The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet

by Michael Chatfield

  Rick drew himself up snapping out a two finger salute that would’ve done any drill sergeant proud. The other commanders joined in so with close precision, including Monk and Cheerleader. They’d apparently been practicing much to my chagrin as I tried my best to return the gesture my pride in them soured by my own inability to snap out a salute to be proud of. Well if I survived the upcoming battle I’d be damned well learning how to salute!

  Min Hae cut the channel as I turned to the people in the room.

  “Get everyone ready and in position in an hour and a half. Then get the advanced party…”

  “We know the plan Salchar.” Henry said as I found comfort in his deep and confident voice.

  “I know I know.” I said, frustrated.

  A grin appeared on more than one face. I threw my hands up in the air. “I’ll leave it in your capable hands. Now I’m going to get in my Mecha.”

  Henry screwed his face up, “Wouldn’t it make it easier for us to secure the ships if you stay onboard?”

  “Henry I’m not going to make my people go out there and risk their lives when I’m not willing to do so myself.” My tone soft but there was no doubt of the iron in it.

  “Yes sir.” His face falling as I walked out of the room and into armoury three began putting my Mecha on latch by latch.

  Yasu began doing the same with her Mecha not looking at me as the others filed out to their jobs.

  “Are we going to win?” She said after a few minutes.

  “Who the hell knows?” I said flippantly annoyed how my team wanted me to stay on the nice safe ship while they were charging the enemy head on.

  “You’re the man with the plan, the head honcho, and the one that’s planned four steps ahead. I know that you had that information about who the captain and his crew were associated with. In training making us train with one another and not turn into monsters by killing one another. How long have you been planning to take over these ships?”

  Me know who the syndicate was from the beginning? Yeah, no. I made those rules so I wouldn’t get killed! I wanted to say as my mouth and media training took over.

  “Since the beginning.” Well it was a half-truth, in the beginning I had wanted to do anything to get out of the situation I was in. Those thoughts had been swayed by the fact I wanted to take Mecha Tail with me, that had turned into keeping Earth safe and hell I got a real Mecha.

  Though if I was going to stay in command instead of getting stabbed in the back or having someone else more inept taking over from me people thinking I was some kind of far-sighted wizard of war, well it couldn’t hurt could it?

  She studied my closely as I put my helmet on leaving the visor open, my face a mask. Apparently satisfied she continued putting on her Mecha.

  “Why do you hate me so much?” I asked; there was a good chance that I was going to die in the next few hours, kill switch disablers or not, so what the hell.

  She finished doing her last catches up collecting her thoughts before she looked at me studying my face as I stood there leaning back with my arms crossed.

  “I don’t hate you, most of the time.” She looked up as if trying to find the words for something she didn’t know.

  “You’re a skilled warrior; many people follow you and trust you…” She paused looking around the armoury for guidance.

  “Hah, good one, go on.” I said her eyes flashing.

  “Though you’re arrogant, annoying, think too little of yourself, you don’t fulfill the role of a husband and you don’t care for my ways.”

  “I don’t know how to fulfill the role of my husband and I think too little of myself?” She sighed exasperated by my seeming blindness.

  “You distrust nearly everyone yet they trust you. You don’t believe in the power you wield and yes you certainly do have it.” She waved at the entire ship and the ships around us.

  “They believe in Salchar, they believe in the man that helped us to find ourselves then gave us purpose instead of letting us becoming tools. The man that searched for the truth when others didn’t believe it. They believe in the man that was the real force behind the invasion of a planet. Do you know how many people have looked up your record on the gaming circuit?”

  “Uhh.” She’s complimenting me!

  “All of them, it has become a necessary reading material for every single Commando. Hell you’re the one that gave them a name, breaking us off from those that wish to enslave us.” Her servos whined as her Mecha clanked with every step as she struck my chest plate with a clang.

  “Get your head out of your ass and look around, these people believe in you, and are going to go into hell because you told them to. Forget your trust issues and your paranoia, trust them now. They need it as much as you do.” She stomped towards the armoury doors.

  “What about the husband part?”

  She turned her face dark.

  “On the eve of battle and you want to know how you’ve screwed up marriage.” She let an angry rush of air out as she walked out of the armoury. I couldn’t help but grin.

  After a few seconds I calmed down as I powered up my HUD, communications channels appeared on my HUD. She was right, I need to trust them. I opened up a channel to Rick’s Mecha, finding he too was already suited up.

  “So we’re finally doing it eh boss?”

  “Yeah, that we are, are all of your technical people ready?” Rick with his background in the Air force was better suited to dealing with the people that would have to take up positions in all of the ships and control them. He and Henry made up my right and left, one commanding my Commandos, the other working the hardware of the ships, and station to ease the transition of the first, with the hidden assistance of Resilient.

