The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet (25 page)

“Min Hae.”

“We’re working on making the forum and chat room easier to use. In the meantime we’ve put together a file from the ships we raided.” He took a breath. “Everything we’ve got so far points to the documentary and what the Kuruvians are saying being true.

We’ve been able to capture messages between the ships crew which have been interesting, especially between the Captains.” His face was dark as he looked to us.

“In what way?” I asked.

“The conversations have also backed up the documentary.”

“Do you have a transcript from one?”

“Yes. This is between two low ranking bridge crew members.” He said, finding the transcript before narrating it.

The raid on Chaleel should be good, I overhead Captain Welick talking to Captain Quiart we should be making six figures off of this.

Yeah but we’ll be lucky to see a tenth of that.”

At least we’re not slaves. We’ll probably
 
 
lose half of them from accidents or fighting all the while they’ll be thinking that they’re killing terrorists.

Means more money for us. Don’t have to split with them. All we have to do is watch.

Min Hae cleared his throat.

“They go on for some time swapping war stories, we’ve checked them against the history we have so far and it confirms our worries.”

“Definitively?”

“Yes, but we’re going to need more than this to get people motivated. Even after the documentary more than one shrugged it off. These people want to survive, though with taking Chaleel we can get access to a wealth of information with that we can show the rest what is really going on and hopefully get them motivated into doing something about it.”

I nodded my agreement.

“Make sure that information goes to the leaders and Commanders Henry.” Henry and Min Hae leant towards one another swapping notes.

“Very well then—Felix what do you have?”

“We think we’ve got a way to stop the kill switch.” Felix said as ears perked up looking at first to him and then me.

“Think?” I asked, not thrilled by the use of the word.

“Well the kill switch is a gas operated system five slugs positioned around the neck that once activated the pressurized gas will detonate the slugs effectively severing the head and then proceeding to bounce through the Mecha until it’s kinetic energy is stopped.”

“Ouch.” I said with a grimace.

“Yes, ouch. You can’t hack the remote switch or it goes off. Removing it or tampering with the housing it again, goes off.”

“Why not just deactivate it when we’re not in Mechas?” Yasu asked Henry and Min Hae giving agreeing nods as well as studying glances.

I waved to Felix, I knew the reason but he could explain it a lot better than I could.

“If we’re in a battle situation we won’t have the time. Plus we don’t know if they will alert the Syndicates or not.”

“When do you think we can start putting them into the mechas?”

“Well supplies are an issue, plus fabricating all of these takes time. I suggest an excursion on 3247.” He looked at me making the statement a question.

“Sounds good to me. We’ll keep everyone on the lookout for the necessary materials and machines. Put it on the forum as well as lists for their HUDs make sure all of the other ships know.”

“Yes sir.” He pulled his data pad out.

“Make sure that’s only put on after everyone’s seen the video though.”

“How sure are we about the security of the chat network, forums and such?”

“Well…” My pad vibrated as I pulled it out.

It’s secure, and any work that happens inside this armoury I can cover up.

-R

“It’s secure, as well as all activities within this armoury, as such Felix and Min Hae I want you to keep all work inside the armoury, don’t even talk about what you’re doing unless it’s in here.”

They nodded somberly as I looked to Yasu.

“Yasu?”

“I have begun with hand to hand training. It will take some time. There will be some effect by the time of planet fall but it’ll be minimal.”

“Can we get them fighting with plasmid weaponry more?”

“There are a few that are better suited for that than hand to hand. I will make separate classes.” She paused looking at her hands before she looked at me.

“Would you be able to help teach them? There are not many that are advanced enough to be teaching.”

Is she offering me a peace offering?
 
I thought as I replied.

“I’ll try to help out as much as possible.” I nodded as I wondered how I’d fit it in, even without needing sleep by using the wake up that Shrift had there still didn’t seem to be enough time for everything. It would be good to keep active and it looked like trying to get away from her was not going to work.

“Alright Felix and Min Hae have you got the lists for the people and the positions they want to take?”

They sent them to my data pad as I scanned the people and the small bio with them.

“Alright good, here’s the sleep training trees.” I flicked them the data packets that Resilient had supplied.

“Why are you giving them to us?” Felix asked.

“You know your people better than I do, tell them that I’m the one running it so that you can see what they try to do when not being observed by me. It will put you in a position to see all sides of them before they start training. Plus if I die we need other copies of the sleep training floating around. Which reminds me.” I sent more training packets to Yasu and Henry.

