Wandering Engineer 6: Pirates Bane

by Chris Hechtl

  <----*----*----*---->

  Irina Nobeki followed Captain Doe after they left the emergency locker. She'd follow him anywhere if it led them to freedom. Just getting this far was incredibly promising. Hope tore at her, but she put it aside, she had to focus.

  Grimly she nodded to Marcus as he kept watch of their flank at the junctions. The important thing was to move quickly, but not look like they were skulking around. She checked on the rest of the team. All were in place. Doe had the lead; he didn't seem to look about him, just moved with purpose. Irina vowed to keep up.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Jed on the Phoenix glared at the food replicator. It was down, nothing worked on the crate. He sighed and peeled an MRE. He hated the damn things, this one was ancient, but he had no other choice. It wasn't like he could pop on over to the ship for a meal. Hell no. He wasn't stupid enough to ask either.

  There were three of them on the little ship. They were supposed to get her running again, fat chance on that. Like the other ships her reactor was cold. She was also out of fuel, just drifting helplessly. He didn't like the feeling, it niggled at him a bit, bothered him. Still he didn't mind getting dibs on stuff.

  Unfortunately most of the damn place had been ransacked already. Anything of value that hadn't been nailed down had been taken. That well and truly sucked. He'd used a screwdriver to get a few bits that he thought might come in handy on the black market, but not a whole hell of a lot.

  He turned, waiting for the tiny centimeter heater to work its magic and looked around. They had cleaned up the mess of plants. He wasn't sure why the guy had bothered maybe he just liked them. He frowned, spotting the laundry machine.

  He went over and whistled softly. New and in good condition if he was lucky... he thought closing his eyes and praying briefly. “If I can only be so lucky,” he thought, hoping there was something good inside that the others had overlooked. He yanked the door open and started to paw inside.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Captain Hathaway was in a foul mood. The explosion of the auto guns in the bridge had taken out two of his personnel, and crewman Franks would be in sickbay for weeks. He would be sitting on his useless ass, doing nothing.

  He thought about giving one of his wayward crew in the brig an early reprieve for good behavior just to fill the hole, but decided he couldn't seem to look weak. Bard had reported something was up, the prisoners were restless and the new guy was right at the heart of things. Either he would kick things off and he would cut it off at the knees, or it would continue to simmer. Most likely the new guy was impatient to try something, but the old sweats would be cautious to follow him. From the sound of Bard's reports it was a tossup. The new ship was as troublesome as its former Captain.

  Sometimes he regretted placing Bard in the brig. He was a damn good noncom but he had a hell of a time controlling his mouth. Not that that was what had landed him in the brig. No, he hadn't sent him there to punish him; he had sent him in as a spy and to maintain control of the brig. He was supposed to head crap like this off before it got going. That had all changed.

  It all came back to Doe. He didn't like it, that small fleet launch in the courier's tiny boat bay was in pristine condition. That spoke of someone with incredible engineering skills.

  Hathaway shook his head in irritation. He wanted to think he was getting paranoid that he was jumping at ghosts but he really didn't like where this was going. His instincts said something was very wrong. He also didn't like the report that the bastard had injured his people. The broken knee... that was what had gotten Blye and Bard frothing at the mouth to get even. They would, but they had to find the right leverage to do so.

  The bridge interrupted his mussing with a call on his communicator. “Captain. This had better be important,” he growled.

  “Ah, yes sir, patching you through to Phoenix,” the bridge rating said.

  “Sir?”

  “Yes? What is it?” The Captain growled.

  “Um, sir, sorry to bother you, but we've found something unusual and well, we thought we'd better bring it to your attention.”

  “Oh really. And you think jumping the chain of command is a good thing?” the Captain asked mildly.

  “Sorry sir. We, well, I know Lieutenant Blye is in um, his quarters now so...”

  “So you didn't want to disturb him but you didn't mind disturbing me?” the Captain asked, with just a hint of cool disapproval in his voice.

