by Henry Vogel
“Now!” I cried.
Scooping up the fallen laser pistol, Rupor shouted, “Up and at them, men!”
With a roar, the Tartegian marines charged from the airlock and into the squad of pirates.
Stuck toward the back of the pack of marines, I could only watch as Rupor and his men slammed into the squad of space pirates. Disorganized by the flailing of their one-handed leader, the pirates tried to regroup in the face of the onslaught. But Rupor picked his boarding party well. The men in front blocked the pirates’ desperate attacks and slammed them into bulkheads or down onto the deck. The marines behind them stabbed, hacked, and trampled the pirates as they passed. Lastly, those bringing up the rear finished off the wounded before rushing to rejoin the boarding party.
The attack was brutal and deadly. The pirates, used to fighting poorly trained merchant spacers and terrorizing space liner passengers, had no response for the efficient, organized violence dealt by Rupor’s boarding party!
Bloody sword held high, Rupor voiced a savage cry of triumph. His men joined in and the metal bulkheads reverberated with the din. Rupor charged down the nearest passageway, he and his men deaf to my shouted instructions to take the next corridor, the one leading to the bridge.
The Tartegian’s tactics, skill, and enthusiasm would only carry them so far. The pirates still outnumbered us four or five to one and knew the ship’s layout intimately. Eventually, superior numbers and superior knowledge would carry the day. Our sole hope lay in controlling the bridge, the heart of the spaceship and from where the crew would direct the defense of the ship.
With a sigh I could just barely hear over the fading cries and footfalls of the boarding party, I jogged in the opposite direction. After all, someone had to take control of the bridge.
I had no allies. I had no Boost. I had no plan. But I had a laser pistol and, more importantly, I had the sword Rob had given me as he lay dying. It was enough to win the day. It had to be!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The clash of weapons echoed up the corridor as Rupor’s boarding party found more pirates to fight. As a distraction, the Tartegians had the full attention of the pirates aft of the airlock. But would the fighting behind me distract the pirates in front of me?
I reached the ship’s main corridor, running from stem to stern right through the middle of the spaceship. Aft held crew quarters, ship’s stores, and the cargo bays. Forward lay officer’s territory and the bridge. At least, that’s the layout found on a military or merchant spaceship. Since pirates tended to steal their ships rather than have them built under contract, chances were this ship didn’t break from that mold. I was gambling my life — and the lives of Martin and Megan — that Caudill was a traditionalist.
The Scout Academy requires courses on space piracy for all cadets. Scouts travel far from the space lanes, it’s pretty much our job description. Even though the Scout Corps is much smaller than any of the other military branches, scouts are far more likely to encounter pirates. A scout’s survival could depend on knowing pirate tactics and recognizing the signs of a pirate lair. In other words, I knew more about pirates than most people. Martin did, too, but added personal experience to the mix.
Shipboard discipline among pirates is vastly different than among law-abiding crews. There is usually one punishment for breaking the pirate compact — spacing. That means a smart pirate captain finds ways to keep his crew entertained during the long, boring hunt for prey. Pirate ships are known to have well stocked bars, full emersion gaming consoles, and top of the line video rigs. Some even have live entertainment, usually provided by captives taken from space liners or from rim settlements.
All of this came back to me as I started up the main corridor toward the bridge. I moved in short dashes, slipping from one side passage to another, staying out of sight as much as possible. I had just ducked into an aft slanting passage when I heard the hiss of the bridge hatch sliding open. A second after that came the sound of footsteps pounding down the corridor toward me.
I pressed up against a recessed hatch but it provided little concealment. With the aft slant of the passage, I stood well within the peripheral vision of the approaching pirates. One of them was bound to see me!
The pounding of pirate footsteps grew louder and louder. I raised the laser pistol I’d taken from Caudill’s body and readied my sword. If luck was with me, I could cut them down before they reached me. But I’d also warn the pirates on the bridge they had an enemy close by. So much for having the element of surprise when I reached the bridge.
With a soft sigh, the hatch behind me slid open and hands dragged me into the compartment! I spun, sword raised to strike, as the hatch sighed shut again. A single finger pressed against my lips.
“Shhh!”
A pretty, petite blonde stood before me. To her right stood a lovely brunette with startling blue eyes. To her left was a stunning redhead. Beyond those three, close to two dozen more women eyed me warily. All of them held makeshift knives and appeared prepared to use them.
One woman, her eyes locked on a vid screen, called, “All clear!”
“Are you the scout who’s got Caudill’s men so scared?” the blonde asked.
“They’re scared of me? That’s good. Scared men make mistakes.” I looked around the chamber the blonde had pulled me into. The women were quite pretty and every single one of them was dressed like a lingerie model, though ones with worse fashion sense than even I possess. Milo would almost certainly like their look, being a teenage boy, but Callan had long since taught me the difference between mere revealing clothing and alluring attire.
“We didn’t choose the clothes,” the blonde said, reading my expression.
“Of course not.” I turned my attention to the blonde, making sure my eyes met hers. “I assume you’re all Caudill’s captives, no doubt brought on board to entertain his crew?”
