Jack headed back for the gates leaving Red alone on top of the machine holding the 6 inch thick 12 foot wide square foam steel armor patch plate. Stopping behind the man still cowering behind the half open hatch, Jack bent down and carefully unfastened his pistol belt off of him without him seeming to even notice. Shaking his head he turned and tossed it to a man at the inside gate. “Replace the mags with training mags and give it back to him, then give the good mags to your Cmd. Glenn.”
Jack stepped out crouching around the hatch and dashed over to first class Curry still huddling behind the stacks of explosives. Taking the laser pistol out of his shaking hand, Jack ejected the good mag and replaced it from one in his pockets, giving it back to him. Then stripped the rest of the mags from his belt and replaced them as Curry watched with his mouth open. Finally Jack placed his hand on the guy’s head and said. “You have all good mags.”
“B… But I saw you put in training mags sir.”
“Eeeaa. No. I just checked to make sure you had the right mags Curry. You now have all the good mags. You see only good black mags in your gun and belt. Check and you will see only good mags Curry.” Curry just stared at Jack. “Check now.”
Curry checked his mags and said. “Yes I see only good mags Lieutenant.”
“I am going to check the other ratings mags. I will have to trade their training mags for good mags. Is that clear Curry?”
“Yes sir. Change their training mags for good mags.”
Jack walked over to the 3rd class hiding behind his paint cart. The next line of prisoners and their guards that had been headed for the gate and the enclosure where still lying face down on the deck looking everyplace but at Jack hidden from them behind the paint cart. With the painter trying to hide between the paint barrels on the platform Jack quickly replaced his power mag in his pistol without him doing more than glancing at him before his eyes closed again with his arms folded over his head for protection. Quickly Jack exchanged a mag on his belt then worked around his belt pouches coming up short replacing the good mags and leaving a couple of the pouches empty. Noticing that several of the training mags still had a lot of orange exposed Jack grabbed the pain gun and sprayed the crewman’s belt and butt of his pistol without taking the mags out.
The painter turned as Jack replaced the paint gun. Terrified eyes stared at him for a second as Jack heard music coming from his headphones still playing way too loud. Suddenly he could make out a strange feeling as the rating licked his lips before biting the lower but he could not put a finger on it. The rating suddenly looked all too cute but then that faded as the rating turned away trying to hide in the crack between the barrels as a bolt streaked past them. Jack didn’t have time to figure out what the problem was.
Slapping him on the shoulder. “There crewman, you had the right mags now. Good job. Keep it up.”
Jack grabbed the good pistol belt off the other rating hiding behind his cart stacked with pistols belts and replaced it with one from the cart without the man seeming to notice.
Jack walked into the compound and gave Cmd. Glenn the good mags then went over to Red while he looked around the top of the containers for any problems. Climbing up onto the armored plate Jack realized the pistol belt he had given her earlier was laying on the deck plate next to her. Puzzled Jack looked at Red and then realized that it would not fit around her stomach even if she was still slim by Bigfoot standards with over a year before the kid was due. The holster and belt was a single unit and somewhat smaller than the normal webbed utility belt separate holsters were attached to. “Sorry Red I thought it would fit and did not realize you are a bit too big.”
Jack continued looking around the container tops as Red grabbed the belt from the deck placing the pistol back in the holster. “Yes you do have a habit of insulting the ladies don’t you Captain but now you are here.” She took the 4 foot saber blade and it make shift sheath from her back and placed the gun belt over her head with the belt over her shoulder across her chest between her breasts and the gun hanging below her arm turning it into a shoulder holster. “Fits just fine Captain. But if you keep insulting me like that I never will marry you.” Her eyes going back to helping Jack scan the container tops.
A scream came from the catwalk drawing their attention. One of the guards climbed up to his knees trying to reach the hole in his back and then fell over backward to the edge of the platform. A few seconds later the body quit wiggling, the dead blank face staring up toward the overhead. The other guards some few yards away did not seem to even notice as they tried to bury their heads deeper into the container top platform. Others started firing up into the overhead corner at the catwalk running around the huge compartment. More bodies slumped or dropped down from the overhead.
Cmdr. Glenn walked up to the deck plate platform. “You got more mags Captain?” She asked.
“Oh yes.” Jack started handing them to her and she started tossing them at crewmen sitting around the bulkhead some 40 feet away. Jack found himself looking at the laser assault gun laying next to the dead guard at the edge of the platform.
Smiling at the Commander as he gave her another mag to toss. “Any idea what happened to the guards that were knocked into the compound earlier and their weapons?”
“Yes. They are in a couple of the crates with their weapons hidden in others.”
As Jack handed the last mag to Commander Glenn with a half mischievous grin as he turned to Red. “Do you think you could reach that assault gun up there?”
Red looked at Jack and smiled. “Do you want the body too?”
Jack thought about that for a second and said. “Ya if you can without anyone up there noticing anything. If we can make him disappear without anyone knowing, it will keep them from looking here for him and the weapon.”
“Let me see what I can do Captain. It is a ways up there.” She looked at Jack with a smile.
