The bartender was on the edge of panic. Bar patrons were now running. Robert wondered absently where they were going.
“Pirates!” The distinguished old gentleman exclaimed as he rushed out as fast as his legs would take him.
A hard thump rocked the Pegasus. The pirate ship had docked violently. The fiery letters on the hull coalesced into words. Hell’s Bane. The front of the attacking ship was just a few meters past the holo-window.
Drake laughed. His eyes were no longer glazed and his speech no longer slurred as his old combat mods dumped chemicals into his bloodstream to counteract the alcohol. Likewise, Robert now stood with adrenaline pumping through his veins.
“Well, Doctor, what say you?”
“I for one, will not be bloody herded into my cabin like some sheep.”
Robert nodded. “Right, nor I. What’s our plan?”
John Drake shrugged. “That is a damn good question.”
“Weren’t we supposed to have a few security ships as escort?” Robert asked.
Drake raised an eyebrow. “It would seem they have been dispatched.”
Just outside the bar a squad of uniformed security officers ran past with integrally silenced assault rifles in the ready position. Robert’s eyes widened. An odd thought struck him—he did not recall seeing any type of security officers on the ship. Had they just been in their cabins waiting for an opportunity to spring into action?
“That’s encouraging,” said Drake as he rummaged behind the bar. Robert wondered what he was doing back there when the doctor shouted in triumph and held up a large kitchen knife.
“What are our options?” Drake wondered aloud. He seemed to be looking at a holo-screen as his hand and fingers made rapid motions.
The bark of unsuppressed gunfire rang down the ornate corridors. Angry shouts and terrified screams accompanied it. Then something roared. Robert and John exchanged concerned looks.
“What manner of beasts have they brought with them?” Drake asked.
Robert shrugged and shook his head. He saw something that might be useful and approached the end of the bar. He eyed a brass foot rail—with a few solid kicks it let loose from the wrought iron stanchions. Robert swooped in and grabbed it. He hefted its weight, it was a little over a meter long and quite heavy. He took a few practice swings and bounced on the balls of his feet.
“I wish I knew which group of pirates these were,” Drake stated.
Robert threw him a questioning glance.
The doctor understood his unasked question. “You see, if this is Captain Barwick’s crew, we can count on being stripped naked and skinned. Should this be Draco’s outfit we will most likely all be raped first before being tossed out of the airlock.”
Robert just stared. How would a trauma surgeon from the home world be privy to such knowledge? There was obviously much more to the good doctor than Robert had first realized.
Suppressed gunfire echoed down the hall. The security guards had engaged the pirates. The ship’s security was answered back with a roar. The screams of the wounded and dying slammed into Robert’s ears. He gripped his brass pipe and took up a position near the door. Doctor Drake bolted from behind the bar and stood on the other side of the door.
Stray rounds from the firefight slammed into the door and walls. Finely carved knot work trim became flying splinters. Both men took an involuntary step backwards and threw up their arms to protect themselves from the wooden shrapnel.
The sound of battle continued to draw closer. The inhuman roars also grew louder. What the hell is that? Robert’s long unused battle mods had kicked in with full force. His vision began to tunnel, his hearing was now acute, adrenaline pumped, and muscles tensed. His breaths were long and deep. The men stood an arms length away from either side of the door again.
Drake took in a deep breath. Robert could tell by the doctor’s dilated pupils that his combat mods were also fully active.
John whooped. “It’s been quite some time since I activated my combat mods. I forgot the sensation,” he said, rolling his head and stretching his arms.
The sound of a gorilla hooting reverberated through the air. Drake’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Have the pirates brought some sort of battle apes?”
Despite himself, Robert laughed. Drake frowned, exasperated by his demeanor. “Really, Robert. This is no laughing matter.”
Robert rested the brass rail on his shoulder and put out a placating hand. “I apologize, John. But the ridiculousness of a battle ape struck me funny. And, like you, I have not used my combat mods in ages. I feel rather splendid right now.”
