Jack smiled. He could see the new vertical frames for docking cradles that were being constructed around the outside edges across the now 200 foot distance between the 2 top decks, (the space between the top two decks having been increased to make handling cargo easier). The Docking cradles would be able to handle any ship from small transports or destroyers to the biggest bulk carriers using Republic specks. The entire squadron and all the transports would easily fit around the 3 mile circumference leaving huge gaps between the ships. Only problem was that the docking cradles would not be finished until the next day, long before the Battleships and their transports where originally due to arrive. With an air curtain around the circumference of the decks, the 200 foot distance between the mile wide decks was perfect for handling cargo transfers between docked ships or loading cargo into the station and its new cargo holds and factories Jack had pretty much decided to make the lower ex-armored decks into. Though he was just going to let it happen with guidance and votes as the need for space arouse instead of making a big announcement about it that would anger some of the populace. He was starting to learn how to be a politician. Figuring that a bunch of votes over time would teach the new voters more than simply declaring the fact knowing that the farm bubble had plenty of space to support even an expanded population which was unlikely to happen very fast while the ex-armored decks would be needed for warehouse and factory expansion rather rapidly.
Jack turned around and sighed as he looked at the Battleships scattered around in a rough group. Thanking Godstar that he did not have to worry about docking the fleet to the Basestation before they were ready thanks to the delay Ditzen’s stupidity had made possible. As it was, Jack’s departure from the Basestation for the Command Battleship of Ditzen’s had been delayed a few minutes when the Lieutenant insisted on finding Jack the proper placards with a Vice Admiral’s star on them for the shuttle as well as the stars for his Battlesuit. Giving Admiral Ditzen plenty of time to prepare a reception committee which did not make Jack happy as he turned back around to look at the Battleship they were approaching.
The Assault Shuttle touched down in the Battleships Hanger Dock that stretched only half way across the ship with the central core of the ship at the fare left corner. The docking bay actually continued ahead clear across the ship to the other side like the Red Peppers dock but a sliding bulkhead hatch that ran from the half-moon core across to the bulkhead that started at one of the Battleships 4 engine rooms and ran back to the outer hull hatch the Assault Shuttle had entered through, sealing the docking lock off from the storage hangers. A mirrored docking bay was off to the left on the other side of the ships core hull with engine rooms and cargo handling areas separating the two just like the Red Peppers only 2 engines did.
Jack walked down the side ramp into vacuum as the Lock’s outer hatch was still closing. He walked toward the main hatch into the ship’s central core running across the corner of the lock with the control room ports above it filled with officers. The Lieutenant taking up position 2 steps behind and to the side of him in her new Human/Slave tech Battlemech suit making her look like one of the big Red Apes 4 times her weight and size from their first battle aboard an Enemy Battleship hulk ages before. Pan in one of the New Battlemech suits on a can instead of legs looking a little strange to Jack, stood on Jacks other rear corner. Her breasts competing with the Lieutenant since she was using them as her natural oxygen reserves though the suit mostly hid them. Jack just thought she liked the looks she kept getting from the human males when her breasts were expanded. The official inspectors came out and lined up behind the three in their own new Battlemech suits though they carried no obvious weapons, only sensors. Fifty of the new remote Battlebots looking like skeletons with huge weapons, lined up close behind them across the front corner of the Assault Shuttle which had its own chin and 4 corner turrets tracing back and forth above and behind them.
A pair of the new armored Gunsleds with long poles running along their sides came out of the Assault Shuttles back hatch and took up positions to each side of the hull hatch and extended poles up to the overhead and then laid them against the hull at the inside edges of the 30 foot tall 60 foot wide hatch. The two Gunsleds keeping their top gun turrets aimed up the side of the Shuttle toward the cargo hatches running up the sides of the lock. The hatches on one side ran into cargo holds, boat storage and work hangers. The hatches on the other or core side led into a long narrow cargo handling area between the docking lock bays with a main propulsion engine shaft dropping down through it half way between the core and the outer hull.
With the closure of the outer hatch. The air started screeching in as the lock’s air pressure rapidly increased. Jack and the warbots just stood with their weapons locked into their holsters and back cradles with the inspectors looking bored while looking at the main cargo and personnel hatches into the Ship’s central Core a few feet away, ignoring the officers in the control room ports above. Though Jack noticed that one of them was the Vice Admiral himself.
“That room is filled with hate Captain.” Pan said in Jack’s ears. “I am finding it hard to influence their mood, it is so foul amongst so many of them. I am not able to effectively calm creatures with so much hate in them. Why the God Officers go out of their way to kill such slaves at the first sign of such emotions. Though most of the Admiral’s officers are mostly confused with only the closest to the Admiral actually radiating hate toward us.”
