Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  "Hold one Star Queen 52, SQR-1.” A few seconds later Port Control came back on. "We have a Tramp Ship registered at Center City Galactic Space Port under the name Star Queen 52 but we do not have you listed with a reservation at the Queen's Bubble."

  "Reservation? Sorry I did not know I needed a reservation to eat Dinner Port Control."

  "Just like a Tramp. Even with a reservation getting in and out of the Queens Bubble lounge under 2 hours would be a miracle. There are plenty of dives around the garbage deck for you to eat at SQR-1. You have clearance to the waste disposal lock with the other refuse hauling trucks. Please take heading 45 by 38 at 17’200fps. I will not clear the corridor SQR-1. All waste trucks and barges have priority. Try not to hit one. Contact docking control for further instructions on channel 5. Reservations are being made at the Naked Lady Shit Hole Restaurant for arrival at your pleasure." Mark could hear laughter in the back ground. "Priority service with the whore of our choice for 90 second departure if you last that long. Enjoy your stay Commander Tramp.”

  Mark frowned as the big station grew ahead of them. Turning to Dian. "Sorry babe, it looks like the Queen's Bubble is out to night. I would head home but I do need to check the boat out before re-entry just to be on the safe side and besides I am hungry and the trucking restaurants should have decent food anyway."

  Dian squeezed his arm with a smile. "Hey it is off the ship isn't it? It will be a treat as long as I am with you love."

  Mark smiled shaking his head as he switched to channel 5 on the comm. "Docking control. SQR-1."

  "SQR-1. You have 3 barges ahead of you. Come to 75 by -41 and hold at 20 miles until further instructions."

  "Ah Docking Control. How long a hold are we talking about Please?"

  "As I said SQR-1 you have three barges ahead of you to dock. Should not be more than an hour unless another garbage barge shows up."

  "Shit!"

  "What was that SQR-1? Don't give me that Tramper Crap or you will wait for the outgoing barges as well."

  Mark bit his lip counting to 3 as he took a deep breath. "Sorry Docking Control. My apologies. I was simply commenting that we missed chow back on the ship and it is getting a bit hungry out here." Hopping that he could get a little bit of sympathy and an earlier docking slot.

  "Hungry are you. We just finished launching a garbage scow. I would be happy to victor you in to dock with it for a Tramp Gourmet Meal." The Controller could hardly finish the sentence before he started laughing.

  Turning red, Mark gritted his teeth as he looked at Dian.

  Dian smiled patting his arm. "It is not you Hun. The Ship gets this all the time. My father has a team that monitors the ship's comm just to weed out the legal orders from all the crap. They even file a lawsuit once in a while over it but usually the Captain just ignores it or we would never get docked or pitted." Unbuckling her harness. "That just gives us more time to look at the stars love.

  A screen came to life in the upper corner of Dian's dash board. The flashing Icons on it demanding attention that could not be ignored with the rest of Dian's board remaining dark and blank. "Mark she almost screamed. What is this?" As she tried to shove herself back into her seat half undressed.

  Mark just finishing unbuckling his harness to float back across the narrow center console between them to look at the small screen. "Ok. It is an I.F.F or Identification Friend or Foe."

  "Mark." Mickey spoke up. "We were just scanned as it lit up. I think the defense system of the Station thinks we are a fighter."

  "Well; we are a fighter Mickey." Starring at the flashing screen. "Shit if it thinks we are an enemy fighter the station's guns could wipe us out! How the hell do we tell them we are friendly?"

  "Sorry Mark but we can't. That is what the I.F.F is for. I am trying to access the system now but it is designed to not allow an enemy to tap into a captured fighter and use it for a free ticket in. If it decides we are an enemy it will target us with its big defensive guns." Mickey grew silent as Dian let the rest of her cloths drift away to snuggle up close to Mark as they drifted against the canopy and waited. “I am hoping that since the English are not at war with anyone at the moment that it will send someone out to check on us before blowing us into atoms.