Drake’s frown deepened. “Believe me when I tell you that I have seen such, and much worse.”
Robert squinted at John. “Wait, where have you seen battle apes?”
John was about to answer when a stream of bullets ripped through the oak pub doors.
The sound of battle was now only meters away. Robert brought his weapon to bear.
The thick oak door was blasted off its hinges, crashing into a table and chairs, rendering them to kindling. A hulking nightmare filled the doorway. It seemed as if the dead had risen. A two and a half meter tall armored skeleton burst in. It had fiery glowing red eyes, battered gray armor, and brandished a large assault rifle.
Before Robert had a chance to fully process this, he swung his heavy brass pipe into the creature’s midsection. It hit the ground hard, flat on its back. Robert jumped in front of it, raised the pipe above his head, and swung at the skull with all his strength.
Robert’s blow never landed. The demon skeleton’s heavy boot struck Robert square in the chest, sending him reeling. Another armored skeleton, a gorilla wielding a black assault rifle and wearing chest armor burst in to aid its comrade.
Drake screamed with rage as he lunged at the second armored skeleton with his knife. The huge pirate swiftly sidestepped the doctor’s attack and hit the doctor in the base of his skull with the butt of his rifle as he lunged past. The doctor was sent sprawling in front of the bar. He did not move after that.
The first armored skeleton jumped to his feet, one red eye glowing hot. He howled in rage as he stomped towards Robert, clenching his fists. Robert was dazed. He’d never been hit so hard before in his life. The room seemed to dim and was spinning wildly as unconsciousness threatened to envelop him.
The gorilla jumped in and hooted with apelike laughter. “Ha! This little fop managed to put the mighty Digg square on his arse.”
Digg stopped his approach towards Robert and turned to face the gorilla. “Looky here, Grunt. Look and see what he gets for that.”
He snatched Robert to his feet and slammed a metal gauntleted fist into Robert’s face. Blood exploded from his nose and his eyes rolled back in his head. Another hard punch, this time to his stomach, drove the air out of his lungs. The pirate Digg released his grasp and Robert crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath.
The gorilla continued to laugh and bounce around in a decidedly apelike fashion. The other armored skeleton cackled as he moved to cover Doctor Drake with his rifle. “Digg, I can’t believe you just rushed in blind like that. Gotta watch those doors and corners.”
“Shut your word hole, Moof.” Digg growled as he unholstered a large bore automatic pistol and leveled it at Robert’s head. “Say good night, you little fop.”
Doctor Drake was coming out of his daze. He gasped in horror seeing his friend about to die. The gorilla kicked him hard in the stomach, and the breath went out of him.
Digg pressed his pistol to Robert’s forehead. Robert watched the pistol as if in slow-motion, felt it press against his skin, and knew he was about to die. The other pirates shouted and cheered. Robert closed his eyes and thought of Marissa.
“Hold fire, Digg.” A large black man stepped through the shattered doorway. He wore no disguise, and yet he was even scarier to behold than armored skeletons and an armed gorilla.
His chiseled features showed no sign of emotion. His head was shaved b
ald to reveal intricate patterns of ritual scarring.
Digg lowered his pistol. He was about to protest but his captain cut him off.
“We need crew. If he’s deemed unworthy, I’ll let you put him out of the airlock yourself,” the captain said.
Robert took a shuddering breath and coughed up blood. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and peered up at his tormentors. The captain looked to be the only human of the group, but he knew that was not possible. Robert had a sudden realization. His nano-skin suit allowed him to change his appearance on the stage. Could these pirates be using the tools of an actor to terrify their quarry into submission? It was the only plausible explanation. This grim looking dark man surely had not summoned the dead to join his crew.
The captain half turned to the third armored skeleton that had accompanied him into the room. They looked as though they were speaking but Robert couldn’t hear anything. The captain nodded and turned back to face the group.
“Take these men to the promenade deck and put them with the others,” the captain said.
“On your feet, you rich pansies,” the ape pirate called Grunt said.
