"Yeah, yeah. I know about her. You all are farmers? You worth anything?"
"What do you mean?" Captain Iman asked.
"How much ransom could I get for the lot of you?"
Iman replied, "Well, none of us are rich. I don't think you'd get very much in the way of credit."
"Screw credit! What do you have that would be suitable? You got gold or jewels back home worth anything? I'm talking about stuff that we can pick up and hold to take back with us. Credits are worthless to us and you didn't answer me about what you got on board."
"We're not carrying anything valuable on board. We don't have a lot of credit to outfit our ship like some militias do. Most we have are some rations for short trips and water. You're welcome to take those," Captain Iman said.
"Those are already mine. I just want to know where any other valuables are so we won't have to spend all day tearing up the insides of my new ship," the pirate leader said.
Captain Iman said, "We don't have anything else on board."
The pirate leader looked at the captain with disgust. Then he turned to Susan. "You must be worth something to your editor. Get moving, sister, onto the other ship. Lieutenant Parker, escort the lady over to our yacht and make her comfortable. Captain Iman, instruct your crew to remove any jewelry they're wearing. I want everything, even wedding bands."
Some of the other pirates were already herding militiamen into the bridge area.
"You heard the man, take off any jewelry and hand it over. It'll be recovered someday. There's no sense arguing about it now," Captain Iman said.
Lieutenant Parker shoved Susan towards the passageway to take her to the pirate ship. They had to wait for the passageway to clear. She looked back at the militiamen, some of whom were clearly upset over having to take off wedding rings.
One pirate grabbed a militiaman by the collar and pulled it open. Underneath was a necklace. "Hey, some of them aren't listening to you, Captain!"
The pirate leader looked at the militiaman who hadn't complied with his order to remove and hand over all jewelry. "Captain, order your men to strip. They want to try to cheat, well, this way they won't have that option. Get 'em naked now or we'll just shoot you all and search your dead carcasses."
"You heard him men. Take off everything. We can thank Carl for that," the captain said.
Slowly and grudgingly the militiamen began to strip. Lieutenant Parker and Susan Gudnight couldn't get off the bridge. There were men still in the passageway and they were stripping where they were, taking up all the room while pirates kept watch on them all.
The pirate leader said, "Sergeant Umar, start picking up bundles and go through them for valuables they might have hidden in their clothing. Take their non-skids, too. Check them all thoroughly. Sergeant Mailen, start putting these men in other rooms as soon as we have their valuables. Leave their captain here. Hurry up and get the rest of those men in here. Why isn't that woman on board my ship yet?"
Lieutenant Parker replied, "As soon as we can get by, I'll have her on board."
"Get her on board now. If those men don't make room for you to get by, kick 'em in the ass. They'll get the message soon enough," the pirate leader said.
The militiamen in the passageway heard his comments and quickly pressed up against the bulkhead wall to let the lieutenant and Susan use the passageway.
Susan said tearfully as she passed the now naked men, "I'm sorry. I didn't know that it would turn out this way. I'll do what I can to get my editor to help with your ransom."
***
Susan was shoved into a small cabin on the pirate ship. The lieutenant stood guard at the open doorway so that she couldn't do anything without him seeing.
On board the militia ship, the pirates disabled the gun stations and collected every weapon they could find. Those and the clothing and space suits were carried back over to their ship so that the militiamen couldn't leave their ship or try to make any repairs on the engines and escape.
The tube connecting the two ships was disassembled and stowed away. While that went on, several pirates hooked up a tow on the disabled militia ship. The tow consisted of several collars and extended rods that linked the two ships together. After all, the disabled ship couldn't be towed behind the pirate ship without the engines of the pirate ship melting the tow line.
***
The pirate leader gave commands for his ship's helm to steer to and then called for Lieutenant Parker to bring the woman to the bridge.
Susan walked onto the bridge with the lieutenant behind her.
