A few minutes later, the hatch was shut. Soon, air was pumped into the compartment. One cadet quickly used his stinger to cut through the locks. As the locks fell away, the cadet on the resonator device kept the men inside informed of their progress.
Finally there was enough air inside the compartment. The cadet at the hatch to the cabin worked to open the mechanism. The hatch popped open as the slightly greater air pressure inside the cut-away cabin quickly equalized with the air in the compartment. The cadet picked herself up from where the hatch knocked her down and checked her suit for rips.
Other cadets quickly guided the cheering men out of the cabin to one of the living areas of the transport where they could get some clothing, if they wanted it, and be checked out medically.
***
"We've got the men out safely!" Captain Meryl stated to Captain Herndon on the radio.
"Can you do the same for the cabin containing the woman?" Captain Herndon replied.
Captain Meryl replied, "I don't see why not. We might have to kick out one of the artytanks, but that can be recovered later. We'll just put a beacon on it in case it drifts away before the salvage ship arrives."
Captain Herndon said, "Then do it. Let's get her out safely like the men. You all did a great job so far. Let's make it a perfect score."
***
Harrison said, "Susan, we got the men out safely. They're all alive. We've decided to get you out the same way. We're going to empty one of the artytank compartments and then cut your cabin out of this ship and hoist it into the transport. Once you're on board, we'll open the hatch to where you'll be able to stroll out on your own. Sounds great, doesn't it?"
"They're really safe?" she asked.
Harrison replied, "Yes and none of them was hurt, other than what injuries they already had. They're being checked just to be sure and treated for the injuries they had already. But they're all alive and well. We'll get you out fairly soon, too. Your cabin is in much better condition than theirs. Yours isn't leaking air as theirs was. You continue to relax in there and we'll have you out inside an hour. Two at the most."
***
Susan was still floating when the artificial gravity of the transport began to affect her cabin as it was hoisted aboard. She fell to what was now the deck and felt fortunate that she fell on her ass in a sitting position and not on her head or face. It took effort on her part to be ready for the sudden addition of gravity to her environment as some of the cadets knocked on what was now the underside while she did her best to twist in the dark while she floated. Her bottom hurt, but it was worth it to finally, after hours of floating and bumping against the walls, have gravity and some semblance of normality returned to her life. The dark wasn't as scary anymore, now that she had a point of reference to guide her.
Then the cabin scraped on the deck of the transport's compartment. It was scary again to be in the dark, but Susan held firm in the belief that she was being moved into safety. Then a voice sounded in the room when someone hooked up into the resonator, again.
"Hi Susan. I'm Rachael. You're almost all the way inside the compartment now. In just another minute, we'll close the outer hatch and pump in air. As soon as there's enough for you to breathe, I'll open the hatch and let you out. It's going to take a few minutes to fill this compartment with air. However, you're almost home free, so just continue to relax. Did you get hurt when the gravity effect hit you?"
Susan replied, "No, not much. Mostly my pride when I fell on my bottom. I guess I got lucky to twist just the right way when I felt it and not come down on my head."
Rachael said, "That's right. You're definitely lucky now. The worst is over and things will continue to get better. With any luck for us, we'll have plenty of time to hide before the freighter sent by the Daily Bread arrives and then surprise them. Most likely, they'll have someone on board to represent them and conduct the transaction. We'll get that person and collect more evidence for use in the trials that will take place. You ready to testify?"
Susan answered, "Absolutely. I want to see all those scum, especially my editor, sent to prison for a long time."
"Well, life is a pretty long time since actual murder took place when the pirates killed those other crew members before. Your editor will get to share the cell block with the pirates for the rest of his life since he arranged most of this. We've already notified the civilian police. They're getting warrants put together as we speak. Heck, they might be serving them right now," Rachael exclaimed.
"I hope so," said Susan. "I don't want to see any of them escape punishment. By the way, can you have something for me to wear before I walk out of this cabin?"
Rachael replied, "I'll see what I can do, but right now, stuff like that would be in the way."
***
Admiral Oden turned toward John and showed him the view out of the port. "There's your pirates you kept complaining about that I wasn't trying to capture. The other ship belongs to the Glade Militia. The militia ship tangled with the pirates and lost. The militiamen were fortunate that they decided to surrender. The cadets got to them in time and they're safely aboard the Majel Remm right now. So is Susan Gudnight, who was with them. I believe you know her. She was raped and held hostage on the pirate ship. Your editor sent her to hire the militia to capture the pirates."
Dave paused for a moment and then continued, "From what we know now, the pirates were set up in business by the Daily Bread. Apparently the pirates were supposed to surrender and get a few years in prison. Then the Daily Bread would supposedly take care of them afterwards. However, the pirates killed a crew and then found out that the penalty was life in prison with no parole. They changed their minds about surrendering. When they captured the militia ship, they demanded ransoms. Your editor agreed to pay a ransom for Susan only, provided the pirates killed her. She was privy to the conversation and learned through that conversation about the connection between the two. She threatened to tell the truth if the Daily Bread didn't pay her ransom. That was when Mick decided that she had to be killed because the pirates then threatened to turn her loose if they didn't receive a ransom."
