The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet (23 page)

The Sarenmenti with us were all officers who kept to themselves. I watched as they grabbed the food in their four jaws, tossing their heads back and cutting the hard rations to shreds. It was hard not to stare at such a bizarre eating method.

After everyone had finished their food and Henry had outlined the training program in detail they all looked to me.

“You’ve convinced me you’ve got my go-ahead. Based on your performance which Henry will record you will all be allotted a rank, from squad leader to Company Commander.” They all nodded seriously. Henry sitting back, already evaluating them and looking at them as if he was going to give them people to command.

“Otherwise Henry I want you to get started tomorrow, people still need to get accustomed to Golden Refuge we don’t want to throw too much at them. Also have a talk with Shrift and the other armourers about the weapons.”

“Sir.”

“Now I’m going to take a shower and get some sleep.” I stood nodding to them as the majority of them gave me lazy two finger salutes as I moved to put my tray in the retrieval bay and pulled out my data pad.

Following it to my own quarters. I reached it finding a hand reader which I put my hand over, my identity chip unlocking the door as I looked up to see an irate Yasu coming out of the shower wearing nothing but towels.

“I didn’t see anything!” I said immediately turning away—and into the traitorous door which had closed on me

“Baka!” she said noises coming from behind me as I heard a closet being pulled open viciously.

“You dressed?” I received an infuriated pillow to the head in way of response.

“I am dressed you Fujitsu.” She said moments later.
 
Great Japanese swear words.
 
Swear words and certain phrases from different cultures hadn’t been translated yet, though I hope they would be soon. Not knowing what Yasu was calling me would play on my mind.

“Alright, I’m going to take a shower and then sleep for a few hours.” I said as I edged towards the shower

She made a noise that made it clear it didn’t matter to her as I turned and walked briskly into the bathroom.

Breathing a sigh of relief as the door behind me. I peeled off my battle suit as I got in the shower letting the battery acid like cleaning solution wash over me studying my still mostly healed stomach before toweling off. Even when it seemed that my possible problems would be lessened, instead they’d grown even more. I put on my battle suit feeling drained as I walked back out into the main room, finding it pitch black.

“Salchar.”

“Yes?” I said as I grabbed the pillow she’d thrown at me as I made myself as comfortable as possible on the floor. Thankful for the battle suits internal temperature adjustment feature which kept me warm as I lay there.

“As we are married we shall have a truce for now.” She said, looking at me as if expecting something.

“What?” I asked.

“You said we would talk.” He expression becoming darker.

“Ah yes, I will leave you alone. Don’t worry.” I said, feeling nervous as she looked more annoyed than happy.

“Is that what you think of me? As a woman not worthy of you?” Is it why you have not had a minute for me? You think you bested me with your cheap trickery in the Marriage battle that I am no longer worth your time?”

“I didn’t mean…”

“Now you show pity as if I am some feeble girl that needs to be coddled!” She was clearly furious.

“I hope that you’re comfortable,
 
husband
.”
 
She flopped into bed, clearly not wanting to talk any more. The way she said husband sounding more like traitor to my ears.

Marrying your nemesis, this universe loves me.”
 
I grumbled as I got comfortable and fell asleep. I’d wake up to the sound of any movement after training.

Shrift entered the middle ring as it was called; it housed sections important to keeping the ship running. It was mainly controlled by engineering.

The outer ring was filled with weapons, armour and shuttle bays. The central ring was the command centre and mostly sleeping quarters for the commanders. He walked up to an engineer working on a panel.

“Where’s Eddie?”

“He’s looking over reactor four.”

“Thank you.” Shrift went off, a grin appearing on his face as he felt at home in the Mechanical areas of the ship. A small shiver ran through his exoskeleton as he rubbed his prosthetic arm.

His thoughts of his accident melted away as he heard the tell tale calls of Eddie.

“You! Yes you, what in the Kresh do you think you’re doing. Hey! Even I can see from here with my eyes that the plasma output is building pressure! There’s a damned kink!”

A cowboy boot went sailing through the air.

“OW!”

“Well if you were dealing with the damned plasma conduit instead of staring it like a damned idiot you wouldn’t have been hit by my boot now would you!” Shrift saw the Kuruvians mouth close before they tried to argue the logic of that statement as Eddie continued on.