  "I am trying to convince the interrogating computer that we are friendly. The fact that we have no weapons helps as does the fact that this fighter is a civilianized copy of the Empires Tri-winged fighter from the construction plans transmitted across the Empire and built on hundreds of stars across the Empire a hundred years ago. The fact that the system's 10 year long war is over is making a big difference or we would have been targeted already. The Computer system was having a hard time matching us with a specific enemy to allow it to fire. All I have to do now is convince it that we are pals or old friends." Dian started nibbling on Mark's ear as she grabbed his butt and started rubbing. "Ok. Mark we are in luck. The I.F.F. computer on this fighter was manufactured on this planet as was many of the parts the previous owner added a few planets ago. It turns out that they lost quite a few fighters around here during the war and I think I have convinced it that we are simply one of the systems original fighters finely returning from a long mission after being badly damaged."

  "My Godstar Mickey. The war has been over for a year now. How could anyone in their right mind believe such a load of shit?"

  "No human would Mark but I am dealing with an idiot A.I. computer program. We will know for sure in a few seconds. It will either shoot at us out of space…."

  The navigation computer beeped as a new course popped up on the screen. A mechanical voice spoke up as Mark drifted back over to his seat and hit the receiver button. “Niner One Five Three, you are cleared to proceed to fighter bay 2. Priority Alpha Omega. Proceed at your own discretion. All traffic will be rerouted around you. Emergency repair bots will be waiting at the recovery station. No casualties have been reported. Welcome back Niner, Niner, One, Five, Three."

  Mark still mostly clothed as he drifted half in his seat looked over at the mostly naked Dian with her big boobs floating out and firm, almost twice their normal size as the fluids in her body concentrated in her upper torso simply because gravity was no longer pulling them down to her feet beckoned to Mark as he forgot about dinner.

  "Mark." Mickey interrupted as Mark grabbed ahold of the firm beckoning monsters. "We must be going. I do not know how long it will be before a human revues what the computer has done and revokes our clearance. We must go now. You can play later."

  Mark stopped kissing Dian and frowned. "Well it is not a good idea to be docking at the fighter locks anyway Mickey. That could spell big trouble for us."

  "Not as long as we are invited Mark. The most they can do is transfer us to a civilian dock and blame the computer. But at least you will be docked. If you wait for a human to council the orders it could take you hours to get clearance again with the attitude of Docking Control."

  Sighing Mark pushed himself away from Dian. "Ah Sorry Hun but we need to get going."

  Disappointed pain crossed her face as she bit her lower lip and Mark pulled away. It took half a minute for her breathing to start slowing back down with her hormones raging as she starred at Mark dumbfounded before she started dressing. Mark was already belted in going over the course plot to the station.

  Damn Mickey. They have us coming in at a two hundred miles an hour. That doesn't make any sense."

  "Sorry Mark but that is the standard fighter landing procedure. It gets the fighters in and out quick with less exposure to enemy fire when a fighter is most vulnerable. I will talk you through it as we go."

  "You are going to talk me through hitting the station at a hundred miles an hour as we land?"

  "Yes Mark. You can speed up your perception of time remember."

  "Ah. Can't you just put me under and hypnoteach me this a lot easier and safer."

  "If we had time Mark but we will be landing in 10 minutes with no time for me to run you through all the variables of the pr
ocess."

  "Bullshit. You can run me through the frigging basics at least in a couple of minutes and fine tune it later. Right?"

  "I am sorry Mark but you need to fly the fighter. I cannot access the flight controls or auto pilot beyond a basic course. The systems are all isolated from my remote."

  "What? I plugged you in where you told me too. What is the problem?"

  "The problem is that everything was installed piece meal without the specified cross connects. I am plugged into the main buss but the flight controls are on a separate auxiliary buss where they do not belong and not the main. Most of the equipment and systems on the fighter have been plugged in were ever it was convenient as the systems were added over the years. Some of the critical systems even have their back up power supplies plugged into the same power source making them single point failures."

  "Well then transfer the flight data and Dian can pilot the fighter for the few minutes it will take."

