Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1)

by Burger, Jeffrey

  "Geez," groaned Mike, "Look at the way this guy's dressed."

  "Can't say much for his tailor," added Derrik, tamping a pinch full of tobacco into his pipe.

  Jack shook his head in amazement, "The guy looks like he just walked out of a pirate movie."

  Raulya shushed them with a wave of her hand, "He's going to speak."

  "Good day, Captain. Let me commend you on your intelligent choice of cooperation. Resistance is not only unwise, but very dangerous. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Captain Joshua Kidd." The expression on Gant's face changed noticeably. "Ah, I see my reputation has preceded me. Don't be alarmed Captain, most of the stories you've heard are greatly over exaggerated. Trust me. If you cooperate fully, no harm will come to you, your crew, or your passengers."

  "Yeah, sure. And the check's in the mail," mumbled Brian.

  "Easy buddy, time to play the game..." Jack had his hand covering the mini-mic on his headset and half turned to Derrik without looking away from the screen, "Is it my imagination or does this guy have an English accent?"

  Derrik took a long draw on his pipe and the aromatic smoke curled from his lips. "Sounds more like Scotch or Welsh actually..."

  "Hmmm..." Jack stroked his mustache and pulled on his lower lip in contemplation then shook his head. "Nah, couldn't be. It's too far fetched..."

  "What is?" asked Pappy.

  "I'm just thinking back through my high school history and there seem to be a bunch of parallels here, probably coincidences but..."

  "But what?" interrupted Brian. "C'mon, out with it!"

  "Well... the insignia on the ship, this guy's name, his accent... there was a pirate in the seventeenth century, Captain William Kidd, died at the turn of the century..."

  "Hanged in 1701 I believe," said Derrik.

  "Yeah, about then."

  "And I do believe he was Scottish," added the British pilot, staring at the glowing embers in his pipe. "Are you thinking this chap is a relative of some sort?"

  "It crossed my mind, but even with all the parallels...” Jack had to admit the evidence was so thin it was nearly nonexistent, it was all supposition and conjecture. Simple circumstantial coincidences that were ridiculous to even consider, like something written into a low budget 'B' movie plot. But still, there was something telling him he was on the right track – the little voice in his head and his gut had ganged up on him and were both nudging him in the same direction... he had learned to listen to and trust those lifelong companions.

  Maria rose from her seat. "Oh you can't be serious! How would he get out here?"

  "Same way we did," snorted Brian. "Ships disappeared at sea all the time. Who's to say what happened to them or where they went?"

  Paul wanted to inject some sanity to this discussion. "I think we're reaching a bit here..."

  “Maybe Pappy," said Jack, "maybe not. Point is, he's human. So chances are, he's doing it out of simple greed. That makes it easier on us because we know what to bait him with and what his reactions are more likely to be.”

  "Well, you're going to get to try out your theory," interrupted Myomerr, “he's sending over a boarding party." The conversation died and all attention turned back to the pirate on the vidscreen. Captain Joshua Kidd was fairly well spoken but terribly long-winded and incredibly pompous. The pilots had allowed their attention to drift, but Myomerr had listened to every word, "Their boarding shuttle will land in our bay in about fifteen minutes. He also asked about the exact dimensions of the landing bay and its doors. Gant promised to cooperate fully."

  Paul nodded. "I knew it, he's wants the whole ship..."

  "He must have a bigger crew than we thought,' added Mike.

  "Time out," interrupted Jack with a wave. "Let's not jump to conclusions..." Captain Kidd signed off and the screen flickered as the picture winked out to be replaced by the view of the pirate cruiser. "And at this point it really doesn't matter. He's a criminal dirtbag who needs to go down. Ok, let's get to the landing bay. We've got company coming and we want everything to look nice."

  Maria rolled her eyes. "You are nuts, aren't you?"

  “Crazy," he corrected, “not nuts. Nuts implies I don't have a choice.” He winked and everyone laughed as they filed out of the ready room into the corridor.

