Free Fleet #03 No Rest for the Wicked (34 page)

Chapter - Preparations

I stared at the desk in front of me, my eyes hard as I grated my teeth, turning over Rick's idea in my mind. We were now at Parnmal, and the majority of the fleet had moved on towards Earth. Only Resilient and a small squadron, Cheerleader, Bregend, and Boot’s fleet remained. Foshunti had been turned over to the courts. If they sentenced him to anything less than death I would make him captain once again. He was a risk but I could use his skills and knowledge. His fighter commander Ravasham was already showing how Foshunti had cultivated a crew of only the best.

Now I had to decide if it was worth to allow the people that had been fighting me, not even a few months ago, to join the Free Fleet.

"Change their prison terms to reduced terms within the Free Fleet as long as they don't create any issues,” I said.

Rick nodded, no pause in his reaction. While I didn't like having to use previous Syndicate members to fill my ranks there had been more than one time when I'd been wrong, I reminded myself as I sighed.

"As you’re our personnel guy, Rick. I’ll leave this under your purview. in charge of it. Which means I’ll have to leave you here if I’m to keep on schedule with Nelly and Nancy,” I said. I was much more guarded than I’d ever been before. Trusting others was harder for me after Daestramus. 
I will hunt that dog down and...
I closed my eyes, trying to focus my anger into something useful.

"Understood, commander. Telling Marleen that is going to be... unpleasant,” Rick said. I passed over his humour, looking to Felix.

"Are you ready for your new project?" I asked, my voice cold and professional.

"Yes. Everything is ready from factory ships to haulers. Min Ha's people have vetted everyone and we're ready to proceed to the unnamed system past Earth,” he said.

"Call it Shadow, then,” I said.

"Certainly, commander,” he replied.

"Your docks here are ready to be turned over to the merchants?"

"Yes. It is outfitted and cleared of anything useful. We will be the fastest port in known space to move freight on an off of freighters,” Felix said.

"Another thing I hope that we can add to Hachiro,” said Whorst, the system commander of Earth. The FTL relays were only growing.

"With time,” I said, giving him a look of assurance. The man was a combat veteran. While he did a great job running Earth, I needed to get him a job aboard one of my ships. Though everything I had thus far, looked like a downgrade. 

"What about this FTL relay initiative?" I asked Parnmal's Intelligence Officer.

"He wants to do two things. Bring more traffic to Parnmal and the corridor."               Corridor was the new name for the Earth to Parnmal wormhole connection. So far we had not found another entrance into it, other than the one Boot had used.

“As well as expand the FTL network across known and inhabited space. To do that he wants to offer merchants a fee to take and install FTL relays along pre-set co-ordinates. If a merchant is going to a destination and there is a drop-off on the way, they can make some platinum,” 

"Approved,” I said. I saw nothing but benefit. Merchants more often than not were bringing people that wanted to be part of the Free Fleet, or had supplies that were useful to us.

"Are we still going ahead with the Nelly, Nancy, Nate split?" Silly asked.

"Yes. Having one big shipyard is nice, but this is war. We need to spread our resources out,” I said. “How long will it be before Nelly and Nate are ready to move?"

"Within the month,” he answered.

              "Very well. That just leaves you three," I turned to Boot, Bregend, and Cheerleader. "You three are going to do some scouting in force. Cheerleader, I want you to find out the situation with the Kuruvian home system and planet. Boot, you will look to the Sarenmenti's home. Bregend, I want you to go and search for Fairgate's supposed home system. It’s thought to be where one of the last major battles between the PDF and the Kalu happened,”

They made noises and movements of agreement.

"That’s all, for now. We must look to searching out people to fill our ranks, and ships to fight in before we can think of engaging the Kalu. Felix has been given free rein to make whatever ships he thinks can aid us. The rest of us will look to fixing and upgrading our ships. We’ll need every advantage we can get. The Kalu use very much our own tactics. They close with the enemy, board them and use their superior fighting techniques to win. They will contest every planet, dropping only the amount of forces they believe necessary to win the battle.

“The others will watch, only replacing them when they believe they can defeat the clan on the planet, and the people of the planet. They are divided through their clan structure, but it makes it so only their warriors are able to go to war. The Syndicate was a bunch of criminals with warships. The Kalu are a people that live for war. They will not stop as long as they are alive. Surrendering is an unknown concept to them. Do not underestimate them.”

I looked to them all, seeing them understanding my words.

"What about the kids of the free fleet?" Rick asked.

"There has been talk of starting to use tests to join the fleet instead of an age requirement. I think that we should go along that route,” I said.

"What about the people that have spoken against it?" Whorst asked.

"Let them say what they will. With these tests, we give everyone a way to enter the free fleet no matter their age or abilities,” Rick said.

I gave him an understanding look.

"Now this is all sorted, I must leave for Earth. Otherwise Eddie is going to lead an Engineering revolt. Good luck to you all,”

***

Rick walked into the holding cell, and both Jorsht, and Kelu looked at him in confusion.

"Why have we been brought here?" Kelu asked.

"I have an offer to you and every person that used to be in the Syndicate with minor crimes. I offer you a place within the Free Fleet. You will get reduced terms based on how you act. You will also possibly get an offer of continued service after your term,” Rick said, waiting for that to sink in.

"Why?" Jorsht asked. He might be a massive brute of a creature, but there was an intelligence behind those eyes.

"The Kalu have returned. We have more ships and jobs than we have people. Plus I didn't think that you and yours would want to just mine asteroids when you could be fighting in a real military,”

"So you want help in fighting the Kalu? Just getting a position in the fleet is not enough. We will need renumeration,” Jorsht said.

“Of course your first question is how much you get paid.” Rick said, not finding it easy to be annoyed at Parnmal’s old commander who shrugged the comment off.

"Where do I sign?" Kelu said, becoming cold, showing his nervousness.

"Brother, we need not sign immediately,” Jorsht said.

"You do not understand. The Kalu, they are not like the free fleet, they will not offer mercy. We die fighting, or we die as prisoners. They do not care what we say,” Kelu said, turning on Jorsht.

"I will not die working on shipyards. I will die charging them and hammering them with all the cannons I can muster,” Kelu said, his voice frigid. "I took this name not to intimidate, but as a promise to my planet which was savaged by them, and to not forget. Rick—if I may call you that—what do I have to do to put my name up?"

"Press your right manipulator here, and then tell your people about their choices,” Rick said, pushing a data pad over and pointing to a scanning area.

Kelu did it without pause.

"Jorsht?" Rick asked, looking to the creature.

"It's a shorter sentence,” he said, putting his massive paw on the data pad.

With that, the previous commander of Parnmal, and the Captain that had tried to take it, now signed up to defend it and stand with their old adversaries.

What a damned crazy Universe we live in.

Hey! Before you go, please leave me a review! I want to hear what you thought about No Rest For the Wicked! It also helps other reader’s to decide whether or not to join us on our adventure’s with the Free Fleet.

Thank you for taking the time to read No Rest for the Wicked
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