The Recruitment: Rise of the Free Fleet by Michael Chatfield Page A

humans who shook it briefly before releasing it.
     
    Shrift thought it an odd gesture.
     
    “And George?”
     
    “Yes Mr. Shrift.” Shrift repeated the arm pumping gesture.
     
    “No need for that Mister stuff here.”
     
    “Leave them with me Taleel.” The Sarenmenti officer made a show of taking the pain implant control off of his belt and giving it to Shrift.
     
    “I will expect a report on their actions as I retrieve them.”
     
    “Certainly.” Shrift took the remote, just able to hide his disgust as his carapace shifted in anger and annoyance.
     
    Taleel turned and stomped out of the room, the hatch sealing behind him.
     
    “Thank god that Voshuna’s gone.” Shrift said sourly as he threw the remote by his tools drawers like the garbage it was.
     
    The squad looked at him with curiosity, probably trying to see if his throwing away the remote was a rouse or not.
     
    “I’m not going to use that thing.” He said at the accusatory stares. None of them believed him. He was going to have to build their trust it seemed. He huffed, they had time to get acquainted, soon they’d be fighting with Mechas which meant that they would be spending increasingly more time with him putting back together what they broke, or in the medical chairs getting put back together themselves.
     
    He was going to give them the tools that they’d need to stay out of that dammed chair, and tell death to take a hike.
     
    Salchar joined the squad staying at the front as they became a half circle Shrift able to see them all. He studied them and their hands as well as their eyes. Most of them looked like they worked with their hands and there was a spark of something in their eyes. Hopefully it was intelligence! Realizing how long he and the humans had been studying one another he gritted his vocal sacks
     
    “Alright Humans! Listen up as I’ll say this once. LOOK AFTER YOUR DAMNED MECHA’S!” He yelled at everyone hiding a grin as they looked shocked at the volume he was able to produce from such a small frame. Shrift mentally patted himself and thanked his mentor Eddie, now that was a Kuruvian that could shout! This might even be interesting he thought, even after the way his teacher had practically forced him to take the armourers position, instead of remaining an engine tech on the Golden Refuge.
     
    “Gather around.” Shrift jacked in with his universal port/finger to a control panel as a Mecha rotated down from one of the racks. He stood in front of it as the humans stared at it. Most with blind awe at its deadly lines, just a handful actually trying to glean the secrets the dark grey Mecha held.
     
    “A Mecha will keep you alive and your enemy dead, without it you will die in most habitats, like say space. Your Mecha is your second skin, you keep it working or you will DIE! Saying that it’s not your personal damned bumper car!”
     
    “Seeing as your testing says you are smart enough to comprehend more than a Sarenmenti. I’m going to put you on your own suit maintenance. Any damage you do to scrap bots while you’re fighting with them you’ll fix!” Shrift said with a happy smile, the humans faces turning from confusion to unhappiness at the new job they faced.
     
    “As your basic physical training, hand to hand and weapon identification is complete. Your sleep training will now consist of Mecha maintenance and repair!” A few faces showed interest.   Who knows maybe I can turn some of these humans into engineers!   Shrift thought, as he hid a shiver of excitement. If Kuruvians liked anything more than taking something apart and putting it back together to understand how it works, they liked to share information. Shrift accessed their training schedule through his implants and removed some garbage slotting in the maintenance and repair.
     
    “Now gather around and listen up I won’t say this again!
     
    He pressed a button on a panel that brought forward a Mecha from the racks behind it. It