“Ya a hundred.” Commander Glenn said. “But we don’t have time for them now. We need to get going if we stand a chance to get things done in time.”
Looking around the group as everyone else kept their mouths closed.
“Good. Krump don’t do anything until I tell you to. Keep the hatch closed and locked until them. Hopefully if it is locked no one will get worried enough to break in. And be ready to dive down that hatch when they finally find and come for you after you start shooting.”
“Captain but with the hatch open and me shooting from inside the Compartment with the lights out, they won’t even hear the pop let alone see me. I should be able to drop them inside the wall into your lap without the other guards seeing them fall if we time it right. I think I saw some packing crates around the inside looking through the gate. You should be able to hide the bodies behind or in them. Giving you more mags and their assault guns.”
Jack looked at the Dumont Krump surprised. “Well, we will see what we have when we get inside. How long would it take you to kill all the guards that are on the wall now?”
“Roughly 10 seconds Captain. Maybe 15.”
“That would be good shooting not to mention that it looks more like a damn long hundred and fifty feet than a hundred to the target there Krump.” Jack looked around the deck and smiled. “Tell you what. We could use a distraction right about now. All three of us appearing out of nowhere could be noticed. Think you can take out one of those guards taking the prisoners out of the fenced area over on the far side beyond the central core? That looks close to 250 feet, maybe 300.”
Krump smiled as he looked through the hatch and smiled. “May take me a couple shots since I am out of practice. But that is what is nice about my baby here. Little sound so even if I do miss they won’t notice or realize I shot at them.” Krump backed away from the hatch. Sitting down a good 8 feet away with the tube in his hands, elbows on his knees. “With any luck Captain. Open just a little more please. I will take out the one on the end. If I miss the projectile will hit the hull far behind him and not the fence next to the others.” Krump stuck one of the long projectiles with the steel plug at one end in his mouth and then in the tube. Taking a deep breath he held the tube with one hand wrapped around the tube and against the corners of his mouth and the other about half way down the tube and concentrated on the target. A double chin growing around his neck.
Jack found himself holding his breath as he peered out the partially open hatch. Then after a few seconds he heard a. “Pooopssss.”
He could have sworn the little dot went over the head of the guy and then the guy turned to look away toward where the projectile went.
Two seconds later Jack heard another. “Pooopsssss.” And the guy’s head exploded spewing blood in a cloud away from them as a hole opened in the back of his head facing them.
It took a few seconds. Jack was starting to think no one would even notice and then hell broke loose on the other side of the deck around that fenced area. The Guards pushing the prisoners back into the fenced area as other guards from all over the compartment ran toward that side.
“Come on guys’ time to go.” Jack pushed the hatch all the way open and stepped out followed by Cmd. Glenn, Red and then Lt. Shepperd who closed the hatch behind her without looking like she had.
Fenced areas along the outer hull were built between the 30 foot wide round clear hull ports some 150 feet apart. The big ports filled the holes where the 16 inch gun turrets would have been if they had been installed. The emergency power distribution compartment hatch they had just came out of for each turret port was in a narrow cleared area between the ports and the fences for the compounds most of which were empty. Though Jack could see the left over heat traces of a dozen occupants that had not been gone long in most of them.
Grabbing Red by her arms Jack and Cmd. Glenn marched on each side of Red with the lieutenant behind them. Jack taking them around the side of the bay along the fence past the next of the 6 large 30 foot round port holes in the hull that was originally for a 16 inch turret. The 30 some foot long, 10 foot wide chase tube cut from the deck and overhead laying across the front of the first port. Jack noticed that the chase on the other side of the core hull had been cut out as well though no containers were around that hole. Still trying to figure out what all the construction was for against one of the big 30 foot ports on the other side of the hull. Turning from the nearest empty fenced enclosure they headed for the containers and the gate into the compound.
Jack had to force himself not to look at the Gronk’s hanging on chains welded to the Core hull a good 20 feet up. A pile of shit below them with streaks down the bulkhead. Jack could feel the Gronk with no arms or legs looking at them as they headed across the Bay.
Jack finally had to look when they turned toward the containers trying to keep his rage and disgust in check but finally looked back up. “Just give me time and we will get you down from there old boys.” Jack said to himself.
“Yes Captain. We wait your orders.” Jack thought he heard but knew he couldn’t have.
As they walked up to the gate a Third Class finished spray painting the white suit of a scared rating. A second black suited rating grabbed a laser pistol in a holster on a belt from a rack and handed it to a freshly painted black suited rating.
A Second class weapons specialist pointed a gun at the now black suited rating that had just been given the gun. “You only have a training mag in your gun. Don’t get any ideas. Now get in the damn compound. Commodore King is sending you all home but you have to earn it.” The man started to go through the first gate and the Second Class grabbed him by the arm. “Wait I have a present for you…” He turn toward a cart behind him and picked up a back pack.
“What the hell do you think you are doing moron?” Glenn demanded.
That shocked Jack. This was not what they had planned. He just wanted to get into the compound then worry about the damn packs later.
