Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  The Master at Arm Sgt. started past Mark through the hatch. Mark suddenly lunged forward grabbing and pulling him back with a jerk sending him tumbling down across the deck as the hatch closed with a slam. “I am sorry but …”

  The Captain stared in shock as half the officers present, started objecting to Mark’s manhandling the Sargent. Then the Medic spoke up not being heard above everyone trying to talk to Mark or the Captain, wanting to know what the hell he was doing. Then they heard the Medic yell again as the Sgt. started coughing up blood. “Toxic poison registering in that compartment. Everyone out of here now.” The medic was already trying to pick up the Sargent with one hand and drag him up and away.

  The other medic grabbed the Sgt.’s other arm and they started running back down the passageway dragging the Sgt. between them as they held their breath. Everyone else but Mark and the marines quickly followed. Mark took his time, not in the least bit in a hurry as he pulled a breathing mask out of a little pouch at his side and placed it over his mouth and nose and then pushed a button to flush out any toxins. He watched a cart stacked with gas masks on its upper shelf come out of the elevator 50 feet down the passagewayeveryone was getting ready to enter. Taking out the key card from the lock Mark turned to the Marine squad standing by with the breaching equipment who already had gas protection with their helmets. “Rig a lock barrier there.” Mark pointed to a spot a dozen feet from the hatch. Then waited.

  The Captain and the officers with her came back up the passageway with gas masks on they had taken off the cart. The marines finished the simple portable curtain lock hatch one of them had in a pack with others carrying breaching and other equipment in theirs. The Captain and half a dozen officers stepped through the temporary clear plastic hatch as Mark started shaking his head sadly.

  Mark reached up and pulled the Captain’s mask out until there was a good 3 inch gap and let it pop back onto her face falling at a strange angle slid half way down her face with her lips pressed against the clear face shield. As she reached for it and her face started turning red.

  Mark turned to the Marine Sgt. next to him. “That is a class one barrier Sargent. What the hell are you doing letting anyone through it without inspecting their equipment for proper fit and operation as stated in your regulations under essential operating procedures. The Captain would have lasted exactly 30 seconds in that gas environment before she keeled over Dead! Now get your lazy Godstar damn butt in gear and do your job.”

  Captain Cook’s face turned from red to white as the Sargent started yelling at his men to check the other officers as he stepped up to Captain Cook and started adjusting her mask to fit properly. Apologizing for not doing his duty before. A few minutes later the Sgt. stepped back to Mark, saluted and reported that all the officers masks had now been fitted and checked, Mark took another breath. “Did you check them over for obvious scratches, sours or cuts that would kill them just as easily since they did not grab the hazmat suits that are in the packages on the bottom shelf of the cart?”

  “Ah no sir.” The Marine turned and looked at the officers and swallowed.

  Mark waved the crewman that had pushed the cart down the passageway following the officers, to enter through the hatch. “If you Gentlemen would please put on the hazmat suits.”

  “Come Ensign. We have the masks on, open the hatch.” Captain Cook said.

  Mark looked over at Doctor Wells. “Doctor Wells Sir. Do I have your permission to open the hatch considering half of you could drop dead a minute or two from a simple scratch if the concentration is high enough beyond the hatch? I got a reading of over 20% and15% is listed as deadly for open wounds. Not to mention that upon exiting the contaminated space, your porous cloth uniforms will have to be discarded and burned as hazardouswaste since they cannot be cleaned properly.” Looking up and smiling for a second Mark continued. “I am sorry but there is a way, but it is a very involved costly procedure that would more likely change the color of your uniforms turning them light red. Some would say pink, with streaks of yellow, but they would be as soft as a baby’s bottom. Though I am afraid that they would simply fall apart in a few months.”

  “How could you have gotten any readings? You are not even carrying a damn scanner.” said the First Officer.

  Mark looked at the Captain and then at Doctor Wells who promptly grabbed a suit off the bottom of the cart. “Suit up Captain, the Commander is right.”

  The marines helped the officers find the right size and put on the suits. Going to great lengths to make sure they fit and sealed properly.

  Captain Cook was half dressed when she looked at Mark standing next to the armored hatch waiting. “Mr. Collins why are you not dawning a suit? I think you would be of some help inside.”

  Mark smiled. “I stopped by my quarters and grabbed a new crewmen’s coveralls I bought last year that was advertised as being as good as a space suit and resistant to all chemicals and vacuum. Thought I would try it out even if I was not planning to ever use it as a hazmat suit sir. Seems to be a very comfortable fit.” Mark reached for his collar and pulled a clear covering over his head and fastened it to his breather. The suit puffed up automatically a little at his joints as the soft helmet inflated into a close fitting crystal clear bubble.

  The marines finally finished jerking and adjusting the officers into their suits and the marine Sargent came back over to Mark and saluted him again. “All personnel suited and ready to enter contaminated zones sir.”

  Mark looked at him for a second baffled as he returned the marines salute not knowing what else to do and wondering why the marine was not reporting to the Captain. Swallowing. “Aaa. Very well Sargent good job.” Turning to Captain Cook. “Aa Captain, permission to open the hatch?”

