War's Reward (Free Fleet Book 6)

by Michael Chatfield

  “Yeah,” Rick said, sighing, I could hear the nerves and tension behind his voice. He didn't need to tell me that he had been scared, I could recognize it. I heard that tone all too often in my own voice.

  “Sometimes I’m not sure about the decision we’ve made,” I said, leaving myself unguarded, I considered Rick one of my best friends, a brother even. Yet there always people around, people that I had to prop up, to push on.

  “We didn’t take the easy path, but we took the right one,” Rick said with confidence.

  I looked to him, seeing the truth in his eyes.

  “Yeah, yeah we did,” I said, looking over the valley, seeing Holt who had been joking just yesterday to try and remove some of the doom and gloom before the battle.

  Jello, a Kuruvian that had had been having a friendly argument about rail cannons and plasma cannons while playing a game of chess. Donkur, a Sarenmenti from Hachiro that had started a game of soccer.

  I closed my eyes, seeing faces, remembering moments, or even passing glances, a nod, a smile, a laugh.

  I took a breath and stood, my body weary and my soul tearing.

  “Let’s get to the south lines, they’re going to need us,” I said, putting my hand on Rick’s shoulder, resting it there for a moment before I moved to my HAPA. New armor plate had been welded on and burn holes could be seen on it’s armored back, but like me it was functional.

  I waited for Rick to get into his machine. We met Krom and Shreesht down the hill, Wruck was waiting for us back on the south lines.

  Together we headed for the farmland turned shuttle pick up.

  Chapter Slow and Steady

  It had been a week since they had begun their advance, they had moved the line forward some two hundred kilometers, moving back into to Poland’s border, through the Czech Republic and Austria until it hit the Italian-Slovenia border.

  “How are our rebuilding efforts coming along?” Gajos asked. Bok Soo sat in an odd looking bunker, too tall for humans and wide enough to park a few cars in. Perfect for a HAPA to prop its guns in the window and fire at any Kalu they saw.

  “Slowly but surely,” Bok Soo said, sounding only half-focused on the conversation. “Shit got a racer. Chenko, coming your way!” Bok Soo barked as his cannons fired. They were outside the bunker so all their volume was expended outside instead of into Gajos’ ear drums.

  There was a scratching noise above.

  “Got a Kalu on the roof!” Bok Soo yelled, there was a wet noise, behind Gajos.

  Bok Soo turned, seeing Gajos and a Kalu behind her.

  “Move Gajos!” Bok Soo yelled, moving.

  He pushed her away with one cannon, but the Kalu was on him before he could fire the other.

  “Sounvabitch!” Bok Soo yelled twisting to try and get the Kalu off of him, the bastards were stuck in, and his mouth was scratching his helmet.

  His right hand found his shotgun, he pulled it up but couldn’t’ bring it against the Kalu, he fired along the Kalu’s body the plasma cutting into the armor and making the Kalu buck frantically in pain. It pushed back readying itself for another lunge.

  It gave Bok Soo the room he needed, putting his shotgun against the Kalu’s chest, where it’s manipulators were. He fired, yelling his anger at the creature, cranking on the lever action and firing. The Kalu fell off the HAPA, leaving scratches in it. Bok Soo grabbed his left control arm, his cannon dropping to the Kalu’s level as he pulled the trigger.

  The Kalu bucked backwards, it’s helmet and forward section of it’s body a mess.

  “Fucker,” Bok Soo said, looking to Gajos who lay on the floor.

  “So what did you want to know?” Bok Soo asked.

  “Waah?” She asked, her eyes confused.

  “What did you want to know?” Bok Soo asked again.

  “I can’t hear you, must’ve blown my ears out you asshole!” She said, getting to her feet. Bok Soo could see the blood around her ears.

  Ouch.

  “I need a medic, might have some blown out eardrums,” Bok Soo said on the medical channel.

  “Medic on their way, two minutes,” someone responded, the channel cutting.