The Second class turned to Glenn then saw Red standing tall in front of him with his eyes going to her huge green breasts and then the rest of her with a scarred look appearing on his face that matched his the fear now radiating from him as he said. “Alien!” Then he saw the lieutenant’s bars on Jack’s suit standing on the other side of Red and then his mouth dropped. “Just giving this one a pack Lieutenant.” He addressed Jack as the blacksuit started painting the rating ahead of Red.
Cmd. Glenn continued. “You are supposed to give every 20th prisoner a pack and you just gave a prisoner ahead of this one a pack. Did you disobey orders intentionally? Maybe you should put on that pack yourself and join the prisoners?” Taking a step closer to the rating.
“No sir but I didn’t just give…” He turned around before Cpt. Glenn could reach him and looked at the back of the prisoner at the head of the short line just waiting at the second gate to enter the enclosure. The guard at that gate yelling for the prisoners in side to get away from the gate before he opened it. “See?”
Jack’s mind raced. They were not even through the damn gate and Cmd. Glenn had already screwed them if this ass hole sounded the alarm. Remembering what had happened in the Sickbay Jack got desperate.
“No!” Jack said raising his hand as the 1st class turned back around. “You remember putting a pack and can see one on the back of that prisoner and we have a much larger pack on our prisoner.” Using the command voice that had made the Lieutenant talk up in the Sickbay as he held his hand palm out toward him. “You saw a back pack on that prisoner didn’t you?”
The 1st Class shook his head baffled for a second. Then standing straight “Yes sir. Beg my pardon sir. My mistake. I will be more diligent in my count Lieutenant. But I thought it was every 10.”
Jack glared at him noticing his name stenciled on his suit’s breast and said again with his hand spread like he had seen Pan do. “It is every 20 Mr. Curry. You have given out to many too soon. You will not give out another pack to a prisoner until I order you to co
mpensate for my prisoners huge pack. Is that understood rating Curry?”
“Yes sir. Give out no more packs until you change my orders sir.” Jack felt relief flooding from the First Class as he look around. Jack realized that if the pallet of packs did not go down someone would get suspicious and spotted the bin under the racks of pistol belts and smiled as he turned back to the First Class. “Every 10th prisoner, you will take a pack off that cart and place it in the bin under the pistols and forget about it.”
“Yes sir. Place pack in bin under pistol racks.”
“If asked why crewman Curry, you will say that they are defective and must be repaired.”
Commander Glenn stared at Jack.
“Carry on crewman Curry.”
“Yes sir. Every Tenth pack under the pistol cart.” Curry looked toward where Krump had created the little distraction killing the guard. “I was only following Ensign Hardwig’s directions Lieutenant?” Then started to put the pack back onto the cart.
Cmd. Glenn stepped forward. “Are you sure you disarmed that pack Weapons man Curry? We don’t need it going off here.”
Turning back to the Commander. Curry opened the flap on the top and showed Cmd. Glenn the arming switch on the standard demolition control module and then started to put the pack back down.
“Tell us how to disarm the packs that are on the prisoners.” Jack said staring at Curry again who started to look baffled as the word ‘Why’, formed in his head. Jack’s mind raced for a second then. “Just in case we find out you have issued too many packs inside the Compound.”
Deciding that made sense he frowned. “Sorry Lieutenant but once the chest strap buckle has been closed it cannot be disarmed. The Weapons officer spent a lot of time putting together that programing at the King’s request sir. But you should already know that.” Curry’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Jack. “Who the hell are you guys anyway? I don’t remember seeing either of you around ever. I need to check with Ensign Hardwigg?” Looking at Cmd. Glenn after glancing toward the guards massed around the body on the other side of the deck. “Come to think of it you look a lot like the other ships new Captain the Commodore is looking for. I saw pictures of her.”
Talking to himself trying to use his command voice. “Curry! You have seen us many times at muster next to the King talking to him.” Jack stared at him trying to form the picture in his mind even though he had only a vague memory of what the ship’s Captain, the King, looked like. Desperately hoping this would work. “You know they are the Kings supper secrete security team and kill crewmen for even looking at them strange or are slow carrying out their orders. Even to question them wracks you with fear of death.”
Curry’s face suddenly turned white as he came to attention. “Sorry Sir! I did not realize who you were. I remember now that you are the Kings most trusted sirs.”
“That is ok Curry. We were just testing you. Carry on.” Jack breathed a sigh of relief and then remembered Curry talking about an Ensign. “Curry!” The man almost jumped out of his blacksuit. “Where is Ensign Hardwigg?”
“He is investigating the accident on the other side of the deck sir. He will be back shortly.
That was what Jack was afraid of. “Point him out to me please.” Hoping he was not around behind the core hull going up the center of the compartment.
Curry turned and looked and smiled pointing. “He is with the Commander, Lieutenant.”
