The story so far: The ship, Stardiver Four, has been captured by pirates who call themselves revolutionaries, freedom fighters, and patriots. The ship is drifting in space helpless for lack of the command code. Tom, a youth, was a passenger on the ship but has been forced to join help the pirates as they try to reassemble a fleet of starfighters, and prepare to attack earth.
Lieutenant Ratts' dark mood was improved by seeing the progress in the work on the Star-fighters. The craft were now anchored to the floor until such time as the gravity generators decided to come back on. Without gravity, the men floated above the craft while they worked. The cargo bay grew shadowy as lights dimmed from the lack of power in the ship.
"I’m a traitor.” Tom thought to himself. "This is all wrong. If I don’t obey these guys then they will do something awful to me or Ollie.” So he followed orders, shuffling about in his over-sized spacesuit feeling small and guilty.
"Common, Lieutenant Ratts," One of the pirates complained, "Can't we break for some chow?"
The sullen quiet man looked up from an open panel on the craft where he was obsessing about minor imperfection in the design. In his dull voice, he said, "Tom, go to the kitchen and see what Smiley has for us to eat. Make sure there are no human parts in it and bring back as much as you can carry."
Tom in free float spun toward Dr. Ratts and grabbed a cable that stretched from floor to ceiling. "Yes, sir," then twisting around he said, "Come here, Ollie," and gently drew on the dog's lead. Ollie was not happy; his wolf half despised being helpless and helpess. Tom pushed the dog toward the portal. "Good boy."
Tom pushed off the cable and floated after Olie toward the portal and out of the cargo bay until they both fell where the gravity remained in the hall.
With a slow shuffle, Tom walked through cold gray metal halls rubbing his shoulders and arms with his aching hands to release the pain from the hard work. The cargo bay was “down” in the lower part of the ship, so he needed to take the elevators “Up" to the living areas where the kitchens were. He touched the pad beside the elevators but the doors did not respond. Ollie stretched up and put his paw on the pad and whimpered in disappointment. The lights were dark on the panel beside doors.
“The computer is still off-line, Ollie. Nothing works. We have to climb." The stairs were a few feet away. Looking up Tom wondered, "Why does the gravity have to work here on the stairs of all places. This is one where I would like to float up." With slow steps, they climbed the dark narrow service stairs. which ended at a dark corridor lined with living quarters, kitchen, shops, common rooms and all the things people enjoy. Across the hall another set of stairs led up to the command center, officer’s quarters, work rooms, navigation, the computer room and other operational facilities.
"OK, here is my chance." Tom thought to himself. "If no one is around I can use the command code. I could activate the computer from inside the command center like the captain said. Then I can take over the ship. I could send a signal to warn earth of the coming attack, I could order the ship to use auto pilot and go to a safe place."
Looking around Tom saw no one. He crept silently up the dark stairs, quietly stepping on each step until he reached the operations level of the ship. He stepped over debris working his way through the corridor and past doors that led to navigation, weapons control, and systems monitoring, but ahead was the Command Center. It seemed empty and lit by a few dim lights. Looking through the door he saw the mess that once was the command center. Trash, equipment, and papers were thrown around. No doubt the pirates had ransacked the files and drawers trying to find the command code. He put a step inside and froze at the sound of a voice. O'bee sat in a chair, he was surrounded by monitors, image screens, and equipment almost making a wall blocking him in. The fat pirate was crying, sobbing like a child but with the dry heaves of a man who had cried for such a long time that he had no more energy to cry anymore.
“Dear God. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. Oh, God, help me.” He wailed. And put his head down on the console, his shoulders shook as he sobbed. ”Oh, God, help me.”
Another pirate was sleeping in a drunken stupor next to him. Across the room, a pirate sat slumped in a chair and poked at a monitor. He looked at O'bee and turned his back. Tom saw that O'bee's plump hands were bandaged, and it was obvious that fingers were missing. A blaster gun was on the table next to him.
"Ok, Ollie," Tom whispered, "we don't want to go in there. He's gonna shoot you for what you did to his hands and face."
"Boss," Red said as she focused on one of the dozens of monitors that surrounded her in the shuttle.
"Outside the command center."
"What? Really?" Whitey lunged forward and bent over the young woman to see the screen closely.
"Yea," she continued. "It is as if the ship likes him."
"Keep an eye on him."
"Look someone else is coming."
