Jack smiled as he realized he was a she as Jack listened to her talk to herself rapidly putting a hundred things including the extra blood vessels in her chest and lack of an appendage between her legs that Jack had not even noticed before, together in only a half second. “Lieutenant Zeek has met with an unfortunate accident with a bio-furnace, Tech Olson. You won’t be seeing him again. I needed his suit for camouflage. Can you help me?”
The smile returned in full force with no doubt in her mind. “Yes sir. I sure can. I have plenty of red pigment with the needed reflective toners to get that shade and brightness sir.” Looking back at the pallet. “I also picked up the ceramic cans since I was doing Combat suits but they told me not to waste it.” Taking a breath not sure if she should even ask after spending months with people dying around her for asking such questions but she knew this guy was not from her ship or part of the Kings troops. “Aaa.”
Jack smiled. “Yes Tech Olson, please use the ceramic coating. Our guys are going to need as much protection as you can give them. You should have at most a hundred suits to cover. Put it on as thick as you can but make sure you can cover them all with what you have. Oh and we don’t have much time so get it done.”
Tech Olson smiled as she put her hand across the control panel on her forearm and leaned back against the paint module. “Don’t worry sir. With your permission, I have a few friends that would love to bring a few paint modules down and help out. Is there anything else you need sir?”
“Ok I am sorry but I thought that all the crewmen not in the Sickbay were over getting ready to attack the other ship. How do you have friends just standing around in the Paint locker?”
Smiling at Jack. “Who do you think is running the ship Captain? The King wouldn’t send females down where we could get killed. Even the ones that don’t cooperate he only locks up for later breading stock. Fact is he lets most females do damn near anything they want including combat training with the men as long as they don’t look like women. Some 20 of us with Lt. Sheppard’s help have been keeping a low profile acting like men with most of us free from harems or hooked up with a nest daddy and have been waiting for a chance to escape or kill that Crazy ass hole and this looks like the time is now or never to me. We even have our own weapons and Blacksuits Captain. I have already sent them the code and they should be hear shortly.
Jack suddenly realized that she was quick minded and way above normal intelligence explaining why she felt different in his mind beyond simple gender difference when he looked or listened to her while taking it for granted that only males were in battle suits. “Aaa.” Turning to the Commander. “I think some hull patch foam would be nice to add to the containers and barricades on top. Won’t be as good as the God foam armor but it will be better than nothing. You have anything you can think of from the paint lockers Commander?” Jack turned around to Nimitz.
“No, that should do it Captain.” The Commander frowned. “Just be sure you don’t let word spread across the ship Olson. There are a few women that have bought into this being treated like queens crap. That is of the ones that have always been good at wrapping men around their fingers and aren’t being treated like slaves not to mention Stockholm syndrome for a few of the harem slaves abused or not as well. The last thing we need is for one of them telling the Commodore what is going on over hear before we are ready.”
“Yes sir I will tell them again but most already know or we wouldn’t still be running around free even if most of us are a bit flat chested.” She smiled holding up her paint gun. “Shall we start with you Commander and your squad? Only take about a minute.”
“I will see you inside Commander, I need to talk to Sargent Dundy about getting the rest painted again.” Jack went through the gate and found the Sargent talking to Lt. Shepperd. Jack looked over the cart train of grenade boxes as grenades were being passed out to a waiting line of men with Grenade launchers. Stuffing grenades into the tube magazines of the shotgun style weapons with the magazine tubes under the barrel and then taking belts of grenades to fasten around their wastes. Then as Jack watched, someone slipped a belt over their head fastening it across their chest adding to what they could carry around their waist, most of the rest got back in line to do the same.
“There you are Captain. Was wondering if you had gone back down below.” The Sargent said. The LT and I were just talking about what kind of a defense we needed to set up here sir. Any ideas on how you want to proceed?”
