“Yes Mark I will always help you. This guy is a bully just like his son and you cannot reason with him. You need to piss him off so he will react emotionally giving you the advantage. Do not try to reason with him. It is a waste of time. He is expecting just that and will turn anything you say against you as he gets into position to attack you were the table will be in your way keeping you from escaping. We can use that to our advantage. You should start by insulting his son while you point out that you really do not want to press charges against the guys.”
“You have got to be kidding. He will kill me.”
“No he won‘t, unless you give him the time he wants. Use all their names to put a personal stamp telling him you know exactly who they are. And take your time to show you are not afraid of him.”
“Ok? But I am scarred shitless. What do you mean not afraid of them.” Swallowing the mouth full of food and taking a big drink Mark fought down the panic as he was surrounded by the boys (even if they were not able to function for the next few minutes) and the father.
The man's son spoke up finely getting a breath. “He hit me with that stupid toy dad for no reason at all.” The tables around the group where rapidly emptying.
“Now quit lying Chet.” It was all Mark could do to keep his voice from squeaking. “Or would you like me to charge all three of you scumbags with Grand theft larceny.” Holding up the little module. “This little thing you decided to play keep away with is worth a cool million and if you had managed to drop and damage it, you would have spent the rest of your miserable lives at hard labor trying to pay for it.” Turning to the boy's father. “That mean you as well Mr. Greedly. Or do you happen to have a cool million in your pocket right now. I don't think even you could have strong armed that much money from the crew.”
“Dad, that retard is giving you a bunch of crap. No one would trust him with a million credits worth of anything. Besides he told me some crap about killing someone to get it with his toy gun. Can you imagine anyone giving him a real weapon? Besides he almost knocked Dirks head off as he knocked him to the deck before beating me up.”
Mark smiled up at the man and patted the riffle laying on the table then flicked the charge switch. “Now I must admit that I told Chet how I got this piece of hardware trying to get the boy to see some reason.” The sound of the chamber charging grew loader as the man's eyes grew bigger. “Now before I really get pissed and you do something to dig you and these boys a big enough hole for me to burry you in and shit on. I suggest you apologize to all the people around here that you have ruined lunch for and then go back to finish your own lunch before I decide to charge you all with felonies and have your butts thrown in the brig. Something the Chief Master at Arms has been trying to do for years. So on second thought, go ahead and have some fun before I kick your balls off the ship.”
“You are that crazy retard aren’t you shit head. Are those really glasses or fake too for you to hide behind.” The man reached for Marks glasses and suddenly all the times in the past that he had stood up to bullies to only have them knock or take his glasses, leaving him blind and helpless and at their mercies to be tortured and humiliated and abused came crashing down onto him, that welled up into pure panic.
Suddenly he was watching the man’s hand move in incredibly slow motion. As he started to flee. “Stop!” Mickey said. “Mark! You are ok. Calm down. Your mind has finely gone into real overdrive even faster than most humans in my record. I am pleased with your response. With only the few seconds I had to work with you I am even surprised at how well and fast you did go into overdrive on your own this time without my help. Probably triggered by your deep rooted fear. Use that to your advantage. You have plenty of time to reach out and grab the man's hand in a pain hold that will keep him from doing anything to you.” Mark was shown how and where to place the fingers of his on the man’s hand reaching for him.
Trying to figure out how simply grasping a person's hand could possible cause pain as well as save him from losing his glasses as the huge hand slowly moved at him. Looking past the hand he suddenly notice a big man half out of the chair at the Greedly table that looked like he could break him in half with one hand as well. Thinking about the additional threat, his glasses suddenly showed him several big ruff looking men that looked like they could kill him with looks alone walking up from around the mess deck making it harder for Mark to fight the erg to run in panic as he wondered where the man’s army suddenly came from. Freezing him in place as he desperately tried to figure out how he could possible out run everyone that surrounded him as the man's hand moved a good foot closer towered him. The problem was, he could not out run or avoid everyone so it was a waste of time trying.
