Fool's Gold (The Wandering Engineer)

by Hechtl, Chris

  "Admiral she's adrift. Engines and power are gone," Harris said looking up. "Good." Irons turned to the plot. Damocles might have some charge left in her capacitors but that was about it.

  "We've got a couple more customers moving off. Frigate and remaining HK are running," CIC called. "Warthog and Maya are closest. Maya is firing her missiles now." They watched the plot as the two surviving enemy ships sailed on until they picked up the sensor ghosts of the missiles. Suddenly they pitched up and down separating.

  "They're splitting up. No honor among thieves," Harris said.

  “I don't know where that HK thinks it's going. No jump drive,” Sprite commented. “Just trying to get away?”

  "No, it means at least one will get away," Irons said watching the plot.

  "Not for the closest one, she's taken a hit, damn! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Harris thrust his fist into the air as the Hunter Killer shattered then exploded. "Now that's how it's done!" he grinned.

  "Firefly can we catch the other?" Dan asked.

  "Helm bring us about, roll one hundred twenty degrees then pitch up four degrees by three. Sensors and Tactical plot the course of that Frigate then fire KEWs along its projected vector. Try to plot evasive patterns it could follow and allow for them in follow up shots." Irons looked over to Harris who nodded.

  "Box them. Shotgun at this range though... It's a long shot but I'm on it." After a moment he looked up and nodded. "Rail guns ready Admiral," he said.

  "Then fire. Keep a firing till we're dry," Irons said. "Helm adjust course two degrees by one point three then go to maximum power. Let’s see if we can give them a send off they'll never forget," he smiled grimly.

  "What about the civilian ships we disabled?" Dan asked.

  "Right. What is their current status?" He turned to the small image of the CIC.

  "Two of the Clydesdales are trying to maneuver, the rest are down. One looks like her power is fluctuating. She's scramming her reactor now." Irons winced as the fusion reactor detonated. "She's not going anywhere. Her stern is toast." The CIC officer shook her head. "The factory ship is maneuvering, or at least trying too. Sun-Yat is maneuvering to block her now though," CIC reported.

  “Warthog has three other freighters on her side. She's accepting surrenders now. The agro ship is down, she didn't take any hits, I think her crew got wise and surrendered. Maya is chasing one other freighter down now.”

  "Right, tell them to herd her back away from the jump point." Irons sent a mental command and after a moment a window opened. The marine major looked up and grinned.

  "We're ready Admiral, just give us the word." He gave a thumbs up. "Sergio is here with us Admiral, he's going to ride shotgun with the fighter." He waved as the camera panned and then zoomed out to see the marine boat bay. Marines were loading onto the shuttle in powered combat armor while Sergio climbed into the cockpit.

  "I'm ready," he gave a thumbs up.

  "Right, launch when ready. Target the nearest ship secure it then get that shuttle back so we can get the others secured with prize crews." The marine straightened to parade rest and then saluted. Irons saluted as well then cut the channel.

  "Marine boat bay is clearing now. Two minutes to atmospheric evacuation." Firefly reported. "Sun-Yat is maneuvering again. Factory ship is pitching down." Irons nodded.

  "Time to first impact on Frigate, one minute thirty two seconds," Harris said. "Right. Comm. open a channel. To all surviving pirate ships. Stand to and prepare to be boarded. Surrender your ships and your crew will not be harmed. Any resistance will be met with maximum force." He nodded to the tech who smiled and cut the circuit.

  "Good copy Admiral. If they weren't shaking before, they soon will be," she grinned down at her station. Irons chuckled.

  "They deserve it, Patty," he looked over to Shelby.

  "Shields are stable Admiral. We've lost a couple pods though and our wedge is unbalanced. We'll have fifty percent shields in... five minutes," she grimaced. "I've got electrical fires in a couple of compartments. DCC and fire crews are on it now. Firefly is cutting atmo in those compartments once they are cleared," she announced.

  He winced. "Casualties?" he asked.

  "Light. A couple burns when a plasma conduit burst. A couple other minor injuries, mostly from people moving around when the ship was maneuvering." Irons grimaced.

  "Not bad."