Tom took a step back and bumped into something that wasn’t there before. He turned around thinking it was Ollie. The woman in red was only a little taller than he was but she still looked down at him with a cruel face whose lips were tight with anger and whose eyes were narrow slits of malice.
“Disgusting isn’t it." she sneered, "The stupid Jackass was supposed to be the best computer hacker in history and he can’t even get into a basic ship's computer.” Security grabbed Tom’s by the collar, twisting it in her fist. She rarely had the opportunity to bully someone smaller that herself and was going to enjoy intimidating the boy. “What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be helping Dr. Ratskinner put together the engines or build some fighters or something?”
“Yes, mam. I was, but Lieutenant Ratts sent me to get some food for the men.”
“Well, recruit, you are a long way from the kitchen, aren’t you? What are you doing at the command center?”
“I was lost, I am so tired. I am not an engineer. I am only a kid and can’t work like those guys.”
She looked at him for a moment and slowly pushed him away. Tom was afraid and thought about the taser. Could he get it out and scare her with it? He rested his hand on the gun strapped aginst his thigh.
“Go.” She thrust him up the hall. “Go back, go south, aft or whatever you passengers call it and take the stairs down one level and go a thousand meters and you will find the galley.
“Thanks.” He turned to go but stopped. “Are you on Whitey's side or Stone's?”
“They can both eat cow manure and die for all I care. I take my orders from the Supreme Commander herself.”
Tom left. The walk to the kitchen was long and noisy. He was relieved to find it empty and that Smiley the mute, fat, cannibal wasn't standing there stirring a pot of dead person. But Smiley had been busy; there were carcasses of red-brown meat hanging from hooks along the back wall. “Oh, the poor sheep. Ollie, don’t look.” Sandwiches were already on the floating table. He put a shaker of salt in his pocket. Then he floated the table back to the men.
At the portal to the cargo bay, he stopped to look. The gravity was still off inside and the men were floating amidst the containers trying to work. Tom called up, "Hey, guys. Here is lunch. I think the sandwiches are lamb.”
The men pushed themselves against walls and cargo to float the portal then tumbled onto the floor in the hall. One of the men sniffed at the sandwiches suspiciously. “Well, it smells like lamb, but, unless you see Smiley cut it up and put it in the pot before your own eyes there is no guarantee it isn’t Whitey or Mike or Joe.”
No one laughed, they just looked at the sandwiches. “Smells like lamb. I’ve eaten it for Passover,” Another said. He took a bite and the rest began to eat.
”Nope, it is not Whitey," One said, "he would be too tough to chew. And it is not Stonebutt he would be sugar glazed.” The men laughed.
“Let’s take a break boys,” Ratts announced. They sat on crates and boxes in the corridor outside cargo bay and devoured the sandwiches.
"So, did you all come from the same planet?” Tom asked.
“No, we all come from different parts of space,” replied a long haired man who sat on the floor. “I was liberated from the prison on Gamma Three along with Ripper and Clucky there. Now O’Brien here and Johnny were in the regular space rangers before the war. Weren’t you boys? Oh, and Smiley the cook, well, he came from an insane asylum same as Stonebutt and some of the others. So, you see we come from different places. But there is one thing that is the same, none of us can go back, we are all wanted men. Our only hope is to win the war.”
“Where did Whitey come from?” asked one of the other men.
“That is a question. Does anyone know?” The long haired said.
“I think he was in some military or something,” Ripper said. “He sure knows his way around in a fight.”
“Whitey is a murderer and an ex-officer in the space marines.” Another said. “But I don’t know much more than that. Just stay on his good side as all any of us need to know.”
"Are we really going to attack earth?" Tom asked. "Wouldn't it be suicide?"
"Shush your mouth, boy." One of the men said.
"The Supreme Commander has a plan." Another said. "Do not question orders, it is a sure way to the wrong side of an airlock."
"I can see a plan like that working," Ripper said. 'This ship could hold over a million troops, and there are a lot of dissatisfied spacers out here who would be glad to throw off the shackles of the home planet."
"Yeah, Earth has grown fat and soft off of our sweat and blood," O'Brien said. "If we are quick and focused our attack on the capital city, Geneva, they will give up in no time."
"So you are really patriots and revolutionaries, not pirates, murders, and common criminals?"
"All revolutions started outside the law," O'Brien said.
"Screw the revolution," Ripper said. "If we win and come out on top, well then good; but I was promised cash for fighting and I will get paid one way or another."