  Gajos was trying to pop her ears but wasn’t having much luck. Her eyes looking to burn through Bok Soo’s fair face.

  The medic entered the room, looking around.

  “Blew the Generals ears out I think,” Bok Soo said.

  “Hmm.” The medic pushed her hands out of the way.

  “Alright, I’m going to need you to lie down,” the medic said. Bok Soo saw the needle they grabbed from their pack.

  “I’m going to make sure the area is clear,” Bok Soo said, returning to the bunker’s firing slit where three other Commandos were also lying in wait.

  “Something the matter boss?” Gurek asked.

  “Seems the general might be in for a bit of hellfire treatment,” Bok Soo said.

  “Oh shit,” Thompson laughed. “She is going to be pissed.”

  “Thanks genius,” Bok Soo said, glancing back on his HUD.

  The medic had a confused looking Gajos lying on the floor, then quick as a cobra they struck, and emptied the needle into the general.

  “She’ll be fine, tell me if you need anything else,” the medic said. Obviously not wanting to deal with an irate general they’d just dumped hell fire into.

  “Sure thing doc,” Bok Soo said, his HUD recognized his eyes tracking back to Gajos.

  Ohh, she does not look happy.

  He went back to the all important work of killing Kalu. Their plan was elegant in their simplicity, now that they had pushed back the Kalu they were setting up along their old lines, reinforcing them and letting the Kalu smash their way to oblivion.

  Just as Monk was doing with the Kalu along the East and Western coasts, minus the bands of resistance where bunker cities fought.

  Everything past Bok Soo’s line to India was wiped out. As long as they stayed still the Kalu seemed intent on running at their lines again and again.

  “Bok Soo!” Gajos said, bringing him back to the moment in a rather violent way.

  “Ma’am it’s good to see you’re okay,” Bok Soo said, glancing to her.

  He saw her pushing off of the floor, looking every bit as tired as he felt.

  “Cover my sector,” Bok Soo said, he got a green from Gurek as he moved to Gajos, he let his control arms fall as he grabbed a needle from a leg pouch and held it out.

  “The hells that?”

  “Just simple wake-up, takes the fatigue off of the hell fire,” he said.

  She sighed and took it, stabbing it into her leg, it went off like an epi-pen and she seemed to straighten with energy.

  She checked the needle point was away and put it in her pocket. Leaving needles around was a sure way to spread some nastiness.

  “Next time, a bit of warning before you blow out my eardrums,” she said.

  “Yes ma’am,” Bok Soo said.

  “And stop with the ma’am shit, I’m not that old,” she growled.

  “Very well Gajos,” Bok Soo said, seeing that they were back on level ground.

  “Nice work regardless,” she said, looking to the dead Kalu. “Now I wanted to know what our progress was looking like and to talk to you about these ‘hunter teams’ you want to field,” she said.

  Bok Soo moved his HAPA to one side, powered it down and grabbed his rifle, re-holstering his shotgun and jumping down.

  “Let’s walk and talk shall we?” Bok Soo said, guiding her back outside into the trench system, overhead cover was being put in, great slabs of concrete and armor plating cut off the light from overhead.

  Machine guns were being put on the second and third lines that would not only fire over the front trenches, but hit anything that was trying to get passed the armored overhead slabs.

  “The bunkers are mostly up, we’re working on getting lines set up and having more permanent positions for the ammunition and necessary supplies up here. Over head cover should be done
in two days’ time to the second trench lines. Should have lighting in here about the same time,” Bok Soo said, moving along the trench that was made big enough to fit two HAPA’s running in opposite directions.

  “So everything should be done in two days?” Gajos asked, the line ran for fifteen hundred kilometers, bunkers had appeared in hours, the trenches had already been dug and the Kalu hadn’t done anything to remove them.

  The first bunkers had been crude creations, but enough space sealant had turned them from dugouts into black pillboxes with firing slots.

  “Yeah it looks like, fingers crossed,” Bok Soo said.