  "Sorry but that is not possible either. The weapons officer has no flying controls. The weapons officer only controls the weapons and sensors."

  "That seems like a stupid arrangement. What happens if the pilot is incapacitated and can't fly?"

  "The likely hood of the pilot being killed or wounded and the Weapons officer surviving is not very likely as close as they are. Not to mention the cost of including flight controls for the weapons officer or including weapons controls for the pilot. Neither one has the time to do the others job."

  Mark turned the fighter to follow the programmed course as the station grew in size. Dian was having problems trying to stuff her hard firm breasts into a bra even more sizes too small.

  Mark smiled over at her and whistled. "I think I like Zero Gee."

  Looking at Mark with a frown. "Ya at least you don't have to worry about your boobs hurting. You should try it sometime and then say that." She sneered and then shook her head. "Sorry Hun but the longer we are at Zero Gee the more they hurt. That is until my body gets used to it and they shrink back down. A few minutes ago you almost made me come by sucking on them but now they just hurt."

  "Sorry this thing does not have gravity coils for the seats. You think it would since it is supposed to be able to pull over 20 Gee's in a turn and acceleration according to the book. “Mark could see the open landing hatch for the fighter ahead with its ring of lights as he rode the beam toward landing. The rate of closer making him start to sweat. Even in the simulator he had never docked at a station or military carrier like this. The fighters in the simulation always had to slow down and dock like a ship or shuttle inside a lock not much bigger than the boats. This was something completely new to him. "Mickey I don't like this at all. Why can't we just slow down?"

  "Then they would know you are not military, raising all kinds of alarms before we got close let alone landed. No you will be fine Mark. Just follow my instructions."

  "Mark!" Dian was starting to catch Marks doubts. "Why can't we just go home?"

  "Once we are docked you can start yelling about why they brought us into the military lock." Mickey said.

  "Ya Mickey why don’t we just go home. We can get something to eat in town before we return to the Queen."

  "You have to land Mark. You are listed as military now and deviation from the flight plan will trigger all kinds of alarms and could get you arrested for desertion or stealing a military spacecraft and that would take months to get straightened out by the time everything was explained."

  The station towered around them with dozen of ships docked around it while they headed for a small open hatch dwarfed by the ships docked around it. "Damn it Mickey. We are supposed to hit that small hole going a couple hundred miles an hour. One little mistake and we will hit the damn lock itself."

  "You will be fine just stay on course Mark."

  "Mark I don't like this. We are going to crash into the side of the station. Slowdown for Godstar's sake." The station was rapidly growing around them.

  "One minute to lock entry Mark. Don't worry if you miss the trap you will just continue through the station and out the other side. You have seen this on videos and games."

  "Ya and I have seen the videos of those that missed and hit the side of the lock. Hell every thriller had someone coming in damaged that hits the side and takes out a dozen friendly fighters and crewmen before the hero goes to save the day. I don't want to be the pore sap that makes the hero look brave for landing with his damaged fighter after wards."

  "30 Seconds Mark, just keep it stead. I will give you a jolt to speed up your timing a few seconds from impact so we can make the proper adjustments."

  "Mark! Stop this right now." Dian demanded. "Take me home this instant."

  Mark concentrated in keeping the fighter on the approach line in his screen trying to ignore the little hatch ahead.

  "Mark! I said stop this! You are going to kill us!" Dian grabbed his arm pulling at him causing the fighter to veer off course."

  The fighter’s course line veered from the plot line and lights and alarms started screaming in the cockpit.

  Mark jerked his arm away from Dian's grasp as he worked to return the fighter back onto coarse plot. It took a few second before the alarms silenced themselves. "Damn it girl it is too late to stop now without plastering us into a puddle in our seats at over 10 Gees. Just leave me alone damn it."

  The fighter slowed on reverse thrusters as the station grew. "Very good Mark we are at 200. Perfect for entering the lock. Just keep it nice and straight."

  "Damn it Mickey if you get us killed I will never forgive you."

  Dian started crying. "I hate you Mark." She blathered. "I just want to go home."