"I was in prison," Long hair said, "The Brotherhood released me and said I had to join. I'm here today, and today is all I have. Tomorrow is no promise."
“Son,” Ratts spoke softly. “You ask too many questions. The less you know about anyone here the better. Watch your back and trust no one. That’s my advice to you. Now let's all get back to work."
The men got up and left but Tom just felt he couldn't get up, he sat there and put his head in his hands, soon he was asleep. Ratts shook him awake. “Snowman, you’re finished for now. Go back to our quarters and get some rest. We won’t need you for a while I’ll send a robot or someone to get you when we need you.
“OK. Lieutenant.” Tom got up and slowly shuffled away, exhausted. Ollie walked beside him.
On the way, he was about to pass the common room, but the smell of stew stopped him. Going in he found a warm kettle of simmering stew on a side table. "Ok, I need something to eat. I forgot to eat a sandwich." The stew tasted good and the beef was fresh. Tom knew Smiley had slaughtered another one of the farm animals. He thought of the faces of the three cows in the second cargo bay and it made him feel guilty. He pushed aside the meat and ate the vegetables then gave Ollie the meat. Ollie chomped meat in his strong jaws, he loved it.
Tom felt helpless. He was helping a bunch of criminals put together weapons so they could attack earth. He could do nothing about it. “If I could get to a radio I could send a message.” Tom thought, ”I have to warn earth. I can't use the star-fighter's radio with the work crew always nearby. I have to be careful." Every space suit had a radio built in. Tom felt the one in his collar, but the suit was without power. "I can’t use it anyway. It would give me away." Ollie’s collar radio is perfect but far too weak to send a message across space. "If I use the power cells from my taser it would blow out Ollie's radio before I could use it."
Ollie lay on the floor next to him licking the juice from the bowl but still watchful, Ollie knew something was wrong. He was on guard, listening to the sounds of the ship; if there were something wrong he would know it first.
Whitey found them asleep at the table. Ollie raised his head as Whitey entered. The dog sensed a kindred wolf-like spirit in Whitey and his men, a spirit he understood. Whitey picked Tom up. “Come dog,” and carried him to his bed, in Ratts' quarters.
(c) Adron
To proceed to the next chapter CLICK HERE or choose from the table of contents at the sidebar.
Chapter 66
Tom Debates
"I’m a traitor.” Tom thought to himself. "This is all wrong. If I don’t obey these guys then they will do something awful to me or Ollie.” So he followed orders, shuffling about in his over-sized spacesuit feeling small and guilty.
"Common, Lieutenant Ratts," One of the pirates complained, "Can't we break for some chow?"
The sullen quiet man looked up from an open panel on the craft where he was obsessing about minor imperfection in the design. In his dull voice, he said, "Tom, go to the kitchen and see what Smiley has for us to eat. Make sure there are no human parts in it and bring back as much as you can carry."
Tom in free float spun toward Dr. Ratts and grabbed a cable that stretched from floor to ceiling. "Yes, sir," then twisting around he said, "Come here, Ollie," and gently drew on the dog's lead. Ollie was not happy; his wolf half despised being helpless and helpess. Tom pushed the dog toward the portal. "Good boy."
Tom pushed off the cable and floated after Olie toward the portal and out of the cargo bay until they both fell where the gravity remained in the hall.
With a slow shuffle, Tom walked through cold gray metal halls rubbing his shoulders and arms with his aching hands to release the pain from the hard work. The cargo bay was “down” in the lower part of the ship, so he needed to take the elevators “Up" to the living areas where the kitchens were. He touched the pad beside the elevators but the doors did not respond. Ollie stretched up and put his paw on the pad and whimpered in disappointment. The lights were dark on the panel beside doors.
“The computer is still off-line, Ollie. Nothing works. We have to climb." The stairs were a few feet away. Looking up Tom wondered, "Why does the gravity have to work here on the stairs of all places. This is one where I would like to float up." With slow steps, they climbed the dark narrow service stairs. which ended at a dark corridor lined with living quarters, kitchen, shops, common rooms and all the things people enjoy. Across the hall another set of stairs led up to the command center, officer’s quarters, work rooms, navigation, the computer room and other operational facilities.
"OK, here is my chance." Tom thought to himself. "If no one is around I can use the command code. I could activate the computer from inside the command center like the captain said. Then I can take over the ship. I could send a signal to warn earth of the coming attack, I could order the ship to use auto pilot and go to a safe place."
