Coming Home (Free Fleet Book 2) (15 page)

“Pilot, could you put us down at the southern crater of Japan,” I said into my comms.

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes.” My tone solid.

“Be there in two minutes.”

We waited in silence as the shuttle touched down gently on the rim of the crater centered on what had been Yasu’s home. I led her out by the hand as she stepped to the edge of the crater. It had filled with water, stretching from one side of the island to the other. Yasu sunk to her knees and she touched the side of the crater. There was absolutely nothing for miles as it had all been ripped up by the after affects of the kinetic weapon.  She held up a handful of burnt dirt, letting it fall through her fingers as wind whipped it away from her. I saw her shoulders shudder.

“Protection detail, look out!” I said. They all turned to face outwards as I knelt beside her. She turned, burying her head in my chest as I held her.

“We’ll make them pay.”

All she did was nod as she brought herself under control. “You have a meeting to go to. Let me stay here. Pick me up afterwards.”

“I’ll leave you Shreesht.”

She pulled away slowly and gave me a smile. “Show them the military man you are,” she said, rising and walking away slowly. I watched her go as I walked back onto the shuttle. I wanted to stay with her but as much as I did, there were more important things to do, and she knew. I promised myself I would keep her safe in the future and by Hachiro’s bones I was going to kill them or punish all of the Syndicate accordingly.

With this new fire I sat down and readied myself for the talks.

“Shreesht, look over her, please.” He nodded, following her with his weapon ready as the shuttle took off.

Chapter Beers, Brides, and Politics

Henry stroked what was becoming a decent sized beard as the shuttle touched down on a secluded farm in Texas.

A man sat on his deck sipping a beer, seeming a bit annoyed with the dust up created by thrusters.  A woman could be seen in the kitchen, a smile on her face as she worked on something.

“Thanks for the ride,” Henry said as he jumped off the shuttle before it landed, craning against the dust up as he walked to the house, the shuttle adding thrust and setting off towards the East coast of the United States.

The man eyed Henry.

“Looks like you finally grew in that beard, huh?” e asked as he offered Henry a beer, who dropped his issued gear bag and sipped on the beer.

“Might be water, but it's a hell of a lot better than what I've been drinking.” Henry muttered as he recounted what the man had said and took a seat in the handmade lawn chairs. “Yeah, no regs against it in the Free Fleet. With a Mecha it covers everything, no gas masks anymore.”

“Henry!” The woman that had been in the kitchen came out and Henry rose with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Hey, Mom,” he said as he realized for the first time how much he'd grown since being away. His mom looked tiny compared to him, and his arms almost engulfed her.

“Well, at least you've been eating right,” she said, her eyes misty as she looked him over.

“You don't even want to know what they've been feeding us.” Henry shook his head. The green goop was still in circulation and disgusting as ever. He took a long pull of his beer as his mom talked.

“Good thing we'll be having a proper meal then, isn't it,” she said as he smiled.

“Just got to wait for your brother's and your sister to show up,” his dad said, grabbing another beer.

“They're all coming?”

“Of course!” his mom said as a timer went off. “I've got to get that!” She rushed off, Henry smiling.
I missed this
, he thought as he took his seat again.

“So you're in this Free Fleet now,” his dad said.

“Yup, I'm the CAMC.”

“That's pretty odd sounding.” His dad gave him a look as he laughed.

“It stands for Commander of the Armored Marine Commandos.”

“British, eh?”

“Nope, Free Fleet,” Henry said, finishing the beer off.
Might as well be good as water. that metal peeling crap's making my tolerance go up, it seems.

“How is it?” Henry's dad had been a Marine, did a few tours. Most of them had been hairy. He'd gotten out after getting a round to the leg. It caused him near chronic pain, but he always said he'd seen much worse; now Henry had too.

