Metal Boxes - Rusty Hinges

by Alan Black

  The humans new camouflaged repulsar mines now blocked every jump point in the system. Apparently, the Hyrocanians had not noticed that ships occasionally left the system, but none ever entered.

  The civilian scientists had hacked the computers of every ship in the system. All databases were duplicated and the team of Wyznewski and Emmons were confident they could spoof any ship, making them believe anything Butcher wanted them to believe. The only Hyrocanian computers they could not spoof were on the stationary weapons platform orbiting the planet and its attendant ground-based protector.

  Captain Shorty had transferred Sissie to their new ship and installed her as the interim commander despite her objections. Sissie had given Butcher everything she thought the human ship might need, amounting to precious few items. With the gardens and orchards in full swing, they had more vegetables and fruits than they could eat. A few unintelligent creatures managed to round out their protein requirements. Shorty got Butcher to sign a draft for payment of goods transferred from his ship to the Rusty Hinges. Butcher grumbled about it, but everyone knew, including Shorty, the grumbling was just for affect.

  Butcher looked at the assembled team. “Okay, people. So far so good. We’ve had our share of luck. I plan on sending a second shuttle through the jump point with any additional information we’ve gathered and duplicates of what we sent with the first shuttle.”

  Stone wasn’t surprised, but Wyznewski looked shocked. The civilian scientist said, “Captain, why are we sending a shuttle and not going ourselves? The information we’ve gathered will keep the data miners happy for a year going through everything. Somewhere in this mess of data is a location of the Hyrocanian home world. I’m sure of it.”

  Butcher said, “Yes. That’s why I’m sending all civilians back on that shuttle along with the information. It’ll be crowded, but safer.”

  Kat replied, “Bull. I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but I’m too old to run away now. I’m staying. Whizzer?”

  Wyznewski nodded reluctantly, “Yeah. What she said.”

  Butcher said, “You just remember that later.” Smiling, he added. “I was prepared to send all of the human rescuees back as well, but most of them gave me the same spiel you just did. I won’t force anyone to leave, no matter how dangerous it might be to stay.

  Wyznewski paled, “Dangerous?”

  Butcher laughed, “Yes. Want to change your mind?”

  Wyznewski looked at Emmons and then back to Butcher. He shook his head, “No. I think I’ll see this through.”

  Butcher looked at the monitor on the table. Sissie looked back at him from the bridge of the ex-warehouse ship they were now calling the Freedom Wagon. “Captain Sissie, are you prepared to depart the system?”

  Sissie shook her head. She typed into her dataport keyboard and her translator said, “By your leave, Captain Butcher. I would stay and fight with you.”

  Seated at Butcher’s conference table, Shorty said, “Sissie, many of the people with you are non-combatants and they want to go home.”

  Stone nodded in concert with Butcher. Both agreed with Shorty. The three humans he’d rescued were civilians, taken in midflight from a skiff at the edge of human space. The man and his two daughters deserved the opportunity to return to their home space. The piglets deserved no less consideration.

  Sissie said, “Our captured Hyrocanian shuttles aren’t hyperspace capable. I feel sorry for the people who want to leave. I was held by the Hyrocanian too, remember? I will not abandon those I owe for my rescue.” She seemed to stare directly at Shorty. “Nor will I leave you, Pribit. You want to send these people home? So do I. You want to hurt the Hyrocanians? So do I. If you want the Freedom Wagon to go home, you come back here and take it yourself. You left me in charge and I won’t go without you, nor will I leave Ensign Stone behind while he is in danger.”

  Butcher nodded at Shorty. “Good luck with that one.”

  The captain glanced at his advisors. “We’ve gathered all of the information we can get. I’ll admit putting in the repulsar mines throws a kink into the plans of the Hyrocanian fleet stationed in this system, but my orders are to also do what damage we can. I think we can do more.”

  Numos asked, “What’ve you got in mind, Thom?”

  Butcher said, “I think we can send a flurry of mines at all enemy ships in the system. If we time it right, we can hit them simultaneously so none of them will see it coming and turn on their shields in time to save themselves.”

