Coming Home (Free Fleet Book 2) (24 page)

“Every Commando is above you; you are junk. You will not be with Commandos when they have to enter ships; you will be the fix up crew. You will have Mechas only because all Free Fleet personnel are to have them because of the rules imposed upon us. You will be damage control; you will patch holes and the like. Thankfully, we have many holes for you to patch!” He looked over the group, his eyes judging them as unworthy.

“This is Yasu Cook. She and I will be so far up your asses you can taste it. Shrift?” A large insectoid with mandibles came out from behind a shuttle. Everyone stared. It was the first time they’d seen an alien. Not many of them had realized that most of the Commandos they’d seen thus far had been Sarenmenti. Connolly knew how to tell the race of the Commando by the Mecha they were wearing.

“My name is Shrift. I’m the guy that makes your Mechas. You put a scratch on them and I will have your asses. I will also be the one walking you through how to fix the ship with some other engineers. Listen, and listen well; we don't have much time. Takahashi.”

“Thank you. Commandos, split them up, get them battle suits, Mechas, and start going over basic controls. I want them knowing how to use a Mecha by the end of a day, on a one to one power ratio. Don’t worry, trainees, you won’t need sleep; you’ll be issued Wake Up to that effect.”

 Commandos took control of groups. Connolly's group was led off to metal closets. There was one piece clothing waiting there and the leader picked it up.

“My names is Commander George Everez. You will each get one of these battle suits.” He threw them out.

“Where do we get changed?” someone asked.

“Don't worry, you're going to see enough naked assess running around that it doesn't matter.”

“Are you some kind of pervert?” a woman asked as George took off his helmet.

“Lady, if anyone's the pervert here, it's you. I'm nine years old.” That got a few shocked looks.

“Then why are we learning from you?” a man asked as George held his hand up to a Kuruvian that was moving inwards to the trainees.

“I was the with first round of recruits. Thankfully, I had the pleasure of serving with Commander Salchar. He kept me and everyone here alive. One thing you have to learn in the Free Fleet, we do not care what you are; we care how well you can do a job. Age, sex, race, religion, all of that doesn't count for anything here. Here, we strive to survive.

I survived Parnmal with injuries. I then led a squad on Chaleel, and I am also a squad commander, taking Syndicate ships that used to be in orbit of Earth. I know how to use every weapon system this fleet has, from my rail gun to the rail cannons mounted on the Resilient herself. Now, if you think the knowledge that I have is not of use to you, well, that's your issue cause we're leaving Hachiro in a matter of minutes. Now, get dressed. The battle suit doubles as a space suit, use it.”

Not many moved and George shook his head. He unsealed his Mecha and stood out of it.

He was a massive man now, despite his age. He pulled off his battle suit without blinking. Scars covered his body.

“Now, you put it on like this,” he said, putting it back on and pressing the tab so it sealed.

Those that hadn't been wearing it were embarrassed into putting theirs on.

“I am not here to embarrass you. I'm here to get you ready to keep this ship in the fight. If that means I have to resort to treating you like the children that I'm supposed to be, then I will.” Connolly knew George meant it. The man nodded to himself before he continued talking.

“You are each going through a simulation of the mark four Mecha armor. Use it wrong, and you will break your bones and kill yourself in the real thing. That was how I was trained, the simulator will not kill you, just cause discomfort.

“We'll begin with walking then we’ll work with different issues we might have in battle.”

***

Henry looked over the rosters of the new trainees; Salchar, Eddie, Shrift, Yasu and Rick were there in person while all of the captains and commanders of the ships Commandos were there in holograms.

“Henry?” He was broken out of his reverie as he looked up.

“Commander Salchar, it’s a shit show. I just hope they’re of more use than they are the trouble.”

“If it helps in anyway, I don’t care.” Salchar nodded. They'd had the new trainees on board for about an hour and there were already a ton of issues coming up.

“I agree, sir, just I’ve never seen anything like this. Even we had time to train before we met the enemy,” Henry said with a sweep of his arm, as if encompassing the entire fleet.

“Yes, but we need them, we don’t have the people to keep the ships moving 
and
 patch them up,” Shrift said as Eddie looked like he wanted to argue the point.

“For now we just need to focus on getting us in fighting trim for battle. Repairs are something to worry about when we're done with all this.” Salchar looked around the room as the commanders nodded in agreement.

Henry nodded his agreement as well. Salchar looked around the people in the room, real or holographic.

“Might as well get started. Prepare to undock from Hachiro and take up formation Charlie niner. Ten minute warning order.” Everyone saluted and James returned it as holograms disappeared, readying their people.

Henry remained. It had been a grim review of how much the fleet was in disrepair and unprepared for this battle.

“What issues are we having with the trainees and the Commandos?” Salchar asked relaxing minutely.

“Our people came from diversity and just sheer horrific training. These people haven't, as such they think that the Free Fleet personnel are being hard on them.”

“Show them a video of Parnmal.” Salchar looked into the table for a few minutes as Henry too dealt with his ghosts.

“I'll see to it,” Henry said, his voice harsh with sad memories.

“God, I wish we could rest for once,” Salchar said, leaning into his hands.

“That should be the motto of the Free Fleet.”

Salchar laughed hollowly. “Yes, I guess it should.” He physically gathered himself, pulling his head from his hands. “Well, I better get to work then.”

“Good luck, James.”

“You too, brother, you too.” In the time it took them to stand, James the individual disappeared, and Salchar the leader was ready to do what needed to be done.