Looking around Tom saw no one. He crept silently up the dark stairs, quietly stepping on each step until he reached the operations level of the ship. He stepped over debris working his way through the corridor and past doors that led to navigation, weapons control, and systems monitoring, but ahead was the Command Center. It seemed empty and lit by a few dim lights. Looking through the door he saw the mess that once was the command center. Trash, equipment, and papers were thrown around. No doubt the pirates had ransacked the files and drawers trying to find the command code. He put a step inside and froze at the sound of a voice. O'bee sat in a chair, he was surrounded by monitors, image screens, and equipment almost making a wall blocking him in. The fat pirate was crying, sobbing like a child but with the dry heaves of a man who had cried for such a long time that he had no more energy to cry anymore.
“Dear God. I can’t do it. I can’t do it. Oh, God, help me.” He wailed. And put his head down on the console, his shoulders shook as he sobbed. ”Oh, God, help me.”
Another pirate was sleeping in a drunken stupor next to him. Across the room, a pirate sat slumped in a chair and poked at a monitor. He looked at O'bee and turned his back. Tom saw that O'bee's plump hands were bandaged, and it was obvious that fingers were missing. A blaster gun was on the table next to him.
"Ok, Ollie," Tom whispered, "we don't want to go in there. He's gonna shoot you for what you did to his hands and face."
* * * * *
"Boss," Red said as she focused on one of the dozens of monitors that surrounded her in the shuttle.
Whitey came inside and stood behind her looking at the images. "What is it?"
"Look at the monitor in the bottom left. That kid can go anywhere he wants to. Most of the doors and portals are still in shut down. You know it took two hours to get you back with all the doors we had to override and manually open or cut open. But the doors are opening in advance of that kid. Don't you think it is odd?"
"Where is he now?"
"Outside the command center."
"What? Really?" Whitey lunged forward and bent over the young woman to see the screen closely.
"Yea," she continued. "It is as if the ship likes him."
"Keep an eye on him."
"Look someone else is coming."
* * * * *
Tom took a step back and bumped into something that wasn’t there before. He turned around thinking it was Ollie. The woman in red was only a little taller than he was but she still looked down at him with a cruel face whose lips were tight with anger and whose eyes were narrow slits of malice.
“Disgusting isn’t it." she sneered, "The stupid Jackass was supposed to be the best computer hacker in history and he can’t even get into a basic ship's computer.” Security grabbed Tom’s by the collar, twisting it in her fist. She rarely had the opportunity to bully someone smaller that herself and was going to enjoy intimidating the boy. “What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be helping Dr. Ratskinner put together the engines or build some fighters or something?”
“Yes, mam. I was, but Lieutenant Ratts sent me to get some food for the men.”
“Well, recruit, you are a long way from the kitchen, aren’t you? What are you doing at the command center?”
“I was lost, I am so tired. I am not an engineer. I am only a kid and can’t work like those guys.”
She looked at him for a moment and slowly pushed him away. Tom was afraid and thought about the taser. Could he get it out and scare her with it? He rested his hand on the gun strapped aginst his thigh.
“Go.” She thrust him up the hall. “Go back, go south, aft or whatever you passengers call it and take the stairs down one level and go a thousand meters and you will find the galley.
“Thanks.” He turned to go but stopped. “Are you on Whitey's side or Stone's?”
“They can both eat cow manure and die for all I care. I take my orders from the Supreme Commander herself.”
Tom left. The walk to the kitchen was long and noisy. He was relieved to find it empty and that Smiley the mute, fat, cannibal wasn't standing there stirring a pot of dead person. But Smiley had been busy; there were carcasses of red-brown meat hanging from hooks along the back wall. “Oh, the poor sheep. Ollie, don’t look.” Sandwiches were already on the floating table. He put a shaker of salt in his pocket. Then he floated the table back to the men.
At the portal to the cargo bay, he stopped to look. The gravity was still off inside and the men were floating amidst the containers trying to work. Tom called up, "Hey, guys. Here is lunch. I think the sandwiches are lamb.”
The men pushed themselves against walls and cargo to float the portal then tumbled onto the floor in the hall. One of the men sniffed at the sandwiches suspiciously. “Well, it smells like lamb, but, unless you see Smiley cut it up and put it in the pot before your own eyes there is no guarantee it isn’t Whitey or Mike or Joe.”