  XO Gupta said, “That sounds doable. The timing would be tight, but a quick flurry and we let our mines drift toward the enemy. These mines are too small for anyone to see them coming. Not to mention we can use their own IFF against them. None of their ships are doing much moving around, so we should be able to anticipate where everyone will be at any given time. Their shields are currently down, so we should be able to do maximum damage with a minimum number of mines.”

  From the looks on their faces Stone could see that this plan was something the Captain and the XO must have previously discussed. Butcher looked pleased, but Gupta was frowning. The XO added, “However, our best position for clear shots at every ship puts the Rusty Hinges within range of the planetary weapons platform. We can’t attack all their ships and still slip out the back door before that orbital beast turns us to dust.”

  Butcher said, “So either we take out the orbiting platform or we limit our impact on their ships. Can we take out the platform?”

  Gupta shook his head, “No, sir. That planetside base will tear us to shreds if we get close enough to kill its big brother and vice versa. I’ve run the simulation a hundred different ways and it always comes down to our certain destruction. Unlike their spaceship buddies, both the orbital and the planetary base have their shields up — always. They seem to be on permanent alert. We can’t get close enough to use what little firepower we have without them challenging us and opening fire.”

  Wyznewski said, “We haven’t been close enough to clone their data. We can’t spoof their systems or the systems of the base located on the planet.”

  Numos said, “So we can’t kill them without them killing us first?”

  Butcher nodded. “That’s about the size of it. We can cut and run now, taking a few shots as we leave, but we’ll only get a few of their ships, leaving two dozen or more behind untouched. Maybe we can entice them into following us and trap them in hyperspace?”

  Numos scooted his chair back, stood and began pacing. “Let’s call that plan B. I don’t like running without a fight.” He stopped, his fists clenched. “I believe my marines can take the orbital weapons platform if you can get us in there. Give us a shuttle and we can pretend to be a resupply delivery.”

  Wyznewski and Emmons looked at each other and nodded.

  “I appreciate the enthusiasm, Dash. But, we can’t get close enough to drop you in their lap without getting shredded like old cheese.” Butcher shook his head. “It’s clear from what Whizzer and Kat can find, they have standing orders to even shoot their own ships if they get too close without authorization. They may let a shuttle through for a delivery, but they wouldn’t expect a delivery from the Rusty Hinges.”

  “But —”

  Sissie interrupted Numos. “The Freedom Wagon is a warehouse ship. Resupply from us might get through.”

  Butcher said, “No. Even if we get Whizzer and Kat to spoof them with orders and they let you get in close enough to send a shuttle, you can’t get close enough to the planetary base to fool them. They’ll end you once they realize their orbital big sister is under attack.”

  Numos said, “Then how do we take out the planetary base? Can we hit them first?”

  Gupta said, “If we hit the planet first, the ships in the system and the orbital platform will kill us. We can spoof the ships, but not the platform.”

  Butcher said, “Major Numos, can you split your forces between the orbital platform and the planetary base, taking them both out?”

  Numos shook his h
ead. “It’ll take everyone I have to destroy that orbital beast from the inside without alerting every ship in the area. Spoofing only goes so far. If the Rusty Hinges starts shooting, it’s over. Once the Hyrocanians start seeing explosions on the orbital platform, they’ll figure something is seriously wrong, no matter what Kat tells them.”

  Butcher spat, “Then we don’t have any way to take out the planetary base and the orbital platform without them killing us in the process?”

  Stone said, “I can take the planetary base out, sir.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Stone immediately wanted to take the statement back, but unlike a poorly written digital message, there wasn’t any way to retract the statement once the words were out of his mouth. Everyone was looking at him like he’d lost his mind. Everyone except Jay, who was lying quietly at his feet. She nodded at him as if to say that whatever was good for him was good for her.

  Butcher said, “Would you care to elaborate, Ensign?” His tone made it clear he wasn’t asking.

  Stone said, “Sir, the orbital platform is in a geosynchronous orbit. There are a dozen military satellites in orbit that we can assume are visual relays, right?”

