“Learn your people, get involved with them, don't distance yourself because you feel you might lose your edge, and for gods sakes relax!”
Boot nodded to himself. It had been sage advice. He cleared his throat, feeling somewhat awkward.
“Good work, pass it on,” he said, more than one person studying him as if wondering if he was the same tight ass that had been their commander before the battle.
How could I be, when I saw so many people die doing what they were told. I bear that responsibility now, he thought as his fleet of the broken continued its slow journey to Nancy
Chapter - Reunited
I watched as the dark caskets linked together and headed for the sun. I had seen too many processions like this one. I tore my eyes from it and turned to what had to be done next.
Of the ships were being taken to Nancy most of them were only useful for parts. Two of the Dreadnoughts might be able to be refurbished, a destroyer too, but the rest of the Syndicate fleet was just hulls. When the Free Fleet was starting we would've had them on the front lines. Now with Nancy the standards had crept up and our manpower issues were still an issue.
Felix and the engineers throughout the fleet worked to make systems which required less people operate, we still had more ships than people. Without an AI ships needed a huge amount of people. Resilient would need at least nine thousand people not including Commandos if she wasn't an AI. Now she had close to one and a half thousand and we were barely scraping by. That was how it was with every ship. AIH, Earth, the Chaleelian's and the people that had been recruited into the Free Fleet had stepped up, but with constant battles our numbers had climbed by inches.
There had been twenty five thousand personnel on Parnmal, newly finished trainees by the most part with veterans thrown in. There had been eleven thousand roughly left standing afterwards. That was including operators in the command center, gunners, and engineers. Now Rick and the newly created Free Fleet Personnel Placement or FFPP assigned these people to stay on Parnmal or to be shipped across the Free Fleet to fill open positions. Only three thousand of them would be staying with the near eighty thousand Syndicate prisoners.
The new prisoners had already been put to work. They'd helped out the previously captured workers with hollowing out asteroids. They didn't know that we were going to use them to expand Felix's little workshop, and the less they knew the better as far as Min Hae and I were concerned.
***
It was three days later when I walked into the small bar, the bartender pointing to the back with his head. I gave him a silent nod of thanks. I felt myself relax as I could hear Bok Soo.
“Dark Side was definitely the most dressed up team!” He said, debating another Mecha Assault Two trivia with Cheerleader. Monk always kept out of that kind of conversation.
Cheerleader was about to retort when she caught sight of me.
“Bout time you got here!” she said as the others grinned.
“Well, some of us have to make sure everything doesn't fall apart when they leave for five minutes.”
A sour expression passed over Cheerleader's face.
“You obviously haven't met my chief engineer. Her nickname's Scram, because on the first ship she was on she almost scrammed the fusion plant while we were in mid-wormhole,”
“How...?” I asked as I thought it over, knowing the amount of safeties on fusion plants.
“No one knows to this day,” she shrugged as I nodded.
“Well, good to know I'm not alone,”
Bok Soo raised his glass.
“And I'm not going to be alone in this one!” he said as we all grabbed a full glass to join him.
“Cheers!” he said, way too happy as we downed the concoction.
“I think my taste buds just committed suicide,” Cheerleader complained.
“Clears out the sinuses,” Monk said, his face working to dull the pain his throat felt.
I grinned, happy to be with my friends, pouring another round over their complaints.
“You want Bok Soo to try to spew fire again, don’t you?” Cheerleader accused me, glass in hand as she pointed at me, searching for evidence of my diabolical plan.
Bok Soo was about to say something when Monk cut him off.
“And set the damned apartment on fire.”
“Hey! It was only the carpet,” Bok Soo grumbled.
“Carpet that ran throughout the house!” I said as the others grinned.
I raised my glass.
“To good memories and family, and fire extinguishers!”
“Amen!” Cheerleader rang out as we clinked cups and threw the vile concoction back as fast as possible.
“It's not getting better,” I said as Monk poured and we all participated in trying to get rid of the taste with our facial movements.
Monk raised his glass, the rest of us grumbling as a smile crossed his lips. He became sombre and we readied ourselves for his toast.
“To those beyond the dark, may they rest in the light.” We tapped glasses, then the table before taking our drinks.
Each of us had our own thoughts before Cheerleader poured yet again.
“So, about that flame throwing idea..,” she said with a glimmer in her eye.
“Yessss?” I asked, drawing out the word to voice my concern with any flame spewing ideas.
“Well, the range is free..,”
“I also just happen to have a lighter,” Bok Soo said, pulling out a beaten one.
Monk grinned as he looked at me. I ate some salty snacks before grinning myself.
“Alright, but we're taking the snacks,” I said, alcohol maki me hungry.
“Fine! Bartender!”
****
Commander Dreckt couldn't believe what he was seeing. Cheerleader, the second in command of the largest force the Free Fleet had ever put together flipped, twirled and finally rolled before a stream of fire projected from her mouth.
Three others were laughing and applauding as Bok Soo spewed more alcohol than Dreckt thought a human was capable of holding, caught the lighter from Cheerleader and unleashed a wave of fire as he waved it back and forth before it died.