John paled and felt beside him for a seat. "My people were sponsoring the pirates? Oh god, no... It's one thing to expose corruption in public officials. That's what my editor told me, that you've been corrupted, but sponsoring piracy is going too far to prove that. They're supposed to be good Christian people. How could they do this?"
Dave said, "You'll get a chance to find out from some of them later at their trial. The civil authorities are picking up some of them now with warrants for their arrest on a number of charges, including murder. The question is just how much you know and what you're willing to testify about."
With his head hung down, John replied, "I'll testify about everything I know. God, how foolish I was to think that they were just passing on tips to me before anyone else received the information."
"Well, you can chalk up one good thing they accomplished. They actually caused other pirates to stop their attacks temporarily. None of them wanted to be blown apart in a case of mistaken identity. Most pirates are willing to serve the couple of years in prison for theft. They don't normally kill unless they're met with force. Then they can claim self-defense under extenuating circumstances and avoid the life term in prison. Throwing out that one crew into space without suits was outright murder. No pirate I've ever encountered before would do that. They know then that the Navy won't rest until they're brought to justice. Since you're willing to testify, I'm going to allow you to continue your job as a journalist until we reach our next changeover stop. Then you'll be put off and taken along with the prisoners to testify against them in their trial. That's only a few more days from now. Any misbehavior on your part will get you placed in the brig," said Dave.
"I won't be a problem. I probably won't be sending in any stories, either. I can't work for the Daily Bread after what they've apparently done," said John.
Dave said, "You're part of a pool, remember
? Your stories go to all the news services. Why not give the Daily Bread back some of the treatment they dished out? The Daily Bread might not publish your stories, but the other news services might."
John exclaimed, "You're right! They deserve to be on the receiving end for a change. I certainly know enough about them to see that they get an accurate story about themselves. Admiral Oden, I apologize for being a fool and dogging after you all these months. I'll earn back my reputation and maybe your respect some day."
Chapter 5
Cadet Ensign Sheila Herndon escorted the new captain of the Dust Bunny around the ship on his inspection. She was both sad and glad to be giving up the position. The decisions had sometimes been difficult to make and would have been hard to live with, if anything went wrong. She had gained an insight into what was required to make command decisions. Likewise, she had more respect for the men and women who were in those positions everyday, having earned the right through promotions and assignments.
She did manage to do one thing that she thought would be worth a lot to the Navy. Her brief discussion with Admiral Oden on the Pneuman Tube convinced her that it needed improvements to prevent it from having tragic accidents occasionally when it should always work properly to save lives. The problem as she saw it was the failure of the plate popped out of the ship's hull that then shot down the tube because of air pressure to seal the opening at the bottom, almost like a pump. Only, unlike a pump, there was nothing on the hull plate to guide it and keep it true to the shape of the Pneuman Tube.
Sheila spent an entire day working on the problem with some other cadets before they came up with what appeared to be a workable solution. The Pneuman Tube needed guide rails on the sides to keep the hull plate straight so that it would plug the bottom of the tube when it hit the sealant. Her design used three rails that could be sealed to the portion of hull that would pop loose. The rails would be shoved out through three small openings at the bottom of the tube as the hull plate travelled down to the sealant.
The other problem was what to do when there was nothing for anyone to grab onto to. That was solved by Ensign Harrison. He designed a propelled bolt that would pierce the hull and lock in place. Once it was in place, the person inside could unscrew the tip and pull out a cable with a handle to hold on to. The person inside could merely plant his feet against the bulkhead on both sides of the bolt and grab onto the cable. There was also a tiny light element to help guide the person inside and make the cabin a little less like an enveloping tomb. The entire development and testing process was recorded in case something went wrong.
The ideas all worked on their one test using one of the cut-away cabins and a test subject wearing a space suit for safety. The cabin was filled with air and sealed. Then the compartment holding the cabin was evacuated of air. A Pneuman Tube with their modifications was attached to the side of the cabin. Ensign Harrison acted as the test subject and declared the results to not only be better, but one of the best, though shortest, rides he had ever taken in his life.
Then Sheila called an officer's conference and sprang the results on Admiral Oden. Sheila and the others who contributed in the design modifications presented the problem, design concept, and conclusions of the testing. It was probably the first time that any of them ever saw a tear in Admiral Oden's eyes.
***
Admiral Oden watched John leave, escorted by civil authorities partly for his protection and partly because he was still suspected of knowing more. Until that was cleared up to everyone's satisfaction, John's movements would be watched carefully.
Susan Gudnight also left with an escort for her protection, since she was likely to be a star witness against the conspirators who worked at the Daily Bread. Her testimony wasn't needed to convict the pirates themselves. There were already thirty other witnesses to testify against them. Susan, so far, was probably the only real witness against the conspirators. Her movement was also restricted, but mostly for her own protection.
The thirty militiamen were released to return home and later testify against the two surviving pirates. They were safely within the law because it wasn't against the law to hunt pirates. Nothing they did was illegal. What they did was merely foolish and the authorities didn't prosecute anyone for taking foolish chances.