  “Yes sir, they’re annoyed that they won’t be on the front lines.”

  “I know, but they are vital where they will be, and they will not be seeing any less action than the Commandos will be.”

  “I know sir; though if you require assistance don’t hesitate to ask. We will be there.”

  “Thank you Rick, and let your people I know they’ll be frustrated having to stay on the ships. Yet their jobs are as important as my own, if not more so. Without them we will not succeed.”

  “I’ll let them know boss. We’ve come pretty far haven’t we?”

  “Further than I thought we would have been able to at this point.” I admitted.

  “Don’t go dying on me Salchar; we still need you after this. You have a fleet to command.”

  I laughed, my nerves showing.

  “I’m serious! I have no idea what I would do with all of that responsibility!” He said, a small grin on his face.

  “Well what should we name this fleet?” I said, shaking my head at his antics.

  “I think you already did.” My pause made him fill me in.

  “The Fleet of the free.”

  I like the Free Fleet.

  “That does sound a lot better.” He said, apparently in my nervousness I’d spoken my thoughts.

  “The Free Fleet.” He said—I could hear the grin in his voice.

  “As you Command Salchar, I’ll pass it on. I have to see to my people.”

  “Me too.” I looked at my timer in my HUD.

  “Waiting’s a bitch.”

  “That it is boss. Rick out.” The line went dead as I got focused on the mission at hand as I walked into the shuttle bay.

  “Eddie, are you sure you’ve got everything covered?”

  “Yes it’s all good a tad difficult I’m told.” Eddie had taken over the video and audio surveillance across all of the ship in our fleet as well as the external sensors which was quite a feat. He didn’t know how long it would last but for now it was holding. I walked into the gunnery deck where two platoons of AMC’s instead of the five squads previously planned waited. I checked my kill switch disabler on my neck making sure it was secure this part was the worst, if anyone found out what was happening now then our entire plan would fail.

  “
Alright Eddie we’re in your hands.”

  “We’ll keep you hidden Commander.” I changed to the dual Platoon commander’s channel.

  “Let me guess, Henry.”

  “He just thought it would be a better placement of mechas here sir.” The company commander said looking a few inches above my eyes as I snorted.

  “Suure.” I said grinning as Yasu joined me. She found herself swarmed by her students as she smiled and talked to them while I stood there waiting.

  The Mechas happily accepted her, while I’d been sweating over plans, gaining information and trying to make sure all of the cogs were turning in the right direction to get the end result we needed she’d been training everyone in hand to hand.

  She’d even taught other trainers with the view screens which is the real reason that Felix had wanted to hook the maintenance hubs view screen to the communications relay.

  His wife being one of Yasu’s main posse most definitely behind the man’s logic. Yasu had given me the best trained fighters that I could get in such a short period, skills that would be pushed to the limit today.

  I watched as different counters turned green and others continued to slowly tick down.

  “We’re docked.” Min Hae said over the commander’s channel with individual ships calling in when they’d done the same.

  The ships engines wound down and I could hear as the stations arms connected with the hull of the Imperial Dreadnought and as airlocks extended clamping to our own.

  “Our Captain’s on the move as well as the crew, he’s engaged the lockouts.” Min Hae kept us informed as a list of checkpoints ticked off.

  Through the Kuruvians we’d gained control of the sensors that showed us where everyone was located on the ship.

  I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I felt the distinct urge to go to the washroom but chided myself at the fear and nervousness.

  “Captain and a quarter of the crew are aboard the station.” Min Hae reported.

  “Alright cut communication and go into lockdown.” I said as I stepped in the elevator pressing the button for the command centre. It went orange, instead of the normal green as I found a squad swarm around me. The same squad that I’d attacked the Chaleelians with I noticed as I saw the familiar sets of armour.

  They swarmed out of the lift ready as they quickly advanced through the hallway towards the command centre the double armoured doors were open making it easier for crew to move around but also making it a massive security flaw.

  “Half command centre, half rooms!” I yelled as the group with me split in two.

  “Activate the kill switches!” I heard one of the crew say as my disabler fitzed before there was a cracking noise, accompanied with kill switches exploding outwards as they failed to properly activate. Bouncing harmlessly off of another Commando and a wall.

  There was another half squad already out of the lift as I moved towards the quarters three teams staying with me.

  I dived into the first room I came across, coming up as the owner of the room shot at my visor with a fletchette pistol. I raised my left to stop them from shattering the visor as I swung my other fist ending in a wet crunch as the servo assisted power of the Mecha sent them flying across the room where they landed with a wet crunch. I turned looking at the other three chained occupants of the room looking up at me in abject fear.