No one laughed, they just looked at the sandwiches. “Smells like lamb. I’ve eaten it for Passover,” Another said. He took a bite and the rest began to eat.
”Nope, it is not Whitey," One said, "he would be too tough to chew. And it is not Stonebutt he would be sugar glazed.” The men laughed.
“Let’s take a break boys,” Ratts announced. They sat on crates and boxes in the corridor outside cargo bay and devoured the sandwiches.
"So, did you all come from the same planet?” Tom asked.
“No, we all come from different parts of space,” replied a long haired man who sat on the floor. “I was liberated from the prison on Gamma Three along with Ripper and Clucky there. Now O’Brien here and Johnny were in the regular space rangers before the war. Weren’t you boys? Oh, and Smiley the cook, well, he came from an insane asylum same as Stonebutt and some of the others. So, you see we come from different places. But there is one thing that is the same, none of us can go back, we are all wanted men. Our only hope is to win the war.”
“Where did Whitey come from?” asked one of the other men.
“That is a question. Does anyone know?” The long haired said.
“I think he was in some military or something,” Ripper said. “He sure knows his way around in a fight.”
“Whitey is a murderer and an ex-officer in the space marines.” Another said. “But I don’t know much more than that. Just stay on his good side as all any of us need to know.”
"Are we really going to attack earth?" Tom asked. "Wouldn't it be suicide?"
"Shush your mouth, boy." One of the men said.
"The Supreme Commander has a plan." Another said. "Do not question orders, it is a sure way to the wrong side of an airlock."
"I can see a plan like that working," Ripper said. 'This ship could hold over a million troops, and there are a lot of dissatisfied spacers out here who would be glad to throw off the shackles of the home planet."
"Yeah, Earth has grown fat and soft off of our sweat and blood," O'Brien said. "If we are quick and focused our attack on the capital city, Geneva, they will give up in no time."
"So you are really patriots and revolutionaries, not pirates, murders, and common criminals?"
"All revolutions started outside the law," O'Brien said.
"Screw the revolution," Ripper said. "If we win and come out on top, well then good; but I was promised cash for fighting and I will get paid one way or another."
"I was in prison," Long hair said, "The Brotherhood released me and said I had to join. I'm here today, and today is all I have. Tomorrow is no promise."
“Son,” Ratts spoke softly. “You ask too many questions. The less you know about anyone here the better. Watch your back and trust no one. That’s my advice to you. Now let's all get back to work."
The men got up and left but Tom just felt he couldn't get up, he sat there and put his head in his hands, soon he was asleep. Ratts shook him awake. “Snowman, you’re finished for now. Go back to our quarters and get some rest. We won’t need you for a while I’ll send a robot or someone to get you when we need you.
“OK. Lieutenant.” Tom got up and slowly shuffled away, exhausted. Ollie walked beside him.
On the way, he was about to pass the common room, but the smell of stew stopped him. Going in he found a warm kettle of simmering stew on a side table. "Ok, I need something to eat. I forgot to eat a sandwich." The stew tasted good and the beef was fresh. Tom knew Smiley had slaughtered another one of the farm animals. He thought of the faces of the three cows in the second cargo bay and it made him feel guilty. He pushed aside the meat and ate the vegetables then gave Ollie the meat. Ollie chomped meat in his strong jaws, he loved it.
Tom felt helpless. He was helping a bunch of criminals put together weapons so they could attack earth. He could do nothing about it. “If I could get to a radio I could send a message.” Tom thought, ”I have to warn earth. I can't use the star-fighter's radio with the work crew always nearby. I have to be careful." Every space suit had a radio built in. Tom felt the one in his collar, but the suit was without power. "I can’t use it anyway. It would give me away." Ollie’s collar radio is perfect but far too weak to send a message across space. "If I use the power cells from my taser it would blow out Ollie's radio before I could use it."
Ollie lay on the floor next to him licking the juice from the bowl but still watchful, Ollie knew something was wrong. He was on guard, listening to the sounds of the ship; if there were something wrong he would know it first.
Whitey found them asleep at the table. Ollie raised his head as Whitey entered. The dog sensed a kindred wolf-like spirit in Whitey and his men, a spirit he understood. Whitey picked Tom up. “Come dog,” and carried him to his bed, in Ratts' quarters.
(c) Adron
To proceed to the next chapter CLICK HERE or choose from the table of contents at the sidebar.