  “Um, no, I, um, it's not like that sir, um...”

  “Spit it out,” the Captain growled.

  “As you say sir. We're in the laundry and well; we found some odd pieces of clothing. Well, one in particular. It's a uniform.”

  “Really?” Listening thoughtfully, he frowned. “Describe them for me,” he ordered.

  “Well sir, they are clean, being in the laundry that's to be expected. But the one that got me is the overalls. They are gray, with pockets.”

  “So?”

  “So it is in remarkably good condition sir. Mint. And it's a fabricated uniform sir, not a hand sewn one. You can tell by the lack of stitching on the seams. And there are stars on the collar.”

  “Stars?”

  “Yes sir. And faint bars on the sleeves and on the shoulders. Odd isn't it?”

  “Yes...” the Captain mused, and then froze in sudden recognition. The mystery Captain appeared to be a Federation fleet officer, possibly even a flag officer!

  Wonder coursed though him. How could he still be alive? Stasis probably he thought as he turned and scowled at a bulkhead. He was a prize beyond any they had yet gathered… and a possible danger.

  Quickly he ordered the crew members to check for implant jacks, and frowned at the confirmation that came through moments later. The computers on his ship would be no match for a full Federation implant tech! There were hard-wired overrides throughout the hardware! Panic set in briefly before it faded as he remembered something important. That might be, but the sneaky bastard was in the brig. Fat lot of good his techno wizardry did in there! There weren't any jacks in there he reasoned.

  Suddenly he remembered his previous encounter. Could he have done something, remote accessed the guns? Could he... he frowned. And then he remembered that the unknown man was en-route to his quarters. The Captain got an icy feeling of danger, a lump in his stomach.

  “Bridge! Get me the whereabouts of the prisoner ASAP!” He thundered at the bridge.

  “Aye sir,” the bridge officer stuttered in surprise.

  In a moment there was a response. “Last report is that he is under chain and heavy guard on his way to your quarters sir.”

  “No sign of trouble?”

  “No sir. Given his behavior in the brig they doubled up on his escort just in case. And one of the men with him is Riltch sir. He's good.”

  “I know,” the Captain said as he felt almost orgasmic relief at that news. Riltch was a bastard, a smart one though. “Very well. As you were,” he said, cutting the connection.

  Nodding, he turned to continue his journey to confront the mystery man. He may be someone who liked to pretend to be an Admiral. He'd soon find out.

  <----*----*----*---->

  “Admiral, you've been made. I've just monitors a radio transmission, Phoenix didn't interrupt it because he didn't want to give the game away. Unfortunately we didn't put a filter or a lag on the transmission so it went through.”

  “Bad?” the Admiral asked, waving to Miller, the point man to hold up. Miller got the signal and passed it on to Enric before the smaller man could bump into him. Irons didn't like that he hadn't had time to get to know his team, but things were moving too fast for that. He had to trust in luck and in surprise.

  “Bad enough. The Captain suspects who you are.”

  “Shit. Tell Phoenix to stop pussy footing around. Go to stage four,” he said. “Just Phoenix. Then warn the others,” he said. “They could have trouble.”

  “More than they bargained for. Got it. I'm uncertai
n how well Phoenix will be able to...”

  Phoenix had contemplated its role in the plan when Sprite had uploaded the plan. For all of a microsecond the AI cursed his current disability. Still, the AI complied the best it could. First it cut off the radio signal from the three Horathians on board and then flushed the ship, venting its atmosphere. In seconds all three were terminated.

  “Okay, never mind, I stand corrected. Problem children solved. Permanently. They are sucking vacuum,” Sprite said dryly.

  “Good,” Irons replied. “I've got a moment, replay the conversation. Is it brief? It is isn't it?” he asked.

  “It is, playing now.”

  A few moments later Admiral Irons shut off the recording and frowned. The Captain had obviously managed to get some of his identity, and his leap to the implants may cause a complication.