She nodded, her eyes suddenly shining with unshed tears. My already considerable loathing for Caudill increased five-fold. “I’d kill Caudill over this outrage if he wasn’t already dead.”
Every woman in the room pinned me with a laser-like gaze as the blonde asked, “You killed Caudill?”
“No, my men killed Caudill before he could kill me. I found myself forced to kill Orrons.”
The redhead threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek. “Oh, thank you so much!”
“We know why Orrons was a basket case, but he still had some sick interests — and a...thing...for redheads,” the blonde explained. Then she blinked away her tears and was all business. “I assume you’re trying to rescue your friends on the bridge?”
I nodded. “And take control of the bridge, so I can help the boarding party heading aft.”
“We can help you with that, but in return you’ve got to agree to help us rescue our husbands.”
“Of course I’ll help you. It’s what scouts do, you know. Are they being held forward or aft?”
The blonde shook her head. “I’m afraid they aren’t on board the ship. They’re three wormhole jumps away, in Caudill’s pirate base.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you. You’re sitting in the only intact spaceship on the planet and I’m told it can’t fly any more. I wish there was something I could do to help your husbands, but I can’t.” I looked around the room, locking eyes with several of the women. “Are you still willing to help me rescue my friends?”
“You know, all you had to do was tell us you’d do it,” the blonde said. “We wouldn’t have known the difference until it was too late.”
My face must have given away my opinion of that course of action.
“Please excuse us. We’ve spent far too much time around pirates lately.” The blonde met my gaze, a smile tugging at her lips. “Are there any more men like you at home?”
“That depends on which home you mean,” I responded. “I don’t know about my birth planet, but on this planet there are whole armies of honorable men who I struggle to emulate.�
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“I doubt you struggle over anything concerned with honor,” the blonde said. “But your answer is just what we wanted to hear. We’re going to need men like that to rescue our husbands!”
“But I just told you I don’t have a working spaceship!”
The blonde reached up and patted my cheek. “Don’t worry your handsome head over that. If you can take this spaceship, we’ll make her fly again!”
I could tell there was more to their story, but I could get the rest later — after we were finished dealing with the pirates. “You’ve got a deal! What I need most right now is to get to the bridge unseen. Can you help with that?”
“I’ve already got that covered,” called the woman at the vid station. “I’ve got an override on the cameras in that passageway. Ever since you came aboard, all they’ve seen outside the bridge is an empty passageway.”
“That’s perfect.” I thought furiously for a second. “Can you open the hatch to the bridge from here?”
Fingers danced over the makeshift control panel. “I can now.”
“Good. Open it just before I reach it.”
The blonde opened the hatch out of their chamber and I slipped into the passage. Sword and laser at the ready, I charged full speed toward the bridge!
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The bridge hatch loomed large as I sprinted down the passageway. Ten feet from the hatch, my brain yelled for me to stop before I slammed into the hatch. Then the hatch slid open and I charged onto the bridge.
From various bridge stations, half a dozen pirates directed the ship’s defense against Rupor and his boarding party. On the far side of the compartment, a seventh pirate stood guard over Martin and Megan. Martin’s arms twisted behind his back, no doubt with his hands bound. But Megan’s hands were free and clasped together in her lap. Obviously, the pirates did not consider a musician from a primitive world any kind of threat. If all went according to plan, they’d regret that decision.
The closest pirate looked up at the sound of the hatch sliding open. I swung my sword, slashing his throat as I charged past. He collapsed to the deck, gurgling, as blood sprayed across his console. The remaining pirates stared at me, shocked disbelief written on their faces. Their hesitation only lasted for a second, but that was all I needed to bound across the compartment.
I barreled into the pirate guarding Martin, driving my sword up into his chest and out his back. Yanking the sword free, I dropped the laser pistol in Megan’s lap.
“Free Martin. I’m going to need his help real soon!”
Shouts of rage echoed around the bridge as the pirates drew their swords and converged on me. At least one of my gambles had paid off. The bridge was so packed with vital instruments that the pirates weren’t willing to use their lasers. I knew I could take any of them in a straight fight, but the pirates outnumbered me five to one. With Boost available, there would be no doubt of the outcome. But you can’t have everything and, in this fight, I couldn’t have Boost.
I leapt toward one of the pirates and away from Martin and Megan, drawing the attention of all of the pirates along with me. Two of them came at me together, one from the right and one from ahead of me. My sword flashed as I parried their thrusts. I tried every feint and trick I knew, but without the added speed of Boost I couldn’t mount an attack against either man. Then a third pirate joined the fight and their combined attacks overwhelmed my defense. Within seconds, I felt cold steel plunge into my left shoulder.
Pain exploded as the pirate’s sword grated against my shoulder blade and my left arm dropped to my side, useless. My balance thrown off, I swung my sword wildly across the attacks of the other two pirates. As much by luck as skill, I beat aside both attacks with the single parry. But my wild swing also left me open to attacks from all three of the pirates!