He looked to his dad with a quick answer on his lips as he saw a soft but steady look.
You can tell me, I know something about it.
His dad's eyes seemed to say as he leaned forward, grabbing a piece of hay, playing with it absently. His father just waited as he looked at that piece of hay.

“I've been in contact and battles, but this is different. There's no safety. It's nerve racking, crazy, and damned ridiculous.” He looked to his dad. “It's nothing like what you told me it'd be like when I was enlisting. It's so much more.” Henry couldn't even grasp the words.

“There's no stopping. There's no rest. We're constantly in a state of preparing for whatever comes next, and every time it's gotten harder and harder. Battles are fought in a three dimensional battlefield with multiple factors, it's a mess and it's terrifying, but we keep it together.

“Everything wants to kill us, the enemy, their ships, their stations, their people, their slaves, even space. Space is the coldest bitch of all. The dark will do anything to take you into it's embrace. Then you lose people and that stuff just faded away. That stuff just disappeared and the only thing that matters it getting what you need to ensure that your people are safe. The Marines is a brotherhood, but it was more of a hangout compared to this. I wake up, eat, train, hangout, and sleep with my lowliest team member to Commander Salchar. It makes us closer, and it makes losses terrible.” Images of the things sentient's had done to others passed behind his eyes.

His dad sighed.

“It's not going to be easy, but it never is,” he said, looking out onto his fields without seeing them.

Henry nodded as he twirled the hay.

A dust plume rose at the end of the drive way.

“Must be Carl,” his dad said as he nodded. “Know that I'm always here for you, plus, it sounds like you have a few friends there for you too.”

Henry grinned. “Oh, I've got a family. Have you heard about the gaming team Mecha Tail?”

Henry talked as his two brothers Carl and Jesse arrived, Cindy being the last as normal, wearing her office apparel as normal. Carl had his wife Lucy and his daughter Meghan, plus, they were expecting a second child. Jesse was seeing a girl, and Cindy was married to her job still, though no one denied Momma Terrance.

They sat, ate, and drank as the sun went down. Henry smiled as he looked at his family smiling and joking.

This is what the Free Fleet’s for,
he thought as he looked at his dad who gave him a look that said the same thing about the Marines.

As the family lounged around the farm, Henry went to the barn. The smell of Hay was comforting, even though it reminded him of when he had to stack the damned things.

Jesse found him after some time.

“Hey, Henry,” he said simply as he sat down.

“I come bearing beer,” he said as he handed Henry one, none in his own hands.

“Not drinking tonight?” Henry asked.

“Nope, going to a party later, you should come, though we're going to have to get you some shine the way you're mowing through that beer,” he said with a grin.

“Pah, weak,” Henry said with a grin.

“The invitation was real. There's going to be people from high school there. Gotta show of my shiny new big brother in his grey and darker grey clothes,” he said. Henry laughed, looking at the Commando regulation battle suit he wore.

“It's for Commandos, the different color, or the stripe on the cuff-link, the different areas you're trained in.”

“Looks pretty snappy,” he said.

Henry shook his head and smiled. “I'll pass. Just a bit tired.”

“You sure? Girls love the uniform.” Jesse nudged Henry, who rolled his eyes.

“Girls also like to know how their little brother got to be the commander of the most powerful multi-role force,” Cindy said, Jesse almost jumping out of his skin as Henry sipped his beer.

“Hay's pretty loud, going to have to do better than that to scare me, big sis.” Henry smiled at her as he saw gears ticking in her head. His smile died in his eyes.

“So how did you?” she asked, her eyes intent now.

Henry shrugged. Salchar picked me and I keep finding my ass in this position no matter how much I wish I wasn't.” Her eyes turned calculating as she took in her brother.

Cindy had been a big shot in her scouting company. She found the talent and was able to talk them into lucrative contracts and get a big return on it. Since the Recruitment, Cindy had been pulled into the military and made people from other countries join the United States instead of staying with their own country. Henry felt that she was about to try to scout him.

