Looking around again Jack shook his head, ignoring the shocking fact she had tried to burry inside her statement. Other things were more important right then. "You have over 20,000 slaves packed into 3 balls like this. I am sorry Mother but the math does not mesh. Simply not enough room."
She smiled again at Jack. "Not pods per say but a long tall cylinder Captain leaving plenty of room for the thousands that did not have time to get to the hibernation pods. When the God decks were hit and destroyed and the Berserkers were just starting to decant, I sent most of the ship’s slaves, as many as I could, to the empty Hibernation decks and safety in the pods I already had prepared just in case, while directing the Berserkers to other parts of the ship using a few workers as bait with closed, locked hatches." Luckily few officers survived to direct the masses at the locked hatches before the majority of slaves were safe in the pods."
"What? Where are these God officers now?"
"Do not worry Captain. Once the Berserkers took the entire ship, their minds kept degenerating and soon did not recognize the surviving God Officers and killed them long before they started killing each other. Though it is possible some God Officers have survived if they could have isolated themselves as I did my fellow slaves." Looking around her and then back at Jack. "Now that you are here. Once the Berserkers are all dead we will search the entire ship for any hidden surviving God Officers and kill them."
"Ah… I would rather you not kill them. We need to take prisoners so we can better understand our enemy Mother. I hope you understand."
"If that is what you wish, I shall order it Captain." Jack recognized her look of disappointment reminding him of Pan when he refused to kill the Red Apes before they became Red Apes. "Ah Mother, on all the other ships, dishonored slave Apes have joined me with great distinction. Are your slave Apes included in that 20,000?"
Mother looked at Jack as a distasteful grimace crossed her face. "No. I locked the 5,000 Slave Apes into an old Torpedo magazine and covered the entrance. If they survive it is their fate. I would not risk including the thousands with the rest of my slaves."
"Ok mother, I will want you to treat these Apes as you will your own slaves. Hell, for that matter, stop calling them and all the people now on the ship slaves. As of this moment they and you are not slaves. They have free will to think and do and be who and whatever they want within the restraints of reality and the laws. I would appreciate it if you would continue as Translator and ahhh… Let’s say Director, with a good salary and that most of your people will continue doing the jobs they are doing now if they wish, with pay of course." Taking a deep breath as he thought for a few seconds. "I will need to talk to these Apes as soon as possible." Looking around him again. "And Mother, please tell me about the radiation you have around the Power Balls that kills Apes? Is the radiation or poison in the air harmful to other races and humans?"
Looking at Jack with a baffled look again. "I do not know of what you talk about Captain. I know nothing about Ape killing radiation or poison in the air. Though I do know the Apes are forbidden inside the Power cylinder and the surrounding decks by the Gods. They can go through to the lower decks but even that is discouraged without the permission required. Patrols are carefully scheduled and timed on the lifts through these decks."
"Now that makes sense." Jack took a deep breath. "Ok. You know that the slaves of many ships have joined us in our fight against your Gods. How do you stand? Do you want us to let you leave to rejoin your Gods, dump you someplace simply to live far from the fighting as refugees on your own planet or will you join us in fighting them with the promise of freedom to do or settle anyplace you wish afterwards."
"You would let us go now to rejoin the Godfleet?" The Translator said with the expression Jack recognize as complete bafflement verging on shock.
"No, not now. We would put all that wish to return to your or their Gods, on a planet to live until the war is over, then return them to their ahhh, Gods." Looking around. "We will not punish or hurt anyone for their beliefs unless they lie. Aaa, say they do not want to return but stay and help us, then take action to help the Gods. Then we would execute them for treason. You do not have to decide now but in time when all are safe from the Berserkers and everyone knows what is expected of them, you can decide." Looking at the new Translator Mother, Jack bowed. "Do you have any questions?"
She looked at Jack and human smiled. "Many but not right now human. You have a problem you need to take care of before your loved one does something you and she will regret." She pointed up toward the hatch. “I feel extreme fear that is beyond panic and hate for you Captain.” Smiling and bowing. “Hate that is so massive it can only be created from the truest pure love as she hides from the possibility of failing to keep you safe. When you get there remember Captain that her hate is not for you but herself and your safety.”
Jack looked at her baffled and then looked up at the constant streaks of tightly packed balls of energy destroying bulkheads fare above not even the thick armor could hide. "Ohhh shit!"
"Captain!" Demanded his comm. "We have a problem at the hatch you wanted a detachment sent to."
"Damn." Jack was already running for the ladder going up the decks as most of the aliens got out of his way after leaving the control compartment.
Running up under the hatch leading out of the core he had set the Ensign guarding, he heard heavy weapons fire as the refugees crowded down both sides of the passageway, cowering in fear. Taking his assault gun off his back and then his power pack belt, he dropped them on the deck to make it easier to get up the long narrow hatchway through the thick Armor. Turning his comm back to the private channel he had been using with the Ensign, he heard her screaming at the unseen Berserkers. Telling them to come and get her so she could kill them all. That they were not getting past her.