“That is Ok. Pan. Do the best you can for the ones that are just going along caught up like a mob in the actions of those that are beyond help.” Jack new that most were just caught up in the mob mentality. Mother Nature’s way of massing the clan thousands of years ago to fight off predators.
As soon as the air pressure equalized with the rest of the Battleship. Most of the hatches around the lock sprang open and over 200 Republic Battlesuited marines standing side by side in ranks, marched in with their weapons leveled at the now closed up tight shuttle and Jack’s inspection party.
Jack nor any of the rest moved as they were surrounded by pointing weapons. The Marines not sure about the skeleton warbots with their huge weapons lined up at the corner bow of the strange looking Assault Shuttle with Republic markings. The Marines keeping a weary look at the warbots and not Jack and the inspectors.
“I am so glad you came so I could arrest you like the traitor you are Turner. I cannot even imagine such stupidity after disarming my fleet so readily. Surrender and nothing will happen to your crew. Resist and I will send my Marines down to slaughter the rest of your stupid crew as we capture the slaves.”
“Oh just the ex-slaves. But then your prison ship is not big enough to hold everybody including all the new exslaves let alone the human refugees we found on the other hulk. With no other transports in your fleet for them you must be planning on killing them when you destroy the Station. Though it is a shame you just couldn’t capture it but then that would show what a big lie your story is, that I never captured them in the first place. Though I don’t understand why you are bringing enough materials and sub sections along to construct a new base station big enough for a Vice Admiral.”
The Admiral smiled from ear to ear. “It is nice to know you were not lying about all the metals you have plastered around the station itself not to mention what we are reading on the planet’s surface farther out will make me rich to go along with my fame for exposing what a traitor you are and actually destroying the Spider Battleships and acquiring the advanced technology you have been withholding from The Rock all these months.”
“What do you mean withholding?” Jack started to bristle. “I have been sending full detailed…” Taking a breath. “Oh so you as Security Chief for The Rock have stopped my reports from going through. Explains why your weapons are so pitiful. Also why we have not been getting any supply ships if they think we are dead or traitors.”
“No, they have been sending the Transports. I have just been making sure they are diverted to an out of the way sta
ging area where they have been sitting in limbo. Shame too, seeing how desperate the Republic is for Transports right now.” Smiling down at Jack. “Take him prisoner.” The Admiral ordered.
The closest pair of marines slung their weapons, took several steps toward Jack raising their arms to grab him.
Jack raised his hands palm out toward the marines chests as hate washed over him. Just before they touch his suit he activated the gravity ring in his palms and the pair went sailing away from him falling to slide across the deck as Jack dropped his hands back down to his sides.
The row of surprised marines in front of him stared at him. Turning on his Comm to the whole ship including the marines in front of him. “I am Vice Admiral Turner, the Republic’s only authorized Commanding Officer of the Gama 13 Hulk Basestation. Vice Admiral Ditzen’s and Commodore Hendricks superior officer with full authority over this fleet while it is in the Gama Hulk Basestation’s sector. Any further efforts to mutiny against the Republic and or attacks on the Gama Hulk Basestation will be met with death. I am ordering you all to lay down your weapons before you all are charged with mutiny, declared guilty under article 7 and summarily executed on the spot.”
“You cannot be serious Turner.” Admiral Ditzen’s voice thundered across the lock from just the lock’s speakers. “You are surrounded by marines loyally sworn to me with laser cannons and not assault guns you have reported as worthless, ready to destroy you and your little shuttle. Give it up before I have you killed where you stand.”
“Believe me Ditzen. Even your laser Cannons are worthless against our new armor and the R-bots.” Shaking his head. “You men have this one chance to live. Those that are loyal Republic Marines step back through the hatches you entered through and you will live.”
Shaking his head as a smart looking platoon at the aft end of the shuttle started to move back toward the hatch shouldering their weapons only to have the troops on both sides point their weapons at them forcing them to stop then move over in front of the corner cannon turret on the Shuttle with their hands raised, Jack looked up at the Admiral. “These deaths are on your head Admiral.”
“Now I can’t help it if some marine Captain and his handpicked men do not like you and your enemy slaves Turner. Not my fault they think of you as a traitor.”
“I take it the whole crew feels this way?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who cares what the rest of the crews feels or thinks, as long as their senior officers and the marines to control them have the correct thoughts and attitudes? Now carry out your orders Marines.”
“Good to hear I don’t have to execute the entire crews of all 8 Battleships Admiral.” Looking down at the marines surrounding him again. “Last chance guys.”
The marine captain in front of Jack turned to the squad nearest him. “Take him now.”
The squad took two steps toward Jack and with a bang, the huge hull hatch suddenly blew out sucking every marine out of the lock as Jack and his inspection party stayed rooted to the deck with their enhanced magnetic boots holding them down.
