“What will you do?” Cassius asked.
“What will I do?” she spat, looking down at him even though they were of a similar height. “You have no ideas of your own on saving our people?”
Damus was the one who answered her. “There’s much we need to discuss, Zedra. Please, take some time to adjust while we wake the Shadow Legion.”
“I want them on their feet in an hour. The gardens still have room, correct?”
“Yes, Zedra,” Damus answered.
“Then make sure that this is broadcast on all stations. I want the senate to know what you’ve just done for Roma. At least you have that going for you.”
With that, Zedra pushed past the emperor. “I’ll be taking your office. I suggest you find somewhere else to hide while I sort out this colossal fuck-up.”
Chapter Twenty
VCF Avenger
Oort Cloud, Osdal System
6/3556
Aaron had spent most of his time in different meetings talking to the leadership of Osdal. They’d been prying into the kinds of people who ran the Victor Corporation and trying to get every piece of information out of him.
Aaron was open with them on most things that weren’t related to military movements. He knew Moretti’s intentions to draw some of these people to Osdal.
The Emarl system was vast and the Yard’s abilities were great with the skill schools and everything that seemed to be coming out of the ground.
The problem was that although the Yard had some mining capabilities, its abilities weren’t enough to deal with the current demand and they didn’t have many people who were asteroid miners. It would still be months until there were more miners with complete training heading out to the asteroid belts. It was a dangerous job, with help days or weeks away and no one around for miles.
It took a certain kind of person to deal with those mental strains.
The people of Osdal were not only used to those conditions, they knew how to set up a system to maximize the amount and quality of resources that they mined and refined. With them in the Emarl system, it was possible that they would actually be able to meet the Yard’s growing need for resources.
Today, Grild’s mind wasn’t on that as he looked at the VCF Avenger.
Over the last couple of weeks, they had worked to install their Alcubierre drive. The crew of the VCF Fernix had been hard at work upgrading the ship and helping out the engineers there.
They’d run tests and everything checked out.
Grild looked to Captain Marcelle on the main screen.
“Well, looks like we’re all ready to go.” Marcelle looked a hell of a lot better than when he had first woken up to Aaron’s unfamiliar face.
“Hope you have an uneventful journey,” Aaron said.
“See you in Emarl. I’ll grab you a beer.” Marcelle laughed and turned to his command staff. “Nav, let’s see just what our new drive can do.”
“Yes, sir,” the navigation officer said.
The ship moved forward before it disappeared from sight, the screen going blank.
“Well, there’s still plenty more to be done here,” Aaron said, silently wishing them well as he reviewed the meetings he had for later that day.
Chapter Twenty-One
Committee Meeting Room
Oort Cloud, Osdal System
7/3556
Felicia and the other members of the Osdal committee were all focused on the main screen.
One second, there was nothing there; the next, a ship appeared. The massive freighter took up the screen, with them needing to zoom out to see the entire ship.
“And that is the VCF Reclaimer,” Captain Grild said proudly.
“We’re being hailed by the freighter,” a communication tech said from their station as the freighter’s engines started up and it started to move through the Oort Cloud surrounding the system.
“Connect us,” Felicia said, taking control of the situation.
It wasn’t long until there was a woman looking back at them, with her flight crew around her.
“I should have known that you’d be lazing about here, Grild.” She grinned, crossing her legs.
“Captain Kemp, it is good to see you,” Grild said with a wry smile.
“One shipment of foodstuffs and other essentials ready and waiting,” Captain Kemp said, looking to Felicia.
“We’ve got more than enough room for it and we can get you loaded up with raw materials. And I think there are more than a few people who want to hitch a ride to check out this Emarl system.” Felicia smiled.
“Sounds like a plan to me. Unlike Grild, some of us work for our living,” Kemp said, unable to stop ribbing her fellow captain.
“Move to the fourth processing station and we should be able to get you unloaded and loaded quickly,” Johnny said from the side.
“Can do. Putting in the course. Good to meet you all,” Kemp said.
“Later, Kemp,” Grild said.
The channel was cut as the people in the room looked to one another.
They had been told that the other two freighters bound for their system would show up; they didn’t think that it would happen this quickly.
They had to make decisions, and fast.
Felicia looked at them all. They’d reviewed the information; if the Victor Corporation kept to what they had laid down, then it left a lot of room for the people in the Osdal system to not only settle but grow.
If the part about the mining ships on credit was real, then people wouldn’t need to work with the hand-me-down mining craft that they were currently running.
It was hard to get new craft and there were only a few shops that made new ships.
Before, they had been bought by the Osdal Conglomerate, modified with their kill switches, and then passed on to the people in-system. That way, it would be harder for them to fight back. It also gave them a greater control over the lives of the people in Osdal.
Those ship makers were all looking to move to the Emarl system, either to start up the same business there, or to join the Victor Corporation.
Felicia could feel it—they were on a precipice: they stayed here or charged forward.