“That’s sleep teachings which pertain to your areas of expertise, weapons, hand to hand and machinery.”

I didn’t tell them that I’d been on all three as soon as I’d found them. It was good to keep a few tricks up your sleeve.

“Alright Henry, Yasu I’m going to need people that would suit tactical and sensors. So people with quick reflexes and good communication skills. Those for gunner positions should have both and amazing aiming, the ability to work in adverse conditions and can work in a three dimensional mind frame.”

“Maybe we should start with some null gravity training?” Henry said.

“Good thinking.” I said with a smile.

“Basically whoever you think is best suited for the job postings I put on the forum, put them through the training.

From this point on everyone will be doing sleep training, there’s just too much we don’t know to be asleep and not learning what could keep us alive in this cold bitch called space.” They nodded agreeing.

“Now there will be people that will want to do other things, like someone in current engineering that will want to be a doctor and such, so work together, people are to be given equal opportunities. Suggest training to them but they have to choose. It’s up to us to guide them into the right positions based on what we know and give them a dose of reality when they need it.” They nodded seriously realizing they were partly shaping people’s futures with their decisions, decisions not to be taken lightly.

“I’m going to pass on a report on what we’ve found to Iron Bok Soo and Rick Casterly and see what they say in reply. Also get some sleep people, and that’s an order I’m going to need you fresh for Chaleel.”

They picked themselves up and tiredly gave their two finger salutes walking out of the armoury and back to their quarters with Yasu leading them out of the door any rage that she might’ve lost in taking it out on other people clearly not enough to stop what anger she felt toward me.

Henry stayed behind waiting for me.

“Might want to take your own advice once in a while boss.” He said nodding in the direction of Yasu.

“I’m more likely to get a shiv in my side than I am to get a hello.” I said with a sigh.

“Best to try and fix any broken fences, talk to her and air things out.”

“You might have an idea but I’ll finish up here before I get some sleep.” I sighed as I thought of what I still had to do.

“I’ll check on the night watches.” Henry said picking himself up and pushing the gravity cart in front of him.

“We have watches?”

“Yes roving in the main areas and then stand alone in place in main entry ways. The Kuruvians were quite nervous when we started going around the hangar bay. Then Eddie gave everyone a lecture that if they touch everything he was going to teach them how to fix what they’d broken, all the while he was throwing cowboy boots at them. Since then both the Kuruvians and us have been more than happy to keep to our own things and fume about his antics when he isn’t around. I wonder if he meant his lecture to bond the two groups.” He looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.

“Sounds like Eddie alright.” Shrift said rubbing his head. “Doing two things at once but don’t doubt his teaching being the hard way.” I grinned.

“You’ve met him before?” Henry said looking to me and Shrift

“Yes, I should really get him in on these meetings if we have any more in the future. Could you see about that Shrift?”

“He probably won’t like it too much but I think I might be able to wrangle him into them every so often.”

“Also see if you could get a few people working on the upgrades on the Mecha.”

“You’re lucky us Kuruvians need a quarter of the sleep you humans do.” It was his turn to look thoughtful before continuing.

“Well at least the others of your species, you seem to stay awake even more than us.” He said pointing to me.

“Got to keep people on their toes.” I said with a wink.

“Alright I’ll try and get some help with the other armourers and see if I can get some people from engineering Eddie will probably be happy to hand me a few lay abouts. Though where he’s got a shoe I have a rail gun.” He said with an evil grin me and Henry returned in kind as he walked out into a maintenance shaft and through the wild maze that was the realm of the all-powerful Eddie.

“Reminds me that we need to get a complete outlay of the ships.” My data pad beeped with it.
 
I could get used to having a ship AI.

“First get some damned sleep sir.”

“Sir? I was never a sir.”

“Well you are now. You’re leading our ragtag group which makes you a sir in my books.”

“Well let’s see if I can actually produce before you start saying sir, sounds weird.”

“Sure Commander. Sleep? You’ve been awake for four days now.”

“Well then, I think that’s a new record.” I said with a yawn.

“Alright wake me up in a few needs to…” I trailed off.

“Yes commander, let’s get you home.” With a guiding hand he brought me to my door.

“Thanks Henry.”

“No problem boss.”

As I walked in I heard him talking to someone.

“No one is to disturb him until I say so, understood?”

“Yes commander!” I heard Henry growl as the door closed behind me.

I basked in the dark my eyes finally resting. The lights came on with blinding brightness.