Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  The Admiral even sent orders stripping the system of every combat ready ship and fighter including the active reserves to join the Home Fleet and send to the French Capital system. Though some ships were still out on patrol and out of communication, while some ships in the yards were in no shape for battle undergoing major overhauls and upgrades. The Fleet that started to gather to fallow the Battlecruisers totaled only some 70 major combat ships but they were England’s best crews and ships available after 10 years of war. Another 21 auxiliary transports including the huge Black Dwarf trailed along behind. The Admiral knew that they, with the help of the Battlecruisers and any surviving French ships could not take on some 500 pirates mostly armed Transports, then they were in trouble.

  Though sending the Battle Starbase, Black Dwarf (with its reputation for turning the tides of battles it was involved in), eased the Admiral’s mind considerably. It had its own repair docks and ordnance factories for the fleet and a surprising number of short range sublight escort ships along with its own big guns and a Captain that seemed to be able to pull rabbits out of his hat when they were most needed. The fact that the Black Dwarf contained England’s biggest secret weapon (as did all 12 Dwarfs), went a long way to easing the Admiral’s mind. The Black Dwarf was one of only 12 ships built in a thousand years, (except what remained of the shrinking 1,000 year old Empire fleet of Battleships) that could phone home.

  With the Home Fleet orders given, the Admiral was not done. Looking at the map with hundreds of English front line ships scattered across hundreds of light years of the English and newly annexed Russian systems, the Admiral knew he was not finished. Knowing, as scattered as they were that they did not stand a chance if even a small fleet started sending squadrons to attack them one at a time. Most of the ships were away from systems and their comm stations on patrols and would wind up being taken out long before they could be massed into a defense. But then that was another reason for annexing the Russian State. Give him time to mass a defense for England even if they had to sacrifice the Russian Provinces. Though the new Russian members of the Parliament would not take kindly to knowing that. So they didn’t.

  At least the Russian provinces along the Outback Fringes seemed to be quiet for the moment with only minimal Pirate activity reported of late. The half dozen flashing red markers scattered across the 50 inhabited systems of the English state denoting possible taken or simply missing ships over the last few days was not completely ignored but to the Admiral they were small worries for the locals at the moment. Nor was the reported number of attacks on Transports scattered across the original English State, two of them close to England Prime. The Admiral even knew about one incident in the asteroid ring surrounding the same gas giant England Prime was orbiting but then the Ring had always been a hot spot for crime that the Navy was forbidden to even patrol since it was inside the boundary Parliament had designated as Law Enforcements responsibility. “But if the pirates were all over helping take the French system, Godstar Help us when they returned.” The Admiral thought to himself. A sad fact he dared not forget.

  His main concern at the moment was with the Home system being defenseless shortly, a surprise attack by even a few pirate ships that just happened to be passing through the system would be devastating even if it was unlikely. That is if they found out that the entire fleet was out of the system. They already had at least one pirate ship passing through that they knew about but could not touch because Parliament strictly prevented the navy from even inspecting a pirate ship unless it fired on a vessel first while in or coming to or leaving the system. But he did not dare not send every available ship to the French system else they could lose the entire fleet. No.

  Looking at the map he could see several heavy cruisers headed for the reserves and mothballing, due at England Prime in the next couple of days. If he latched onto them and the pipeline of other ships returning and headed for the deactivation moon and re-tasked half the ships in the surrounding systems back to England Prime, it would give him a couple of squadrons to defend the Home system in a few weeks to a month. Though that was not enough or soon enough. No, he was going to have to reactivate at least a couple of squadrons if not 5 or 6 out of the Mothballed Reserve fleet. At least until the French crossing had settled down. He would then probably have to send those ships to make up for the French navel losses as well as his own when what was left of the Home Fleet returned. Though he prayed that the fast Battlecruisers making lightning attacks would make the difference in reducing the Home Fleet losses. Though now he wished he had not given in to political pressure and allowed the Parliament to appoint the Battlecruiser squadron’s commanding Admiral in exchange for the money to finish them and maintain another couple of squadrons for patrolling the Russian Provinces. All he could do was hope that Admiral Arnold would fallow orders.

  Shaking his head as he rubbed his face with his hands. He had already scheduled a meeting with the Prime Minister and then later with Parliament to start giving them the bad news about the French system. He would just add his demands that the Parliament quit gutting the fleet when he told them he was having to recommission at least 50 ships. Tapping his desk’s Comm he started issuing more orders. Ignoring the Vice Admiral and Captain sitting in front of his desk. He wasn’t done with them yet. Though they were both busy on their own PDA’s as they sat seeming to ignore the busy Admiral while they waited. The Admiral smiled. They were about to get a lot busier.

  Chapter-2 An Old Enemy

  Blinking his eyes from the bright light suddenly hitting him as he held his breath surrounded by the clubhouse, Mark looked up into Jolene’s big smile as he pushed his black plastic framed glasses back up onto his nose and took a breath feeling stupid as she tossed his helmet back at him. “Time to go to work Gunner Mark.” Jolene said. “We have a shop to clean out before it gets junked. The Captain said the Cargo bay has to be cleaned out in 3 days or everything is going to get pushed out into the pit. I don’t think there will be much to salvage after falling some 600 feet onto the concrete, do you?” She turned away and picked up something and put it in the box she had under her arm as Mark finely took a breath.