  They had segmented the mainframe into separate systems, so the AI's hacking was severely downgraded; at least until he reached engineering or the bridge where all access to each of the computer network was available. The AIs were slowly pulling the wool over the bridge watch's eyes, carefully substituting the AI's crafted sensor readings for the real thing.

  “Admiral, two more crew members have been caught, but two others are now awake and trying to escape,” Sprite informed him.

  “Shit.”

  “They lack hand held communicators, I've disabled the communication panels in their quarters. Franx is near his objective, as is Gustov. They will be in position about the same time you will be. Gustov had to take a roundabout route. I had to direct him around some trouble spots.”

  “Oh?” Irons asked. “Anything I need to be aware of?” He wasn't sure about Gustov. He was one he hadn't gotten to know well.

  “Work parties mostly. And one jogger.”

  “Very well, continue.”

  “McGuyver’s life support module is the one that feeds the bridge.”

  “Understood. Sindri?”

  “He's out of contact. Proteus couldn't give him or Captain McGuyver an implant package.”

  “I know,” Irons replied. Ten of the prisoners had been out when he had given the others implants. That sucked, but he had to work with what he had.

  “Engineering is lightly manned, just a power watch since it is grave yard.”

  “Good.”

  Centrally located at the very core of the ship, the bridge was the other key to their taking the ship successfully the Bridge and main engineering. Signaling to his team with his hands, Admiral Irons stepped up into a trot to get to the bridge. Once they had that he would feel better about the situation, and then they could do something about Ian, Sindri, and the others.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Franx was excited. So far they hadn’t tipped anyone off, he had split his team to secure the life support module, each taking different paths. The implants in his body spooked him, but the quick explanation by what was apparently was an AI awed him even more.

  He was still fumbling with the implants, but at least he had them. He treasured them, and he treasured the information they had even more. The plan was going well, the AI briefed him from time to time. A map and a bullet point spread sheet were in his vision. If he looked at either it would zoom in so he could see everything. He loved it.

  The mystery Captain’s AI was helping them, directing them around Horathian crew members and warning them to duck and cover when necessary.

  Gustov would have the tricky objective. The armory was near the bow, under the forward magazines so they could get interference from any missile techs on duty, allowing the armory to gain manpower. The powered marine armor was troubling; the escapees lacked any heavy weapons.

  Along the way to their objectives they had gathered up additional re-breathers, each person taking two just in case. Twice they had had to stop and wait around a corner for a person to pass, always anxious that the man would come their way. They were determined to win, so killing the bastard was always there on their minds, but so was the possibility of someone raising an alarm. So far so good though.

  He glanced at the clock counting down as they entered the electrical room. “Kick off time in five,” he murmured to the others. Grimly they all nodded.

  Chapter 10

  Turning the tables

  At the final bend to the armory, Gustov stopped his team and took a deep breath. His team was ready, as were most of the others. According to the tablet and his implants, Kinja was still out of position, as was the mysterious Captain. Raoul had already taken his objective, and they now had control of that module.

  Sisko was in place, but the computer password was slowing them down. Tapping the tablet, Gustov had the AI bring up a map of the corridor beyond and the probable location of the guard.

  The guard shack was inside the armories main hatch, and would be difficult. Hearing a commotion, Gustov took a quick peek around the corner and felt some relief. Franx had split his team to secure the bow life support module but had found it unmanned. He had reported it to the AI who had informed him to leave Wella and George to take control of the module and hold it. Franx had redirected himself and his two people here as back up.

  Gustov nodded to the captain as he silently watched the counter cascade down and took a deep breath. Straightening his collar, he nodded to the team and moved around the corner and into the corridor. Franx joined him at the hatch as he pushed the open button. Entering the room they turned to see the guard with his feet up, cleaning his gun out of position.

  However it was a small ship, and all the guards knew the prisoners faces. A single look was all it took to give Gustov away.

