Free Coming Home (Free Fleet Book 2) by Michael Chatfield

launch control, not Houston! You are known as Assault Ship One!”
    “Roman Candle acknowledges, Houston!”
    “Fine!” launch control said angrily as they accepted their new name of Houston, turning to deal with the rest of the pilots which had all thought of names for their rockets, varying from Rocket Ship Thing Three to Enterprise and I Am A Ballistic Missile. Everyone was ready. The massive bunker doors moved from above the ships as the engines warmed up.
    Houston counted down. At one the main engines fired as Connolly and his shuttle leapt into the sky.
    “We’re in the air, well, technically. Still getting out of this damned hole, ladies and gents,” Smith said a few second later. “Now we’re in the air. I would like to thank you for taking, this-is-the-worst-damn-ship-piece-of-crap-airlines today. Space is expected to be the cold annoying bitch that we’ve all heard about. I hope you’ve all taken your rad medication to stop your bits being roasted to a tender crispiness by they sun. If you feel at all sick in this ride, for the love of god, swallow or well we aren’t taking these things back. So what am I saying: Throw up everywhere!” Smith said in an annoying happy tone as some of the Marines took his advice literally, pasting the shuttle. The lucky ones had their visors down and their air recyclers cranked up to max.
    The shuttle started shaking as Connolly thought that maybe his ship wasn’t going to make it out into space.
    “The vibration you’re feeling right now, a similar sensation to being a martini in a shaker. At least it isn’t stirred! Thank god the Brits got something right!” Connolly wanted to say something but his jaw was locked tight as he fought the pressure which seemed to come from everywhere. How Smith was talking was beyond him as the shaking stopped.
    “We’re in space. Moving to target,” Smith said in a somewhat disciplined voice as Connolly hoped he'd finally gotten on task.
    “Two minutes till link-up. Ship seems to be bigger than any of those in the vicinity, it’s holding in a regular pattern. My co-pilot has found an airlock, so we’re going to give it an old knock. Remember that we are in zero gravity, and it sounded like any sick bags we had have currently been used. Disengaging bolts, remove harnesses as needed.” I just hope he's as good piloting as he is cracking jokes, Connolly thought as he looked over his readouts. Four shuttles hadn't made it into space and had fallen back to Earth. Thankfully, they were able to set down in the Pacific Ocean, and collection was already under way. The rest were still on target, following behind Roman Candle One.
    “Ten seconds,” Smith said as a counter rolled down. Connolly and his men released their harnesses and orientated to the airlock, his lead team ready as the airlocks lights went green and they charged in.
    “Contact!” they yelled as he heard weapons fire.
     
    Chapter Busy Day
    I was on my first Wake Up as we orbited Earth. There was nothing I could do. I’d sent the people I could with the recovered shuttles to the station and I was still waiting for a call back from Henry if he wanted more forces for the Syndicate ships which where floating out of the system towards the sun, their engines dead. I was hoping their dead engines meant my Commandos were winning. I knew that Yasu was out on those ships too, but she’s was on her own, as much as I wished I was there instead of her. It was weird how a night spent talking—and other things—had brought us so much closer. I actually felt somewhat like a married man.
    I'd debated destroying the stations weaponry, but it didn't seem that it was needed as Henry and his Commandos were making short work of the station. We’d pasted the stations weaponry, not taking any chances with the whole of Earth at it’s mercy.
    “We have incoming missiles from the United States,” Marleen said. The main view screen changed to the missiles as they left secret silos around