John and Robert slowly got to their feet. They eyed each other but knew better than to speak. The captain and the third armored skeleton stepped out into the corridor where they seemed to continue their voiceless conversation.
Robert looked at the third skeleton. He couldn’t be sure how exactly, but something was different about this silent one. As the skeletons and the gorilla marched the two men down the hall, he could see that the silent skeleton’s eyes followed him as they passed.
They were marched past the scene of the last firefight. The beautiful floors and walls were scarred and smoking. The smell of cordite hung in the air. The bodies of the security officers lay sprawled out on the floor with their lifeblood coagulating in pools around them. These valiant men died in vain trying to protect us.
CHAPTER 14
Captain Lex crunched over broken glass and splintered wood in the corridor just outside the Irish pub. He walked up to Master Gunner Boomer. They continued speaking over a private comm channel.
“Yes, Boomer? What is it?” Lex said.
“That one showed a lot of courage.” Boomer said, looking at Robert inside the doorway as he slowly got to his feet. “Perhaps, we should give him a provisional slot.”
Lex squinted his eyes and gave a skeptical look towards Robert. “I don’t know, Boomer, he looks like a dandy to me.”
“Perhaps, but he managed to put Digg down flat without the benefit of power armor,” Boomer replied. “I think there must be more than meets the eye in this case.”
The pirates emerged through the shattered door with their prisoners. Striker Grunt followed behind them hopping from foot to foot, making ape noises. Lex and Boomer watched the prisoners as they passed by. They were bruised and Robert was bleeding from his nose and a cut on his cheek.
“You think he might have combat augmentation?” the captain asked.
Boomer shrugged. “I would bet that every single one of these passengers is augmented to some degree. Combat mods are not unheard of among the richies.”
Lex nodded. “That’s a safe bet.” He paused. “I’m not sure how Digg would handle his presence on the ship. Let me see what Reznik has to say about it.”
Lex’s hand waved open comm screen. “Quartermaster Reznik. Are you monitoring interior vid feeds?”
“Yes, Captain. I can see you now and we saw the exchange between Digg and the passenger. Sparky is still laughing. He’s running the vid on a continuous loop. If he doesn’t stop soon, I’ll sedate him,” reported the quartermaster.
“Has Sparky been able to open the crew and passenger database? “Lex asked.
“He has opened it. The Bane is flagging crew and passengers with the skillsets we require,” Reznik said.
“Boomer has suggested we give that man a provisional crew slot.”
Reznik bobbed his head trying to imitate a human nod. He almost pulled it off. “He certainly has courage, Captain. However, I think Striker Digg might take exception to that.”
Lex smirked. “I had that thought as well,” he said, looking into Boomer’s fiery eyes.
The captain gestured back towards the airlock with his head. Boomer fell in step beside him as they made their way back towards the center of the ship.
“Once we identify him, he may have a required skill set. If he doesn’t, I’ll leave the decision to Master Gunner Boomer,” said Reznik. “If he doesn’t meet our requirements, I’ll turn him over to Deke.”
Boomer nodded. “Leave Digg to me, Reznik. I’ll make sure he understands that he is to abide by the Articles, or forfeit his shares.”
Reznik cackled. It sounded like high-pitched gunshots and always made Boomer smile. “I believe Digg will understand that.”
Gunfire erupted in the distance. Captain Lex and Boomer broke into a run. A comm screen opened up in front of Lex. Bosun Shred looked agitated.
“Captain, looks like we found that second squad of security. They’ve set up a barrier just forward of the engineering bay. The seekers show six guards in light armor and standard rifles.”
A second screen popped up. It showed a three dimensional view of the corridor intersection. The security team took up fighting positions behind several cargo crates that looked like they had come from engineering. One of the guards turned towards the seeker and raised his rifle. The 3D image vanished.
“They’re putting down a hell of a lot of fire,” Shred reported, the sound of gunfire blazing behind him.
Lex checked his combat map to make sure the enemy’s position was clearly marked. “Shred, is there any way to get behind them?”