  She nodded. "Glad that's over," she said sinking into her couch.

  "We've got a hit on the frigate!" Harris thrust his hand up into the air then fist bumped Dan next to him. They slapped each other on the shoulders.

  "Frigate is tumbling. She's straightening out. Second broadside is going to miss," Firefly reported. Dan and Harris sat back abruptly.

  "Damn. I thought we got her for sure," Harris said chagrined. Irons nodded. "Goes to show, don't count your kills till they are confirmed dead." He nodded as the pirate slowly lumbered toward the jump point for all her worth.

  "She's jinking too now, no way will we get her," Harris sighed.

  "Maybe, maybe not." Irons sat back and closed his eyes.

  "IF your thinking what I think your thinking, you’re crazy!" Sprite said. She felt his determination. "All right, I'll do it." The AI gathered itself then launched itself through the communications.

  "Comm. Channel bandwidth is going through the roof!" the officer looked confused.

  "We're doing it," Firefly said. "I've infiltrated the non combat ships systems and have locked the crew out," Firefly reported. Irons gave a short nod. "Two minutes," Firefly intoned.

  "Frigate is ten minutes from jump point," Harris said, sounding leaden.

  After five minutes Irons felt the AI return. "Got it," she said slotting back into his net.

  "Intel or destruct?" Irons asked, opening his eyes.

  "What do you think?" she said coyly. He sighed in exasperation. Quickly she relented. "A little of both. The destruct could be aborted though," the AI reported.

  "Wish it was a clean sweep," Harris muttered. Dan patted him on his arm. Suddenly CIC cheered. The crew looked at the plot in consternation as the frigate vanished in a nuclear fireball.

  "What happened?" Harris asked dumbfounded.

  "Could we have damaged her more than we thought?" Dan said.

  Irons smiled. "Something like that." The crew looked at him. He shrugged. "Admiral did this have anything to do with that transmission?" the comm. tech asked. The Admiral's smile widened into a satisfied grin. Somehow, despite the odds they'd done it.

  Harris snorted. "Right. Now I get it. You sent the self destruct?" he asked. Irons nodded.

  "It was a last resort. I had actually dismissed the idea because I was certain that they had changed the codes to prevent that." He shrugged.

  "What changed your mind?" Dan asked curious.

  "We didn't have anything left to lose. It was a one shot try, I didn't expect it to work." He shrugged again. "Let's get our prizes sorted out and start picking up any enemy life pods. Start scanning for wreckage now," he nodded to the scanner tech.

  "Right, accessing data, running a sweep now..."

  Irons and Mayweather turned the corner and looked over to the marine sentry. Mayweather paused, hand on his arm. He paused turning to her. "Are you sure about this Admiral?" she asked. He smiled.

  "It'd take a bit more than a bunch of brig rats to get through my defenses," he chuckled. She nodded letting her concern go.

  "All right son, let's do this." He wasn't surprised to see the major arrive right behind them. Inside the brig he looked around to each of the cells.

  "Great, another jumped up twit. This one thinks he's an Admiral!" someone snickered.

  "Lively bunch aren't they?" Sprite asked. His smile was a bit forced. "Seems to be." He looked over to the guard. "Who do we have here?" he asked.

  "Fourteen of the trouble makers sir, not including the nine in sickbay. None of them claim to be officers." The guard was short but well built. He had obviously started to work o
ut, his muscles rippled under his uniform. The major nodded.

  "So who the hell are you?" someone cat called. Irons looked over to the brig cells once more. The men and women were a motley group, dressed in dirty patched coveralls. A few had greasy bandannas tied on their arms or legs. Most of the men were unshaven, a few sported dreadlocks and an over abundance of piercings. He grimaced. Someone had watched way too many pirate flicks.

  The surviving bridge crews of the civilian ships had committed suicide to a man once they were boarded. These were the only ones to surrender or be taken unconscious. Apparently the rest of the crews were slaves. Or at least they were. Now they were falling all over themselves to join up.

  "For those of you who don't recognize me, I'm going to make this simple. My name is Irons. John Henry Irons. FLEET Admiral of the Federation navy." He stood with his hands at his sides.

