Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  With Mark’s arm still around Dian, Mickey proceeded to show Mark what she could find out about the fighter.

  Eventually Dian straightened up and said. "Well. I need to potty. Now."

  Mark turned and looked at her. "What! Now? Can't you wait?"

  "Now. I need to go now."

  Looking around Mark got up and stepped to the hatch in the corner and opening it he peaked through. Then opening it wide he stepped through and returned a few seconds later as Dian stared at him. "Ya there is a head just down the passageway in a compartment with an elevator and connecting passageways. You can...”

  Dian let out a squeal as the deck below her started moving and the big hatch at the end suddenly opened. The screen next to Mark started talking. "Commander Collins. Please place hand in marked circle when you wish to accept FB-35 Tri-wing Fighter Bomber ID. Number 76395823 for delivery after inspection.

  Dian practically tackled Mark as the deck stopped moving leaving plenty of room for the fighter to slide into the compartment. Once the fighter had stopped in front of them, the deck slid back out against the sides of the bright red trimmed fighter with “Mustang" Angled across the front of the fuselage and Star Queen across the tail below the last four digits of the fighters ID number. The 5823 looking more like a fog across the tail especially compared to the bright printing of Mustang.

  Mark pried himself away from Dian and stepped to the screen. Placing his hand in the circle. "I accept the fighter. Thank you." Turning back to Dian with a big smile. "Ok let’s get out of here." Grabbing her arm he headed for her side of the cockpit as the decking started retracting away from it and the spacecraft started slipping back out the hatch it had come in.

  Mark started to run after the receding spacecraft dragging Dian behind him then stopped when he realized that with the canopy closed even if he caught it he could not get into it. Especially with Dian tagging along behind him hesitantly not sure what was going on.

  The fighter exited the compartment and stopped backing up, then turned and started sliding to the right.

  Dropping Dian's hand he ran to the hatch in the corner throwing it open and then down the passageway to the elevator and turned left down another passageway toward the hanger the fighter had backed up into and out the hatch at the end of the passageway. Emerging onto a catwalk that ran along the side of the hanger he quickly spotted the big red fighter sliding down a darkened hanger between rows of tri-winged fighter bombers lined up folded wingtip to folded wingtip. Following, he started jogging down the catwalk watching the fighter until it stopped at the far end of the hanger. A small sliver of light from above suddenly lit up the fighter and quickly grew bigger until a large square shown down around the fighter and the empty deck around it. Then without warning the fighter and the deck it sat on shot up out of sight and that end of the hanger was again just a big dark hole with only a few spread out lights.

  Mark's jog turned into a run as he followed the catwalk that ran the full length of the long hanger above the tails of the parked fighters. Starting to breath hard he glanced around to see only an empty catwalk behind him and slowly came to a stop. Turning around and he waited for Dian to follow or even appear in sight for several seconds. "Damn it Dian. Where the hell are you?" Looking back down the hanger at the dark hole of the elevator and shaking his head he started walking back down the way he had come hoping Dian would appear so they could continue to follow the fighter. Finely giving up hope he jogged down to the hatch he had come out of and into the brightly lit passageway. He quickly went around the corner past the elevator and rest rooms into the last place he had seen her to find the compartment empty. The catwalk completely retracted leaving only a narrow walkway across the screen at the end of the compartment.

  "Mark, Dian is in the woman's rest room."

  "What? Oh ya. She did say something about having to go. Godstar doesn't she know we have to catch up to our ride?"

  Busting into the women's rest room. "Dian come on, we need to get going." Taking a deep breath. My god woman flush. What did you eat last?" Looking around he noticed Dians legs under a stall with foot prints leading to it and then the covering of dust all over everything including a film on the mirrors over the sinks.

  "Just get out. This place stank when I walked in. I had to clean the damn toilet seat before I could even use it. Now leave. Can't a person have some privacy around you? What are you doing in the women's room to begin with? Get out."

  Mark walked out and paced up and down the passageway without going into the alcove in front of the elevator for a good minute then turning to the men's head he entered finding it just as dirty but with a trail leading to the urinals. It smelled a little but not half as bad as the other. He was just finishing his business when he heard a scream.

  Rushing out, he struggled to do himself up as he came out to find Dian standing in front of the open elevator. "What's wrong?" Mark demanded as Dian just stood their starring at the open door of the Elevator.

  "The door opened without me pushing anything while I was looking for you."

  "Ok. Well let’s get going it is a long walk down the hanger to the elevator and the flight line." Dian started following Mark as the elevator door closed.

  "Mark the elevator may take you there faster. My sensors tell me it is a three dimensional elevator system."

  "Ok sounds good." Mark stopped and turned around only to have Dian walk right into him.

  "Hey!" She explained. "I thought you were in a hurry. Besides I want to go home. I'm hungry."

  "Sorry let's try the elevator. It may save us some time and a lot of walking." Mark said pushing past her. He got a whiff of what he had smelled in the rest room.

  Dian followed as she wrinkled her nose. "Gee's! You need to brush your teeth dear."