Stepping off the plate, Red walked over to the container below the dead guard and with what looked like one little jump, she was hanging onto the edge of the platform as crewmen scattered from below her. Then she did a chin up looking around at the other guards, reached over with one hand grabbed the body and dragged it off letting it fall. Then grabbed the assault gun and dropped back down to the deck next to the body with the weapon in her hands. She extended the Assault Blaster’s strap and through it over her back next to the saber blade.
Not seeing any alarm from the guards above, Jack jumped down and jogged over next to Red as she stripped the mag belt off the body. Jack started going through the bodies pockets dragging out a treasure trove. With the pockets empty he turned to Red. “Toss it down the hole.”
Glancing at a little hand map of the ship he had found in a pocket for a couple of seconds, Jack started reading a diary the crewman had been writing that was very graphic at first glance and seemed to match with what little he knew had been happening on the ship for the last 6 months. The crewman even saying at the beginning how he thought the Commodore was going crazy but that there was nothing he could do about it.
Turning to Cmd. Glenn as Red held the body up over her head at the edge of the hole. ‘What if the Commander could write a note to her crew below telling them what was going on and place it on the body?’ Jack said to himself as Red dropped the body over the edge. “Shit.” Jack exclaimed out loud.
“Yes Captain?” Cmd. Glenn said from the deck plate as she was scanning the container tops.
Tossing the diary to her. “Interesting reading. Should add a lot to your report when we get back to civilization. Might think of using some of the blank pages to write a note to drop down to your crew telling them what is going on.”
Looking at the diary. “Can try but it is a long way down and very unlikely it would reach the bottom without getting stuck half way down but it would be a waste of time even if it was noticed. No one would disconnect all the traps to go into the chamber to get it.” She said as she looked over the top of the contain walls circling the compound. The fi
ring has calmed back down. We should be getting more company shortly.” She went to one of her crewmen and started examining the pack on his back. Jack followed her as Red took up the watch.
“The damn detonation module is attached directly to the explosive blocks with only one set of wires running out into one of the shoulder straps and back in the other to the block. I bet that if that wire gets cut or messed with the whole package goes boom. And without the exact impedance, we don’t dare bridge the wires and cut them at the block.”
“Not good. Let’s take a look at the buckle across the chest.” Stand up Mr. Prompter please. Jack tried to pull the strap across his chest out far enough to look behind it but as tight as the strap had been pulled across the big man’s chest he could not get a good look. “Here see what you can spot anything that will help us Mr. Commander.”
As Cmd. Glenn ran her fingers under the buckle, Jack looked around and noticed that there was a small man a short ways away with a pack and the chest strap across the front was hanging fairly loose, even dangling. Going over to him he told him to stand and was able to turn the buckle enough to see its backside. “Commander, come take a look. I think I see test holes in each of the buckle halves. We can run a wire across the buckle so we can disconnect it. As long as we use a thick wire we should not have to worry about changing the impedance and it going boom on us.”
“Good. I was thinking they had to have something like that to test the connection before it was buckled to insure it would work. Let me take a look.”
Jack held the buckle twisted out for her as he tried to point it out. Both their heads getting in the way.
The Crewman reached up and slid the strap back through itself on one side lengthening it and giving them plenty of slack to pull it out where they could both see. The strap had been snaked back along itself with a couple of clasps holding the extra strapping sandwiched against each other.
“Very good Cummings.” Cmd. Glenn said to the crewman “Now if we only had some tools and wire.”
“Well I think I can help there Glenn.” Jack moved back to give himself room and started digging into his tool bag on his belt pulling out tools. “I should have a wire in here someplace that should be long enough to jump across the buckle.
Cmd. Glenn moved over next to Jack. “That should work Captain.” She pointed into the bag.
“I want something longer. I want plenty of room to get them… Out… of …”
Jack had looked up as Crewman Cummings slipped the pack with its slack chest strap up over his head and handed it out to them holding it by one of the shoulder straps.
“Here Captain. Will this make it easier for you to work on it?”
Jack reached out and took the pack. “Aaa. Yes thank you Cummings.” Turning to look at Red. “Things still clear Red?”
“The guards are still down and scanning outward Captain. But I would hurry if I where you. Things are damn quiet out there.”
“Ok. Everyone do not touch the big center buckle or your pack will explode. Captain Glenn and I will come around and take them off of you just as soon as we can.”
A hand raised part of the way around the bulkhead. “Captain. Aaaa, I already tried to take off the Buckle and it is locked. No matter what I did I could not get it to release and come apart. It’s stuck.”
Shaking his head. “Don’t anyone else try but how many of you have tried to unbuckle the chest strap on your pack?”
Most of the crewmen raised their hands. Resisting the urge to throw the pack down he had in his hand in disgust. Jack took a deep breath. “Fine. The two people next to each of the bomb packs will help slide the chest strap to its full length and take the damn fucking thing off. Just be careful.”
Cpt. Glenn turned around toward the gate. “You men go bunch up in front of the gate. I don’t want the gate guard seeing what we are doing. Now move it.”
The packs were off in less than a minute and with word from Red that the guards were still hunkered down on the platform above, they threw them down the chase shaft.
