The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet (59 page)

It took a good few seconds as I could nothing but grit my teeth as my body was being wracked by hell fire.

“Goddamn limbs never want to stay right where they damned well are.” I said lying on the ground gathering my strength as I moved my toes.

“Seems alright.” Dave helped me to my feet as I tested the leg and then stood on it moving my ankle.

“Well I’ll be damned it does work.” I said, impressed as I retrieved my sword and reloaded my weapons everyone staring at me.

“Well don’t stare at me, check on them.” I said iron threading my voice as they sprung back into action. Dave and Janice also rearmed themselves as they tagged along with me.

“Thank you Commander.” Janice said. “I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”

“Same here,” I said as I rested against a wall feeling drained as I sipped on my suits inner water bladder.

“Call me James seems only right”

“Okay, James—thank you.” Janice said. Obviously not comfortable in calling me by my real name.

“How’s the leg?” Dave asked.

“It tingles still but I think it’s working, I’ll have someone look at it later.”

“I would suggest that, it looks like the muscle and tendons are connected, but the blood vessels might be messed up as well as the bone and nerves.”

“You sound like you know quite a bit about legs Dave.” I said with a grin as he looked up in thought.

“I was training to be a doctor before I was recruited.”

“Have you tried the sleep training for medical?” I offered.

“Yes I’ve completed all of the basic courses and I’m moving along the modification tree, of sleep training. Though because of our manpower issues I can’t leave the armoured marine commandos, don’t get me wrong I like being in the AMC but I like doing other things.”

“I do agree with that, but right now we’ve got more ships than we can do anything with and the projects and station are taking a huge chunk of skilled workers away. With the Avarians we’ll be able to allow more people to leave the AMC for skilled positions. Still our numbers are woefully low. If we didn’t have the prisoners serving their terms putting Parnmal back together then we wouldn’t have been able to have two fleets, even now most ships are down to a quarter or less personnel that they need.” I babbled, happy to air the issues and in turn keep my mind off of my leg which was still stinging with left over hell fire.

“Manpower issues. “Janice surmised.

“Exactly, that’s why we need to get out into the neighbourhood we have ships and need crew. There are planets that are being attacked by the syndicate or whatever else is out there if we keep them in our good graces they could maybe help us with some of our issues. That’s the plan at least, we’ll see if we’re able to follow through.”

Shuttles passed overhead, gunner teams visible in the open airlocks and ramps. My implants beeped that I had incoming battle-info as I pulled up my hood .Information scrolled across my implanted HUD showing the battle for the power station had ended and now Henry had the troops moving to another power plant to assist. My details ‘request’ by Henry was to keep us here checking over the supposed dead
. It’s going to be a long day
.

“Commander Resilient says that they’re seeing the Chaleel military forces moving in on the power stations.” Janice said, and it seemed that the day was getting even longer.

“Damn.” I moved to a dead Mecha and pulled out their communicator. I connected to it cleaning it and then putting in my own presets.

“Tape.” I said holding it to my chest as Dave taped it in place.

“Resilient this is Commander Salchar, send me your readings for the incoming Chaleel forces to power stations.”

I studied the map as indeed the Chaleel forces were going out of their main cities and charging the power plants.
 
I’m too thin to defend against them.
 
I realized

“Get me a channel to Carsickle.” A beep signalled I was connected. I waited a few minutes before he picked up.

“Who is this?”

“Commander Salchar, now General could you please tell me why your troops are charging mine?” Hiding the fear I felt in my gut.

“They’re making the outer defence we want a layered defence to fall back on if you change your mind as to letting us be free.”

“That was weak and you know it.” I said ignoring the jab.

“I’ll show you the defence plans. It’s perfectly normal.”

“It would be if three quarters of your military wasn’t part of your outer defence. Turn them around. Now.” Iron in my ending words.

“I don’t have the power.”
 
Go big or go home.
 
I opened a direct channel to Resilient keeping Carsickle in the loop.

“Commander?”

“Hey, can you get me the head honcho of the planet?”

“Do you want the figure they made to deal with the syndicate or the actual one?”

“They made a shadow government, interesting.” I could hear Carsickle sputtering on the other line.

“Might as well do both at the same time.”

“Yes sir. You are connected to their personal communicators.” As the comms officer cut their channel two voices said hello at different times.

“Ah, hello sirs. As you well know my name is Commander Salchar of the Free Fleet. Now I talked with the fronting government about defending your cities and allowing us to clean up the syndicate mess, now it seems that you’ve decided to attack us in the confusion.”

I noticed that both had tried to disconnect the call. Resilient told me that the shadow leader, with the real power had taken off their comms unit only to find out my comms officer had made it so that if it wasn’t in direct contact with they’re ear it was placed on speaker so now everyone in the room with them could hear me.

Anything connected could be hacked by Resilient.