Salchar got the bottle and he promptly created a brief but incredibly long stream of fire.
Dreckt didn't hear Kreum come up beside him. The two of them had served together for as long as Dreckt could remember, but his brother in arms always crept up on him.
“They're worse than us,” Kreum laughed.
Dreckt tried to retain what little composure he had, but Kreum's eyes smiled at the attempt.
“We are not shooting fire from our faces,” Dreckt said.
“I watched this old movie called Godzilla. It shot fire from its mouth, and it looked like a Sarenmenti.”
“It also destroyed cities,”
“Well he wasn't understood very well,” Kreum said and Dreckt couldn’t help but sigh.
“No fire spewing,”
“Alright, alright, I'm just going to go get some sleep then,”
“Alright. See you in a bit,” Dreckt said as he turned back to watching some of the highest ranking commander’s antics.
Wait, he thought as he checked the time. What the hells he up to? It was hours before Kreum would've normally gone to sleep.
Drekt shrugged as he looked back to the commanders. But then he saw Kreum walking into the range a few minutes later. Monk did the introductions and Kreum was quickly invited to down some hefty glugs of the bottle. Kreum talked to them for a few minutes before he took a massive mouthful of the alcohol, lit the lighter and spat fireballs as the others laughed. Kreum said something that made them all laugh harder and Pat him on the back. Kreum looked back up to Dreckt then, who rolled his eyes and shook his head at his brother's antics.
***
Felix and Min Hae were having a much less recreational night. Min Hae was looking over what was soon to be his baby, once Felix released it from his hangar.
I took a transport close to one of Felix's e
ntrances, going through a few scans and a check over by Commandos as I took another transport through the main hangar. There was a medium sized freighter resting in it, but there was no one working. Everyone had paid their respects at the send off, but Felix waved over to me as I arrived. He had lost a lot of people and had turned to work in order to forget all the deaths.
“So, how's this little project coming along?” I asked Min Hae as he looked at the ship.
“No bad. I should have it ready by the time Bregend is able to get his new Battle Cruiser around these parts.”
“Sounds good,” I said looking over Felix, I hadn't seen him much in recent time as he'd stayed in Parnmal while I went around putting out every damned fire possible. It had been a big change from when we were hiding our little revolution in an armoury, working on simple data pads and I'd asked him for kill switch disables.
I looked to the ship.
“We've changed quite a bit, haven't we?” I said.
“That we have,” Felix looked to me, feeling as if there was more to that statement, his face grim.
“So how about a tour? I've only seen this thing on paper,” And I meant actual paper. Min Hae was obsessed with information control, so nothing of the ship existed on any electronic system. Made sense to a certain degree, if we were making what he called a 'Q' ship. Hell if I knew what that meant.
“Certainly commander,” Felix said imperially as he bowed, sweeping his arm in exaggeration as I followed. Still the jokester I see.
“So, on the outside, it's still the same plating,” he said tapping the hull as he walked me over to a station. Underneath, however, it has Destroyer class armour.”
The station was running scans on the freighter. But all it showed was the freighter plating.
“How?” I asked and he grinned, his eyes lighting up.
“Avarians,” he said simply as I crooked an eyebrow.
“So as you know Avarians in their natural skin are damned near impossible to get on sensors, especially if they're trying to be sneaky bastards. I basically looked at their skin and mimicked it with organic and inorganic systems,”
“You made Avarian skin?” I asked as he grinned.
“Pretty much, and covered all of the ship in it.”
I grimaced, being inside a skin ship would be kind of weird.
“The skin hides the armour from external scans, plus when it’s injured it will fix itself at a rapid rate. We integrated hellfire and nutritional supplements into it. It'll take two years before it needs to be replaced,”
“One of the oddest things I've ever heard,” I said.
“Don't worry. There's plenty of races that have used organic ships, computers and the like. This is minimal compared to those,” he said as he walked into the nearest airlock with me close behind.
The ship looked like a pretty normal freighter from what I'd seen of them. Well used and scuffed surfaces everywhere with enough maintenance done to keep the ship running. The bridge however was laid out like a Corvette's, with the stations that would be on a warship.
“Seems kind of obvious,” I said as Felix input something into the captain's chair controls and tactical as well as auxiliary controls and backups closed up. Tactical became a snack stand and the others were tables and armrests.
“The weapon systems are located in storage pods around the ship. They aren't visible until deployed. She has the firepower and capabilities of a Destroyer,”
“Not bad at all,” I said as he led me back out of the ship. I looked over it, seeing the future of the intelligence department. With these new ships we could gather information on inhabited systems without ever having to show a warship.
***
Now, time to get some information out of Gogs, Min Hae thought as he returned to the section that housed his information department. It had taken time to get some one-on-one with Gogs. He'd been herded in with the other prisoners so Min Hae arranged Gogs to have an accident, for which he was being attended to in med-bay. It was nothing dangerous and Gogs had already been fixed up, as if he was brand new. He waited with his massive goggles looking around the room. Min Hae could tell the little creature wanted to rip apart the room to find its secrets.
