Reaper Inc.

by Thomas Wright

  "Um Ben, you can let go now."

  "Do I have to? I am just happy to see you and your breasts are alive and well."

  "I'm fine and I need some clothing."

  "You know, I was avenging your death and it all felt right and proper but now you’re alive and killing these sick bastards. . . still feels right and proper. Take the guard’s clothes and let’s go."

  "Who is your new friend?"

  "She isn’t new. I've known her for a little while. They killed her children, so she is going to do for them what I was going to do for you."

  Tawniz said. "We should free the champions and the slaves."

  "Here are his keys. You go do that then follow the sound of the screams." Ben gave her the stun pistol, deciding he could get another.

  Chapter 28

  4 hours. . .

  The ship was huge. Ben was trying to determine which way to go. On one hand, he knew there were ships leaving like rats on a sinking ship; he could get Tawniz and some others hopefully to safety. He had killed three guards so far and none would tell him anything. He had weapons and the spider could give him a body count of approaching guards before he would ever see them and put an image in his head of the exact location. He knew exactly where to shoot. He had to stop and wait from time to time while she fed. She had to stay in the main corridor while Ben checked doors.

  Tawniz unlocked most of the cages before three guards showed up to stop her. They got off a few shots before they were mobbed.

  "You have a number of choices. You can stay in your cage, go and find a ship or stay and fight. I have someone to find then we will do our best to take this ship from them." Tawniz didn’t feel there was a lot of time for talk. She looked at the faces in the crowd, turned and began running in the direction she had last saw Ben and the spider.

  ****

  "Captain to the bridge," Ensign Ellison announced. Aisling had decided to take a nap during the second orbit around the planet. She looked at the time. It seemed XO let her sleep longer than she had intended. She pressed her com.

  "On my way."

  "Lieutenant Benson, if any of those ships approach us without hailing or with even a hint of power to a weapon, you fire a warning shot and be ready to follow it up."

  "Aye sir, I have marked all targets as hostile."

  The door slid open and Aisling looked immediately at the screen. "Keep your seat XO. I want to stand right now," she said.

  XO Holmes said, "Captain, something has happened as you can guess. They are fleeing like that ship has the plague. We have targeted all ships fleeing in our direction and I gave the Lieutenant orders hail and if there is no answer, to fire a warning shot first and if there are any active weapons, he doesn’t need to ask."

  ****

  "Attention all ships, this is Emperor Xamand. We are picking up a number of small craft that seem to have appeared out of nowhere. We believe they are departing from the ship we seek. It is unknown at the moment why, but we believe an increase to full power would be appropriate at this time.

  ****

  Ben stood in a doorway firing at a half dozen guards. He guessed he was getting close to something; he hoped it was the bridge. His space shuttle-sized arachnid companion was fifty yards behind at an intersecting hallway enjoying another snack. He had three pistols pushed into his pants, one in his hand, a laser rifle slung over his good shoulder and the poison sword currently leaning against the wall.

  "The female you released and a number of others are approaching."

  "They were captives like you so try not to eat any of them."

  "My hunger is sated, I am collecting food for the future and will retrieve it before I depart this ship."

  "How many does she bring with her?"

  "There are many."

  "How about a number?"

  "More than a few."

  "You don’t use numbers?"

  "No." An image appeared in Ben’s head like the others. He could see about thirty of the prisoners following Tawniz. They came to a stop staring, trying to decide what to do.

  "They are scared of you. Can you move to the other side of the hall?"

  "They are wise to be cautious."

  Ben picked up his sword and ran back to the intersecting hallway. He had dodged most of the incoming shots till the end; when he was turning the corner, a stunner hit him and his leg gave out dropping him to the floor. He rolled till he was out of the direct line of fire. Tawniz ran to him and the others followed. He couldn’t get his mouth to work right so he handed Tawniz his pistol and pointed. She handed it to someone and he took up a position at the corner and immediately began firing.

  Tawniz took the other pistols from him and rolled him over taking the rifle which she kept for herself. Ben closed his eyes. The throbbing in his leg and shoulder stopped which was good but if things went south, he would have to be carried, not good. Tawniz looked at her followers. Ben could hear her but it wasn’t her language she spoke so it didn’t translate for him.

  The stunner hit his left side and although it spread through his nervous system, his right side had some mobility. He touched Tawniz on the leg and pointed to his mouth. He tried to say water but it came out as gibberish. She said something and four of prisoners left. Three took up positions and began firing down the hall. Ben closed his eyes again and did his best to concentrate on breathing, just breathing.

  ****

  The master was on a throne in the room he had made to rule his kingdom. He adorned it with everything you would expect from a sadistic creator of monsters. Some of his creations were chained to the wall and others stood like statues around his throne. Blue Eyes was the latest addition and by far the most intelligent. She stood at a console monitoring everything and everyone. He had no interest in sitting on the bridge of his ship; that was not the duty of a king. His bridge crew had been especially chosen and would not fail him.

  "Master, a large party of prisoners is advancing on the bridge. Shall I send reinforcements?"