  The elevator door closed behind them and sat their waiting. Looking around the only controls he could see was a screen beside the door. Finely leaning over toward it he said. Take us to the flight line please."

  "Specify which flight line please."

  Mark frowned then said. "The fighter flight line please."

  "I do not understand. Specify flight line A through K please."

  "Mark." Mickey interjected. "Why are you leaving your hip pack behind? We may need my remotes and you have items you cannot replace in it."

  "Godstar I forgot all about it. Elevator, open the door." Mark jumped out as the door opened. "Wait here Dian, I will be right back."

  "Where are you going Mark?" Dian said to Mark's disappearing back down the passageway.

  Mark ran in to the spacecraft evaluation compartment looking for his pack. "Damn Mickey, I tossed it to the deck on the side when I tried to cut Dian out of the other fighter." A large spot on the deck below amongst a row of side bulges on the deck next to the side bulkhead started flashing. Jumping to the ladder he had climbed up before, he dropped down and ran to the lit spot. The contents of the pack where strewn across the deck from when the pack had fallen. Grabbing up mickey's slides and the small tools he normally carried along with a few personal items he turned to leave and spotted a helmet laying a little farther down against the side bulkhead as he placed the little pack on his belt. The helmet was scarred across one side but looked in perfect shape. Picking it up he noticed more items scattered around the corners of the lower deck along with several more helmets. Most were obviously broken but a back pack caught his attention. Grabbing it up he headed back for the ladder and almost tripped over a helmet that looked small enough for Dian. Picking it up he noticed a small hole in the center of the back but it looked in good shape other than that. Grabbing it by the strap he climbed up the ladder and out to the elevator to find the door closed as he approached.

  The elevator door opened to an empty elevator with no Dian in sight. His heart suddenly jumped through his throat as he froze. His mouth did not want to move as he let out a squeak. "Godstar Dian! NO!"

  Dian leaned forward from the side and frowned as she looked around the corner and out t
he open door at Mark. "What is your problem now? Get in here so we can go."

  Mark walked into the elevator starring at her.

  She looked down at what Mark was carrying. "What the hell is all that."

  "Ah. Found a helmet for you. As for the pack, I don't know yet. I found it. Hopefully a bunch of neat junk. Probably just garbage." Mark held out the helmet for her to take.

  "Only you would think it was neat. Can we go? I am starving."

  "Ah ya. Ah. Elevator take us to flight line A." The elevator started up and Mark noticed that the sides of the elevator was transparent allowing them to see the sides of the shaft sliding past. They stopped and then instead of the door opening they started going sideways and picking up speed. They travelled for a very long time. "My Stars where the heck are we going?" The fighter cannot be that far away?" A map appeared at the corner of his glasses of the station and a line showing where they had traveled. They were headed at exactly 90 degrees from the direction they had landed in the hanger at and had left the station sliding out onto a long thin arm he had not even known was part of the station. Mickey's map showed them headed toward a cylinder several miles from the main body of the station.

  A few minutes later they popped up out of the cylinders hull into open space with a million stars surrounding them, the huge gas giant over them. The station behind them and the planet below the sides of the cylinder. The clear sides and top of the elevator showing a landing and takeoff strip running down the top of the long cigar shaped hull in front of them with marked clamp down spots for spacecraft in a line to either side of them. But not a fighter in sight. The panel screen started flashing red as a voice said. "Flight line A. Space suits are required to exit the car. Do you wish to exit the car?"

  "No!" Both Dian and Mark shouted at the same time.

  "Take us to Flight line B." Mark said without hesitating.

  The elevator dropped through the hull and down into a long empty hanger that took up most of the inside of the cylinder they had seen from the outside. The elevator stopped on the hanger deck. The ends of the cylinder had large hatches on both ends with the same type of rings they had landed through a half hour or so before running in from each end leaving a large open area in the center between them. The entire hanger was completely empty. "Elevator, take us to flight line C."

  The elevator dropped through the deck and quickly turned upside down as it popped out onto the bottom hull of the cigar again with a flight line surrounded by stars and again asked if they wanted to exit the car. “No!” They both shouted. “Take us to flight line D.” Mark said

  They made the long trip back to the station to have the door open with the rings above them and a row of fighter torpedo bombers stretching down along the wall of the hanger in front of them. Mark immediately stepped out and spotted the bright red fighter sitting across the hanger catty corner from them across the wide open area between the traps with the elevator they had landed on in the center now dark and barely visible. "Finely! Come on let's go." Mark took off walking.

  "No!" Dian said from the elevator as she peeked around the edge of the opening. "That must be a mile away. The elevator will get us right next to it."

  Mark stopped and turned around. "What? You have got to be kidding. We don't know the ID. Letter and it is just right there." He pointed at the fighter.

  "It has to be E, F or G." She said stubbornly as she backed up against the back bulkhead of the transparent elevator.

  Mark stomped into the elevator fuming. "It is just right there across the frigging hanger Dian."

  Dian smiled. "Elevator flight line E please."