Finely figuring out he couldn’t run since he was surrounded. Mark settled down and reached out to follow Mickey’s instructions even if it was a little late. Though his hand seemed to have a tremendous amount of inertia. He finely got his hand placed over the back of the other man's hand only a few inches away from his glasses. Thumb in the man's palm with two fingers on the back side of his hand between the thumb and four finger. Mickey had him move his fingers several times to find the nerves and then told him to pinch hard and bend the man's hand back over his wrist as hard as he could. Mark was looking cross eyed at the man's outstretch fingers when he finely squeezed as he twisted the man's hand up and back over his wrist at over 90%. It seemed to take all his strength to overcome the inertia as well as the big man’s strength.
Suddenly in slow motion, the big man started to drop to his knees as his face started screwing around into a grimace that turned to outright pain and his mouth opened into a scream. Time suddenly started to speed back up to normal again. Mr. Greedly started screaming in pain as he reached for his hand pushing Mark away only to straighten Mark's arm out, bending his hand even farther back in the process and increased the pain forcing him even lower towered the deck trying to make it stop. After a few seconds with the man literally screaming spittle out of his mouth in terror as he sank groveling to the deck kicking to get away. Mark finely pushed him away with his foot and heard a crack from the man's wrist and let go as Mr. Greedly backed rapidly crawling backwards between two other tables. Slamming his head against the edge of the locked down table trying to get as far away as he could.
Mark looked at his hand not believing what had happened as he started to get up to run, not even thinking about grabbing the riffle to defend himself. There was no way he was going to survive getting beat up by this many monsters.
“Relax Mark. Stay put!”
“Mr. Collins.” said the man walking up next to Greedly laying on the deck some 10 feet away. “Is this dick head low life giving you any problems? I can take him down to one of the bilges if you like and give him some lessons on etiquette concerning ships Officers as well as how to raise his kids with a little more manners.”
Mark’s mouth dropped open for a fraction of a second as he realized the ape’s where all from the crew that had been with him down in the hold. That is except for the man walking up from Greedly’s table. Turning his head still worried about getting broken in half Mark watched one of the women from the hold walk up to the man. Twice her size, the man looked down at the woman sneering at her as she blocked his way. Mark was suddenly worried that the woman would be broken in half. Standing up Mark took a step toward Greedly looking over the top of him at the other man. “You sit your fucking butt down before I stuff it in detention if you even touch that crewman!” Mark said echoing a phrase he herd to many times in school, (without the cursing of course) when he would get a little over heated arguing with the physics teacher and adding to it. But it was the only thing he could think of to say. Half a dozen men turned to face the man coming from Greedly’s table with his hand half raised towered the woman but frozen in place. He looked up from the little woman to Mark and then the squad staring at him. Quickly jerking his hand backhe decided to return to his table and sit back down.
Turning back to look at Gree
dlyand the crewman next to him. “No. I think Mr. Greedly was just going back to his lunch as are my old school buddies. Though I doubt if they learned anything from this.”
“Collins! I am going to have you arrested for assaulting me and breaking my wrist as soon as I get out of the Infirmary.”
The man standing next to Mr. Greedly bent down. “Here let me help you scum bag.” Grabbing ahold of his bent hand to help him up pulling it strait with a snap as he dragging him up with another scream coming out of him. “Oh my. You seem to have hurt yourself when you fell Mr. You should have been more careful. What did you say about your hand anyway? It looks all right to me.” And stepped away.
Cradling his now normal looking hand against his chest for protection. As he straightened up Greedly gave the crewman a nasty look.
The crewman seeing Greedly’s hate filled face stepped back over looking up at the big man and whispered. “You get that look off your stinking face now or you are going to take a walk without a suit. Remember the last time you fucked with crew. We don’t have to prove shit to the Master at Arms to kill you or make your family cabins hell.”