She, for one, knew what she would do.
Her old bones might ache and the wrinkles had come in strength, but at heart she was a risk taker, an adventure seeker. No one who was an asteroid miner wasn’t.
Seems like Mark and Moretti weren’t blowing smoke. I wonder what the Emarl system has to offer?
***
She wasn’t the only one with thoughts toward the future, with the VCF Reclaimer appearing and heading to the processing station. Johnny Walker was thinking about his own future. He controlled three refining stations. The corporations wouldn’t let things continue as they had.
Johnny braced himself before he requested a call with an unknown number.
It was a few minutes before a blank screen appeared. A few moments later, it resolved into a groggy-looking Moretti.
“Hey, Johnny. How’s it going, old man?”
“Last time you weren’t as much of a talker.” Johnny smiled. Moretti looked as if he were only a couple of years older when they had last met, but Johnny was feeling every day of his advanced age.
“Well, I did have cryo,” Moretti said.
Johnny nodded in agreement.
They hadn’t known each other too well. After all, when they met, Moretti was on a mission with the members of the Triple-Twos. Though they had met many times, talking about different trades, the group had spent time with Johnny and created a friendship, even if they couldn’t tell the other everything.
They were fond memories to Johnny.
“I wanted to ask you something.” Johnny paused, as if trying to figure out just how to pose his question and proposal.
“Spit it out or else you might choke on the dentures,” Moretti said after a few moments.
“Seems that the others certainly had an effect on your behavior.” Johnny laughed. “All right
, so I own three refinery stations. I was wondering if I could bring them to the Emarl system.”
“What?” Even Moretti was stunned by Johnny’s words.
“I want to strap my refineries to one of your freighters and take them to the Emarl system. I ran the numbers and looked it over—they’d fit. I just need to know what the cost would be and if you would let it go ahead.”
“It would take me some time to run the numbers but yeah, I think we can do that. Also, if you have people who are on your stations, you could charge them for the ride,” Moretti said, looking out for his friend as he knew that the cost of moving the three stations wouldn’t be small.
“Just let me know what your terms would be with me bringing them and what you would be willing to offer for the items I produce when we’re there,” Johnny said.
“Well, I don’t know a price for it off the top of my head. Though, if you bring them, you can put them where you want. You would run them. As long as they kept with the rules set forward by the Emarl system, that would be all good by us. Anything that you take in and anything that you put out would be your business. We would only look to seeing if you paid back the debt. I’ll be honest with you—we have some refining capability, but it isn’t much. We don’t have many miners either. If you were to come into the system then, well, it would kill dozens of birds with one stone.”
“You know that I think you’re losing the art of the deal.” Johnny laughed as Moretti gave away the weak points and strong points of the refinery moving to the Emarl system.
To others it might be foolish, but Johnny was warmed by it. He knew how Moretti kept his secrets; having him tell Johnny all of these things openly—it looked as if he valued their friendship highly, to this day.
“Honestly, Johnny, this would be massive to the Emarl system and would go a long way in allowing the system to be self-sufficient.”
There was little to no information coming from the Emarl system. Even the people from the VCF were tight-lipped and didn’t know what was going on there fully.
It was a big jump to make.
Johnny looked at Moretti, weighing his words and the person he was. “All right, fuck it. Let’s give it a shot. It’s better than waiting to die here.” Johnny smiled.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Palace Parade Ground
Hellenica
7/3556
Legate Damus now stood with Zedra, observing the parade ground. It had taken awhile for her to take in all the information she had to start making decisions, and then to begin to wake up some of her command for the Shadow Legion. Damus had taken this responsibility himself to accommodate them and help them adjust at his training facility.
Damus had been attentive to her, making sure she had everything she needed. The dressing down that the both of them had on her waking was enough to last him a lifetime. It reminded him so much of Nerva that he wondered what their relationship was like when they were both around. Being on the wrong side of either had him back in his training days, panicked over the stupidest thing he’d done as a captain and getting written up by the major at the time. Things and days past that he’d sooner never happen again.
Zedra held with her the same grace that Nerva did. You didn’t even need to know her rank or experience to understand she had that right way of walking, of commanding everyone around her.
“They’ve been doing well with your aid, thank you.”
“Technology has come a long way, but I admit watching them, I am learning just as much.”
Zedra eyed him carefully. “We may have been fighting different wars, but still wars all the same. It’s not something I would want to do, but for our people, if they have to go to war with those in better gear, then they’d take on anyone and everyone in our path.”
“I’ve never seen anyone take the challenge like you all have. You’re a credit to us, to Roma.”
“Thank you.”
Damus was a little taken aback by her thanks, but then when she moved, he followed. Of course he did. Cassius had let loose that the Shadow Legion had been woken, and instantly across Roma, without even a sniff of them, there had been an eerie settlement. There were no more fights in the streets, although the shortages were getting worse. It seemed even their names instilled change, fear of more repercussions.