Jack climbed up and stuck his head out as the Ensign sent a long burst down the passageway and across the intersection taking out another large section of bulkhead and into the existing passageway on the other side. "Take that you ass holes." She screamed. Her whole body was shaking. "I will kill you all."
Jack reached out and put his hand on the weapon. The heat from it started to smoke his glove as he pushed it to one side.
The Ensign jerked it away and sent another volley down the passageway. "What the hell are you doing? The Berserkers are right there damn it. You want to get us killed!" Her voice was starting to get hysterical.
Jack grabbed a tight hold of the weapon and pushed it to the side and down using his body weight. The shells raked the side of the passageway short of the intersection and then into the deck. "Ensign! Stop!"
She fought Jack for control of the weapon. Her eyes looking desperately crazy.
"Ensign Stop! Change your comm to the Company Chanel, now."
"What? The Berserkers are coming! Give me back the damn gun!"
"No Ensign. They are not Berserkers. No. They are marines. Our own troops." Jack reached around with his other hand and changed her comm channel on her forearm, then changed his comm as well.
"Hey Captain what is going on in there? You Ok? Or did she shoot you too?" Concerned, uneasy laughter crossed the net for a second. "Is it clear yet Captain?"
A recon disc drifted around the corner to hover peering down the corridor. The Captain held the Ensign and her weapon pinned to the deck. "Yaa, come on around guys. I have her. It’s safe now."
A Sargent peeked around the corner. "Ahh I don't know what I did to piss you off Ensign, but I am sorry. Really sorry. I promise not to do it again." He said with a smile. “And x Harry promises never to look at your breasts again and I believe him.”
Jack looked around that end of the passageway and the half dozen empty power packs for the assault gun as smoke rolled up from the barrel. "Ah Sargent, I think the Ensign is done with her weapon for a while, see if you can clean it up a bit for her and give it back to her later." He could not believe he was being so calm and nice about it when he felt like screaming at the
Sargent to hurry and take the damn gun. He just wanted the damn weapon out of her hands and reach.
The Sargent jogged the few feet down the passageway and grabbed the weapon, carefully pulling it out of the firm grip the Ensign still had on it and out from under his Captain. The rest of his heavy weapons team joined them carefully coming around the corner only after peeking around checking it out first. Several of them looked worse for wear with damaged and blackened armor. One held an assault gun that looked like it was uselessly slagged after taking a direct hit.
Jack looked up at them and frowned. "You guys all right?" Jack could hear the Ensign's heavy breathing over the comm and from her open visor. It almost sounded like growling as she stared at him out of the corner of her eyes waiting to pounce as soon as he let go.
"Yaa Captain. Just a few burned spots. It does not hurt much." Said one.
"I wanted new, new armor anyway." Another said as he limped up to the hatch. “This one was all of two days old. Time to replace it anyway.”
The last one held up his weapon. "Ya, I wanted one of those Cannons the Bigfoots are carrying. Thanks for slagging my old gun for me Ensign. Now I can see about getting one." He chuckled skeptically as he looked down at his useless weapon, glad only the weapon was slagged and not him.
"Ahh. Sargent. Set up a perimeter at the surrounding junctions past the damaged area. I think the Ensign needs a little time to cool down." Jack looked down the passageway. There was no longer a bulkhead on the other side of the junction as well as the next 4. With big chunks blown out or slagged of the equipment inside what was left of the compartments in her line of fire. Most of the compartments fanning out to the side were tore up with bulkheads into other passageways blown open as well. Pieces of bulkheads structures and equipment lay everywhere fanning out as far as the eye could see. The more of the ship she had destroyed the more places shadows and phantom enemies could hide and the more she destroyed. All Jack could do was shake his head as he looked around in amazement. The scores of bodies of Black Berserker Apes that had followed the smell and cast offs from refugees to the surrounding compartments and passageways and then died hours before the ensign had started firing did not help the look.
The Sargent chuckled. "Got a perimeter established a long time ago Captain. No ape is going to get within 3 decks of this place." Smiling he turned and ushered out the rest of the squad. "We will be just around the corner if you need us sir. Though I am sending Wiley back for a new weapon and hank for new armor. They should not be gone long, we cut and blasted a bunch of bulkheads out of the way to make a direct path here from the transport so we could get here faster." Looking down at the deck he realized something. "Ah sorry sir. We tried all the channels to contact her but she was evidentially on the Command privacy channel and it turns out to be impossible to cut into once the security lock is set between the units. I have to admit Captain that if I was alone, out of comm and heard us blowing bulkheads and decks and making all the noise we were making trying to get here in a hurry, thinking we were the enemy. I would probably freak out too. We will keep this to ourselves Captain. The rest of the crew don’t need to know about this. But if you are going to plan on using officers as guards, we need to start training them better. Give them more on the job training. Less likely for this to happen again."