Chapter Surprises

I took my seat on the bridge.

“Comms, do we have the holographic projection ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay, let's test it. Then we'll send a message to the other fleet.”

“Intelligence Commander?” I said. I caught the Commander's eye as he came over to me.

“Sir?”

“Do we know if Welick knew an of these ships captains?”

“I can't be sure, Commander.”

I rested my head in my hand. “Very well, thank you.” He drifted back to his station as Comms announced that the holographic projection was ready. I checked it on one of my screens, seeing Welick and his couch, as well as the finery that had decorated the inside of what he'd called the Golden Refuge, cover my own command chair.

“Open a channel,” I said. After some time an Orvunut, a large blockish alien with four limbs it used in its high gravity world to move, it's head like a hammerhead shark's.

“Hello, Captain, I have been sent to escort your package into Sol System. You may return to whatever you were doing,” I said in a dismissive tone which came out as Welick's with some filters.

The Orvunut let out a snort, which, when taking into account that the race did nothing unless it was warranted, meant he was royally pissed.

“Fairgate send. We to look after yard. Not you.”

Yard?
My sensor pits were still trying to figure out what the object was, but with our current and still ciphered information, we had no idea what the massive object was.

“Jorsht got a message from her. She says that she wants you back in the home system.”

“Why?”

“I don't know why. I don't question the Lady Fairgate. Are you?”

“I do not question her. I question you.”

“But I'm giving you her orders.”

“I will protect the yard till she tells me not to.” I allowed annoyance to fill my voice.
Damned stubborn bastard.

“She already has. Why did you move station?”

“Felt it was best to put it close to easier resources.” I shrugged and Welick's hologram did the equivalent.

“Good for yard.” He seemed to calm down, already moving past the issue of Fairgate's orders.
Shit.
I mentally cursed myself. I'd been hoping to maybe pull one over on these guys and get whatever the strange object that they were guarding was, and not have to come to battle.

“Fairgate ordered me to guide the yard in, so that is what I will do,” I said as the Orvunut grunted.

“Do as you shall. I need Mechas.”

“How many?” I asked, using the tone that I would when I was buying groceries from street vendors in Korea.

“Sarenmenti dying off, ninth generation. I will need all new stock.”

“Ten million credits.”

Comms forwarded me a message they'd received from the other captain.

I, Lady Fairgate, give Captain Orvunut and his fleet a full compliment of Commandos upon their arrival in the third slave races system.

It was signed with a fancy electronic signature saying it originated from the carrier Elshurvum.

I let my tone sink in defeat as I nodded.

“Very well. I'll take your old stock.”

“One million. Good stock, twelve years fighting at least.”

“What are you going to do with them otherwise? Clot your ships?”

“Space.” The one word made me want to blow the smug Orvunut's face off. He was going to kill a million troops because he simply wanted to turn a profit.

“Five hundred thousand,” I said and he grunted.

“Eight hundred, plus gear.”

“Five-fifty.” While I hated myself for putting a price on people, no pirate was going to take the first offer.

“Seven-eighty,” he said. Finally, we agreed on six seventy, plus all of their gear and he said he would dock at Hachiro. I said I would accompany him and his fleet with their mysterious yard. I had an idea, but I thought it was my imagination getting the best of me as such a resource would not be put in a system the furthest from the pirates center of power.

I had also told him that getting his ship in first would make it so that he got the best pick of them all, which hopefully meant that my Commandos could pull off what they had at Parnmal, and we could get the dreadnought out of the fight. The rest of the ships were hard, and with them docked we could take some of them out too. Though, I was planning to have to fight them, just in case.

“Henry, I need you to organize who you want to keep on Hachiro to take ships and who is going to stay with the fleet to put us back together in battle. Use Rick,” I said as I cut the channel. Those two would know who was needed where. “Channel to the fleet and station.”

“Open.”

“Okay, they're coming to us. We're splitting the Commando forces and keeping the trainees that are on board. COS and CAMC are figuring out the personnel issues right now. I hope to be moving within the day.” I cut the channel. “Commander Heston.”

“On!”

“Have a few shuttles going up and down to Earth for another eight hours then have FengFang come to the station. Another eight then yourself. I want the Syndicate forces to think that you're haulers. Also, make sure that the leaders are safely back to their nations.”

“Sir.”

“Nav, plot the straightest course for that fleet.” They looked at me with a confused look.

“Syndicate plot in straight lines; it's easier for them. We need to seem as Syndicate as possible.

“Commander.” They turned to their plot table as I sipped water from my Mecha's reservoir.

It was going to be a very long few days. At least it meant that our trainees had five days instead of three to get ready.
For once we've been given time,
I thought as a call from Shrift waited for me.

“What's up?” I asked, kind of confused why he was calling me. The last I knew he was raising hell in the bowels of Resilient alongside Eddie.

“I just got in contact with my brother.”

“You have a brother?”

“I have three.”

“Ah.”

“I don't talk about them because I think of them as dead until proven otherwise,” he said by way of explanation. The cold reasoning made sense when dealing with the Syndicate, especially when knowing their true identity.

“Anyway, Silly contacted me through the tight beam. He's on the massive structure. It's a shipyard.” I looked ahead at my bridge blankly and my brain seemed as if it was having a fireworks show that my body didn't realize.

“Really?” My tone was at odds with my body's want to dance around the bridge like a crazy man.