“You two help him and you better be helping him not skiving off!” Eddie yelled as three engineers beat a hasty retreat running past Shrift as he walked into the room a grin on his face.

“What are you doing here armourer.” Eddie said as he caught eye of Shrift.

“You made me take the job!” That made the other Kuruvians move away, no doubt expecting the other cowboy boot still attached to the Chief engineers foot to come sailing through the air.

Instead he took a seat on a chair, pointing to the other as Shrift took it.

“So what do you think of Salchar?” He asked, as if Shrift hadn’t said anything.

“He’s a lot more interesting than the Sarenmenti, he’s smart and he knows how to get people working together. He always has a plan, and those that follow him will succeed. I’ve seen it on the fights, and even with his first raid. He’s made to be a leader.”

“Yes he is and we’re going to do all we can to help him.”

“I didn’t think that you’d like him this quick.”

“I see potential in him. Though we just need him to realize it.”

“Realize what?”

“That he needs to play this just like he did his game. Once he realizes that, then he’ll be great.”

“How can we help him do that?”

“Support him; he needs to trust in others. I can see he doesn’t he’s paranoid about everything and that will wear away his ability to lead.”

Shrift nodded his head.

“We need to get him working with his crew, Resilient tells me that the chat forum is online but no one’s used it.”

“He hasn’t slept since he got here.”

“Give him a shot of this.” Eddie produced a bag of wake-up vials.

“But…”

“Do it Shrift he has work to do, don’t want a slacker leading us.” With that he stood hefting his belt as he went to sort out some problem as Shrift stood and walked back to his armouries.

***

I woke with a start as a data pad hit me in the stomach. Cursing and leaning to one side from the pain that curled my toes I eyed Yasu’s face. Anger evident on my distorted face. Any emotion on her face turning to stone before I could understand it. With a breath my posture returned as I couldn’t do anything but pick myself up and slowly go to the head, every movement making me call out in pain.

I pressed the tab of the battle suit finding that my stomach’s scar had opened. I breathed rapidly feeling shock coming on. In my haze I saw Shrift had sent the message.

I splashed water on my face in an attempt to cool myself, seeing my white clammy face in the mirror. I pressed the tab on my battle suit again, moaning in pain. After a few seconds I started moving. Yasu watched me sitting bolt upright as I swayed through the doorway and used the walls to hold myself up as I got to the armoury, thankfully no one saw me as I found Shrift inside.

“I’m sorry I woke you, I…”

I fell to my knees rolling on my back.

“James!”

“Get me a hell fire!” I yelled as I pressed the tab on my battle suit.
 
Yeah it’s open and bleeding and I don’t even want to know what that is.

Shrift pushed it to me, his hands shaking.

“You’re going to have to stick me I can’t do it. Just put it as close to the wound as possible.” I said as I lay there looking at the ceiling as Shrift looked at my stomach.

“Do it!” Startled he stabbed my stomach the injector pushing its contents out as the hell fire took control of my muscles. I went as stiff as a board unable to cry out, tears in my eyes as my veins and body felt as if it was on fire.

“Hold the sides together.” I was able to grunt out as the pain was focusing around it. My body was slowly unclenching other than the wounded area. I felt even more tired than when I had gone to sleep.

Shrift did so as the skin came back together like it was two sides of a zipper.

I laid there looking at the ceiling for a few minutes.

“Thanks Shrift.”

“N…no problem.” He sat back, leaning against a Mecha rack, looking at my stomach. I breathed a few times, feeling good enough to stand as I pressed the battle suits tabs, sealing me up.

I stayed on the floor as I talked.

“So what did you want to tell me?”

“In eight Earth days we will make planet fall, a full planetary invasion. Your people need to be ready.”

“Shit. Can I have my data pad with a calendar and a clock on it, Earth style?”

My data pad beeped, Resilient had heard me.

“Why haven’t you done something before now?” I asked looking at Shrift, who finally looked back at me instead of my stomach.

“The Sarenmenti have been doing this for so long that they’re mostly born into the service, they live to serve and fight. They’ve been accustomed to this life. We aren’t fighters by any stretch of the imagination, we can fire weapon systems and the like but we don’t have the build or the inclination to fight in hand to hand. No matter what information the Sarenmenti are given they will fight for the defence force no matter what.