The man who had stabbed me grinned and leaned into his blade, still sticking into my shoulder. Then, when the pirate had me pinned and vulnerable to attacks from his fellows, the pirate pulled his sword from my shoulder. A second later I realized the pirate was no less surprised than me! He rose off the deck and flew across the bridge, crashing into the two pirates not yet in the fight.
Moving almost too fast to see clearly, Martin Bane flowed past me, his mouth stretched in a feral grin. “Megan, David is hurt worse than he knows. Help him sit down before he falls down!”
The other two pirates fighting with me brought their swords to bear on me, each looking for a killing blow. In an instant, they forgot all about me as this new, deadly threat came at them. They attempted a defense but Martin moved too fast for them. Sliding in between the two men, he slammed their heads together. With a dull crack, both men collapsed to the floor, senseless.
Scooping up their two swords, Martin advanced on the remaining pirates. The three of them struggled to their feet as Martin’s swords flashed in a dizzying pattern. The swords moved so fast you could actually hear them cutting through the air.
The pirates’ eyes widened and Martin said, “I can kill or capture. It matters not to me, but maybe it does to you three!”
Their swords clattered to the deck.
In the sudden silence that followed, I heard lots of feet pounding down the corridor toward the bridge!
The just-surrendered pirates grinned at the sound of what they knew could only be reinforcements. Believing the approaching men had diverted Martin’s attention, one of the three reached for his sword. One of Martin’s swords changed direction. With a howl of pain, the pirate pulled his hand back — minus the tip of its middle finger.
“Help me get back up,” I said to Megan, who had just helped me sit down. “I need to be ready to fight.”
“You can’t fight with that wound, David. But maybe we could shut the door. Do you know how to do that?”
“No. I’ve got some allies who have taken over the door controls. They’d have to-” I stopped speaking as a thought struck me.
“They’d have to what?”
“They can see the passageway and control the door,” I mused. “Why haven’t they already shut the door?”
“You’re asking the wrong person,” Megan said.
Megan was absolutely right. Raising my voice, I shouted in Mordanian, “This is Captain Rice. Who approaches?”
The reply came clear and strong and, most importantly, in Mordanian. “We’re marines from Her Highness’s flagship, sir!”
The pirates’ grins vanished at the sound of the unfamiliar language. Seconds later, a dozen Mordanian marines crowded into the bridge while several dozen more stood in the passage. Beside the marine commander, looking woefully out of place among the heavily armed men, stood the petite blonde woman from the room down the passageway.
The commander saluted. “We couldn’t understand a word this young woman said, but she was most adamant we follow her.”
“I’m glad you did. And your timing is most excellent. Now that you’re here, I’ve got to go aft. Rupor and his men charged off in that direction and may require our help.”
“Oh hell no, David! You are in no shape to lead these men anywhere,” Martin said. “You have to see a medic. I will go with the marines.”
“I’d not have chosen those exact words, sir,” the marine commander said, “but I must agree with Captain Bane. Your wound must receive attention.”
The commander detached four marines to help me out to the medic station, then he and Martin led the Marines aft in search of Rupor. I could do nothing more but wait for news.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Let’s get you outside to the medic, sir,” one of the marines said, pointing at my shoulder.
“Of course, private,” I said. “Sorry I’m keeping you from all the fun.”
“Your health is more important than another notch on my blade, sir.”
“Callan will appreciate your concern.” I pushed off from the bulkhead I’d been leaning against. To my surprise, I pitched right past ‘upright’ and fell toward a face-first landing on the deck. M
egan and the blonde reacted quickly, catching and steadying me. I’d lost more blood than I’d thought.
“Thank you, Megan.” I turned to the blonde and switched to gal base, “And thank you, um-?”
“Laura.”
“Thank you, Laura. Are the rest of the women still in your compartment?” At Laura’s nod, I continued, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to assign a squad of marines to guard your compartment until we finish dealing with the pirates. Can you turn on the translator so my people can talk to you?”
“Thank you for the marines.” Laura motioned for one of the marines to help her. “They’re the kind of men you told us abounded on this world?”
“Each one is honorable to a fault. My oath on it.”
“There’s no need for an oath. I trust you.” Laura handed me off to the marine she summoned. Then she stepped over to the communications station and flipped some switches. “That should do it.”
A second later, a translation came from the ship’s intercom.
I switched to Mordanian. “Megan, this is Laura. Are you willing to act as a liaison between my men and Laura’s women?”
“She and her friends are the allies who helped you?” When I nodded, she continued, “That ought to make an interesting verse in my song! What will Her Highness think?”
Laura smiled at the translation. “You can assure the princess that her… Oh, what’s the word they used? Ah, yes, assure the princess that her paramour has been a perfect gentleman.”
Megan frowned. “David is Princess Callan’s husband, not her paramour.”
Laura’s eyebrows shot up. “Husband? But Caudill-”
“Jumped to an incorrect conclusion,” I interrupted. “One Rupor and Callan played along with so they could get Orrons off my chest. And I mean that quite literally.”