  "No. Let them advance till they feel victory is within their grasp then release the guardians."

  "He is still alive and the Allond officer leads the party of prisoners."

  "He and the rest will not be a problem shortly. Are the creation rooms safe?"

  "Yes, master. There is no activity on those levels."

  "Good, then let them come. Our guards have never been challenged and I see that they are lacking. We will need to replenish when this is over."

  "Master, the bridge has urgent news and wishes to speak to you."

  "Very well, let us hear this urgent news." Blue Eyes had punched a series of buttons and the monitor displayed the captain’s face.

  "My master, there are five ships approaching at half acceleration. Four are of Allond build and one is Cjittan. Shall I input coordinates for departure?"

  "Captain, why would you do that? I am beginning to think I need to replace every guard and crewmember on this ship. Captain, this ship has the fire power of ten ships. Arm your weapons and prepare. Our first target will be the Alliance ship you have been following all these weeks. Destroy it!"

  "Yes, my master."

  "Captain, do not make this day your last." The conversation was over with a wave of his hand. Blue Eyes cut the connection. The captain sat in his chair staring off into space. He was not a tactician nor did he have any experience in planning a battle. He was a freighter captain before the pirates took his ship and his crew and sold them. He had worked for his older brother who told him to run at the slightest hint of danger, it had almost always worked. The cargo and delivery were more important than anything except the reputation of the company. His brother should have told him about accepting drinks from strangers buying rounds for a whole crew.

  When he was purchased, it was because of his experience as a captain. He told the truth when questioned and up until now, he only had to ensure that the ship made the trip from point A to point B and arrived according to the master’s plans.

  "W
eapon’s officer, power up your weapons and prepare the ship for battle."

  ****

  "Captain! They are headed right for us. Weapons powered and uncloaked."

  "Lieutenant Benson, fire as soon as they are in range. Torpedo tubes one and three. Ensign Ellison, sound red alert. Lieutenant St James, evasive maneuver omega six alpha."

  "Captain, it is huge. It will be no problem to hit but I believe the only place that won’t be a waste of torpedoes is if we fire on the drive cluster. Stop them from leaving or at least slow them down."

  "Lieutenant Benson, lock tubes two and four on its bridge. Let’s see what their captain is made of."

  "Lieutenant St. James, bring us around and make a head on run at the bridge of that ship. Full power to the forward shields. We are going to carry the torpedoes as close as we can. Lieutenant Benson, fire on my command."

  The Warhammer's shields held out well against the weapons fire from the mammoth starship. Two torpedoes were on course for its main drives and Aisling would drop two more in their lap if their shields held out.

  "Lieutenant St James, on my command, divert shields to our belly and run us the length of this thing, then set a course for the far side of the planet full power until we have the planet between us."

  "Ensign Ellison, damage report?"

  "We have a few scrapes captain but no hull breaches reported."

  "Shields fifty percent, captain!"

  "Its ginormous, I bet the generator just to run the cloak is as big as the Warhammer," Benson said.

  "Head in the game, Lieutenant Benson."

  "Forty five percent, captain! They are hitting us with forty to fifty laser cannons. "

  "Damage, Ensign Ellison?"

  "No captain, not to the ship. I think I lost a couple of fillings and bit my tongue!"

  "Forty percent, captain," Lieutenant St. James chimed.

  "Distance?"

  "Three thousand miles and closing."

  "Fire two and four, lieutenant, two seconds apart! Then fire lasers at any target of convenience as we depart."

  "Captain, we have a hull breach but it’s in the shuttle bay, they are sealing it up. The blast missed a waste tank but destroyed the line in. Damage control says everyone starboard needs to hold it for at least two hours or use only the portside heads when they are able."

  It was over in about ninety seconds and it was a test. Yes, it was big but its weapons were underpowered, at least against Alliance technology. It must have relied on its cloaking system to get it safely where it wanted to go. She could eventually cause enough damage to possibly board and take control but it would cost her every munition she had on board and with five better equipped starships, in less than an hour out at full speed, they would make short work of it. The pursuing ship had decreased its speed and didn’t give chase to the Warhammer.

  "Captain, scans indicate minor damage to our target’s bridge. First torpedo detonated on their shields but caused enough interference to let the second get past. It is odd the shields and lasers are so weak."

  "Status of our weapons, Lieutenant Benson?"

  "Torpedo tubes are loaded and ready, lasers will be fully charged in five, captain."

  "Lieutenant St. James, all stop. Inform damage control. I'm giving them thirty minutes EVA time to perform any repairs then we need to get underway."

  ****

  Tawniz said, "Hold still and drink slowly."

  Ben nodded and let the liquid slide down his throat. "Thank you."

  "It is from the bucket in your cell. It is the cleanest they could find." Ben sat up slowly. He must have passed out, hours of hand to hand combat and his injuries had taken its toll. It seemed nothing had changed as he looked around; they had gained no ground. "We need to find a way around them and if there isn’t one, then we need to rush them."

  "I sent five to find another way, if one exists."

  "This ship would not just have one corridor up the middle." He took another pull from his cup of water. Then he noticed the giant spider was missing. "How long has the spider been gone?"