  Captain Cook nodded trying to figure what happened to the snot nosed retard kid he had made a boot ensign only a few days before. Shaking her head. She had to remind herself that no, he was not retarded or she would not have made him an ensign. Wondering why she kept remembering his stupid glasses and automatically seeing a retard when she knew better. But then that, as like all prejudices. It took time and work to overcome the automatic knee jerk thinking even when you knew better. The important part was changing your behavior so the knee jerk thinking would automatically die in time without going in the opposite direction and giving the oppressed special treatment and oppressing innocent others in a viscous cycle.

  The 8 foot wide hatch opened and Mark took several steps through as the Marine Sargent started past him. Mark yelled. “Halt, Freeze.” The Sargent immediately stopped and froze in place. A turret suddenly dropped down from the overhead some 20 feet in front of them with a large 20mm blaster barrel sticking out toward the hatch. Plenty big to tear through even the newest armor let alone the 60 year old crap the marines had on. “Don’t move anyone.” Mark said.

  The First Officer looking in around the Captain standing in the middle of the hatch with the gun pointed right at her forehead. “Where the hell did that damn Blaster turret come from?”

  “Well, it will be gone by the end of today.” Captain Cook said. “We will install it someplace it will do some good like outside the bridge or the quarter deck.

  Mark took a slow step to the side as the turret suddenly followed him and placed Chet’s key card into the control panel on the inside next to the hatch and waited. A few seconds later the turret retracted into the overhead like it had never been there.

  Mark breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded on down the passageway. The marine suddenly not in that much of a hurry to lead the way walked next to Mark, holding his weapon up at the ready. Two marines flanked them, a couple of steps behind with their weapons ready surveying everything around. Captain Cook and the rest staying more than a few steps behind the marines. Going through another armored hatchMark checked for other turrets and pointing their hidden locations out to the Captain. Then walked up with the marines and peaked around the corner of the first intersection. They saw the first pair of bodies. A
mother and little girl.

  Mark walked up to the bodies and stopped as he kept staring at the little girl until the Sargent grabbed his arm. “We have to go on Commander and find the living.” Dragging him past the bodies not willing to leave him behind in case of some other surprise. Two marines guarded the other passageway as the following marines started knocking on cabin doors and finding more bodies. Doctor Wells bent over the bodies examining them. Shaking his head.

  They found another dozen bodies scattered around the passageways as they made their way deeper into the complex. They came to a large plaza with cabin hatches along the inner hull at the far end. The upper class passenger cabins taking up the space between the inner and outer double hull. A fountain gurgled in the middle with a body half in it draped over the edge wall. Another body lay in a half open hatch to one of the cabins lining the side of the park.

  The First Officer looked up at the two story high over head in amazement. “How the hell did they get such a high overhead in a single deck?” The two deck tall compartment was some 30 feet wide and ran for over a hundred feet to the center inner hull of the ship. With another fountain and trees, bushes and hundreds of flowers covering the distant bulkhead below a row of air grates. Tables, barbecues, play areas for kids were all scattered around into a wonderfully aesthetic mix.

  Mickey showed Mark the ship’s deck schematics for that section of the ship and it suddenly became clear what the Greedly Cargo Union clan had done. Walking over to a 4 by 30 foot long row of thickly slotted grates in the deck running along about a passageway’s width from in front of the row of hull cabin hatches at the end of the park. Mark grabbed one of the grate sections and lifted it letting it flop back over the other grates with a clang. Turning to the Sgt. that had followed him. “Hand me one of your stun grenades.”

  Without asking why the Sargent handed him the grenade as the Captain turned to look. Recognizing the grenade she frowned puzzled. Until Mark pulled the pin and tossed it down through the opening under the grate and stepped back. Shocked she started to tell him to stop even if it was a bit late as she heard Mark Yell. “Fire in the hole! Cover your ears!” as Mark covered his ears and kneeled down.

  Captain Cook followed his instruction as did almost half the Officers around the deck as the marine talked into his mike.

  The sound was deafening as was it supposed to be. The sound reverberating around from the cabins. The Captain with half the officers came over to Mark as the Captain started yelling at him. “What the hell do you think you were doing throwing a damn grenade down that shaft? You could have…” And then Captain Cook stopped in mid word as she looked down through the grates. “What the hell are those doing here and what are they for?”

  Mark frowned. The Greedly’s cut out the side and hull end bulkheads for the air supply ductingthat ran across to the core from the ducting that ran up through the double hulls alongside the cargo holds from the lower farm decks to create this park. They added these grates to cover the shaft opening from below. They also cuttingoff the old supply ducts to their cabins that used to run from the core plenum chamber supplying the rest of the ship and rerouting their cabins air supplies down to the tween hull ducts from the farm decks. Making themselves this nice little park while feeding all the farm fresh air directly through their cabins before sending it through those big grates at the other end of the park to the rest of the ship.” Taking a few steps out into the plaza park Mark spread his arms as he turned around looking. “They had all the fresh air they could use but they also had 100% of the poison without it being diluted with recirculated air the rest of the ship uses. The mixing plenum chamber for the rest of the ship is in the ships core on this deck at the end of this little park.” Mark pointed to the grills across the upper half of the two deck tall park at the core end a hundred feet away with the large butterfly valves closed behind them. “After all, why should the Greedly’s and Creeton’s share the same mixed air as the rest of the ship?” Mark looked around the park shaking his head. “Though it would be my guise that their little added restrictions to the air flow to the rest of the ship probably saved a few lives since it never got above 2 or 3 percent which is survivable for most before the decks were sealed trapping the poison here.”