  "Fleet Admiral he says! A man with a long braided beard laughed. "A cruiser and a couple of beat up corvettes? A fleet?" the man howled slapping at his knee and shaking his head. A woman next to him picked her nose. She flicked the contents towards the admiral but it fell short. A short bald male with his arms crossed spat on the force field. It sizzled and popped before wasting away.

  "I am picking up notes of anxiety in that Admiral," Sprite reported. Irons nodded. He brought up his right arm and then keyed his implant demo. The marine guard next to him gasped as his hand morphed.

  When the hand morphed back to normal only the crackle of the force fields could be heard. Irons smiled. "That's right ladies and gentlemen, I am the real deal. And I'll make this simple for you. You were caught in the act of piracy. We've got intelligence that you raided Agnosta as well. Under Federation law the penalty for that is death."

  He looked at the closest cell. The man inside was built like a bull, broad shoulders and not much of a neck. His neck and exposed shoulder was covered in tattoos. He was pale. Irons smiled a small cruel smile.

  "I'm in a forgiving mood, after all, you didn't put up much of a fight when you got here." He watched the shot go home on some.

  "Way to twist the knife," Mayweather muttered.

  "I'm with her," Sprite said a beat later.

  "But..." Irons looked around. He waited.

  "But?" someone in the back asked, taking up the cue.

  "But, I might spare your lives if you provide us with information. I want it all ladies and gentlemen... and I use those terms rather loosely.” He gave them all a look. A few were coming to what they thought was proper attention. “No holding back or I will space you," he looked around. One of the younger firebrands looked defiant but his cell mate was pale and his Adam's apple kept bobbing.

  "That's him, it's really him. I recognize him from the movie!" he whispered. “Spirit of space it's Irons!”

  "Shut it," his cell mate turned with a glare. His right shoulder was heavily bandaged. He cuffed the kid.

  "He's real!" his cell mate was near hysterics now.

  Irons nodded. "That's right. I'm real.” He nodded to the marines and captain Mayweather. "We're real. We're not going anywhere. We're rebuilding the Federation, one ship, one station, one system at a time." He looked around once more.

  "You're at a crossroads. Not many get a second chance.” He looked around. “You've got a decision to make. I'll give you a few minutes to think it over." He looked at the major who had a pulser strapped to his side. "Those of you who don't accept my offer will regret it." He gave them one last look. "Briefly." He smiled grimly and left. Mayweather and the Major followed.

  "Damn," Mayweather said shaking her head. "Think any will bite?" she asked. Irons shrugged. "We've got their databases, or what's left of them. If any do, we can use multiple points of information to cross check things. I know a few will try to hold out, think I am bluffing. Most people think the navy is squeamish about these things. Piracy well...” he smiled. “For piracy we make an exception.”

  "Am I really going to get the chance to kill them?" the major asked.

  Irons turned. "Not looking forward to killing in cold blood?" he asked quietly. The major looked away then turned back stonily. "I'll do my duty sir. They're scum, not worth a pulser dart." He shook his head. “Hell Admiral, I saw the way they treated the slaves on those ships. They damn well deserve a long walk out an airlock without a suit....” He cocked his head. “Or maybe a suit with a small hole and no radio...” Mayweather nodded grimly.

  “I saw what they did to the slaves. I can't believe anyone would do that,” she shivered. The crew of the surviving civilian ships had been overjoyed at being rescued. Two of the ships had been caught by the pirates. Some of their crews had been sport for the pirates in their leisure time. The survivors had told stories that were giving most of their interviewers nightmares.

  One of the Clydesdales had taken horrific damage. The captured yacht had as well. It was doubtful either would be rebuilt. One ship, the Destiny was in the best shape. She was also one of the two that had been captured. She also had half of her original crew left to build around.

  "Give them a half hour. Then take them out one by one and ask if they wish to take up my offer. Ask somewhere else somewhere away from the peer pressure of their mates. If they agree, send them to one of the guest quarters under guard. Have it prepped for lock down."

  "And if they refuse?" Mayweather asked.