“Yes. I want you to start deploying scouts on all the decks we can get into down the shaft. I want to know which decks have men on them. They can start setting up defensive positions on the ones that are defensible while we seal off the ones that aren’t. Oh and I want you to start getting all our combat troops back out to get painted red with ceramic armor coating added to their suits.” Looking at the lieutenants and Sgt’s baffled expressions. “We have to be able to tell our forces from the rest or we are going to get a lot of friendly fire.”
“What the hell.” The Lieutenant watched the Commander walk up in a Burgundy Red suit. “You have got to be kidding Captain. We will stand out like sour thumbs. Easy Targets. I am not about to…”
The Sargent started laughing. “Come now LT. They would be laughing so hard they wouldn’t be able to shoot strait.” Shaking his head. “I read in an old history book about an empire on old Earth that ruled most of the known world at the time, which had bright red suits for their Troops. The red was so intimidating that their enemies would run in fear at the sight of thousands of the red suited Troops called Red Coats, lined up in rows coming at them like unstoppable waves.” Smiling from ear to ear. “Yes I like the idea Captain. It should strike fear in our enemies. I take it your suits original color was this red I see between the black plates that is the same as the Commanders.”
“Yes Sargent. The Commander brought a squad with him of the Commodore King’s rejects, the 5th’s, I am told are decent troops. They are being painted now. There are also some 20 women coming that are supposed to have some training and their own weapons. Use the ones you think are good and send the rest on down with the prisoners to the lower ship’s bow.” Jack tried prying his fingers under the black armor plate on his chest but it would not budge. “What the hell do you have holding this on lieutenant?”
“Just the epoxy the Doctor had plenty of. I am afraid you are going to have to come with me and get painted with the rest of us.” The Lieutenant chuckled. “Those plates are not coming off Captain.”
Red came over before they could leave. “Captain. Pan gave me the Assault Blaster when she went down below. I don’t need it and you are the only one around that is trained in its proper operation and use.” She took the Assault Blaster off her back and handed it to Jack without its charge mag belt. “The power packs for the Heavy cannons have an adaptor for charging mags. I have the blaster mag belt plugged into my power pack charging the empty mags. It will be done recharging in a few minutes and I will give it to you. Come see me later when you need more mags recharged. The training mag are being switched over to full power and are being charged now by the other Heavy Weapon Power packs. We now have plenty of mags Captain.” Smiling she patted Jack on the head. “I am going over and do some more target practicing Captain. I just about have it dialed into my helmet’s HUD. Pan provided the translation program but I am still having to take care of the bugs.” She went over and stepped up onto the firing platform made from 5 foot square shipping containers and joined the others shooting across the heads of those down on the deck.
Jack looked down at the big weapon and turned to the Sargent. Holding the big weapon out to him. “Here Sargent…”
The Sargent shook his head. “No Captain. She already tried to give it to me. I don’t have time to train someone to use it properly and I hear you are one hell of a shot with it. It is all yours. Though the Lieutenant could probably use the Blast pistol. It is just going to get in your way.”
Jack turned to face the lieutenant and held
the Assault Blaster out to her.
Shaking her head no. “I fired one already and it kicked me on my ass. I have yet to see anyone hit anything with the few we have at more than a fifty feet away so don’t give it to me. Especially if you can actually use the damn thing. I am not even sure I want the damn pistol but the Sargent is right. They are damn good weapons and need to be in different hands to get the best use of them. Maybe with enough practice and Red’s help I can hit something with it.”
Jack frowned. The last thing he wanted was to lug that damn Assault Blaster around but they were right. Slipping the big gun over his shoulder onto the mount on his back that the Republic suits did not have and then the belt, he took the pistol’s holster and belt off and handed it to the lieutenant. “That is the bad thing about blasters when you are used to laser guns that don’t kick. The blaster’s plasma balls have mass.” Taking out the Blast pistol Jack showed her how to hold it placing his left hand over the right holding the pistol grip. “All you have to do is use both hands locking them together and brace yourself and you will do fine even if it is a little big for us humans. Thank Godstar that Gronks aren’t Bigfoots, with the size of their hands we would be lucky to even pick either weapon up.” Handing the pistol to her and making sure she gripped it properly. “Good. Now go out and get painted so you can get some practice with it at full power before shit starts hitting the fan.”