“Right now you stand to make a decision. One that will put your people’s and mine in the balance. If you continue to push your military forces and attack my people then they will be termed as hostile like the syndicate forces and will become targets. If you think I am bluffing then General Carsickle can vouch for me.”
 
C’mon take it, does it!
 
I silently chanted.

“How do we even know that you won’t kill us when you get your people off of our planet?”

The shadow leader asked.
 
Yes!
 
He was already talking about the future and not the immediate consequences. Now I just had to keep him on that, and not thinking about what was happening now.

“Now you’re asking smart questions. Good, the answer is very simple; if I wanted to kill you I would’ve done it already. I could’ve brought any one of my ships and rained hell down on your population centres and evacuated my people at the same time. Leaving your survivors with the Syndicate Mechas for company. Instead I brought more troops onto the ground where you can kill them and I’m working to incapacitate the Syndicate forces on the planet. You have also no doubt picked up the transmissions I have been throwing at the syndicate forces in an attempt to get them to stop fighting. There would be no reason for me to do this if I wanted nothing more than to subjugate your planet. Plus I give you my word that I wish no harm to the people of Chaleel. I will only attack those that attack me first. As Carsickle knows I keep my word as I kept my word that I would return and free this planet of Syndicate control.”

“How do we not know this is another ploy by the Syndicate to make us slaves?” The leader that dealt with the Syndicate asked. I sighed.

“The Syndicate is a bunch of thieves and pirates, they’re driven by greed. They would not have destroyed a corvette willingly for nearly anything—destroyer? Definitely not. Or why would they have their Mechas killing one another, again to them this is a loss of resources.”

“Anything you say could be lies.” This shadow leader guy really didn’t like me.

“Comms could you pinpoint the location of General Carsickle.”

“Yes sir I have his location.”

“Very well. If you can’t take my word then I’m going to have to prove it to you personally. Carsickle I’m betting you’re in some command bunker far away from your leaders as so that if you or the others are killed operations can continue. If this is not the case and you have VIP’s at your location you may want to move them for our upcoming meeting. Comms can you get me a wheeled transport to get there? That way everyone can see me as I’m coming in.”

“Yes sir, “She put me on hold briefly. “It’s being prepped and should be with you within the hour.”

“Great.” I cut her from the conference.

“I will show you the trust you haven’t shown me. I will place myself at Carsickle’s side, that way if anything goes wrong you have a bargaining chip. Though once my people have been rescued if I am not returned then there will be issues.”

“So what use is there in having you in our care?”

“It allows us to get a feel for one another and talk to one another about the future. After the planet is cleared we will need to learn to interact with one another. The Free Fleet needs food and we’d be willing to trade training and the fixing of what was destroyed by the syndicate for that food.” It was a few seconds before the shadow leader talked.

“Very well, we will talk about this later.”

I cut the channel, Janice and Dave having heard most of the conversation from my side. I could see Krom was already coming towards me obviously one of the two had told him what they were hearing.

“Commander you can’t go to him.” Krom said as he reached me hoisting his crew serviced rail gun to the side as if it was a normal rifle.

“I have to now or my word won’t be worth shit. Also this will hopefully create a basis of trust from which we can build from.”

“They’ll kill you before you get there.” Surety in his voice.

“If you see anyone trying to kill me, give them a call it’ll rattle them, also pull up their personal information and talk about their family. That should do the trick.”

“Killing a warrior’s family is dishonourable.”
 
Any more of that dishonourable stuff and you’ll sound like Yasu.

“I don’t want you to kill them. Just talk about them casually; they’ll make their own conclusions.” He nodded his head slowly.

“As you say Commander.”

“Otherwise plaster them with a laser or something with the least damage for the area.”

“Yes sir.”

General Carsickle had seen the shuttle that had gone back to the fleet that hang above his planet and carried something down.

Now he could see what it was as it crested a sand dune at incredible speed becoming airborne coming down on its shocks and continuing on. It was clear it was a tank from the weaponry sprouting over it. It looked as if it was at least two times the size of the tanks under Carsickle’s command but drove like a civilian car. “What is that noise?” He said the audio pickups getting something.

“It seems that they’re playing music.” Carsickle stopped himself from shaking his head as the vehicle went airborne again, the shocks easily taking the impact as it continued on.

How can we win against an enemy like that?
 
He thought, as people rushed about his hidden command bunker. He doubted it would do any good; it was obvious Salchar knew everything.

Gunfire erupted on the view screen, the entire room tensing as movement stopped.

“Who is firing? I want a team down there to arrest them!” Carsickle barked as fear filled his stomach.
 
If they killed him…
 
It was clear the people under Salchar’s command were loyal, motivated. He’d left them to look after taking the planet while he secured them from counter attack from Carsickle’s own forces.

“Ships are moving in orbit.”
 