Two blasts from the guns on the Assault Shuttle took out the lock’s defensive turrets as the air curtain sprang across the wide open hole in the hull where the hatch that was tumbling away into the distance once was. Half the marines were not quite to the open hole when the air suddenly stopped cascading out of the hatches around the lock as the open hatch hole in the hull was sealed. But the momentum of the marines traveling at a hundred miles an hour by then, sailed out through the curtain barely slowing down. Only half still clutching their weapons. The hole had been open for only half a second. Boats were already waiting to pick up the marines that had their helmets on as regulations dictated and were still alive. Though he noticed the ones that didn’t, seemed to be the ones that radiated the hate. With the ones close enough for Jack to hear their minds talking to themselves lusting at the buxom Lieutenant and Pan. Several with references to others they had taken advantage of or raped since transferring to the Vice Admiral’s service and given special immunity as enforcers. Jack new that not all the helmetless marines were sycophants and hoped that most of them got their helmets off their belts and on their heads before they died even if the real bad assess did not even have their helmets on their belts with only a training Sim visor over their eyes for tactical and directing their weapons. Jack was also glad that the Platoon that had tried to return to the ship and had been sucked out the open hatch with the others, had their helmets on and were already marked as friendly to be picked up first.
Jack waited for the roar of the air rushing back into the hanger lock to stop echoing before speaking again to the ship. “I have just executed over 200 marines for mutiny and trying to attack my troops in the hanger lock. Any farther attempts at mutiny will garner the same immediate Sentence. “My inspectors and security bots will be fanning out across the ship to ascertain if this ship is still controlled by the Republic or the enemy. Continue doing your jobs and you will not be harmed. Vice Admiral Turner Out.” Then looking up at the Control Room ports. “If you are not the enemy or Mutineers Commodore Hendricks, you and the ship’s senior staff will meet me in the Flag Conference room when I am done inspecting the ship. That is an order. If you do not follow Republic regulations to the letter from this moment on, you will be arrested, charged, court-martialed and executed by the end of the day. You are dismissed.”
“You can’t court-martial anyone Turner. Officer Court-martials require a board of 5 officers of the rank of Captain and above.” The Vice Admiral smiled down at Jack. “My Captains would never convict me but they will convict you of anything I tell them too.” Ditzen started laughing.
“Sorry Admiral but I happen to have 17 full Captains and 3 Commodores dully vested under my command amongst the prisoners and crews I have rescued over the last 7 months. Plenty of flag officers to Court-martial everyone except you. But the Commodores can allow me to dump you in the Brigg for later disposition Back at The Rock unless you give me a reason why I should kill you know.” Jack Smiled. “Please don’t.”
“You… You… You wouldn’t dare.” The Vice Admiral stammered.
“Try me Ditzen. Just break one more Republic regulation. Please.” Jack walked through the still open hatch and into the wide central compartment that made up the core with its half dozen elevators large and small along both sides. The Core hatches into the two hanger locks across from him and the one beside him in front of the Assault Shuttle most of the marines had come out of, were wide open as well. The automatic hatches had not even had time to react to the sudden loss of air in the evacuating lock before it had been sealed again. Jack watched the airtight hatches into the elevator shafts themselves next to the elevator cars on their access platforms open as a hundred Armed Recon Discs little bigger than a Frisbee flying from the assault shuttle zipped into and up the elevator shafts almost too fast to be seen followed by the original 50 Remote warbots (called R-bots) that did not bother with boarding the elevator cars but followed the Frisbees on their way up or down ship as hundreds more poured out of the Assault Shuttle to help search the Battleship. The inspectors split up to cover the ship as fast as possible followed with their own R-bot escorts entering elevator cars and cargo platforms to go to the decks they needed to go to.
Republic regulations called for a search of a possible enemy or mutiny ship that would take 8 to 10 hours for a standard inspection team under normal circumstances but Jack definitely did not have the time. The R-bots would do most of the search leaving the Official inspectors to take care of the critical compartments as well as the Officers. Jack wanted the inspection team off ship in a half hour. Though he was going to leave some of the R-bots behind to replace the lost marines as well as to keep an eye on the Vice Admiral and his officers. That is unless he gave Jack a reason not to and eliminate the threat from the officers and then the bots would just be guarding the crew.
The R-bots or Remote controlled Bots, were something the Ex-slaves had come up with since they could
not fight against the Apes physically themselves thousands of years before but had eventually realized that just taking over one or two ships even if it could be done in a universe of tens of thousands of God ships was certain death. Especially when most of the slaves had grown to accept Slavery as normal and could not even think of doing anything that might get themselves or their families killed. It was all too easy to get killed already.
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 68