“Well, I could see you living quite comfortably if you wanted to come back to the United States,” she said as she watched for his reaction. He sighed and shook his head.

“I have too many responsibilities.”

“You have family and friends here, not to mention the Marines.”

“You don't understand, Cindy, I won't leave them,” he said as he looked to her.

“How many of your friends have you seen hurt? Why would you want to keep going on seeing that?”

“Cinndy!” Jesse said as Henry placated him with a gesture, which she took as a lead and she continued.

“How many have been maimed? Shot or died? How many have died so that you can come home?” Henry felt his ire building.

“Cindy,” he warned as she apparently didn't catch on, full pitch mode.

“Why go back up there when they've died for you to come home? Doesn't it make sense for someone else to take your place and die instead of you?

Henry heard the glass break in his hand as Cindy and Jesse looked at it in alarm. Henry was clenching the broken glass into his hand.

“I have many waiting in the dark for me, Cindy. Many that you should respect instead of trying to use as some twisted ploy to get me to help your career.” He looked up at her as she physically flinched.

“If I go into the dark for one of my people, I would gladly do so. No commando, no person in the Free Fleet is above another. We fight together, side by side.

“Yet Salchar sits on his throne and...”

“Enough,” Henry said, his voice deadly as he stood. Cindy's eyes went wide and Jesse looked unsure of what he should do.

“Salchar is my brother. He has fought with me many times. I would follow him into the darkest realm if he asked me to.” Henry let out a breath of air as he opened his hand, blood pouring from it. He barely felt it, the pain implants had taught him how to ignore pain.

“Do not ask me again to leave my people,” Henry said softly as he walked past her and out the barn.

“You can be a real bitch sometimes, Cindy.” Jesse said as he hurried after Henry, saying nothing as they walked back to the house.

“How's the hand?” Jesse asked.

“It'll be fine,” Henry said as he pulled a salve from his pants pocket which he applied to his cuts, which pulled together.

“Cool!” Jesse grinned, having watched it. Henry shook his head as he put the salve back in his pocket and felt a familiar tube.

“Oh, this'll be cool,” he said as Jesse followed him to find his dad.

“Dad, you know about that leg...” Henry said with a grin on his face.

“Well, I might have something,” he said, holding up a needle labeled 'HELLFIRE'.

“I take back what I said earlier. Lets go to that party,” Henry said out the side of his mouth.

“Why?” Jesse said out the side of his mouth too.

“Cause otherwise dad’s going to chase me down and kick my ass.” Jesse looked to his brother in question as his dad shrugged from his seat.

“I'll give it a go,” he said as he finished off his beer.

***

Rick smiled as Marleen hugged his mom and then dad, both of them beaming as she followed him into the shuttle.

Did I just see them hold hands?
Rick thought and shook his head, shrugging as he took a seat.

Marleen's grin was completely at odds with the hand wringing nervousness she'd had when she'd landed at Rick's mom's house in California. His dad, who lived in the Nevada Desert, had flown down to see his boy as well. Plus, it seemed like his whole family wanted to see his wife.

Everyone had been there, and so had the food and, of course, the booze. His family drank like sailors and swore worse than them too, but they loved meeting new people and Marleen was an instant hit. Being from New York and from a family that never wanted to see one another, she had been quite nervous for a big family gathering.

Yet his mom, aunt's, and multitude of cousins had added her in as if she'd always been a part of it. Rick was thankful as they'd got caught up on everything, as if Rick and Marleen had just been away for a while, instead of in space. It was relaxing and happy.

He sighed as he pulled out his data pad, his mother hadn't allowed him to take it out, so lord knew what awaited him when he got to the fleet.

“Another day at the office,” he muttered as Marleen put her head on his shoulder.

“I like your parents,” she said and he beamed. No amount of work could make him feel down now.

He kissed her head. “Good, they liked you too.” Marleen smilled into his shoulder as he did work, for once, with a smile on his face.