Mark’s eyes got wide at hearing that even though he shouldn’t have been able to. Finding out that someone actually could stand up against the Greedly clan. Suddenly feeling invincible with an army behind him and his blood rushing through his ears, he smiled trying to control himself from grabbing the riffle on the table and pounding the man sitting on the deck next to him, (who’s face had already turned white), into bloody pulp. If for no other reason than to pay for his son’s and all those that had abused and tortured and humiliated and threatened and terrified him so much over the years. Slapping his hand down on the riffle to grab it. “No Mark! Don’t do IT. Calm down. It is just the adrenalin rage trying to control you. You cannot take out on this one man all the times you have been terrorized!” Mark just stood there for several seconds as his breathing slowed down and common sense finely flooded back.
Mark took a deep breath of relief and amazement at what he had done with his own hands not to mention someone actually following his orders as he sat back down with his hand still lying on the weapon. The touch making him feel safe and relaxed even though during the moments of extreme terror he had not even thought about it when it would have done some good. Mark shook his head half in shock as he turned back to his lunch. Thinking that maybe becoming an officer after all was a good idea if he had a whole ship’s crew helping him and each other with the bully’s. But then in the past, even when some authority figure like his father or a teacher had intervened on his behalf to save him from teasing, abuse or a beating; the bad guys never seemed to change their ways making Mark regret his fathers or teachers intervention with even worse beatings later catching him alone.
But this time for the first time, he had not required any help. Well, much help. That alone was worth getting blasted by these oafs sometime in the future. Taking a bite of food, more for something to do than hunger. He could not help smiling. He had to admit to himself that he had never been so happy to see a bunch of deck apes before, especially since they had shown up to help him. Complete strangers up until a few hours ago.
“That’s ok Mr. Collins I will have a bite with Mr. Greedly and discuss the lesson he could learn from this about bothering ship’s crew.” Putting his hand on Greedly’s shoulder as he held the hand Mark had bent back onto itself protected against his chest. “You were going to follow the Ensigns suggestion weren’t you before we go or did you want some more help with your hurt hand?”
Mr. Greedly pointed down at the blaster laying on the table as he held the hand. “Is… Is that a real gun?”
“Yes." The deckhand standing next to him said. "Ensign Collins took it off a scumbag he killed with his bare hands then used it to save our butts this morning.” Looking at the man in disgust. “Do you really think officers of this ship play with toys moron? Now apologize to the deck before the Ensign and I lose our patience.”
Mark sat back still not believing as he looked around him.
Greedly apologized to the deck through clenched pain filled teeth and was escorted back to his table. He sat for several minutes as the woman crewman already near his table and the crewmen that escorted him back, sat talking in low tones as Greedly kept glancing at the mess deck’s exits and winching every time his hand got bumped or moved. It finely dawned on Mark that the two crewmen were simply delaying Greedly’s departure to the ship’s sickbay as a form of torcher to reinforce his lack of power outside the civilian ship’s family. Finally the two crewman got up and returned to their tables as Greedly jumped up and ran out of the mess deck practically in tears from the pain. Though the hate filled looks at Mark from Greedly and his buddy with him told Mark what would happen eventually but he was so happy with what he had accomplished he did not care."
Mark had taken only a few more bites before the Master at arms appeared at the side of the table though Mark did not see him as he relaxed studying the module and cleaning the scraps on his plate while he waited for Dian to show up.
The Master at Arms finely had to cough a couple times to get Marks attention from the Module and glancing at the entry hatch looking for Dian.
“You're getting yours now retard.” Chet said from his table. Big smiles crossed the four faces in contemplation of Mark getting arrested as the Master at Arms looked towered them. "He assaulted us for no reason at all Sgt. Sir." The Master at Arms and the Ship Patrol force, his father had some control over simply from lawsuits and detailed laws his family over the years had gotten through the council. Hamstringing the ships Law enforcement personnel from enforcing many of the basic rules when it came to the Greedly family and its friends and associates. All they had to do was mention harassment and the Ships Patrol usually backed down.
"Shut up scum bags I know better and if the ensign says one word I will haul all your butts down to the brig and let the Captain finely deal with you. Your father can't intimidate Mr. Collins by the looks of it like you have the rest."