For Damus, it was lack of response from Rimateus that worried him. He knew the man was up to no good, and that was something bad. He just needed more evidence, and more chances to nail him. With Zedra, he hoped those chances would come.
Chapter Twenty-Three
VCF Moby held in VCF Osdal
In Transit to Emarl System
8/3556
The fourth and final batch of Vanguard mergers had finished their training just last week. Those who hadn’t made it in the previous three training attempts had tried out. Some of them had made it; some of them hadn’t.
Now, altogether, there were two hundred of some of the meanest bastards on the VCF Osdal, assisting the other merger sectors.
The mergers had been organized into two understrength companies. They had turned back to using the EMF’s organizational command structure.
Mark was given the rank captain, though most of the troopers still called him Major Victor.
His company warrant officer was Evan Miles.
Ava led one of the companies, with Polwell as her company Warrant officer.
The other company was led by one of the new mergers but an old hand at war, Lieutenant Baz, with Rachel as his company warrant officer. Leading their platoons were Second Lieutenant Fussli, Warrant Officer McPherson, Second Lieutenant Ji, Warrant Officer Elgi, Second Lieutenant Watanabe, and Warrant Officer Drumm.
Then, under Lieutenant Ava’s command, she had Company Warrant Officer Polwell, Second Lieutenant Waters, Warrant Officer Kumar, Second Lieutenant Kacharovs—who everyone called Katch—Warrant Officer Lundy, Second Lieutenant Hahn, and Warrant Officer Fu.
This was the core of their leadership.
Dodger, who would have been the other lieutenant, bowed out. After the fighting on Ducharev, something had changed. He had seen many people die, too many in his time. The fact was that with the mergers’ abilities, it weighed on his mind too much. He wasn’t sure of his combat capabilities. As such, Mark had promoted him to a training position. Dodger would be in charge of training all new Vanguard mergers.
This was not some easy position. In fact, it would be much harder than the frontline units as the pressure would be on Dodger to make sure that the people who passed his course to become people of the Vanguard knew what they were getting into and that they were the very best.
Even with them all being part of the Vanguard, there was nothing that they could do other than train. So Mark had passed down the order. They were to help out with the other merger sectors until they reached Emarl system. When they got there, they’d be given new orders based on what needed to be done.
It looked for the coming future; they’d be just helpers rather than using their skills for any kind of warfare and destruction.
“Poppers, I heard that you got cleaning duty again!” Rei laughed as they crossed each other. Ava continued past them into the area that the Vanguard was living in.
They were still on the Moby but while the Osdal transported them, they could shut down the Moby’s reactors and work on all of her systems. At least one hundred mergers were working on the ship at any given time. Charles promised that it would be done in a month. Though he’d been saying that for some time now.
The problem was that once they did something, it wouldn’t take long until they figured out a better system. This kind of rapid advancement was crazy but it was also great.
They didn’t have the largest force, so they needed to use what they had to the extremes of its ability.
“No one can take a joke anymore,” Poppers complained.
“He replaced Goosen’s drink with oil,” Roberts yelled from the open doorway.
Ava shook her head. The
Vanguard had come together really fast. They might be from different training groups but they were all well acquainted with one another.
“Dude, why the hell did you give him oil?” Rei asked.
“Well, he’s more machine than person, right? So damn smart but he didn’t know his drink wasn’t oil? Maybe he needs it!”
“We’re all machine and organic tossed together,” Roberts yelled.
“Yeah, so what? I have oil every Thursday!” Poppers said.
Even Ava made a disgusted face as she looked at the proud Poppers.
“Dude, there is no saving you,” Rei said.
Ava made it into one of the barracks where people were sleeping; others were working on their suits as if it were their prized possession.
“Mox! If you polish your goddamn armor one more time, I swear I’ll be able to see it!” Iaj yelled, throwing a shoe at Mox, who was working on his Pluto armor.
“Atten-tion!” Sergeant Wollowitz called out.
The people in the room stood up rapidly. A card game turned into shambles and Schmidt fell off his bed. Even with his new body, he had no coordination and couldn’t wake up fast enough.
He quickly recovered and stood at attention.
“Thank God you have a hard skull, Schmidt,” Ava said to the grins of the others. “At ease. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
The room relaxed as people went over to Schmidt.
“Dude, you were asleep, but you’ve got a computer in your brain—how the hell did you fall off the bed?”
“Well, I wasn’t merged, was I!” Schmidt complained.
Ava shook her head as the others in the room went about their business as usual. She might be in charge of half of them, but the atmosphere was relaxed instead of stiff.
Once they completed training, they were treated as equals. They followed Ava out of respect, not just because her rank was higher.
Ava moved through the cots. Some were watching television, others were talking about what they’d do with their next leave, or bitching about the shit that they were going through working for the other sectors or how they didn’t have a Pluto yet.
Enemies on All Sides (Maraukian War Book 4) Page 10