  Gupta spun the display of the planet above the conference table. He highlighted the satellites. “Yes and we’ve all seen the dozens of gaps all around the planet large enough to drive a shuttle through to the surface.”

  Butcher pointed at a couple of the gaps. “We can drop an attack force through any of these gaps close enough to the planetary base to facilitate a ground attack, but …”

  Numos finished for him. “I can’t split my forces for this. That orbital base is so big it’ll take all of my marines to secure it.”

  Butcher added, “Even the closest LZ is too far away for navy suits. They just aren’t designed for long term engagements. That’s a three-day bounce even for marines. The atmosphere won’t allow for anyone to get out of their suits.”

  Whizzer nodded, “The planet appears to have a light chlorine atmosphere. The pressure and temperature are low, not freezing, but low enough that hydrochloric gasses and acids shouldn’t accumulate in heavy concentrations.”

  Stone said, “Sir, my suit can make that distance. However, I wasn’t thinking of taking a navy assault team. I was thinking of using drascos. There are eight of them and they’re all marine trained fighters. Breathing isn’t an issue for them. Their lungs can breathe anything except a vacuum. They prefer carbon dioxide, but the drascos can breathe a chlorine atmosphere.”

  Jay snorted and slapped the deck with her tail. The bone spike at the end rattled the rusted deck plates. The look in her eyes was a clear indication that she was ready to go.

  Butcher shook his head. “Son, one navy officer and eight drascos taking on a whole planet-based weapons platform doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. We don’t know what you’d find.” He waved a hand to stop Stone from interrupting. “I know they’re tough, but that’s too much to ask.”

  Numos said, “Thom, those drascos are tougher than most of us give them credit for. Both Jay and Peebee have been able to beat a whole platoon of marines in training. I will admit that the younger drascos are easier to beat, but only because they’re easier to distract and they aren’t quite locked in on the whole teamwork concept yet.”

  Butcher asked, “So they can’t do it?”

  Numos replied, “I didn’t say that. I said my marines can beat them by being trickier. We’ve got hundreds of years of learning to adapt to unknown situations. The drascos are learning, but they don’t have a history to draw from. And as you said, we don’t know what they’ll find on that base.”

  Stone should have kept his mouth shut and let these men talk him out of what looked like a suicide mission, instead he said, “Sir, I’m not saying that we can attack, destroy and get away unscathed. I’m saying that we can cause enough disruption that the Hyrocanians won’t be able to stop you from killing a dozen Hyrocanian ships, damaging a dozen more, and getting out of the system. Besides, suppose they do kill Jay or Peebee, what do you think would happen?”

  Wyznewski laughed, “That would be the worst thing they could do. The surviving drasco would immediately begin the change to male. We don’t know how fast the growth would be, but the chemical change would rapidly affect her brain turning her into a rampaging male.”

  Stone said, “Sir, we can’t stop a male short of a lucky shot.” He stood up, walked around behind Jay and grabbed her head in his arms. He gave her a gentle squeeze. “If it comes to that and this ship’s survival depends on it, I’ll put a bullet into Peebee myself.”

  Jay snuffled and whoofed a huge breathe across Stone’s face. “No, Mama. Shoot me.” She didn’t broadcast the request through her dataport translator.

  Stone breathed back into Jay’s mouth. He didn’t know if Jay was willing to die first to save Peebee or if she would rather be shot than turn male. He filed the question away to ask later. That was a discussion he wanted to have with each of the drascos. The younger ones needed to know what might happen to them if two of any triplet died.

  Shorty had stood up, but his short height made him hard to notice. He climbed up on his chair and then onto the table. He walked over to the display of the planetary base and typed furiously into his database translator. “Our combat suits are smaller, but we can cross this distance in four days. I’ll go with Stone and my drasco friends.” He held a hand up to his ear. Stone noticed he had a listening device attached there.

  Jay said, “Mama, he’s asking his piglets for volunteers. I can’t hear their answers.”

  Shorty nodded, “I have a team of thirty fighters in suits.”