  “Oh, she always says that about this time of the year and you know it means nothing. She just wants the worst of the garbage cleaned up so it doesn’t start smelling. I heard its is called spring cleaning. Which is good. So relax we will empty the trash later and be done with it. Besides Tom and I have a mission.”

  “Ya sure. You are not getting back on that game period. Until we get some of this shit taken care of. The Captain was not kidding. They are turning the junk deck back into a hold again. Something about the new engine up grades the ship has bought on this planet. Supposed to increase our cargo carrying capacity by a good 5 thousand tons. So they will be needing the cargo hold back.”

  “Hey! I spend half my afternoon work classes in the engine rooms and they have been talking about getting those kits for years and they never show up. The ship simply does not have the money for them. If they even work. The Engineering Chief thinks that they are just a big scam anyway which is why he has been able to convince the counsel not to buy them in the past. I don't see that changing anytime soon. That is why we are headed for the Outback that pays 2 and 3 times the rate the inner Empire systems pay. Maybe we can afford them next year or better yet, a new ship to split the crew. Getting rid of a couple thousand crewmen to another ship would free up thousands of tons as well.”

  “They pay 2 and 3 time the Empire shipping rates because there is no Empire patrol ships to take care of Pirates dummy, not to mention that the stars are much farther apart. We are going to need those kits simply to be able to go the distances in a reasonable time and outrun most of the pirates. The added cargo weight is just a bonus. My Godstar, you are an Engine Tech. You should know all that shit.”

  “I do and I know those kits were not on this ship the day before yesterday. The last time I was down there. So there. Besides, I only spend half my afternoons in the Engi
ne rooms. I spend the rest of the week driving trucks. Though I was supposed to be down in the engine room this morning instead of the afternoon after classes, now that I have graduated. Though it would have only been long enough to muster before taking the day off. That is until this came up. I get a week to decide which Division I want to specialize in.”

  “I don’t call being a truck assistant mechanic and moving trucks from one parking spot to another driving trucks.” Mark started to open his mouth but Jolene shut him up as she continued. “Yes you get to test fly them around the frigging ship. Big deal.”

  Mark pulled his wallet out of his pants and opened it up as she was speaking. Pulled out a card and smiled as he waved it in her face. “Look what I have now I am 21. I have my commercial airtruck Pilots license. So there!” Mark bragged.

  Jolene grabbed the card from him and looked at it closely. “Damn that is an ugly picture. What did you do, go to the zombie hair and makeup salon to pretty yourself up. Ech.”

  Mark tried to grab it from her but she jerked it away smiling. “It does say you are 21 today. Why didn’t you tell us? I would have gotten you a present. I can think of several disgusting things I could have gotten you that you would have hated.” Smiling at him. "You decide which job you are going to major in yet?"

  “I was thinking the engine room since I didn’t think it could ever get a Commercial Airtruck license and concentrated on engineering. Now that I have the license I don’t know. The problem of my glasses is still a problem. Especially in a space suit and they fog up. But know it does not matter. I may have to take the Engine room whether I want to or not. I…”

  Tom finished folding his virtual pad up against the wall, hanging the helmet above it. Not paying any attention to what Mark was saying. Cutting Mark off in his excitement. “Guise what mission we have?”

  Handing Mark back his license. “Well now since you are standing in a garbage junk pile on the garbage deck it must be to take out the garbage.” Smiling at Tom. “Can you get a truck in here to lift this shit pile container out of the hold? Oh before you start, let me finish getting my shit out. Ok?”

  “I told you they are not cleaning out the hold. We are….” Mark started to say.

  Tom practically shouted cutting Mark off again. “We are taking a bus load of kids to the Zoo. Can you believe that? They called me down to the Truck deck from school this morning before muster, well for Mark’s little graduation ceremony in the principal’s office. And the Truck Chief gave Mark his license right in front of all the pilots and truck hands and asked Mark to think about signing up for piloting trucks full time now that he was graduating.” Tom started holding his stomach getting an uncomfortable look on his face. “Said that Mark could be one of his best pilots right in front of the other pilots. It would get him out of the dirty engine rooms scrubbing bilges. Then he gave Mark his first assignment to take the kids to the zoo with me as Engineer/cargomaster/conductor/flight attendant, aaaaa. Something about keeping an eye on him. Anyway. Do you believe that?”

  “What? You guys? Taking a bus load of kids to the Zoo? Well then why are you up here goofing off?”

  Tom continued, holding his stomach making faces as Mark was putting his Sim platform away folding it up against the bulkhead. “Oh, someone piled a bunch of cargo containers in front of the Quarter deck while one of the cargo holds is being worked on and the Captain doesn’t want kids around the truck deck entrance. So we are picking them up here on the Junk decks ramp. We got up here a bit early so we were just playing a quick game while we wait.” Getting a sudden desperate look on his face Tom pushed past Jolene and down the passageway toward the front of the old cargo container that had been converted into half clubhouse and half workshop by Mark and his friends years ago. Though someone had started the process years before that. Opening the little door to the head he went in leaving the door open and strange noises started blasting out of the little head.