  As the pilots and security people boarded the air cars bound for the flight bay, Gant joined them. He would have to meet the pirate boarding party and guide them to the bridge so they could assume command, or at least, that's what they were to believe.

  There were just a little over one hundred security personnel assigned to duty on the Princess Hedonist and Jack could contact them all via his communications headset. Split into groups of ten, he would be able to assign them wherever he needed. All passengers had been confined to quarters and the corridors were deserted.

  Jack could feel the butterflies in his stomach as the air cars whistled through the empty corridors towards the flight bay. Taking a deep breath, he closed his mind to the silent torrent of what ifs attempting to muddy his decisions. The ride was fairly void of conversation, each person wrestling with their own doubts and fears or perhaps praying to their own God.

  The silence in the corridor was almost ominous and it was obvious the group was somewhat unnerved. Fortunately the flight bay was directly the opposite and there was too much to do to be preoccupied with plagues of the mind.

  The entire body of the security department was waiting when the group arrived from the bridge and questions came from all sides. The pilots left Raulya and Myomerr to deal with their people and moved on to quickly check on other preparations.

  The two crates of twenty-four M-1 carbines had been unloaded from the Sweet Susie and lay in a neat row on a tarp stretched across the deck in front of the control tower. The ammunition had been carefully loaded into the mags, several of which lay beside each weapon. Containers of various sizes removed from the storage areas along the Port and Starboard sides of the landing bay were scattered in neat groups and rows around the flight deck. The towering columns of stores appeared completely full and untouched, as all the containers had been drawn from the rear, so their true presence on the flight deck could not be guessed.

  From the level of the deck, everything appeared normal. Full storage areas on the outer edges, shuttles and work craft scattered about in various stages of maintenance or repair, tow and transport vehicles moving about and excess storage containers placed in easily accessible places about the deck. Yes, it looked like a completely innocent landing bay... but nothing like its usual neat and tidy appearance.

  The reason for the deviously placed clutter was not apparent, until viewed from the upper level of the control tower.

  The six pilots stood on the observation deck of the control tower and surveyed the massive flight bay below. At about a half a mile long and a half a mile wide including the storage areas, the bay was just short of seven million square feet. As impressive as its size was, that's not what was holding their attention. It was the curious arrangement of the storage containers that spread out from the base of the control tower and flanked the touch down pad.

  "Check it out," pointed Mike, "it's a maze..."

  Paul smiled wickedly as the realization dawned on him, "Not a maze kid, a gauntlet! Look, see..." he pointed. "It protects the exits and restricts their use. If you don't know the route, you get cut off..." He turned to Jack, "Very clever, Mr Steele, so, what's the game plan?"

  Jack went on to explain as quickly as possible. Basically, it would be divide and conquer. Surprise would be their key element to success, although there would be a good deal of play acting and some careful misdirection to boot. The two Navy F18 Hornets and the Sweet Suzie would be the bait to divert Joshua Kidd's attention. Worth a fortune
on the collector's market, they would be very desirable. The catch was, he'd have to get his ship into the bay to load them. Chances were, this was his intention to begin with, but Jack wanted a clincher.

  The stats showed, the pirate cruiser would fit in the bay with room to spare, but the door clearance was going to be a bit tight. Jack felt the incentives were enough for the pirate to overlook any possible risks. He hoped he was right.

  "Pirate shuttle with boarding party on final approach." The tiny voice spoke into the ear of every crew person wearing a communications headset.

  Jack keyed his mic, "Have all the weapons been distributed?"

  “Yes, sir...”

  "Good. Ok, places everybody. It's show time!"

  "I say! You weren't thinking of starting without me. Were you?" The pilots turned to meet the voice as Professor Edgars stepped off the lift and onto the observation deck, an M1 carbine cradled casually in his right arm. He looked perfectly at home in the loose fitting, British issue, military fatigues.