The Ensign started beating on Jack as he let her up. She started screaming at him. Jack quickly closed her face shield and switched her comm back to private. Rage mixing with the fear and tears streaming down her cheeks through the helmet's shield. The Sargent left, glad she had her helmet sealed again. Sure whatever she had to say would be good enough to curse for life anyone who heard her. Hopefully she would be able to laugh about it when she calmed down, someday. All he knew was that she had scarred the shit out of him and his marines and damn near killed half of them before they realized she was not one of the enemy Apes. Smiling at himself. She had definitely gone berserk. Too bad she was an officer as he could think of several damn good nicknames he could have slapped on her. Oh well. He liked her and the Captain too much to do any such thing and would caller any of his squad that tried.
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It took them a week to get the ship cleaned of all the living Apes. It had taken days before the last of the Berserkers had finally thrown themselves off the ship. And then the Red Apes, Marines with both Captain Turner and the Ensign spent more days checking each deck for hidden compartments while they had searched the ship from stem to stern dispatching the ones that simply to stupid or busy doing their own thing. The ex-slaves finally started climbing out of their giant 20 deck tall panic room, not wanting to wait for the main exit corridors to be emptied and the hatches to be cut open. On the way out most could not believe the carnage around the hatch, realizing that a great battle must have taken place there. The First of the Ex-slaves that came out realized that if the Berserkers could have gotten through the hatch, most of them would have died. The refugees tried to thank Jack and the other marines with battle suits that looked like they had been in a great battle for saving their lives.
The marines trying to suppress laughs, told them that they had not defended the hatch. That they had been busy elsewhere. That the Ensign had been there all alone for seemingly hours (to the squad that she was shooting at) bringing down destruction on everything and every enemy in sight. Later yet, the ex-slave crewmen had accessed the recordings of the sole surviving camera in the area that just happen to show the hatch and the Ensign's "Epic Battle" (She finally destroyed the camera with a wild shot just before Captain Turner tackled her). She became an instant hero to 20,000 aliens on the ship from that instant on. Not one alien could pass her in the passageway or compartments without bowing and thanking her for her selfless deed of heroism and even erected bigger than life statues of her in half a dozen prominent places throughout the ship. Constructing a life sized replica of her battle at the hatch itself, complete with Berserkers (that were not there at the time, alive anyway) and monsters (that were never there) littering passageways and compartments in front of her in the wreckage that they never did repair. Her fame eventually spread to every liberated (and most none liberated) slave ship in human space.
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Editor’s note.
Even now a thousand years later, vacations are planned, School kids from ships that pass even close, make outings to see and adults cross parsecs on pilgrimages go there and to her tomb many light years away, to worship at the shrines showing the humans devotion to protecting all aliens freedom from the Slave Master Gods. Don’t even try to tell them different. Or argue that Captain Turner should have more than the One Statue (even if it is the largest statue ever created) on the planet the Aliens finally decided to call home, since the Ensign has one every time you turn around to trip over and on most of their ships. Though the fact that her extremely verbal and very descriptive video went Viral and is still replayed constantly (after being set to music) by so many aliens, may have something to do with that.
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Chapter 3; Mind attack
Jack could not believe how fast the ex-slave crew of the Spider ship made repairs once they got the majority of them out of cold storage or how many of them there were.
Sitting down to lunch after two weeks of hard work, Jack stuffed another old tasteless emergency ration bar into his mouth as Pan, her counterpart on the ship Yeti and a few other aliens’ at the table stuffed full plates of a variety of foods into their mouths as they talked. The smells and look of the alien food making Jack’s mouth water and his stomach growl. Making the taste of his emergency ration seam even more disgusting.
Shaking his head as the conversation about repairs paused for a few seconds. “Pan, how come this ship has a much bigger crew than your ship had and how the hell are you coming up with so damn much fresh food?” Taking another look around the huge mess deck filled with aliens. “Does it really have 20,000 ex-slaves?”
His sarcastic, disgusted v
oice was not picked up by Pan even though she was starting to understand many of the nuances of human speech. “Now that we have everyone out of the hibernation pods, we have Twenty Seven thousand Nine hundred and thirty one ex slaves Captain. This is a much larger ship than ours was Captain. The basic hull is wider and twice as long as the Kampuchea with troop decks that are packed several time denser using a newer drawer system instead of upright pods to hold the vast numbers of Apes and their equipment. The Kampuchea had only 1 of her shield decks enclosed to grow food while this ship has 3 and was in the process of inclosing a 4th when you liberated it. We are in the process of recycling the troop decks’ hibernation chambers into additional food, living and factory decks now they are empty.”
Yeti smiled at Jack as she took over as Pan stuffed what looked like a salad into her mouth. “I will keep a couple of decks to put the Slave Apes back into storage but the rest are too valuable for other uses.”
“I thought I said the Slave Apes were to be freed as well. What is going on with you talking about putting them back into cold storage? And now that you mention it I don’t remember seeing anyone but Red Apes from the other ships running around. Where the hell are your Apes?”
“I have them locked up still in the hold. You refuse to let me kill them so when I get around to it, I will put them back into cold storage until other arrangements can be made.”
Jack frowned as he looked at Yeti. “The other Battleships have been training them to do jobs around their ships from what I understand. Have you not been doing the same and if you have, why keep them locked up or plan to put them in cold storage?”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 7