No.

“Prepare to move the leader…”

“The tank is shrugging off the weapons fire, including rocket attacks.” One of the operators said.
 
Thank the sand!

“Power levels spiked on ship, it fired!”
 
My heart can’t take much more of this!
 
His adrenaline spiking Carsickle saw as the laser strike hit the firing position in a small abandoned house on the edge of the city.

Even weakened by having to burn through the atmosphere, the red pillar of light which was the laser strike turned the building into a molten crater

Another firing position in an apartment building started firing. A cap popped off of a tube on the tanks body, firing as the apartment exploded outwards.

“Check on that building I want reports of casualties!” Carsickle said. “Anyone that fires upon that tank will be given a life sentence!”

The operators busied themselves. “The tank used a low yield directional weapon that exploded when it was inside the apartment, it only killed those in the room, no other reported casualties.” One reported seconds later as the tank came to the cordon that had been erected.

A mixture of police and military stood waiting with all of their weapons aimed at the tank.

“Hatch opening.” Another operator said.

Salchar looked out onto the main drive. Without a seeming care in the world he waved his hand, saying something that couldn’t be heard by the command centres sensor suite.

“Make sure they don’t fire.” Carsickle ground out.

“General he’s calling us.”

“Open the channel.”

“So how do you want to do this? Have me step out, drop weapons and get onto a truck?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” On screen Salchar was yelling back inside the tank. He threw his arms up as another hatch opened.

“The sands.” An operator said as a giant appeared from the hatch, having problems getting its shoulders out of it. Its head mimicked the area around him, leaving just his red eyes and white razor sharp teeth visible as he and Salchar argued. It took a few minutes before the giant sat down in his seat, not looking pleased.

“I’m going to put you on speaker so you can talk to your people.” Salchar said, sounding annoyed.

A second later the communications showed that he was connected to speakers in the tank.

“Please place Commander Salchar in a truck transport to the command bunker.” Salchar moved forward with his arms raised as three police officers and five military personnel rushed to cuff him, cover him and cover the rest as they placed him in the back of a truck none too gently. Carsickle let his breath come out in a hiss as he relaxed.

“Sir we’re getting reports that the person we have in custody might not be Salchar.”

“Why?” Carsickle said whipping to turn on the operator.

“The creature we captured has a natural sensor absorbing ability long black hair and blood red eyes. He is also two foot taller than he was described.”

“That was definitely Salchar I have no doubt it seems that something’s have changed since he’s been here last.” Carsickle said speaking his thoughts out loud.

“Get me a detail and a holding cell that’s bomb proof I want to make sure that this is Salchar.”

“Yes sir. He will be here in five minutes.”

A Warrant came up to Carsickle a short time later. “Sir this way, we’ll take you to the cell.”

“Lead on.”

Carsickle listened over his radio as he heard the person thought to be Salchar was moved to the bomb cell. When Carsickle reached the cell Salchar was chained hands and feet to a floor and a reinforced table.

“Well might as well get this started.” Carsickle said as he walked in the room. The first thing that caught him off guard was the eyes; they looked like the blood the human bled and seemed to stare right through him. His skin was different and reminded him of the strengthened polymers he was wearing himself. The fact that it was also mimicking the wall behind him freaked him out.

Salchar’s hair was the only thing that was the same with a few hairs escaping its tie to dangle in his face as the sides were clean shaved. “Ah General Carsickle we finally meet.” Salchar said sitting back in his chair as much as his chains would let him.

“I guess so.”

“Have you pulled your people back?”

“Yes I have. Though it seems that you still have some fierce fighting going on. Including in the sky with the atmospheric fighters that the Syndicate dropped.”

“Yeah, that’s not my area of expertise but it seems we’ve got the upper hand plus we’re using shuttles to assist.” Salchar looked at a wall in thought tapping his forefinger on the table as he was clearly thinking of other things.

“Nothing to be done but let my people do what they do. However much I would prefer being in the fight myself instead of here.” Salchar said, not sounding too pleased about his position.

“Can you prove you’re Salchar?” Carsickle asked. Salchar looked to the ceiling for a few seconds.

“In this body probably not, though I could tell you about the talks we had, or the time your people attacked mine.” Salchar’s eyes hot as he locked Carsickle in his gaze. Carsickle had dealt with hundreds of such stares but the ferocity and anger behind Salchar’s made him look away first.

“I have no doubt your Salchar, though the changes you’ve gone through are…different. I have seen some races that grow wings or change their colouring on a whim.” He shrugged, studying me some more before finally coming to a decision.

“Okay, you might as well meet my staff.” Carsickle waved to the one way glass, as seconds later a guard appeared with keys unlocking Salchar who got up slowly.

“Follow me.” Carsickle said leading Salchar into his command bunker. Three guards following in full combat gear with their rifles pointed to Salchar.