  "Keep them separate from the others until you've hit them all up, then put them back in the brig. That way they wont know what happened to them until after they each go through the initial interview. When you’re finished with the last one, offer them a last meal. If you get any that change their minds, set them aside. Then call me," Irons shrugged. The major nodded.

  "What are you going to do?" Mayweather asked.

  "My duty," he growled darkly. "They're scum. Pirates deserve no quarter. They rape, pillage, loot, and burn. Torture and murder are games to the likes of them," he pointed his thumb back to the brig. "Don't shed any crocodile tears over them. I won’t. I've dealt with their like in the past," the Admiral's voice was cold.

  "We had some liberal idiots back in the day who wanted to recondition pirates. They passed a law that any taken alive would be conditioned and then returned to their home world. After we ran into the same pirates the second time we were not happy," he looked bleak. "They had just finished looting a liner. Raped, tortured, and killed over three thousand people. Sadistic bastards took their time, that's how we caught them. You should have seen them smirk after we caught them." He shook his head.

  “Cause they knew they'd just get a slap on the wrist?” the Major asked. Irons nodded.

  "What did you do with them?" she asked quietly.

  "Spaced the lot. Unfortunate accident," Irons replied. She stopped but he continued on. He looked back over his shoulder as he went. "That way we didn't have to let them have a third chance at someone else," he said turning to see her standing there. "Sometimes you have to bend the rules." He shrugged. "Justice has to have its day too." He walked off.

  Chapter 22

  "What happened to those missiles that didn't hit us?" Janice asked Dan as they shared the bridge watch the next evening.

  "What, oh the ones that came in with that gravity warhead?" he asked. She nodded. "Fracticide. When the warhead went off it destroyed them too. Lucky thing that they clustered them so close together like that. You could say the pirates goofed there. If they had spread the follow up out a little so they arrived after the gravity warhead had hit and outside it's warhead's radius it would have blown us to pieces," he shrugged. “The bits will continue on their way, out to the heliopause.”

  "That's why they say no plan survives contact with the enemy," Irons said. Harris came in and stopped.

  Dan nodded slowly. "Didn't hear you come in sir." He started to stand but Irons waved him back down.

  "Sit. I'm just dropping in for a minute. I'm on my way to a brief in ops now that we're about to dock at the station.” He turned to Harris who was looking thoughtful. The
y had just finished the post battle chores. Damocles was in their drive shadow, the Valdez tugs were nestled against her, pushing and pulling her into a stable orbit near the station.

  "Thanks, I think I needed that," Harris smiled.

  "Anytime. Has Logan gotten into position yet?" he asked.

  Harris closed his eyes, concentrating on his linkage. "Yes sir, He's picking up speed now. Last report is all damage is accounted for." He opened his eyes and looked thoughtful. "Thanks for this," he indicated the bridge.

  "What this?" Irons chuckled. "This is just the beginning. Unless you don't want to be along for the ride?" he asked.

  Harris rapidly shook his head. "You're serious?" Irons just smiled. "Count me in. IF only to see flag rank someday." Harris and Dan chuckled.

  “Someday in the distant future,” Irons said chuckling as well. “But not as distant as you think. You and the others are the new officer core. If we play our parts right we could be seeing new ships being built in as little as three to five years.” He waved to the view of Damocles. “And ships that we captured will need officers and crew. Including new captains.”

  He smiled as both men looked shocked. A few crew members near enough to hear looked up and turned to him in surprise and sudden anticipation. Harris whistled. “Think about it gentlemen,” Irons said, nodding as he turned and walked out.

  "Admiral are you serious about all this?" He turned to see a woman standing there. "I mean, can we really do this?" she asked. Scuttlebutt had been its usual helpful and light speed self. Before he'd even gotten to ops the rumors of what he had said to Harris on the bridge had swirled and grown to incredible proportions.

  He'd managed to wade through the celebrating crew in the docks. His shoulders were sore from all the back slapping and his cheeks were a bit sore from smiling so much. But everyone needed to unwind. Morale had never been better.

  He paused to try to think of a diplomatic way of answering. "You're Tracy right?" he asked. She nodded. "Enrique's assistant?" She nodded confirmation again. "Right. The long and the short answer is yes. IF.." He held up one finger.