  Jack raised one eyebrow as Fritz ran to his side. "Professor! What are you doing here?"

  "Uncle did a tour of duty in Vietnam in the late sixties," stated Derrik matter-of-factly.

  "Leftenant Edgars reporting for duty, sir." He executed a very proper British military salute. "Never could stand to miss a promising scrap." He winked. "Your pooch has been following me since brunch at the Ecosphere so he just came along, naturally."

  "Naturally." Steele sighed. "Ok, well, I'm not going to turn down any offer - we can use all the help we can get. Professor, stick with Derrik. Let's go, people." They hustled to the lift and began their decent.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  PRINCESS HEDONIST, LAN SYSTEM: HIJACKED

  Fritz sat at Jack's side and happy to have located him, searched for an approving hand. When the hand stroked his head and scratched behind his ears, he closed his eyes and leaned appreciatively against his friend's right leg. Jack crouched down behind the storage containers at the edge of the touchdown pad as the pirate shuttle settled to the deck. Fritz looked up into the face he knew so well and welcomed the strong arm draped across his shoulders. "You," said Jack, poking the dog playfully on the nose, "gotta do exactly as you're told. Ok? No Mr. Mischief stuff, I don't want you gettin' hurt. Understand?"

  He knew there wasn't a better dog anywhere, but wished he could make him understand completely. Jack stared down at the sparkling eyes like polished black Onyx and couldn't help smiling. The dog's tail swayed slowly. "Beep beep." Jack squeezed the dog's nose and watched him make a sneeze face. He snorted instead, wagging his tail, never taking his eyes off the pilot.

  Communications were brief as information was exchanged from team to team in an effort to keep abreast of the situation as it developed. Each call would chirp before the comm started and chirped again at the end. "Here they come." Jack recognized Brian's voice on the comm set and peeked through the space between the containers. He could see the pirates disembarking from the shuttle.

  Dressed in mechanic's overalls, Jack and the others could move about in general anonymity, but with over fifty extra people in the bay, all armed, he felt it best to keep everyone in concealment.

  Gantarro stood off to one side of the ship with another officer and greeted the pirates warmly. That's it, thought Jack, make them feel at home. No threat, complete cooperation. Jack's view was partially blocked by the shuttle, but Brian was positioned on the other side. "How many do you count, Bri?"

  "Looks like twenty, give-r-take one or two. All armed too. I don't see their Commander though."

  "Ok." Jack didn't expect Kidd to be with the boarding party, too risky. Better to find out if the natives are friendly first.

  Almost immediately, the pirates spotted the two F18 Hornets on Brian's side of the bay and wanted to know more. They gestured wildly with excitement and appeared to quiz Gantarro. Several crewmen stayed with the shuttle as sentries, the others moved closer to the Hornets for a closer look.

  "Jack, they're asking Gant about the other plane and all the crew people."

  Steele wondered how they knew there was another plane. The Sweet Susie was on his side of the bay and they couldn't have seen it yet. And how did they know about the pilots? "Something's fishy, Bri."

  "Maybe it'll be ok, Gant told `em we stole a shuttle and disappeared about three weeks ago."

  "Did they buy it?"

  "I'm not sure, but it looks like they did."

  ■ ■ ■

  Several times, Brian and Jack had to order their people to retreat to a more rearward position in order to prevent discovery as the pirates inspected containers and their contents. More than once, discovery was mere inches away... Brian sat curled in a ball, his Colt .45, a semi-auto 1911 style pistol, clutched tightly in his hand. Concealed by a group of storage crates, he fought to control his breathing as a pirate opened the container directly behind him. If he decided to go farther back, Brian was sure he'd be discovered. Guiding his people rearward, the pilot had been cut off by wandering members of the boarding party and now he was trapped. He held the .45 close to his chest with his finger resting along the side of the frame and longed to wipe the sweat from his hands. He dared not put the weapon down, knowing that would be the moment he'd be discovered. Brian caressed the safety with his thumb and wondered how much noise it would make if he released it now.