  Stone pushed Shorty to the side and expanded the display area around the Hyrocanian base. “We should be able to shuttle down to here. This spot is hidden from the base by this mountain range. We can bounce from there to attack. After we destroy their ability to fire on the Rusty Hinges, we hike back to the shuttle. If you’re still in the system, we can rendezvous. If not, well—Shorty is a pirate, right? We just take another ship and follow you home.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Dollish’s face fell in disappointment. He looked at Vedrian, Hammermill, and Tuttle for support, but there wasn’t any to be had.

  Stone shook his head again. “I’m sorry, Spacer Dollish. I can’t take you with me. Your navy suit doesn’t have the capability to support you that long.”

  Dollish said, “You’re taking some supplies, right?” His voice cracked as he desperately searched for a way to make Stone change his mind. “We could take a tent. I could get out of my suit every now and then. We could recharge and reset it ...” His voice faded away.

  Stone said, “We’re moving too fast for that. Look, Tim. You’re my friend, right? If I could take anyone, I’d take you, but I can’t. You know it.”

  Dollish nodded. “Me and a few marines, right?”

  Dollish was correct. He would feel more comfortable taking a platoon of marines along, but that wasn’t going to happen either. Major Numos needed his full compliment to shut down the massive orbiting weapons platform. The much smaller planetary base was an easier target. Easier or not, Stone knew if he didn’t destroy or at least disable the planetside base, the marines would all die in orbit. The Hyrocanians on the orbiting platform might be able to repel and kill the marines, no one knew for sure, but if Stone’s attack force wasn’t successful, the Hyrocanians on the planet would open fire on their own platform rather than lose it to the humans. Stone had to succeed or his friends would die. As much as he wanted Dollish with him, the spacer would slow him down.

  “Tim, I’d take you if I could.”

  Dollish shook his head. “I wouldn’t take me. Don’t worry about it, Boss. I understand.”

  Stone wondered whether his friend understood or not. Dollish wandered away, his eyes wet, obviously trying not to cry in front of Stone and a trio of marines.

  Tuttle shook her head as she watched Dollish walk away. She wrapped an a
rm around Stone’s head and pulled him in close. “Don’t worry about Timmy, Ensign. He’s a good kid and really does understand. He just has a few abandonment issues. You know about his family, right?”

  Stone realized he didn’t know anything about Dollish prior to their meeting on Allie’s World. “What about his family?”

  Tuttle said, “He told me one night when he’d been drinking too much jungle juice. It seems they sent him off to school one morning and when he got home that night they were gone. Took all of their stuff and left him behind. He hasn’t seen them since. He joined the navy shortly after that just so he could get a good meal and a warm bed.”

  Stone looked at the tough marine corporal. “Two things, marine. One, I’m not abandoning, Tim Dollish. He’s my friend and I will be back for him.”

  Tuttle laughed, “Of course, you’ll be back. I’ll make sure he knows.”

  “Two. What the heck are you doing getting Tim drunk?”

  “Me? It was his jungle juice, Ensign. Honest.” Tuttle had a look of complete innocence that didn’t fool anyone. “I’ll talk to him. He’ll be okay.” She squeezed Stone a little harder. “You got time for a quickie before you go? Last time offer.”

  Allie laughed, grabbed Tuttle by the ear, and pulled her away. “Back off, Barb. He doesn’t have time for a quickie with me, so he sure doesn’t have time for you.”

  Hammermill reached over and slapped Stone upside the head. It stung, but Stone knew the big marine had pulled his punch. He stuck his hand out to shake. “Ensign Stone, man-to-man, I’ll race you to Valhalla.”

  Stone said, “Hammer, I didn’t think you believed in stuff like that.”

  Hammermill shrugged, “Gotta believe in something. I believe in Major Dashell Numos to lead me into the valley of death and out again. I believe I’m invincible. I believe you’re indestructible. It’s these others around us that I worry about.” He squeezed Stone’s hand. Then he grabbed Tuttle’s shoulder and they followed Dollish.