  The guard reacted with lethal speed, rolling to the floor and shooting Franx and winging Gustov. Two more escaped prisoners’ charged the hatch, rolling into the room and firing blind. The guard desperately tried to reach the communicator, but a dying Franx shot it to pieces in his hand before collapsing in death with a small smile.

  Gustov grimaced at the death of his friend and fired, trying to ricochet a round down at the hidden guard. They only had moments before someone heard the shots, or the computer detected them and reacted. His tablet went off and he grabbed his mask and hastily put it on as rounds hit the desk he was behind. One of his back up was still in the corridor, trying to fire around the gap.

  One of Franx's team was hit, his left leg was shredded and he was grimly trying to control the bleeding. Gustov signaled to him with hand signs and then to the others to put their masks on as he grabbed the tourniquet and twisted it. A hissing sound from the above vent made him smile. Right on time.

  The guard was frantic now, but almost out of rounds. Within ten seconds he was out, and Gustov stood warily. One of the team grabbed his arm to stop the bleeding and he looked to him then shrugged it off. It was only a scratch. He turned to the sleeping guard and grimly put a round through his forehead, then used the tablet to report success.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Admiral Irons received the report and nodded. He didn't like losing Franx, but at least the man had died doing what he had wanted to do, fight. Only the bridge, engineering, and the starboard midships compartments remained. All crew in the sickbay, port midships and aft were down, slumped or fallen to the deck wherever they had been at the time the life support plant had flooded their compartments with carbon monoxide and ether.

  “Kinja here. We are on station,” Kinja reported, cutting into his reverie. He nodded, checking the map. She and her team were indeed on station, the engineering compartment had been flooded by gas and the Horathians were down. He had her take two to secure the room, then send a team to the doors to secure the Captain’s quarters.

  Irons tapped his HUD and checked on McGuyver and Sindri. Most of the shackled prisoners of his work party were still at work. The guard was wary, but it looked like he hadn’t received warning yet. McGuyver silently acknowledged the signal when Irons flashed him on a monitor. Ian used his body to block the view of the screen briefly. He smiled darkly and nodded slowly.
He knew what was going on. Good.

  Turning to the last bend before the bridge access, Admiral Irons paused and held up a fist to stop. Impatiently his people paused behind him. The Admiral turned and jacked into the available communication panel. He heard a slight hiss and turned to his crew. It was a hiss of disbelief though, not of warning so he ignored it.

  He checked around the corner, using the camera mounted on the ceiling in the mirrored bubble. The Horathian Captain was outside his quarters, and dressing down the guard there for sleeping on the job.

  Grimacing, Admiral Irons turned to the bridge readouts. Sprite's prior sabotage had taken out the bridge recorder, so he couldn’t get a view of the bridge. When he had been taken there the guard had been stationed at the door, there had been a bot in an alcove as well, so if they moved fast they might be able to take him out before the bot was activated. Only the watch officer was also armed, causing another problem.

  “Follow me,” he said quietly.

  Rushing the door, Admiral Irons stunned the guard, dropping him, but the watch officer reacted cat like and shot a disruptor. The Admiral’s shields took the brunt of the damage, dropping his power below forty percent.

  The corona of the blast ripped into the unprotected team behind him, and two went down flopping to the deck with massive seizures. The third used the doorway as cover. In the room ratings manning their posts dropped behind any object or couch they could find for cover.

  Admiral Irons grimaced as he got to cover and heard the watch officer calling an alert. “Mutiny! Set condition one!” The Captain responded as did the guard watching McGuyver’s team.

  Irons saw, and was helpless to intervene as the guard turned warily to the prisoners.

  <----*----*----*---->

  Ian received the signal for the uprising and scowled. He was screwed; he had little chance to jump Clancy. The guy was no fool and he took his job seriously. He wasn't a bastard like the others; he was another apparent newcomer they hadn't corrupted yet.