“The seekers haven’t finished mapping the aft part of the ship, Captain. I’m not certain of the layout, but we should be able to flank them.” He paused. “Unless they have a squad on the left side of the corridor.”
“Bosun Shred, I’m dispatching six more seekers. I’ll send them around the portside and direct them to provide us with telemetry behind them,” Reznik said over the comm.
“Righty-o, Reznik. We’ll keep them pinned down on our side.”
The little black orbs shot out of the Hells Bane and zigzagged down the corridor and into the hail of bullets. Three made it through the onslaught.
Three more red dots appeared on the screen. Lex and Boomer now stood next to Shred, just outside the firestorm of projectiles.
“Ha!” the Bosun exclaimed. “Cheeky bastards. I knew there were more of you.”
Bosun Shred opened a comm channel. “Sparky, do you have a tactical map up?”
“Yep. Sure do, what can I do for you?”
“You see those nine red dots, about twenty meters aft of here?”
“Yep. Sure do.”
“I need to know if there are any more back there,” Shred said.
“It looks like they’ve shot out all the cameras back there. Let me back up the feeds and see if I can’t count them. This might take a few minutes, so please stand by,” the chief engineer said.
Lex called Sparky. “You’re in the ship’s database. How many security officers do they have listed in the crew?”
“None listed, Captain. That’s becoming more and more common, for times like this I suppose. They don’t want to tip their hand.”
The volume of fire from the security guards had decreased. Digg guessed they were trying to conserve ammo. He crept up, his back against the wall, preparing to take a quick look down the corridor. Hack stepped up next to him.
“What are you thinking about, partner?”
Digg shimmied closer to the opening. “We need to see how many are down there. I’m just going to take a quick peep.”
“Hold that thought,” Hack said. He bent down to pick up a silver serving tray laying on the floor. He stepped in front of Digg and held the tray up in front of the corridor opening. It was instantly shot out of his hand by hail of bullets.
“You don’
t want to get your battle gig damaged, do you?” Hack said. Digg could hear the smirk in his voice.
Shred and several pirates standing nearby laughed.
Digg’s head snapped towards Bosun Shred. “Sure would’ve been nice to have some grenades, eh?”
Shred just shrugged his shoulders. “Hindsight, and all that.”
Hack opened a cargo pocket and pulled out three flashbang grenades. “You didn’t tell us not to bring flashbangs, so I scooped up a few.”
Digg smiled inside his helmet and put his hand out. Hack handed him and Shred each a grenade.
The three pirates stepped back from the corridor entrance, keeping just out of sight of the security guards twenty meters away.
“All right, we gotta get these three down there right on top of one another,” the bosun said. They all looked at each other and nodded.
Digg twisted the cylinder in his hand and it began a steady beeping. He threw it down the hall as hard as his enhanced strength would allow. He heard it ricocheting off the walls. It hit the barricade and bounced over. A blinding white flash and a deep, concussive explosion reverberated down the corridor.
Shred threw his grenade, and stepped back in an instant. Hack stepped out and side armed the grenade down the hall. A round struck him in the forearm. He yelped and jumped back, holding a limb to his chest and bouncing up and down on his feet.
“Dammit! That bloody damn hurts,” Hack said, between gritted teeth.
The last flashbang erupted in light and sound. The pirates’ battle helmets filtered out the flash and the noise.
“Go,” Bosun shred commanded.
Six pirates brought their weapons to bear and launched themselves into the corridor. They fired relentlessly towards the makeshift barricade. Their helmets’ infrared filters illuminated each guard. Digg lined up his rifle on a red blotchy outline and released a torrent of gunfire. He watched the figure’s head snap back and it collapsed to the ground.
White smoke filled the hall. The surviving guards looked around with their guns braced into their shoulders. One disoriented guard fired into the wall behind him. Hack dropped him with a few well-placed rounds in his back.
We Happy Few: The Leviathan Universe 2138 Page 7