emarl. We may be evacuating our home, but we’re still rightfully trained.”
“Understood, Captain. I’ll keep you posted and will speak with Mark so that you can have a direct link to Charles and his merger team.”
“Good. I think one of mine has some specific enhancements to try out; he’d like to talk over the batteries systems. Thinks we can improve our time to Emarl with some tweaking.”
Moretti didn’t like the sounds of that: Austen was worried overtaking the new design for the cryopods, but he wanted to mess around with their battery packs? Didn’t make sense.
“All right, I don’t need to know what you guys are messing with. Get loaded, get the upgrades in, and get your asses to Emarl. Once everyone is there, things will be more organized, more central and you’ll see what and why I’m insisting it happens.”
“You were never one to mess us about, M. We’re not stupid. We’ve seen reports and heard rumors on the Maraukians, where they’ll be heading after they’ve taken several other sectors. If Emarl seems to be the best option, we’re not holding back—just will take us some time to get our battered crap together.”
“Leave no one behind,” M said.
Austen frowned. “The fuck we won’t. Gotta good mind to blow the cities to smithereens, but think we could use the ammo when we get to our new home.”
Moretti let the conversation go, and signed out. He then made sure he sent a message off to the others. They had no choice but to move fast. They all needed them there. The spy network among them and throughout the ships that were also heading to Emarl all needed to focus and bring this in, tightening all the connections, making sure that no bit of information could sneak out.
This was what Moretti lived for. The keeper of info. The manager of all. They all knew him, they all respected him, but it had not come easy. This work that he did was more powerful than Mark or the Victor Corp. Without this network of crisscrossing events, logs, and maneuverings, there would be no lead. Pushing and motivating the right people across the galaxies to do certain things was how he liked to get the job done. A whisper, a rumor, then it was like they’d made the decisions.
If it hadn’t been for him, then there would be no circulating thoughts on Roma about awakening the Shadow Legion. He knew that was in the cards; he knew that without them stepping in, Roma was lost. The chaos that was coming across from his channels there was astounding: fighting in the streets, the war over many things, and political boundaries being pushed and pulled all over. He could see the senators sectioning off, making their own preparations. He could see how this was going to play out without intervention from someone that Roma trusted, someone who Nerva trusted with his own life and that of the legion.
He’d spoken with Nerva only once on what happened those many years ago. The fact was that when they fought against the first Maraukian invasions, they formed the best parts of Roma and decided what she stood for. There and then, they’d put into place the deepest of secrets: a force that no one would reckon with, a legion so powerful in legend and thought that if they were to be brought back from sleep that it meant the largest of wars was coming, internally. Moretti was saddened by this, but he also understood how politics and rot on the inside could bring down a nation. He’d witnessed it many a time on other planets. He didn�
��t want to see it with Roma, so with just one tiny seed, her name was sown into the thoughts of the emperor. That was all it needed to get this ball rolling.
The name, and the force, was Legate Zedra, commander of the Shadow Legion. She was a legend, just as much as Nerva was. She stood for everything that was right for Roma and for the human population. She had no political allies, and nothing to gain from them. Her war stories weren’t told as much as Nerva’s, but her stories were saved for the children. The children learned she was a rising tide; if they ever needed her, she would wipe Roma clean once more. When the 40,000 men were asked to volunteer for her legion, the emperor at the time hadn’t expected the response, to lose so many good men, but to know that if they were needed to save them, they’d be there. It was a great day that they went beneath the palace and into cryo, and it was celebrated throughout the city.
When Moretti circulated the name, he knew it would get to Damus and Cassius. He knew that they’d finally step up and do what was necessary. They would waken their own salvation.
Chapter Seventeen
VCF Promise
Oort Cloud, Masoul
5/3556
Austen knew he had his work cut out for him and his ship, but he wasn’t against a challenge. And with Moretti’s backing and orders, he knew they’d pull this off.
They arrived in Masoul within a few days of their transit time, and things were already starting to come into play.
Moretti had done exactly as he’d asked: he’d put in the request for his science officers and Charles of the mergers to communicate and go through what their plans really entailed. The fabbers on the planet had to start making the cryopods, and anything else that he thought they might need. A few weapons upgrades wouldn’t have gone amiss, but they were on the lower end of the scale. Getting them all to Emarl was the priority now.
Enemies on All Sides (Maraukian War Book 4) Page 8