  “So what about these hunter teams?” She said, turning to him, they moved out of the main trench were people were moving supplies, there was lots of warm food and drink being passed around. Some people were just taking a stroll.

  “Comes from an Avarian idea. Right now they have people who know the land, pissing off the Kalu. The Commandos wait in defensive positions, the Avarians hunting party brings the Kalu down their ambush and the Commandos pile fire into the Kalu, artillery support, rail guns, the works. I know its effective and I know it will be effective here.” He held up a hand stalling the argument he already saw forming on her lips.

  “I don’t think humans are going to be running around there and luring Kalu, but if we can get people out there with communications, a long range sight and a guide. They can scout Kalu positions and call in fire. We start hitting them where they’re living,” Bok Soo said.

  Gajos tapped her foot in thought, looking up at the grey clouds above, the rain had paused for a few minutes.

  “We’ll do a starter run. If it works out then I’ll see about getting you more guides,” she said, looking to Bok Soo.

  “Very well. I’ll have the spotters ready when you need them,” he replied.

  “Good, now I’m going to take a walk of the bunkers, care to join me?” She asked.

  “Always happy to have a little wander,” Bok Soo said with a smile.

  ***

  “The caommander needs help an’ you think to drive our asses thru atmosphere and hang in the darned sky like some damned shuttle an’ you don’t even think to let me kno yer doing it!” Eddie said, in his bad western country drawl, his hands on his toolbelt and his cowboy hat firmly affixed to his head.

  His manipulators showing his annoyance.

  “We didn’t really have time to...” Marleen said, wishing she could sink into the Commander’s chair.

  “Pick up a line, an say, we’re gonna do summin real stupid! All it woulda taken lassie! Might have been able to keep some of the sensor nodes you scraped off the hull!” He said shaking a hand at her.

  “Umm, sorry?” Marleen said.

  “Better! Now I’m going to be pulling the Gunners and anyone you can spare to do a complete check of the entire hull, all thrusters, engines, sensor arrays, gun mounts, hangar doors. There ain’t no telling what kind of warpin’ an’ damage we got goin on out there,” Eddie said, thoughtful

  A sensor controller groaned.

  Eddie pulled his boot off and threw it at the controller. Everyone was wearing powered armor and it thunked off of the controller’s helmet, getting a surprised shriek.

  “I won’t be havin’ none of that slacker talk!” Eddie said, the boot coming back to his hand.

  Sometimes I wonder where the hell Eddie came from. Kuruvians are surprised by him as much as we are!

  “You’ll have the techs. I want at least some of the guns checked and cleared as operational by both your people and the gunners. Might need them for orbital strikes,” Marleen said.

  “Very well, but imma need those volunteers snappish. Not one to sit around on my thumbs when there’s work to be done!” Eddie said, turning and leaving the bridge.

  “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen him on the bridge,” Vort said as the armored doors closed behind Eddie.

  “Unless we want to see him climb out of an air duct, we’d best get him those volunteers,” Marleen said sighing. There’s nothing quite like having your chief engineer coming in and berating you about throwing his ship through Earth’s atmosphere to wake you up.

  She looked to her screens.

  The lines had been formed and were holding. Kalu continued to throw themselves at the defenses but even they seemed to be losing steam. It was believed that Orshpa and most of his command element had been killed through the actions between Xi’an and Zhengzhou.

  Hunter groups were moving out into the field, finding underground dens to call penetrator rounds on from the rail gun artillery.

  Sensor controllers and commanders combed reams of information looking to find the dens from the skies.

  They were systematically eradicating any indication of the Kalu being on Earth.

  The people of Earth had adapted and adjusted to their new situation.

  Already the Free Fleet were starting to take back some of their powered armor and rail guns. The Kalu’s back had been broken and there was little chance of them getting to the civilians behind the lines now.

  Forced rest was given to those that had been going for weeks with naps, an unhealthy amount of wakeup and nearly constant combat.