  The elevator dropped down as Mark leaned against the back bulkhead next to Dian still holding the pack and helmet. The elevator stopped and then ran straight ahead below the hanger. Stopping again it raised back up into the bulkhead behind that flight line as it turned around 180 degrees to open the door. Mark closed his eyes and pointed to the left as he frowned and said tight lipped. "It is over there now 2/3rds of a mile instead of across."

  "Elevator flight line F please." Dian said. The elevator dropped again and ran straight ahead below the hanger and then slid sideways until it stopped and rose slowly turned around again and up to finely stop.

  As the doors opened Mark raised his hand and pointed straight ahead at the bright red fighter across the hanger at the head of the line of X-wing fighters. "Is this close enough for you yet."

  "It still looks like it is a half mile away. Elevator, flight line G please."

  Again the elevator dropped and slid ahead under the hanger deck then turned as it raised up and the door opened up to show the red fighter only a hundred feet off to one side. "You dizzy yet?" Mark picked up the pack and helmet and stiff legged it out of the elevator toward the fighter.

  "See how much closer we are now. Isn't this better?"

  Mark glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "Ya much better." As he walked toward the fighter sitting up on its fully extended landing legs with a full load of missiles hanging out below it. He shook his head. "Ok Mickey how the heck do we get up to the cock pit?"

  "I accessed the manual files on the fighter Mark. Lines and schematics again appeared superimposed over the fighter as he approached giving him all the details of the internal equipment of the fighter including the missiles hidden inside the weapons bays. But then he had already seen the basics.

  "This is nice Mickey but I still do not know how to get up to the cockpit and open the canopy. They have to have something like a telescoping ladder."

  "Just give me a minute as I go through everything. Evidentially they figure you should already know something as basic as opening the canopy and extending the ladder." A ladder in the schematic appeared extending down from the lower side of the fighter with steps in the fuselage to the cockpit but the real fighter stood sleek and bare of anything resembling a ladder. "I cannot find any instructions anywhere concerning the ladder and opening the canopy except for emergency ejections or rescue. It talks about an access panel controller but does not show where it is."

  Mark stopped next to the fighter and dropped the pack and placed the helmet on top of the pack. Looking around that side of the fighter where Mickey had showed the ladder extending from the pilots side he just shook his head. "Got to be some kind of release or switch. What does your scanner tell you Mickey?"

  "I, I cannot penetrate the side of the fuselage very well with my low powered scanners. It is designed to absorb all radiation without reflecting any."

  "Godstar there has to be an easy way to release the ladder." Mark stood back studying the side shaking his head.

  Dian caught up to him and looked at him puzzled. "What is the problem? You were in so much of a hurry to get here so why don't you climb up so we can go?"

  Mark looked around shaking his head. "I have to figure out how to get in first. I don't see any signs saying open says me."

  Dian frowned and then stepped up to the fuselage and put her finger against the skin and pushed. A panel popped open showing a screen with a line drawing of the forward fuselage on it. She tapped an icon showing a ladder and then another one showing a canopy. The ladder extended and the canopy opened. She started climbing the ladder.

  "So that is where that control panel is." Mickey simply said.

  Mark closed his mouth and stepped forward grabbing onto the top of her pants. "Ah Stop."

  "What is your problem?” She turned around half way up the ladder and looked at Mark. "It looked like a latch. What can I say?"

  "No, that is fine ah. This is the pilot's side. You have to climb up on the other side."

  "Why? I can just climb over onto the other seat if you insist on sitting on this side."

  Mark remembered the three Dee schematic of the cockpit with all its controls and switches that were on the central console between the seats and in the way of just climbing over from one seat to the other. Not at all like the big wide soft console of the other civilianized version they had flown up in. The sch
ematic even showed what looked like some kind of tub for each crewman instead of the wide lush cushioned leather seats. "Please no. You need to go around too…"

  She continued up the ladder as Mark held on tight pulling her pants down over her bare butt since she had not bothered to put her panties back on.

  At the sight of her butt wiggling up the ladder he let go. Wrinkling up his nose at the smell that washed over him he backed up at first but then promptly forgot everything as he looked at her beautiful bare behind. Dian let out a little squeal then wiggled her butt as she reached around to pull up her pants. "Hey later love."

  He shook his head smiling from ear to ear and bit his lip as the thought of having more of that overwhelmed him. He watched her climb over the lip of the canopy and as she disappeared from sight he suddenly remembered all the switches and things that could get broken if she stepped or pulled on them wrong. “No. Stop.” Jumping up the ladder he crested the edge of the cockpit to see her gingerly step from one tub to the other as she bent over holding onto the open canopy seaming to miss the hundreds of switches and displays. She carefully slid into the tub and then smiled over at him. "See no problem."

  Mark sighed with relief. "Ya no problem. Don't touch anything. I don't know what half of the damn switches do yet so you could fire a missile if you hit the wrong switch." Taking a deep breath as he continued to look around for a few seconds identifying the various, systems and controls. "Just don't touch anything." He climbed up and gingerly sat down into the tub that was nothing like the seats of the recon fighter they had flown up in, the weapons officer sat much lower and seemed a little farther to the rear of the pilot allowing the pilot a better view all around while giving the weapons officer a larger screen to work with.

  "Ok Mickey how do you start this thing?"