"Call your editor and find out about how much ransom he's willing to pay," the pirate leader commanded. "It won't do you any good to tell where you are. This is a special scrambled transmission just between your editor and us."
Susan went over to the communications panel where one of the pirates handed her a headset. She said, "Hello? Mick? Can you hear me?"
Mick asked, "Susan? What are you calling me for?"
"Our ship was captured by the pirates. They want to know how much ransom the Daily Bread will pay for me," she replied.
Mick asked, "Are you kidding?"
Susan replied, "No sir. I'm not kidding. They really captured us. They've got all the militiamen locked up in cabins on the militia ship. They brought me on board their ship to talk with you. Can you also help the militiamen pay their ransoms?"
Mick replied, "I need some verification that the pirates have really captured you, Susan."
"My editor wants verification that you really captured me," Susan said to the pirate leader.
The pirate leader grabbed a microphone and said, "Listen up, you double-crossing son-of-a-bitch. This is Captain Bones and I want a ransom for the return of your reporter. I also want you to contact the families of the militiamen we captured and arrange for them to pay a ransom in gold and jewels. You got that?"
Mick said, "Susan? I guess you're in a terrible mess then. I wish I could help you and the militia, but the Daily Bread isn't going to pay any ransom demands."
Susan replied, "What do you mean you're not going to pay my ransom, Mick? They'll kill me if you don't!"
Mick said, "I'm sorry, Susan, but my hands are tied. The Daily Press owner won't release that kind of credit to purchase gold and jewels to arrange a ransom. Besides, I don't really think that they'll kill you."
The pirate leader said in his microphone, "You're right about that. She looks like a nice piece of ass." He turned to his lieutenant and ordered, "Strip her!"
The lieutenant grabbed Susan quickly before she could react and held her. Then he told two other pirates to take her clothing off. Without any hesitation, their hands went to her and roughly removed her clothing while she pleaded, begged, cried, and screamed for them to stop. All the while, the pirate leader kept the channel open so that her screams, in particular, were broadcast to the editor. Occasionally, he narrated what was happening.
"Well, Mr. Editor, ain't she got the nicest set of tits I've seen in quite a while. Boy, you really know how to pick what I like." Even as he spoke he removed his lower overslicks. "Shove her down on the deck and hold her there, men!"
Susan screamed louder as she realized that she was about to be raped.
The pirate leader said, "You hear that, Mr. Editor! This is what's going to happen to you if you don't come up with a ransom. I'll tell everyone about our arrangement!"
Susan begged, "No, no, please don't rape me! Please don't! Mick! Help me!" Then she screamed as she was penetrated. Eventually she merely sobbed as the pirate leader satisfied himself with her body.
The pirate leader spoke once more into the microphone. "You get the picture, Mr. Editor? You don't come up with the ransom, I'll tell the whole Union about our arrangement. Now let's talk some numbers."
Susan sobbingly asked, "What do you mean about an arrangement?"
The pirate leader looked down at her and said, "You mean you don't know that the Daily Bread set us up as pirates? They helped arrange the ship and the weap
ons. They even got us the correct shipping schedules so we could pick some nice juicy targets to plunder."
Susan said, "Let me speak to my editor again."
The pirate leader tossed the headset down to her to speak into.
Susan said, "Mick, you no good, god-damned, lying son-of-a-bitch! When I get back, I'm going to spill the entire deal and see that you get yours!"
Mick said, "Captain Bones! You've got a ransom deal only if you toss her into space without a suit."
Bones replied, "That can be arranged, but not until I see the ransom. If you don't come up with the ransom, then I'll turn her over and let her squeal. If you pay up, I'll personally kick her ass out the hatch into space. You got that?"
Mick stated, "Yeah, Captain Bones, I've got that. You've got a deal. How much is it going to cost?"
"I also want a ransom for the militiamen."
"They're not included, Captain Bones. They don't know anything. I doubt if their families could even come up with as much as a gram of gold among them. You can boot them into space whenever you want. Entertain yourselves with them for all I care."