The two surviving pirates were taken out in chains and handcuffs by the same authorities and placed in an armored vehicle, mostly for their own protection. There were far too many relatives who lost someone the pirates had a hand in murdering. Despite the law, some of the relatives wanted blood for blood.
The authorities already had several key persons from the Daily Bread in custody. Its subscribership suffered greatly because of the scandal it created by their several illegal acts. Otherwise, the Daily Bread was still in business without them, but under careful watch by the authorities and the other news services. If the results of the trial of the key persons being charged revealed that the Daily Bread organization was directly behind everything, it would lose its license as a member of the press. It could still publish, but it would no longer enjoy the same protection of immunity that reputable members of the press enjoyed and that enabled them to provide better news coverage as the unofficial fourth branch of government.
***
Captain Vincent looked around at the sensor screens and his personnel on the bridge. He listened as his communications officer finished receiving clearance from headquarters.
"We're set to go, Captain."
"Notify other ships' captains. Begin launch in proper sequence. Form up on Dust Bunny in orbit for test firing. Launch when our turn comes up," he replied.
A minute later the Dust Bunny's engines kicked in and the cruiser sped up from the field into space. Within two more minutes, the Academy Squadron was formed up on the Dust Bunny. Weapons practice began almost immediately.
Even while that was going on, Admiral Oden was once again moving about the cruiser, chatting with cadets on their performance during the various responses that served to make the current cruise one of the most interesting in years. He stopped by gun stations, went into showers, quarters, maintenance areas, and entered wherever he had to in order to find the cadets. The admiral went into one of the hangar areas and found the cadet he wanted to chat with. "Hi Ralph, care to chat?" he asked.
"Uh, sure, Admiral. What about?" Ralph asked.
Dave said, "Well, for one thing, about your performance. I'm impressed by it. However, you don't appear to be too thrilled with how I feel."
Ralph replied, "Sorry, Admiral Oden. I do care how you feel, but . . ."
"Well, go on. We can talk about other things if you don't mind. Obviously, something is bothering you. I'd like to help, if it's within my power, but I can't until I know the nature of the problem," Dave said.
"That's partly it."
"What is?" asked Dave.
Ralph answered, "Nature. Relationships. That sort of thing. That's what's bothering me. Kind of out of your power, huh?"
Dave said, "It probably is. Maybe I can give you some advice. Maybe not. That's entirely up to you. I'll let you think about that. If you want to give it a go, then seek me out anytime and we'll talk. I know that some people call me 'Old Rust Bucket', but I'm not really that old yet to forget what you might feel like."
***
Admiral Oden stopped and talked with Sergeant Delgado. "Who's Ralph with most of the time that he's off? I sense that he's having some distress in his personal relationships," Dave asked.
"Well, it's either Judy or Glenda. However, if you want my true feelings, it's both of them that I think he's having trouble with," Sergeant Delgado replied.
"Yeah, he's from Echo, so it might very well be both. Thanks, Maria," Dave said.
***
Dave stopped off at his quarters and consulted his terminal to refresh his memory on both Judy's and Glenda's backgrounds, though he thought he remembered them both as being from Leuion. He smiled slightly as he saw what was probably the problem that Ralph was ha
ving.
Both women were from Leuion and probably didn't understand Ralph's compulsion for swinging rather than making a long term commitment in matrimony. He probably wanted both of them, too. They, on the other hand, were very used to monogamous marriages, though giving oneself in their society went on, even after marriage. Blues didn't even mind giving their daughters to friends who went out on a limb for them in some situations. Family honor was important to the Blues and their daughters willingly did as asked. Probably one or the other woman wanted a long term monogamous commitment.
Dave quickly concluded that he couldn't do anything for Ralph in such circumstances. It was a relationship that Ralph would have to work out with the two women until they either parted or reached an amicable solution.
***
Admiral Oden transferred over to the Majel Remm to continue his work of chatting with all the cadets before the training voyage was over. So far, he was on track with his own self-imposed schedule for doing so. The transport carried the second largest contingent of cadets among the ships in the fleet. That was because a number of cadets had to be assigned as marines to man the five artytanks carried inside the transport.
Sergeant Clark was aboard the transport and greeted Dave as he came aboard. "Admiral, welcome aboard."
"George, it's good to be here. Kind of peaceful, huh?" said Dave.
"Very peaceful. At least, we'll be seeing some action in another day when we stop to practice surface landings for this group. I'm not disappointed in any of them yet. We've got another great bunch of cadets, again."
"They're holding up well. Cadet Ensign Brut Vincent is doing very well as captain of the Dust Bunny. His English has improved considerably in four years."
"He's definitely put the effort in. I'd say he's one of the finest cadets we've had yet from Bragh," George said.
"Yes, he is. I'm very pleased with the way he handles himself. If he continues to perform as he is now, he'll be in the top five at graduation. I haven't heard a word of complaint from him over any of his assignments for the two months, either, and I gave him some awful assignments."
Paravoid (Rust Bucket Universe) Page 10