  Mark bit his lip as he looked over at Dian with her hands over her face.

  "Mark pay attention. You are drifting off course. Back off on the thrust a little. If you don't hit the trap at a high enough speed you will bounce off and could veer sideways into the side of the lock."

  "Bounce off? Shit! None of the movies ever showed that before."

  "Probably because it is not that dramatic to have the best friend of the hero be stupid enough to come in that slow. Nor does it make any sense to the average moviegoer not to mention that it takes to much time to explain. You will just have to trust me Mark. One of those many things I told you I did not have time to explain and before we get stopped in the trap there will be a few more so you must follow my orders exactly even when it makes no sense. I will explain everything to you later."

  All Mark could see was space station disappearing to the side as well as up and down and a hole in the side that still looked much too small to fly into. "I can't believe I am doing this. How can we miss hitting something?" He said desperately not believing.

  Dian practically screamed as she hit Mark on the arm making the fighter jerk to the side again. "You are going to kill us." She continued to sob.

  "Mark! You are not helping Dian or yourself with your words."

  "Well damn it I am scarred." Mark burst out as sweat dripped down his face.

  "There is no reason to be scarred. I will not let anything happen to you. Your words are just scarring Dian. That is not what an officer is supposed to do. No matter how scarred you are, you should not show that to your crew. They depend on you for support. A scarred crew cannot function affectively in combat. You must learn how to control yourself no matter how scarred you are. If you fail and show weakness, your crew will fail and could result in losing the ship, the battle and killing your crew. If she hits or disturbs you in the final seconds she could kill us all."

  Mark became tight lipped as he concentrated on keeping the fighter on the plot line. Trying not to keep glancing at the growing rim of the approaching hatch opening.

  "Good. Now you should say something to easy Dian's anguish. Reassure her before her fear does permanent damage or she loses control and lashes out violently at you again when it will result in killing you both." Mark heard in his ear away from Dian.

  Grimacing as he lost si
ght of everything around him but the huge space station rapidly approaching. He quickly glanced at Dian with her face and body turned pale white shaking in the seat holding onto the straps. Reaching over he patted her arm lightly and tried to smile when she looked at him with his second glance. "I have it now babe. Got it in the groove. Just hold on tight and we will be having dinner in a few minutes." He did not believe his lie but it seemed to calm her down considerably as color returned to her face.

  The hatch suddenly started growing in size around the fighter as they zipped past a transport hanging a little ways from the side of the station on its approach to the dock. Mark felt Dian’s hand on his arm. Her fingers dug into his arm but at least he could still hold the side control stick. He glanced over to see her give him a hate filled sneer but at least she stopped crying even if her lips still trembled. Suddenly realizing without her panicking he no longer felt as scarred. The thought flashed through his mind how easy panic had spread between them. Feeding off of each other making things worse and how his efforts to easy her panic actually did him better than he could believe.

  Concentrating on the hatch he could see the large ring around the square box so far inside the hatch and then what looked like a tube continuing on out the other side of the station with rows of fighters lining both sides of the hanger. He could not see how he could speed through the narrow hanger and slow down without hitting something before landing on the lit up square but he started concentrating on the plot line knowing he had no choice but to try as the fighter and rapidly growing hatch suddenly slowed around him.

  "That is better Mark. I am proud of you. I did not have to kick start you. You slipped into slow time on your own. Now I have plenty of time to explain things as we go. Just sit back and listen while I walk you through and fine tune every step. You can start by dropping your landing gear."

  Marks hand slowly flicked the indicated switch though he suddenly realized he already knew where from training in the game simulator aboard ship. He had landed a similar fighter on the Star Queen many times but never at speed since it was never necessary or desirable for that matter. He suddenly wished he had at least tried landing on a station once instead of always simply hitting end mission not wanting to waste the time if he was too far from the Queen. "Now you have plenty of time. Why didn't you just put me in slow time 10 minutes ago and teach me then so all this would not be such a surprise?" He realized that the ring around the box from a distance was actually a series of rings from the outer hatch that grew smaller until it reached the box flashing at the back.