Jack heard a loud whistle and turned to see Red still up on the firing line swing the Assault Blaster’s power mag belt out to her side and spin it as she let go. The open looped power mag belt came spinning through the air across the 30 some feet between them and down toward Jack. Not having time to think Jack’s arm reached out as he took a step toward it just in time to shove his arm through the open circle to catch the looping belt in the crouch of his arm. The weight of the mag filled belt spinning Jack around in a half circle before he could stop himself. As the practice fire stopped streaking over everyone’s head, a cheer went up around the fort. Shaking his head Jack unfastened the belt and placed it around his waist on the suit clips that appeared for it.
“Good catch Captain.” The Lieutenant said as others around that area joined in.
Embarrassed Jack did a little bow with a smile and said. “Ok. Everyone back to work. The show is over.”
One of the Commanders now red painted squad members came through the gate and up to Commander Nimitz. “Your orders sir?”
The Commander told the Red trooper to jump up on a crate with the others and shoot a few targets across the compound as the lieutenant stepped back up to Jack.
“Come Captain.” Grabbing Jack by the arm. “Let’s go out and get painted and show the troops how it’s done.” She started dragging Jack toward the gate not taking no for an answer. “The Commander needs to talk to the Sargent anyway Captain. You have the time.
“But I need to take the Commander down to the bow section. I can get painted later if I can’t get these stupid armor plates off.” ‘Besides I kind of like the look with the red stripes and red areas around the black plates. It looks snazzy.’ Jack thought to himself as the lieutenant dragged him through the gate.
Jack watched Olson painting the left leg of one of the solders as they walked up. Another couple of paint carts and trailers came sliding up around the gate loaded with women and other equipment and weapons. Most of them had blades on that made Jack smile at the waste since steel blades could not penetrate armor until he saw that they all had micronic edges on them that would make short work of any armor if they got close enough. Shaking his head wondering where they got so many Gronk blades, he looked at the now red painted trooper and realized that his armor was a good half inch thicker than the next man in line taking off equipment and getting ready for a paint job. The highly reflective ceramic red making a big difference in protection Jack was glad to see.
Jack was suddenly worried about the ceramic paint getting into the joints and stopping or at least hindering the solders movement. Then the solder started moving around as Olson gave him orders as she held a small paint pencil she used to spray a few of the joints as she watched until she was relieved by one of the new comers and she went back to the spray platform next to the pallet. Placing a mask over the faceplate of the next subject after he stepped up onto the platform in front of her. He had already taken off his wrist comm and everything else that could not be painted. She told him to spread his legs and arms out and went to work. Her hands expertly spraying the suit’s solid areas while missing the joints. Doing the front and then the back. The spray gun swishing back and forth never once hitting a joint as the spray came right up to each of them.
The other carts quickly set up but used a different technique. Two painters used very small pencil sprayers to quickly spray the joints with foam before handing the solder over to the main spray gun who simply ran the gun across the whole body without even trying to miss the joints in only a few seconds then told the guy to go stand some place quiet for two minutes and then carefully put on his comm and other light equipment but to wait 10 minutes for the heavy mag belts and weapons. The joints somehow appeared as the foam slowly dissolved leaving the joints clear.
Olson turned to Jack. “Yes Captain, your turn.”
Frowning as he handed the last of his equipment to the woman who placed them in a tub. Jack stepped up taking the place of the red trooper now off to one side being told by another boy looking woman to do specific moves to make sure his joints stayed loose and then helped him put on the suits equipment while the ceramics’ finished setting.
Looking down at Olson. “I have very advanced flexible armor around my joints that I don’t want painted. Not only is it already Red but a solid coating of armor would fuck up the power augmentations and could even harm me if I need to use them. Just paint the damn black plates that I can’t seem to get off and leave the rest dry. Do you understand me Tech Olson?”
“Yes sir. Paint only the black plates. Sir.” She smiled as she slapped a mask over Jacks Helmets visor and face.