Jack had time enough to take a deep breath as the last pack disappeared below before the guard at the gate started yelling for the prisoners to stand back from the gate.
Glenn motioned the crewmen to stand back and more prisoners started coming through.
Jack walked over to the gate and peered out. The ratings were processing the prisoners as if nothing had happened. Though well more than 10 new prisoners had already come in without a pack when he started watching, he still held his breath when the number approached 20. Then Jack watched the 1st class pull a pack off the stack and place it in the bin under the racks of pistols. Jack finally took a breath. Going to the front gate and using the still half closed hatch as cover, Jack looked around that end of the gundeck bay. Twice as many guards as before were everywhere from what he estimated. A half dozen bodies with their Assault laser guns laying next to or under them were scattered across the deck in just the small area he could see. He could even see several grenade launchers just laying discarded on the deck with what looked like the grenade pouches not far away. Though he could not tell how many bodies were behind the piles of garbage, junk, shipping crates and pieces of equipment scattered across the deck most had been trying to hide behind. His thoughts went to how to get some of those weapons that were laying there for the taking.
“Captain Turner.” Cmd. Glenn spoke from behind him. “We need more magazines. We have just enough now to put up a fight but not enough to stay alive let alone take the ship.”
“Yes I was just thinking about that. I was hoping Shepperd would be here by now.”
“What if she was caught or killed in that damn free fire crap? We can’t wait for her. We have to go out and pick up some more mags and preferable some heavier weapons.”
“Now don’t get to excited Glenn. We will get those assault guns our guards have on the cargo container platform but you are right we need more mags. Fact is we need more Assault guns than just what the Guards have.” Taking a breath. “Well, let’s do a walkabout and see what we can come up with off the bodies scattered around the deck. We may as well as clean up the mess since no one else seems to be worried or inclined to do the job.”
“We can’t do much on our own Turner.”
Jack watched the 3rd class paint the white suit of another prisoner black then turned and smiled at Glenn. “Now Glenn. The 3rd class has been so nice as to paint your crews’ suits black, we might as well as take advantage of it. Grab a half dozen of your best people and let’s go for a walk.”
After giving Jack a strange look, Glenn disappeared back into the compound. Jack started planning how to go about it. Realizing rather quickly that they could not get away with carrying the laser Assault guns and mags scattered around the bay back in the open. They needed some way to hide what they were doing. Make it look like they were doing something they were supposed to do while doing what they were not supposed to do. Something he had gotten good at around his much older abusive brother before he joined the Navy. If his brother thought he was doing something gross or nasty he always left Jack alone.
Captain Glenn came back up with a half dozen men. “All ready Turner.”
“Aaa. Sorry but we are going to need at least another dozen and 6 men, no 10 or 12 that are damn good climbers. We need to get out there and around up everything we need and get back before anyone has time to think.”
Turning to the men the Commander sent the crewmen with her back in to get specific people then turned to Jack. “Ok fill me in on the plan.”
------------------------
Jack walked out of the gate 15 minutes later and up to 1st class Curry relaxing against the pallet of back pack bombs on the cart he had brought them on, waiting for the next group of prisoners that were not even in sight yet. Taking him aside with his back to the pallet of back pack bombs. “We need your pallet cart to pick up the bodies laying all over the damn bay. We are borrowing your cart.” A dozen men in Blacksuits followed Jack
and immediately grabbed the pallet cart lifting off then leaving the bin holding the packs on the deck. Grabbing a couple dozen bomb packs, they ran them inside the gate and dumped the bombs out with easy since they were not activated. Using the set of cutters Jack had given them from his tool belt to cut the wires to the shoulder straps. Then passing the empty packs out to the crewmen.
Commander Glenn with more men, did the same with the cart holding the rack of pistols. Placing the rack with the gun belts and pistols on the deck and taking the cart and the shallow bin they were sitting on and dumping the bombs back inside the gate keeping the packs.
Jack then walked up to the 3rd class painter with his back to the gate and everything else that was happening. The 3rd class was cleaning the paint gun with a set of buds in his ears dancing with his unusually big butt wiggling back and forth to his music. Without having to say a word a half dozen crewmen lifted the pallet of paint tank, pumps and equipment off of the cart placing them on the deck. The 3rd class stepped to one side out of the way then stepped back to lean against the tank again cleaning his equipment and bobbing to his music without giving anyone a second look. Jack found himself looking at the crewman for some reason feeling that there was something strange about the crewmen but could not put his finger on it but gave up after a couple of seconds with so much else to do.
The remnants of two shipping boxes were hauled out through the gates and slapped onto the two flatbed carts and then all three were moving off across the huge compartment. The two carts with large deep packing crates went around to each side of the core hull while the third with the shallower bin headed for the farthest body on that side of the bay.
Captain Glenn and Jack, when they went over his plan had added another half dozen men to the ones that made a bee line for the nearest ladder up to the catwalk running around the top edge of the bay as soon as the carts left the gate. Splitting up at the top on the ladder to go their separate ways on the catwalk, half went left and half went right around the bay.
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 44