  Mark looked down through the grate at the long narrow butterfly valves that had sealed the huge main ducts that ran up the side of the cargo hold from the Farm decks some 600 feet below before making its turn out under the tween hull cabins on this deck to the tall long duct that had run in toward the core and the mixing distribution plenum chamber. “I remember the debate about simply tapping the main air duct to supply fresh air for the tween cargo deck dorms which I thought was the simplest way to go. I am glad now that the council insisted that they enlarge the ducts from the central mixing plenum up here that went back down to feed the tween decks or we would have thousands of dead right now.”

  Shaking his head. “It also explains why everyone in this section is dead and can’t answer the comms in their sealed cabins. Changing the ducts around cut the hard wires and disconnected them from the central air control system including all the emergency activation lines. So most of the cabins did not seal themselves when the fire and vacuum alarms were set off.”

  Shaking his head Mark stopped and started looking puzzled.

  Captain Cook turned to the other officers and started talking about getting a few more men down here to start cleaning up the bodies as they headed back the way they had come.

  Mark suddenly said. “Shut up everyone.”

  A couple of the Marines turned to look at him while Captain Cook and the other officers ignored him.

  “I said shut the Fuck up now!” Mark yelled trying to make himself heard.

  Captain Cook turned to Mark “No Commander. You seem to be getting a bit big for your britches.”

  “Shut up will you. I hear someone crying and it has to be in one of these cabins. Someone is still alive.” Mark jerked the grate he had dropped the grenade down back up then dropped down through the hole.

  The First Officer turned to the Marine Sargent. “Arrest that moron for talking to the Captain and the rest of us like that. Who the hell does he think he is?”

  The Sargent turned to the First Officer. “Shut up sir. I think I hear something to now I have upped the gain on my audio pickups.” The marines started to spread out clomping across the deck headed for the side cabins. “Damn it. Freeze and listen.” The Sargent said.

  The First Officer shook his head. “I gave you an….”

  Captain Cook turned without taking a step and hissed. “Shut up everyone.” As she stared at the marines.

  Half a minute later Mark came running back up the duct to the open grate and climbed out and ran over to the row of cabins making up the Port side of the park and then put is head against a cabin hatch for a few seconds before going to the next and then the next. Finally he stopped, backtracked one hatch. “This is it I think. She is behind this hatch but she sounds weaker.” Turning to the Sargent. Get your breaching scope over here and check this cabin and make sure she in here and not the next passageway over and then we have to figure out how to get her out.” Taking a deep breath. “Thank Godstar someone had the sense to trip the isolation valves in at least one cabin manually when the ship wide alarm went off.

  The Sargent started yelling orders as two marines converged on the hatch Mark was at. Captain Cook and the rest watching.

  “Get an oxygen line through the hatch before you put the scope or gas could leak through the probes hole.” The marines started grabbing equipment out of their packs. The Sargent tapped his comm. “Lieutenant we are going to need reinforcements up here with full hazmat protocols. I think we have a live one.” The Sargent listened for a moment. “Yes more breaching locksand sensors along with all the air deacon scrubbers we have. There may be more survivors trapped.”

  Captain Cook who had already been walking toward the hatch slapped the Sargent on the shoulder. “Tell the lieutenant
I want the whole company up her now. It looks like we have a half a hundred cabins to check and little time to do it.”

  The marine started drilling through the hatch and a few seconds later the drill went thump. Twisting the collar around the bit locking the collar into the hatch he withdrew the drill and the bit. Then the other marine slid a nozzle into the collar and twisted the valve sending oxygen hissing into the compartment as the marine with the drill slapped another collar on the drill and started in again. A minute later the sensor screen showed a little girl crying curled up on the couch.

  The marine with the oxygen bottle said. “Positive pressure in the cabin. It’s still sealed.”

  The Sargent turned to Captain Cook. “First platoon is on its way and the Captain says the rest of the Company will be here in 15.”

  Doctor Wells bent down to look at the sensor screen looking over the Marines shoulder. “Check for the poison level.”

  “A few parts per thousand Doctor. She will be ok until we get a lock up here.”

  “Yes but can you get her out without gassing her to death with residue from your suits when you do.” Hitting his Comm. “I want all our hazmat medical teams down here now with full equipment.”

  “But Doctor we train for this very thing. We can get her out without gassing her.”

  “I have never witnessed any of your hazmat drills Sargent and I know my people can.”

  “We don’t call them hazmat drills sir. They are gas casualty’s drills sir. We would not be here now if we didn’t get a full 100% on the tests sir. My men can do it sir.”