  Shuttles brought wounded up to the fleet’s medical bays to have the medical chairs work on them, or get lost limbs replaced.

  It seemed that people were starting to understand that they were human. They had to look to one another for strength, borders made them weaker. There was still ingrained hatred in many places. But fighting against a common enemy had brought nations and people closer together more so than ever before. Countries that hated one another had no options but to fight alongside one another, or they had been swept aside by Kalu.

  Nations had fallen, governments and people wiped out as the Kalu roamed across the world. Prejudices meant that people died in massive numbers, without working together they fell apart. Only the largest of nations had survived enforcing their borders.

  New lines were forming across Costa Rica; the southern countries had fought amongst one another as much as with the Kalu. No one had been willing to put their people into that kind of fight. Lines stretches across the north and south of Africa kept the Kalu contained in the central plains. They enjoyed the temperatures and weren’t interested in going too much south or north.

  Because they were not fighting against the hardened lines they grouped together, into nice dens that the Free Fleet were systematically bombing from orbit.

  Mars was already rebuilding, Hachiro had been repaired, three of Nancy’s slips were operational as the remainder were being brought online.

  Sol was rebounding, it was estimated there were less than two million Kalu across Earth, that number decreasing by tens of thousands or more per day.

  As soon as all the lines were completed then the Free Fleet would be leaving five ships to hold the orbitals, they would spread over the planet in orbit while the remainder of the Free Fleet assets pulled out.

  They weren’t needed, Earth could hold their own borders.

  If they wanted the Free Fleet to clear their planet, then they were going to have to offer something to the Free Fleet.

  It had been a long campaign, but it was coming to an end.

  Many would be shipped off to Daestramus where Bregend was preparing to clear the cities.

  HCD’s were just days away from dropping off the reinforcements from the Kuruvian Empire and surrounding systems that had a Commando presence.

  Marleen wondered if Bregend would wait, or start clearing the cities before the reinforcements from Sol reached him.

  He would nearly double his Commando numbers with the incoming reinforcements.

  She sighed, standing and stretching.

  “If anyone needs me, I’ll be on the hull with a scanner looking at damage,” she said.

  “Understood,” Vort answered from his place.

  Marleen felt some of the tension leave her shoulders, checking the hull would do good to clear her min
d.

  ***

  Cheerleader watched Henry terrorizing the sensor techs, he was now up and running about. Something that had gotten him into trouble more than a few times.

  It was hard to scold the boy; his energy was infectious.

  Someone in the sensor pit caught him, he giggled and tried to free himself.

  Cheerleader didn’t know how much she needed that smiling face of innocence until she’d been around it for a few days. The depression that had been setting in was pushed away.

  As she looked at him and the people of the station she consoled the loss of so many amazing people. They had died, and it pained her deeply, she had cried herself to sleep more than once thinking of the faces she would never see again, or the conversations she could imagine never happening.

  Yet here, amongst all that destruction, that brutality, there was life. From their lives children would be able to grow up, people could live their lives in peace.

  Cheerleader had stood and weathered the storm that was the Kalu invasion. It had changed her more than she had thought possible. She was no longer the girl Kang In Sook that had joined Mecha Tail to play video games against the best. She was Fleet Commander Cheerleader, the woman that had thrown herself and her fleet into the teeth of the Kalu time and time again, finally coming to the battle of Quarst where all too many of those ships had died, gaining time for reinforcements to attack the Kalu.

  Too many people had died across star systems, and on planets that were not their own. They were called by duty, called by the need to protect lives, no matter the shape they came in.

  The last freighters were being filled with Commandos and equipment at Ershue, they would be coming home to Parnmal. They had done their duty and more.

  All too many had appointments with the stations medical facilities.

  Inkal’s trader fleet had returned to their home planet and reverted to the business of shipping goods across Union space. Henry Classed Destroyers with their incredible speed and short rest times between multiple wormhole transitions were moving troops, the rest of the freighters were quickly getting back to shifting the supplies recovering planets needed.