Their discussion ended, Captain Bones signed off and briefed his crew. "Okay men, listen up. For now, when we get to the ransom drop, we're going to wait around the other ship. We'll act real innocent like we're lending assistance to them. Then we'll attack the ship with the ransom and get the engine parts to put the other ship back in action. We'll keep its crew alive to make the repairs. They'll believe then that they're going to be ransomed. After that, I'll let any of you who prefer men to take any of them you want. For now, the woman is mine. When the ransom arrives, you'll each get a turn with her, if you want one. After that, she goes for a short walk. So do the men. That'll keep the next ship after the ransom busy retrieving bodies while we make a clean getaway. Until then, none of the men are to be harmed unless they give any trouble. Lieutenant Parker and I will see to it that the woman doesn't give us any trouble, either. Anyone got any problems with that?"
None of the men objected. One asked, "What if the ransom doesn't show?"
Captain Bones said, "Then we'll leave her alive on board the ship with a load of dead men. You'll all still get a turn with her or the men before we leave them. We'll take whatever we can from their ship to keep ours running. I don't reckon that she's going to need very much to eat or drink until she's picked up by the Navy or some freighter. We'll be long gone in either event and still have something to show for our efforts. Now, let's get to our rendezvous point. I want to check it out first and make sure we're not falling into a trap set by that double-crosser."
Chapter 4
"Admiral to the bridge! Admiral Oden to the bridge!"
Admiral Oden heard himself being paged from inside the shower. He walked into the dryer chamber and pressed an intercom switch there. "This is Admiral Oden. What's up?"
"Admiral, you've got a coded message from Naval Headquarters that just arrived with an urgent identification attached to it," Cathy said.
"Very well, I'm on my way. Have the bridge cleared of any journalists. I'll decode it there," he replied.
"Yes sir. They're already out of the bridge. Captain Herndon took care of that, sir."
"Good," he responded. Admiral Oden went into the locker room, dressed partially, and carried the rest of his clothing and gear with him. He then went directly to the bridge and took a seat next to Cathy, while setting what he didn't have on yet beside him on the deck.
She called up the message whereupon Admiral Oden went ahead and entered his authentication into the computer. "Should I turn away?" she asked.
"What for? You're going to have to know how to handle these things sooner or later." The Admiral watched as the message deciphered line by line on the screen before he read the contents carefully. Then before he finished, he said, "Captain Herndon, over here, please!"
Captain Herndon walked over and looked at the deciphered message. She whistled softly and then asked, "We're taking the mission?"
Dave said, "You have to. We're the closest and there are lives at stake. Inform your squadron and brief your officers. Use secure channels for all ship to ship communications. Keep Mr. Christiansen under observation at all times and away from all communications. He's not sending out any messages. If you have to, throw him in the brig. If you're questioned by any of the other journalists, tell them that I have proof in my safe of his complicity in piracy to justify temporary internment for him. Likewise, their privileges to transmit stories are suspended until after the engagement. However, if they're willing to cooperate by sending dummy stories that don't tip our hand, then those can be sent. That way the news services won't start wondering on their own and cause problems in the engagement we're about to be involved in. Also, instruct the Everette Dixon to proceed on her own to assist the Q-ship in making repairs. I reckon that Admiral Dickson is pissed off at the problems she's running into."
"What's a Q-ship, Admiral?" asked Captain Herndon.
Dave explained, "It's a specially disguised warship that looks like a freighter. The idea is to get close enough while looking harmless and then suddenly attack the other ship with overwhelming firepower. It's the first of her kind in space. Quite frankly, we're experiencing problems with her that we didn't foresee. You've all seen her already. We assisted her once before on this voyage when Captain Manning was running the squadron."
***
A day later, the Academy Squadron approached the coordinates where the exchange would take place. Their ships moved at their normal speed and formation so as not to tip off the two small warships they intended to attack.