Mark looked up at the Master at Arms baffled. “Ah, can I help you sir.”
“Mr. Collins. You are not only out of uniform but you are in the general Mess and not the officers Mess or the new Ensigns Mess which I hear you had something to do with creating. But you have also an unauthorized Deadly Weapon in a public area. Which is my main concern at the moment.”
Looking at the Master at Arms with a blank look for a second. “Oh Godstar, I was supposed to meet Dian for lunch in the Ensigns mess not here. I forgot all about the Ensigns mess. Is it still there? I thought they would have gotten rid of it by now. Dian is going to be so pissed at me. Talking about being a moron.” Looking down at his ruined uniform. “Hell, I forgot I am an officer now with all the shit that happened this morning.”
Chuckling at Marks surprised expression. “Yes Mr. Collins, you are an officer and the Ensigns mess is still there but is now called the Junior Officers Mess. The Captain has decided to expand on the concept and another two decks are being taken out of Officers Country and the Officers are being assigned to K-0 deck. The whole K-0 deck is now Junior Bachelor Officers Country.” Smiling at Mark. “I bet there are going to be a lot of Junior Officers that are just going to love you for what you have done when they all get moved. I hear the only officers that are going to have cabins with bedrooms are married with kids. At least the civilians are going to love you.” Smiling the Sgt. held his hand out at Mark and continued. “Could you please sir?”
Mark looked down at what was left of his uniform and sheepishly smiled up at him. “Sorry Sir but can I finish eating before I change. Though I have to buy a set of kakis first. It has been a busy morning and I am or was starving.” The video screens around the mess deck suddenly started broadcasting the news story about the battle in the hold from the different news stations the different screens had on from the local planetary stations.
“I don’t care how little respect you have for your uniform Commander but I do care a
bout having an unauthorized weapon on the Mess Deck. Though I am impressed you did not use it on the scumbags that attacked you."
Daylight suddenly dawned and Mark started grinning from ear to ear. “Sorry Sir but it would have blown scumbag guts all over the mess deck and would have ruined the appetite of most of the innocent bystander. Besides; I had to use it way to much when I grabbed it in the middle of the fire fight. The laser pistol had bad guy guts all over it and I really needed something to take out an airtruck cab and the guys shooting from inside it.”
“Whoop! You tell him sir!” The voice sounded like one of his men from the hold.
“But I don‘t suppose I have to worry about getting shot at here do I.” Mark picked up the rifle drained the charge, pulled the power pack slapping it on the holder on the butt and handed it to the Master at Arms. “Well anyway; Thanks. I have been wondering what to do with it since it is so damn uncomfortable trying to sit with it and in the way every time I need to do something.”
“Thank you Mr. Collins. I will log it in as booty under your name.” He waved at one of his men standing next to the exit and handed it to him as he ran up.
“OH a no.” Mark said. “Log it in under Pops name; he paid for it and technically it is his. Damn I am going to miss him.”
“Very well Mr. Collins. But we got quite a few weapons and equipment from that little battle. And since you were Commanding Officer during the battle your name goes on everything we captured.”
“Well… Just make sure that Pop’s name goes on the Blaster ok.” Taking another bight Mark took out his torch as he finished chewing and handed it to the Master at arms. “That is now a deadly weapon. I had to modify it to give us some weapons to fight with in the beginning. Be a nice weapon if it had some decent sights on it. Something that wouldn’t be too hard to do come to think of it. A nice compact holographic peep sight would work great.” To answer the Master at Arms baffled expression, he thumbed the safety off, thumbed the power down and pointed it at the overhead then pulled the trigger. A beam streaked up to hit the overhead beam exactly where he was aiming at to Marks shock. Handing it to the Master at arms, Mark looked around for the deck gorillas’ scattered at tables across the Mess deck and gave them a wave to come on over. “Come on down guys; you need to turn your modified torches in.” Most got up and came over placing their pistols on the table before returning to their tables. Not happy about it. Most had some personal embellishments and decorations.
Tramp Wars: The Enemy Page 47