“Humans can fight and can fight well, plus in this force there are more of you than there are Sarenmenti which puts things to our advantage.”

“What are your plans afterwards if this is true and we win?”

“Well then I’m not sure.” He said looking rather stumped.

“I think I can help with that.”

“What are you thinking of?”

“Making them pay.” I said coldly as Shrift shivered at my tone.

“Indeed.”

***

She didn’t know what Salchar had been up to the past few days which kept him away from her so often. Training had started again and in a big way. There was weapons training, boarding and disembarking shuttles and anything else we could think of, or learn through sleep training. People were wearing Mechas all the time, there was now a clock on the data pads and people could communicate to one another through a forum chat room which was filled with information about training and allowed people to ask questions, or talk to people on the ship, or even on the Carrier War Drop and the Battleship Sun blazer. She knew that Salchar was behind it somehow, and the others talked about him in revered tones.

No one bitched about the training, everyone knew it would keep them alive. It also helped that it didn’t pit us against one another, but force us to help one another to become better. Friendships and relationships were quickly made, as everyone started coming together.

Yasu participated, but it was half-hearted. She knew most of the things she was being taught. All the training did was give her awkward moments when there was something partners should do together and Yasu didn’t have a partner. Then there were the times she went to the mess she felt an odd feeling of, awkwardness as she looked at the couples that went everywhere with one another as she was alone.

All she had gotten in the days since he’d disappeared was a text message asking her if she could run a hand to hand tutorial. She hadn’t replied but a few days later one of the younger Mechas asked her to teach her to defend herself. She had no doubt that Salchar had told the little girl to say that, but Yasu couldn’t call herself a warrior if she didn’t abide by her code.

So she started teaching hand to hand for half of the day. Wandering around to see if there was anything that looked interesting which she could join in on, or something she didn’t know.

These were just distractions until she got back to her empty room. Left to ponder, with most of the other couples after the action aboard the ship they’d relieved their pent up stress of battle with one another.

When they’d finished the assault her
 
husband
 
had ignored her yet again. He slighted her by sleeping on the floor, as if he was disgusted to share a bed with her.

She’d been woken up by his data pad beeping. Annoyed she’d thrown it at him her face had registered shock as it hit him in the stomach and the battle suit crimped as if trying to stop a wound bleeding. His face showing pure rage as her mask had descended.

She could see the signs of blood loss as he practically crawled into the head in so much pain. She’d been in shock as he came out, his face deathly white as he stayed out of the doorway. She’d rushed to the door seeing him go into the armouries; falling to his knees she felt her heart quiver. Shrift rushed over with a needle as the armouries doors closed.

She stayed awake waiting even as the lights turned off to signal the night cycle and then back on to recognize the day. She wanted to say sorry, that she hadn’t meant to. She didn’t want to track him down in public and announce his wound to the world. She’d asked Shrift later how he was; he looked mortified as he said Salchar was fine before he went to do something else.

She wanted to tell him how he was enough of a warrior to not warrant that shame. Just as she was thinking he might warrant it for making her wait so long her implants and the speakers of the Mecha living quarters came to life.

“All Mecha units are to assemble in the hangar.”

She picked herself up tiredly checking her clothes were in order as she came out of her quarters blending in with the other battle suit wearing humans as they were greeted by a group of Sarenmenti with one standing on a pedestal and less than twenty standing around it, waiting for them to all file in.

She looked around the room seeing Shrift before she saw James beside him. Salchar she reminded herself with a cold voice her eyes becoming hard as he felt her stare turning and locking stares with her. Anger pain and annoyance filled his eyes before he quickly looked away as if he hadn’t seen her.

Anger filled her with his flippant ways. Did she want to be his wife! No! Yet they were married she vowed to make him understand his duties to her as his wife. Any thought of apologies for opening his wound lost.

“My name is officer Drask. I will be in charge of the two Mecha platoons on this ship.” He said as the last of the four thousand Mechas walked in.

“These will be your platoon officers in charge of you.” He signalled to the Sarenmenti around him with a wave. Then the room darkened as a holographic projector behind him fired up and a dust bowl of a world appeared in mid-air eliciting a few gasps as most humans hadn’t seen more than a few holographic image and none this big or detailed.