He got off the shuttle, still smiling, as Henry was coming off of his shuttle, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Have a good few days?” Rick asked as Henry grinned.

“Sarah Palmer, my friend, Sarah Palmer.” Henry grinned as Rick shook his head.

“The poor girl,” he said. He and Henry laughed, Marleen rolling her eyes.

“I'm off to the gun deck; you two don't get into trouble!” she said as Rick touched the data pad to his head.

“Yes, ma'am.”

She walked away, shaking her head.

“Good to see you walking away, ma'am!” Rick continued as she over exaggerated her walk, leaving Henry and Rick laughing.

“That's my girl!” Rick yelled as the people walking around the shuttle bay looked up, a few grinning as a few looked confused.

“How about you?” Henry asked as they meandered through the ship.

“Family gave the big thumbs up.” Rick grinned as Henry smiled appreciatively.

“Talking about family, how was yours?” Rick asked.

“Good, other than the part where I gave my dad Hellfire and he chased my ass through two acres of corn fields before my brother saved me with a truck.

A grin crossed Henry's face.

“Then Sarah Palmer?”

“Something like that.” He grinned.

“My dad gave me this,” Henry said, opening his bag and revealing four bottles of moonshine.

“Finally, something with a bit of flavor!” Rick grinned. Alcohol in their new bodies burned up pretty darned quick, so moonshine was like beer now, and the metal peeler was like homemade Russian vodka.

“You bet brother, we'll crack it when Salchars done wrangling politicians,” Henry said as Rick grimaced.

“Better him than me!” he said.

“Amen,” Henry said and they both grinned.

****

I took my seat as normal.
Why they feel the need to label these seats, I don't know, at least they could've said CFF instead of just 'Salchar', sounds kinda pompous,
I thought as I looked around the room. There were military members among the aides the leaders brought, apparently they where not done with trying to change me out with them. The day began with the topic of mining and got little traction throughout the day.

The breaks, however, were a mad scram. I talked with the military members, more times than not, finding myself in a group of them and preferring their company over the politicians, as I believed most of the officers did. As they realized I was not interested in having them replace me, they talked to me candidly about what had been going on.

I listened with half an ear, I knew if any of these people gained my position they'd pull their government to power.

I sat down at my seat, reflecting on these meetings. Just mere months ago, I had wished for someone to take power from me and believed that others would take it from me in a moment. Yet here I was, seen as an officer, not someone that was faking it—at least by military officers—and told that I was the only feasible leader of the Free Feet. Now I would have to fight to stay in control of the very fleet I had hoped and thought someone else would pull away from me with ease. With my oaths to the dead and the living to keep them safe and to make the Free Fleet a thing to be proud of, I needed to stay in command.

Again, the governments of the world tried to gain more power from me, and again I ignored them. My intelligence department already had a list of most of the leaders in the room who had plans in place to kill me. Radicals of all shades wanted to do the same.
In a friggin room of vipers,
I thought sourly as I plowed on with my major tasks.

We did make some progress with the countries that were willing to moving out into the Sol System, but it was minimal with the greedy countries and politicians.

My first job for them was to find an arrangement where they would work together and create a government that functioned for everyone, not just the nations. It was a tall order, and many were unhappy with it. The second was that they had a plan to get not only out of Earth's atmosphere but into the Sol System and traveling to other systems.

I'd let them stew over it but until they found a system that would work, I wouldn't release technology to them to get them into space.

The talks continued like that for a while and we made little headway as we went. Many of the leaders were asking for tours of my ships with their staff, no doubt trying to glean some kind of information. I would have granted it to them if the ships that we had weren't half pulled apart, getting put back together with their guts and weaponry open for all to see.

A rota was setup with Free Fleet personnel training, working on fixing up the ships or station, or enjoying the first real free time they'd had since we took Parnmal. Recreational areas were set up in Hachiro and they were made frequent use of by off duty personnel.