Half way through Jack remembered that the damn black plates were already a half inch thick sticking out from his original armor and with another half inch of ceramic armor on top of that, he was going to have a hard time doing a lot of things. Hell half his equipment probably would not fit. “Olson, stop painting. I don’t need the extra armor just paint.” He could see through the mask as Olson kept going not even slowing down and realized that it was already too late as she was working on his arm he had his control module on.
A few seconds later she took the mask off and smiled. “There you go Captain. If I did it right your strange equipment should still fit. Just be careful as you put it back on. The armor will be soft for about 5 minutes allowing things like your comm and that big gun to recess into the armor and their original mounts. After that you may even survive a direct hit from one of those damn Spider cannons on those mechs if they hit you in my armor. Now get out of my way. I have work to do.”
A woman stepped up and proceeded to help Jack place his equipment back on properly before the new armor had time to set. Using her small pencil sprayer a few times allowing everything to fit including the big Assault Blaster down across his back in its original mounts.
The woman finally stepped back and surveyed the Captain and smiled. “Very good Captain. All set to go.”
“Thanks for your help.” Jack said as he looked down at himself and his new coating of bright red ceramic armor designed for reflecting laser weapons beams. Not sure how much good it would be against blaster plasma balls but then Gronk weapons were not that prevalent. Thinking about the blaster on his back Jack looked up into his HUD and realized that it was not the HUD he had grown used to over the last 6 months since he had gotten the God Battlesuit. The Assault Blaster stats was not on it while the now strange laser stats placement and type of targeting recitals that the Republic used were flashing trying to tell him he had no weapons. Shaking his head in disgust. He had been so busy trying to figure o
ut the damn mind thing of his along with everything else he had let Lieutenant Shepperd put a republic helmet on is head as well as the stupid blacksuit armor over the outside of a suit that all he had to do was tell it to change color to black and it would have, hell it even had a stealth setting he could no longer use with all the crap on it now.
Reaching up he grabbed the helmet from his head and tossed it with some force sending it bouncing across the Bay. “I can’t believe how stupid I can be sometimes. The Dumonts and Red needed the fucking armor I didn’t.”
The Woman in front of him along with most of the people around him looked at him wondering what his problem was. The woman finally said. “Captain, you need your helmet. I can make it fit better if it is too tight sir.” She pointed to one of the other women and said. “Go get the Captain’s Helmet. Hurry.”
“No. Don’t bother. I don’t need that helmet. I have my own. I just aaa.” Jack reached up and tapped his collar and his helmet slid up from his collar, across his head and down to his neck. Looking around at the Lieutenant big eyes Jack suddenly realized that his helmet looked a lot different than the ones around him as his Hud came alive showing him not only his weapons but the sensor inputs not available with the Republic helmets. Taking a breath and appreciating how archaic the other solid fixed helmet was compared to this one he was used to. Flipping it back up off his head into its collar Jack smiled sheepishly. “Aaa, I needed to wear one of your helmets when I was trying to blend in but now I need to use my own with the Gronk weapon.” Jack reached back and patted the butt of the Assault Blaster and took a deep breath.
Turning to the Lieutenant as she was stepping down from the platform a minute later. “I need you to take charge here and make sure everyone gets painted while the Sargent concentrates on training. Keep the prisoners headed down the shaft. I have already told the Sargent to place scouts on the decks that are still open to the shaft but the more I think about it the best place to defend is the bow section. Figure out how to get the welder down and start welding the hatches shut. The shaft has thick enough armor to keep even the mechs from getting in. We will start pulling the rest of the troops out when I get back unless something happens before then but hopefully we will have a full two hours the Commodore agreed to. If something happens before then and we are not already gone, we only need to delay them long enough for us to drop down into the bow which we can defend while we wait. I am hoping the Chief can figure out how to get us down into the lower ship without setting off the traps or a major battle with the Commodore. Once we join forces with the ship bellow, the damn Commodore should at least stop attacking with us outnumbering him. Then all we have to do is wait for my troops to get here and it is all over for Commodore King.”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 50