Coasting silently without their engines running, the eight fighters from the Dust Bunny and her destroyers closed in on the two ships. They were the real attack force because they were almost invisible to the lesser quality sensors on the two small warships. If the fighters could be picked up at all when they came into range of the enemy sensors, they appeared to be little more than asteroids, a simple navigational hazard. Meanwhile, the large warships of the squadron were the ones being paid close attention to by the pirates.
***
"This is Captain Herndon of the Dust Bunny. Do you need assistance?"
Captain Bones replied, "This is Captain Iman of the Glade Militia speaking. We are fine. We are practicing repairs in space to improve our efficiency. We have no real emergency. Thank you, Captain Herndon, for your interest."
"Did I understand you correctly? You are practicing?" Sheila said as she did her best to keep the enemy captain occupied and away from his sensors.
"You heard correctly. Our ships are out here on maneuvers. I decided we should practice repairs since our ships are so old."
Sheila replied, "Very well, I understand your concern and wish you luck with your training. As you can see, we're doing the same thing. We're in our third week of training out here."
"Oh, you're with the Academy?"
Sheila replied, "Yes sir. I'm actually a cadet performing my two weeks as captain of the squadron. It's really something I'm looking forward to now. Getting my own ship as a real captain. You're a very lucky man, Captain Iman, to have your own command. I hope I do as well as you someday."
"Well, I hope that you . . ."
It was too late for Captain Bones to do anything when the eight fighters suddenly powered up their engines and fired on the engines of the two ships, disabling them both so neither could escape.
"You are ordered to surrender and release any hostages you have!" shouted Captain Herndon as soon as she saw the bolts from the fighters' guns disable both ships. She repeated her message, "You are ordered to surrender and release any hostages you have. If you do not comply, space marines will board your vessels after your guns are taken out. I have enough firepower to blast you into fine dust. Surrender your vessels now!"
The pirate radioed back, "Little girl, you haven't got the balls to open fire on us! If you do, I'll have my gunners fire on the other ship holding the hostages. They can breathe s
pace and it'll be all your fault. You want to deal?" Some of the guns on the pirate began to fire ineffectually at the squadron.
Sheila replied, "No deals with pirates. Squadron open fire!"
"You can't mean that!" Captain Bones shouted at his microphone.
The cruiser, destroyers, transport, supply ship, and fighters opened fire on the pirate ship, taking care to aim only at its guns. With their longer range weapons, it was easy for them to fire without being hit effectively in return.
"I'm ordering my gunners to destroy the other ship! Their deaths are on your hands, girl!"
Several shots flashed out from the guns on the pirate ship nearest the disabled militia ship before those guns were silenced by still more highly accurate fire from the cadets. Despite the academy gunners' efforts, air was soon leaking out of the disabled ship from the few hits the pirates managed to make. The hostages were in imminent danger. More hits were fired on the pirate ship until all its guns were silent.
Sheila radioed back, "Do you surrender or shall I send in the marines?"
"Go to hell, you piss ant!" Captain Bones replied.
Sheila responded by radioing in the clear, "Transport commander! Send in the marines!"
***
The transport Majel Remm moved in very close to the two disabled ships and matched speed with them. Hatches opened. Space suited figures carrying heavy weapons left the ship. They were propelled by jet packs and angled themselves toward separate locations on the two disabled ships. Upon arriving, each cadet clamped onto one of the two ships. Most of them locked onto the ship that had tried to fight back.
Inside the pirate ship, the surviving pirates waited while wearing their space suits. They knew that the marines would come in hard. Captain Bones wondered how a Navy squadron managed to fool him into thinking they were cadets. He felt sure he could beat ordinary inexperienced cadets.
"Get ready, men, they'll be coming in soon," he said to the others around him.
"Shouldn't we surrender? After all, it's only jail time."
"It's life in prison if they capture us. You want to spend your entire life in prison?" Captain Bones replied.
Paravoid (Rust Bucket Universe) Page 8