  “Shit. Cover yourselves.” I said as I threw them the blanket from the bed in the room as they quickly did so.

  I picked up the fletchette pistol, passing it back as I found a plasma rifle on the wall. I pulled it down inserting a power pack near it and clamping the extras to me as I walked into the corridor.

  “They locked themselves in! Can’t open it without breaching charges.” I found the location of the speaker two doors ahead, the rooms before it clear as I rushed to the position.

  “I think I have the answer to your troubles.” I said “Be ready to follow me in.” I leveled the plasma rifle with the door at point blank range as I grinned.

  “Honey! I’m home!” I said in a sing song voice as I quickly hit the bolts and drove my foot into the door knocking it down as a man was bringing up a rail gun. I didn’t think as my plasma rifle bucked and plasma burnt through the shooter as I noticed a sharp pain in my right shoulder as it showed limited mobility.

  Training kicked in as I rolled forward. A commando followed me checking the left as I checked right, there was no one as I stood, looking at the silhouette burned into the bulkhead where the occupant had stood. Now just a pool of material and melted metal on the floor.

  “Clear!” The Commando checking the left announced as we left the room.

  I walked out as the last room was being taken. I walked up to the bridge of the command centre muttering dark things about Mechas prone to limited mobility as I rotated my shoulder feeling a pulling pain.

  “Now at least we know why it’s called Golden refuge.” I said sourly at the rare metals which decorated the bridge and the command centre around it. The opulence was even more than what we’d seen in the communication between the Captain and the Chaleelians.

  “Alright get the technical support into place.” I said to Felix and Min Hae.

  The Captain’s chair was actually a lounger so I sat in one of the two chairs beneath and to the side of it, it was wide enough to fit my Mecha nicely and with a full array of command modules on the armrests. Instead I looked up at the dual deck of the command centre. There was the bottom floor deck with its own stations, and then another upper deck on top and forward of the first. Stations also lined the walls.

  “Damn it certainly takes a lot of people to control you Resilient.”

  “Sixty five command staff if I wasn’t aboard.” She replied.

  “Damn.” I got out of my day dream I needed to focus on the here and now, not just figure out how truly massive the Resilient was.

  “Good. Now can you turn that big ole brain of yours towards helping us taking over this station?”

  “Certainly. Though you’re going to need to get those wireless hubs up on those secured and isolated systems.” She said as she was able to activate all her systems without caring if anyone would notice her presence.

  “Yeah, lots to do.”

  “Sir that’s the Captain’s chair—your chair as commander of the fleet.” Felix said pointing to the lounger. Always the tactful one isn’t you Felix.

  “I was just checking out things on this station. We’re going to need to get that lounger replaced as quickly as possible.”

  “Yes commander.” Felix said going over to look at it as his people were already getting acquainted with the ships systems.

  I used the chair to access inter-ship communications to armoury three. “Shrift, opening armoury doors.” I said doing just that as I saw all of the weapons racks open on one of the armrest’s screens.

  “Thanks James, damned plasma torches were having a tough time cutting through that stuff, and seeing as I’m talking to you I guess the disablers worked.”

  “Got that right. Get ready for company.”

  “Right, time to get back to work.”

  I quickly checked on the Sarenmenti which were still locked in their rooms.

  “Alright, it’s Christmas and the armoury’s hosting.” I said to those that had taken the command centre and bridge with me. All but two squads started for the lifts to the armoury. I saw Yasu going with them as I turned on the two squads left.

  “Anyone left alive?”

  “Not from the crew, but there are what seems like twelve or so creatures the crew used for entertainment.” The Commander of the forces said as I clenched my fist.

  “Alright, get them transported to the Mecha quarters, one per room, get them a meal they look to be half starved the ones I saw and post a guard on them. The rest of you I want two teams on the lifts incase, another two on both sides of the bridges armoured doors. For love of all things holy please shut the damned things as well. You will be the reserves I’ll
have weapons brought up to all of you as soon as possible.” They were already moving before I’d finished still in my chair.

  “Felix looks like you have everything in hand. I’m leaving you in charge of her while I’m away.”

  “Yes sir, I’m going to have my people run through their systems to work through any kinks.”

  “Good thought. I’m going to say hello to the establishment.”

  “Yes sir.”

  I hoisted my plasma rifle as I walked out of the door six followers spreading around me as I waited for the lift like everyone else. My shoulder still felt a little strange but I put it down to the lack of movement I was getting from the suit. Instead of turning for the armouries I moved to the nearest airlock checking my plasma rifle as the others in my group checked their pistols. Interesting how they’d all gotten one of the very limited pistols we’d taken from Chaleel, and were all following me like my shadow.