  Bored with the results of his rummaging, the pirate decided to explore further. Secretly stuffing into his tunic the only desirable item he found in the container, he stepped around the stack of crates. The pirate paused only twenty-four inches from Brian's feet and adjusted his tunic as he attempted to decide which stack of crates to pillage next. A half turn to his right and he'd have to be blind not to see the pilot curled on the floor at his feet.

  Brian stiffened, his finger moving to the trigger and his thumb resting heavily on the safety release. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and stung his eyes, but he refused to blink. Instead, he angled the barrel of the .45 so the first slug would hit the pirate in the temple. The first indication of discovery, would seal the pirate's fate. Brian held his breath... As the pirate stood, hands on hips and surveyed the landscape of containers, the nervous tension of Brian's thumb, released the .45's safety with a click that sounded deafening to him. A sudden chill raced up his back as he realized the pirate had to have heard the noise...

  "Bakir..! Bakir let's go! Kidd wants us on the bridge!"

  The pirate shrugged his shoulders heavily and shook his head, "Bakir, Bakir," he mimicked sarcastically. The exasperated pirate sighed and mumbled quietly, "Bakir do this, Bakir do that, the Captain wants this, the Captain wants that... Oh no! Can't disappoint the Captain, by God..." When he turned to depart, he turned away from the exposed pilot.

  Unbeknownst to the disgruntled pirate, that simple act saved his life... for now.

  Brian took a deep gulp of fresh air and gently clicked the safety back on before dropping the .45 into his lap. He wiped his shaking hands on his coveralls. It took him several moments before he could hear the comm pickup over the pounding in his ears. "You Ok Brian?"

  "Sure, Skipper, I'm fine," he croaked, as he stared at his still-trembling hands. "Christ that was close."

  "Too close... but a good job keeping it together there. Listen, the boarding party is headed to the bridge. It looks like Kidd is moving us off the trade route..."

  "That's good, right?"

  "Yeah, the First Officer says Kidd's bringing his ship in. The boarding party will take control of the bridge and move us to a meeting spot."

  Brian stretched his legs from their cramped position and winced, "You sure that thing'll fit in here?"

  "God, I sure hope so, it's our best chance." Jack checked over the top of the con
tainers to spy on the pirate sentries near the shuttle. "By all the numbers, it should slide right in."

  "Tell me again, what're we gonna' do with it, when we get it in here?"

  Jack smiled to himself, "We take his ship."

  "Uh huh. That's what I thought you said. Just wanted to make sure I didn't dream it." Brian leaned back against the storage container and wiped the sweat from his eyes. It was time for everyone to take a little breather.

  "Commander Steele..." the voice was soft on his comm unit, little more than a whisper.

  "This is Steele, go ahead."

  "First Officer here... We've reached the meeting place. Kidd has recalled his fighters. As soon as they've been recovered, he's planning to board... cruiser and all. He's completely convinced we will offer no resistance."

  Jack acknowledged as he watched the pirate sentries through the spaces between the storage containers. They must have already gotten their orders because they were moving their shuttle to the far side of the landing pad to make room for the sizable bulk of the pirate cruiser.

  Supervised by the pirates, two of the landing bay work crews were busy moving containers and equipment back for the same reason. "Stand by to receive pirate cruiser." The announcement echoed over the bay's address system. "Entering final approach. Landing Guidance Officer to the tower, please. Landing Observers to the pad."

  Jack realized the increasing flurry of activity would hide any excess personnel and their movement. "Ok, boys and girls, let's take our places, the real show's about to start." He instructed those with inferior stun weapons to maintain positions up close. Since the stun weapons were small and concealable, many took positions with the crews on the landing pad. Jack, armed with his .45 1911, was concealed on the fringe of the landing pad, while the others who had carbines, took positions further back, which offered them a wider field of fire.

  ■ ■ ■