  "Shortly after you passed out."

  "Did she leave in the same direction as the party you sent out?"

  "Yes, do you think there is a problem?

  Ben closed his eyes and lay his head back. "I guess we will find out. Have you seen a nine foot tall, hairy, four-armed sasquatch running around."

  "Yes maybe, something that fits the description but I am unsure what a sasquatch is."

  "Ok, good to know he is out there. Don’t worry about the rest, help me stand up and let’s get this party started."

  "Are you able? It seems too soon."

  "I don’t feel numb anymore just the tremors and tingling in the nerves and I can move. I am not going to lead a charge but I can follow."

  "You must not have received the full blast of the stun."

  "Yeah, it’s my lucky day." One of the armed prisoners hurried over to them. He was smiling. He spoke to Tawniz and she seemed to be giving instructions then returned to his post.

  "It must be your lucky day. The guards began firing in another direct and then ran."

  "From what I have seen, they are only armed with stun weapons. Let’s get moving shall we. I need to work the stiffness out."

  The four armed prisoners had moved on ahead and the rest of the group followed with Ben in the middle of the crowd. They arrived at the intersections the guards had just abandoned. The five prisoners Tawniz had sent were standing watching the spider face off with a number of the champions. They immediately joined the crowd. The champions were taunting the spider with weapons they had acquired, most had come from the arena and a few stunners from guards they had overpowered.

  Ben pushed his way through the crowd and walked towards the spider. She touched his mind and he knew she was angry. He saw the champions watching him as he approached. He enjoyed their facial expressions as he walked under her and stopped next to her head.

  Ben saw Harry approaching the group from the rear. They were too engrossed to notice until he began shoving them out of the way. He used all four arms to push the hippo man and only managed to move him a foot or two. He continued until he stood next to Ben. Tawniz was the next to arrive. Ben looked at her.

  "Tell them they can join us if they take orders from you, otherwise they are on their own." Ben grabbed a handful of hair behind the spiders head and she lowered herself so he could climb on. Everyone including Harry and Tawniz watched with various expressions from amazed to amused. He had to hang on as she turned, partially climbing the wall, maneuvering and shifting until she was facing the other direction. It was fluid movement made easy through natural design. Tawniz put prisoners with weapons in the front and rear then those with edged or blunt weapons next with the unarmed in the middle.

  Ben asked his mount. "I have wondered how it is I can communicate with you and the others? Is there something special about me?"

  "No, you have no power that I can detect. It is because of your companion. She has nurtured your mind in the time you have known her. She has made this possible, she touches your mind and speaks to it much the same as we do." It made sense, from the beginning E'Aria had been training him to receive her thoughts and her natural born gifts had years to develop and be perfected.

  ****

  Blue Eyes said, "Master, two of the groups have joined and continue towards the bridge. The guards have fallen back but they will not hold against so many."

  "I believe it is time to release the guardians. Transfer control of the bridge to your station. Do not worry about the guards or the crew. They are replaceable. Are we in pursuit of the Alliance starship?"

  "Yes, master. It has gone behind the planet and our course follows theirs albeit cautiously."

  The master said, "Alter the course and center us on the planet. They will eventually come out from hiding. There is no need to chase them.

  ****

  "Captain, all the controls have been transferred to the master’s throne
room." The captain sat smiling at the news. His crew did not know he didn’t report the increase in speed to max acceleration of the approaching ships to the master.

  "I believe we are done here. You should all leave and gather your things. There are ships still departing and we have shuttles. Go now. You do not want to be here later." His crew looked at him, not understanding. "Go! he screamed.

  The crew hurriedly made their way off the bridge. He sat and waited for what he knew was coming. The smile returned to his face. He hoped the crew would make it off the ship; he could do no more to help them.

  Chapter 29

  25 minutes. . .

  "Master, the five ships are approaching at maximum speed. They are much closer than they should be per our last report from the captain." The master was quiet. He began to understand the captain that now they were not going to have time to destroy the Alliance ship and leave the system.

  "Have a guardian go to the bridge and kill everyone there. They will pay for their deception. Lock the doors till it gets there."

  ****

  Ben saw the androids coming towards them. He turned and could see more approaching from the rear. "Tawniz, climb up here with the laser rifle. I don’t think the stunners will do any good on them."

  She walked cautiously towards the spider, looking up at Ben then at the spider’s face.

  "Would you allow her to take my place? She has the most effective weapon and needs to be above everyone to be more effective."

  "She is a warrior. She may mount, although I do not have a love for her people."

  Ben moved lower and slid off faster than he had planned. It jarred his shoulder and leg. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He felt a squeeze to his shoulder. Tawniz stood in front of him with a worried look on her face.

  "I will be ok. Could you hand me my sword? They have a power cell in their abdomen about here." He pointed to the area where he remembered the sword stopped. "I think there or in the head would be your best options. When the power runs out on the rifle, just stay up there."

  Tawniz looked at him amused. "Your concern for my well-being is commendable but I am stronger and in better condition than most here, including you."