Jack looked then stepped around behind Red taping the comm on the control panel on his forearm. “Krump, I need you to take out that ensign talking to the Commander not far from your original target. He could screw things up here if he returns to the Gate. Then drop down to the deck below and don’t forget to close both hatches and clean up. I don’t want them to find anything saying we were there if they search the compartment. You should be able to work your way on around the ship to another empty electrical room and come back up when I tell you to.” Jack wanted to look and make sure there was no one near them on the deck below but he could not see through the deck with his visor up and the lights blinding him. He did not have the time to close, darken and let his eyes get accustomed to the dark to look. He would just have to hope luck was with them.
Jack started back around Red when guards started shouting and firing their weapons blindly around two bodies suddenly on the deck where the Ensign and Commander had been standing while others ran for cover in all directions. Jack heard something hitting the deck with a loud thud as the corner of his eyes caught movement. Looking he watched a body falling down the outer hull and bounce inside one of the empty fenced enclosures and then lay still with its weapon not far away. Looking up into the gloom of the overhead where the lights did not shine, he realized that there was a catwalk running around the hull just below the overhead with guards spaced every fifty feet or so along it. He had not bothered to look up to check having forgotten it was there. Slapping his Comm again. “Krump if you haven’t left yet. I need you to take out a couple more of the guards along the upper hull catwalk while these morons are shooting at everything with a shadow.”
“Thought you might want me to take advantage of the confusion this time Captain.” Came a reply Jack was not expecting.
Jack turned to see the hatch in the electrical room Pan and Krump were hiding in open a crack then just as quickly close as if nothing had happened. A second later Jack heard another thump of a body hitting the deck and suddenly the guards ringing the deck were firing at every shadow as well including any of the guards below that even pointed a weapon in their direction.
Then the guards on the platform around the Chase’s shaft enclosure behind them started running around firing their weapons and suddenly one went flying backwards off the containers into the compound with a big hole in his chest from a blaster.
Weapons specialist Curry ducked down behind his pallet of explosive packs trying to hide from the wild laser streaks and Blast balls. The 2 ratings doing the painting and handing out the pistols diving for cover behind their carts as the line of prisoners and guards flattened themselves on the deck.
Smiling at the 1st Classes attempt to hide behind a thousand pounds of explosive Jack grabbed Reds arm. “Let’s get inside now while everyone is busy.” Heading for the gate Jack grabbed a pistol and belt for Red to replace the one she had left behind with Krump as he glanced around looking for Lt. Shepperd but could not find her. Hoping she could come up with the power packs, they entered the compound.
Most of the prisoners were hunkering down against the ring of Container Bulkheads ringing the chase shaft for protection as a light show crisscrossed above the open compound. After another body went flying down into the compound the guards above became more worried about not getting shot from outside than keeping an eye on the prisoners as they flattened themselves down on the tops of the containers they had been walking around on only seconds before trying to target anyone pointing a weapon at them. Giving up the hunt and simply hunkering down trying to stay alive.
Jack turned to Cmd. Glenn as they stepped away from the gate whose guard was trying to hide behind the outer closed half hatch of the short container that pierced the ring of containers with a fence gate welded into the cut out closed end that was being used as an entryway. Turning to Commander Glenn. “You know your crew. Start trading the mags on the ones you can trust with the experience to use them.” Handing her his power pack mags from his pockets after they traded pistols giving Jack the blaster with Glenn taking the laser pistol and mag belt. “I will make sure the guards see me and Red and not you if they look this way. Hurry, you probably only have a few minutes.” Looking back at the guard cowering behind the hatch. “Save the training mags and give them to me. Think I know where we can get some more just in case Shepperd doesn’t shows up.”
Then Jack walked to the center hole of the compound that was the chase running down through the ship looking for the guards he had seen fall back off the wall without finding them or their weapons and looked down the hole without
seeing the bodies there as well. Shaking his head wondering where they had gotten off to. Jack climbed up on the rig that was holding the damage control deck plate (used to cover holes to restore battle damaged decks air integrity), that was evidentially going to be used to close off the chase after they sent Glenn’s ship’s crew with their bombs down the shaft. Making him wonder if the king also knew that it was a vacuum trap as well. If that was the case the King had someone from below feeding him information. Jack handed Red the last good power pack he had from his pocked as he looked out across the platform circling the compound on top of the stacked cargo containers. All the guards were now laying flat on their bellies with their weapons pointed out trying to look as small as possible. A beam streaked from the top of the containers toward the overhead every few seconds. Jack kicked himself for not seeing the half dozen other guards on the other side wall of containers in his hurry earlier. He was going to have to figure out some way to take care of them all. Jack watched one of the guards on the upper hull catwalk of the huge compartment beyond the compound slump down onto the grating, dropping his assault gun tumbling toward the deck far below.
Commander Glenn tagged one of her crew to follow her as she made her way around the perimeter. Handing him the painted training mags though you could still see orange gaps and shaded areas the paint had not covered completely on some of them. The guy finally ran over to Jack standing on the make shift platform in the middle with his hands full. Jack met him on the deck next to the cover plate. Taking the mags, stuffing them into the suits big thigh pockets and then said to the man. “Go back for more.” Then turning to Red. “Start screaming if any of those assholes get up or turn around Red.”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 43