“He's been quiet, not very pleased about getting roughed up, but he understands,”
“Does he also know we have a time constraint? And that it might slip that he's working for us?” Min Hae asked in a mild tone, as he studied the paper that listed what Gogs had done since being held in the intelligence department's cell.
“Yes, sir.”
Min Hae nodded and handed back the papers. The expressionless mask—which he'd adopted from Salchar when shit really hit the fan, and was now his iconic look—settled on him as he relaxed and walked into the room.
“Gogs, I need to know everything you know,”
“You must be the Merchertevak,” Gogs said. Min Hae brushed away the nickname as he took the offered seat in the room, crossing his legs and looking completely at ease.
“Yes, that is what some call me,” Min Hae said as Gogs studied him.
“Don't look like a bird.” Gogs stared at Min Hae as if he could figure out his composition with his eyes alone.
“I don't have all day, Gogs. What do you know?”
“Foshunti is coming,” Gogs said.
Shit, Min Hae thought, nodding as he remembered the files he'd read on the sadistic sounvabitch. Gogs was searching for a reaction, but looked displeased with Min Hae's nod.
“Anything else?”
“I know you're from Earth. Though Lady Fairgate probably hasn't connected the dots right now. Also her right hand Captain is out skirting the Kalu line.” Min Hae's eyes tightened and Gogs looked excited at Min Hae's break in his mask.
“Why?” Min Hae asked. Gogs looked distinctly uncomfortable and he wrung his hands in thought before looking up. He wants a deal.
“I want assurances,” Gogs said as Min Hae nodded. Bingo.
“Naturally, but why should I give you any such thing?”
“I was press ganged into the crew. You know my history from the ship’s records. All I did was live in that room. If I left my pain implant was activated. I want to join the Free Fleet.”
Min Hae was slightly surprised at this last request. It would put Gogs directly under his supervision.
“My..,” Gogs hesitated, his nervousness heightened as he looked to Min Hae and then the clearly one-way glass behind him. Min Hae looked back at Gogs, the information he'd already told him stored away in his brain as he wondered what else he could get from the small man. Gogs studied Min Hae, really studied him, as if weighing if he should tell him or not.
“My planet is also one of the middling planets, but we can't meet demand. We're going to get wiped out soon if we don't have help. I want the Free Fleet's help.” Gogs looked directly into Min Hae's eyes. Min Hae had learnt a lot about body language, how different creatures relayed the truth. With his knowledge of Gog's species he was fairly sure Gogs was telling the truth. He knew that Gog's home planet was inside the middling line, making his story all the more feasible.
“I will bring it up with Commander Salchar. The Free Fleet's intention is to free all planets from Syndicate oppression. I have no doubt the Commander will be happy to assist,”
Gogs nodded as he kept looking into Min Hae's eyes.
“The Kalu weren't completely destroyed. That's why Lady Fairgate's moving everything to Sol. It's the furthest system from Kalu territory,”
Min Hae felt ice run through his veins and Gogs sat back at the change in his expression.
“Do you have proof?”
“Why do you think all of those resources were sent to Sol system? Why is her most trusted adviser and his fleet off in Kalu territory instead of protecting her from her side? She's also been beefing up systems weapons close to the Kalu sector. It's rather easy to piece together with all the information,”
“She could be consolidating her power,”
“She's had
it for a hundred and fifty years. It's consolidated now,” Gogs said and Min Hae had to agree. But the Kalu being alive certainly changed things.
“I will accept you to work for the Free Fleet, but it will be under my command,”
“You've got it,” Gogs said, actually looking excited at the proposition.
“Now I need to know everything you know about the ships and resources around this sector. The information logs from the Syndicate fleet are terrible.”
Gogs grinned.
“Just get me to my station. I have something you'll really enjoy,” Gogs said. Min Hae thought on it before paging the intelligence agent that had met him outside.
“Commander?” The man asked as he opened the door.
“Get a detail of Commandos and take Mr. Gogs here to his old quarters. He has some data I very much want.”
“Commander,” the man nodded stiffly as he talked into the lapel of his grey and blue Intelligence Department battle suit.
Min Hae stood.
“Very well, Mr. Gogs. Welcome to the free fleet.” He held out his hand as Gogs admired it.
“You take it and shake it,” Min Hae said. Gogs lifted his hand up to Min Hae's, who grabbed it and squeezed hard.
“Do not even think of betraying me,”
Gogs nodded dumbly as he looked to the floor. Min Hae released his hand as he walked out, activating his own comms unit.
“Salchar, we have an issue,”
Chapter - Moving out
I looked around Resilient's bridge feeling at home. She still wasn't at one hundred percent but her missile, rail, and PDS magazines were fully loaded and the crew was ready to be moved towards the mysterious planet where the communications were coming from. Bregend was on his way back with the ships he'd picked from Cheerleader's fleet. She was going to be incharge of scouting the surrounding systems, before linking up with my fleet.
Free Fleet #03 No Rest for the Wicked Page 9