  Mark finished putting away the Virtual Sim platform, placing the gloves and helmet on top and stepped over to the couch and plopped down as he looked for the remote to the screen covering the full height and width of the back bulkhead of the container. Pushing his thick black plastic rimmed glasses back up onto his nose.

  Then Jolene sat down in the big chair facing the screen and pulled out the keyboard and brought up the webpage, “Maggie’s list.” She said and started typing.

  “Hey. You can do that after we leave in a few minutes. I want to watch the news.”

  “Bullshit. You will just wind up on the military channel and you know it. I have work to do. We have a hundred things we need to get rid of unless you have someplace you can store the screen, game Sims, furniture and the tools in the workshop.” Looking around at Mark for a second. She knew that if he found the controller he would still turn the news on with her accessing the net over the top of one corner. It was not uncommon to have half a dozen things going on the big screen at one time including several movies or sports games while still accessing the net with emails and such when most of the club members were there. “You might be able to put the Game Sim in your bedroom if you don’t want to get to your bunk to sleep but that screen is way too big for even my family’s living room. I suppose we could roll it up and store it someplace until we found another place.”

  “I told you they are not getting rid of the Junk Deck Jolene. We don’t have to get rid of anything damn it.” Mark got up from the couch and thought about pulling down the pool table from the overhead but went down the narrow passageway instead. Slamming the door to the little head shut as he passed. “Damn bro, turn on the fan before you stink us out of the place will you.”

  Tom pushed the door back open. “I would if it worked oh mighty gunner of the Sims.”

  Mark turned to Tom. “I told you the 3 inch guns would work better than the quad 20s. Didn’t I? Admit it. I was right.”

  “You’re just lucky we were able to mount the 3inch on the base of the quad after what, three weeks of programing and what did you do but put it on impossible terror level. Thanks.”

  “I turned it off terror level and you put it back on.” Stopping at the work bench Mark picked up an old torch he had found the week before. “Turn the damn air purifier fan on old King of the stink house. Before I lock you in to gas yourself to death. I fixed it last week.”

  Tom reached up and flicked the switch and a low pure started. “Hey, I didn’t put it on Terror. I though you did. Especially after I took it off and you put it back up.” A second later he took a deep breath. “What, I thought the air purifier was impossible to fix without parts you can’t order anymore, the thing is so old.”

  “Ya, well the Quigley’s abandoned their storage workshop last week for some stupid reason and I managed to find a replacement part in it along with a few other things they left behind like this torch.” Holding it up for Tom to see. “Was an expensive torch at one time but the power pack does not seem to work. Everything else seems to check out ok.” Mark started rummaging through the drawers of the work bench. "And I took it off of terror too or did I put it back on? No I am sure I ramped it down to normal difficulty. Thought about putting it on novice for the first run but didn’t. You had to have slid it back up. "

  Jolene’s voice echoed back through the passageway. “I told you the Captain is serious about cleaning out the hold. A half dozen storage and workshops have been abandoned already. No one has ever just abandoned containers before and that is the reason.”

  Mark found a new power supply cell and held it up beside the malfunctioning power pack. The new one was a little bigger than the old dead cell. Looking at the specks stamped on the side he found out the new cell was not only bigger but had a higher storage capacity, voltage and amperage than the old. “Shit. Well it was a bit big anyway.” And started looking around again in the drawers and bins. “You know Jolleen, that it is against Port Regulations to dump any kind of junk or garbage down into the pit. Even a little trash can is big fine City. So get real. No o
ne is getting rid of the Junk Deck. Besides, take a look out there. Most of that equipment and fittings is still useful for parts if nothing else and has been out there long before we were even born.”

  Mark straightened up from a big bin empty handed pushing his glasses back up onto his nose then turned back and looked at the power cell that was too large and too powerful. Thinking that it wasn’t that much more powerful than the old cell and that the torch was expensive, well made and should be able to handle a little extra power. After thinking about it for a few seconds he held the cell up against the side of the torches hand grip. Frowning he dug around the bench again until he came up with a little hand grinding tool and started cutting away protrusions off the inside of the torch case meant to hold the smaller old power supply firmly in place.

  “I was just joking about dumping everything into the pit Mark. The Captain has a salvage yard coming in to haul everything out in a few days. He said that everything still on the holds deck by then, will be the junkyards property.”

  Mark held the new cell up against the case and frowned. “I never heard any such thing girl. I think you’re having nightmares again. Did the Captain look like a Vampire and talk in a vampire accent with a lisp around her fangs as she went for your neck? You going gay on us now?” Taking a deep breath as he put down the case. “Maybe I should hook up the new cell first and see if it is even going to work before I waste the time fitting it.”

  “I know who. It had to be Jolene that upped the game level to terror.” Tom said through the open door to the head.