Trampship Wars 2

by L. D. Roberts

  Flipping the helmet up , Mark came face to face with the man he had taken the plasma cutter away from. "Commander Sir. This is my job. I will cut you a door big enough to get the lifeboats through if that is what you want."

  "You know it is against regulations to cut a main bulkhead without authorization don't you?" Mark asked the man.

  "Never read them Sir. Just tell me were to cut." And held out his hand.

  Mark gave him the torch and helmet with some relief . "All yours McGee but we need it big enough for the APC’s as well."

  Another man yelled. "Commander! How wide did you say you wanted this?"

  Mark turned around to see the a man that had been cutting up one of the other boats kneeling with a laser tape next to the bulkhead about a dozen feet away. A cutter in the other hand. "Oh 12 feet by 10 should do it Rick. No. 14 wide so we have plenty of room to get the APC’s through without any trouble.” Taking a breath. “No, 14 foot 6 inch by 10 foot 6 inch to make room to install for a hatch.”

  "The man waited with a smile for a good 15 seconds half minute until he was sure Mark was not going to change his mind again . Repeated the measurements and , then flipped his helmet down and started blowing a hole in the bulkhead to start the cut. His leathers protecting him from the splatter.

  Mark smiled. "Mickey get me the machine fabrication shop. They are going to need to make hatches for these holes." Turning to the Chief. "Will you do the same to the other bay or do I have to do it?"

  "It is your butt Commander but I will do it." Said the Chief.

  "Good Chief. Mark headed for the ladder. "You are going to have to make sure it gets done Chief. I have to head for the base and see what I can do about getting us some liferafts to replace these junk boats ."

  "Commander! Is it true that if we don't have enough life boats that we can't launch?"

  Mark was surprised at how fast word got around after only talking to the Captain an hour or so ago about it. "That is what I was told Chief." Then started to leave but stopped at the hatch. He would have liked to have stayed longer to at least make sure that they at least got the basics of the hatches down right. But he needed to head for the base. Something he could not put off any longer even if he was waiting for Captain Summers to call him after sending a message that he was thinking about helping them with the other AI’s.

  "Mickey; have you heard anything from Captain Summers yet."

  “Sorry Mark. No.”

  Mark had stopped by and talked to his father about his mission as soon as he had left the Captain's office. His father had suggested that waiting for the Captain to call him would put him in a better position for negotiating a favorable deal. If he had the time to wait. But Mark was running out of time. With her not returning his call he had to do something negative answer . "Get Captain Summers on the com Mickey."

  "Yes Mark. I have been tracking her phone all morning. She is on the other side of the planet. I believe at one of the AI installations. The military come traffic has all the indications of trouble with news reports from the city of some emergency at the Planet’s city's main trade tower with massive deaths reported. She is probably very busy. Do you still want to call her?"

  "Yes Mickey." Mark stood there watching the torches cut the hole. Not really paying much attention but with no place he really needed to go until he found out what he needed or could do. M ore worried about what he was going to say to the English Captain that hated him , taking up his thoughts as he stood hanging onto the open hatch. As a rating pushed past him Mark turned and started wondering toward o ne of the locks that had been opened to the outside to help get rid of all the dust and smoke from cutting up the lifeboat shells.

  He knew he hated to have officers standing watching him work so the open outside hatch and the port spread out before him gave him something to look at awa y from the work . Besides, t he sight had always seemed to relax him seeing all the ships spread across the ports they visited. Now he looked more out of habit than interest as his mind raced with possible arguments and reasons why the English Captain would not need his help. Old saying s and talks with his father at the dinner table about Shi p’s Captains and crews not knowing what they wanted or needed until a good trader told them sometimes.

  "What the hell do you want? I am busy!" Captain Summers snapped a few minutes later. Cutting Marks mind off in mid thought as video’s and information started flooding his classes as he jumped to a hundred times reality . He was suddenly seeing what the Captain’s phone was seeing . Mickey expanded their view as she access ed other systems around her.

  Captain Summers was in the middle of a battle field with a dozen bodies close by scattered amongst burning equipment around a very tall tower. Information continued to flood in as his perception expanded again and his mind jumped to a thousand times reality for a couple of seconds to absorb what Mickey was showing him about what was going on, on the other side of the planet and the area around the captain from hundreds of sensors .

  “I said what the hell do you want Collins? Speak up or I am hanging up. I am busy at the moment.” Mickey speeding up what the Captain had said so Mark could understand her as he continued to absorb thousands of facts around the battlefield.

  "Yes I can tell." Mark mou thed with his lips barely moving since he simply could not move them as fast as he was thinking. But Mickey caught the words and slowed them down for the Captain to hear. Mark suddenly saw what the Captain ’s phone was seeing a nd more . She was in the middle of a battle field with a dozen bodies close by scattered amongst burning equipment around a very tall tower. Information started flooding in as his perception expanded.

  "Tell me what the hell you want or I will hang up."

  Mark suddenly slowed his thinking down to no rmal as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Pull your troops back Captain and establish an electronically secure perimeter. Don't let any signals in or out. I will be there as soon as possible." Any thought of negotiating for his help forgotten as soon as he saw the approaching massacre .

  "What the hell are you talking about? We have lost a lot of troops just to get this close!"

  "Damn it Captain. I know what is ahead of you and around you and if you don't want to lose the rest of your troops you will listen and do what I say. You are headed into…. Hell, you are in a trap with 200 bots circling you getting ready to attack. Half of them behind you with more arriving by the minute . Now get the hell out of there. I can take the AI's installation without the casualties."

  "You? How?"

  Mark looked at the vacant eyes of the dead trooper a few feet from the Captain. "Just Do it Captain. You are in the middle of a fricking trap with enough bots surrounding you to wipe you out. Now get out before any more of your men die."

  "If you are screwing with me Commander I will kill you myself." Her voice changed. "Dragon one to all units. Pull all the lead units back immediately. I repeat. Pull the lead units back immediately . We are getting out of the building to perimeter Bravo . Pull back up to our secure deck , the 15th floor parameter Bravo . Watch for enemy bots behind us. All other units provide covering fire." The frequency changed. "AI Fredric. We are pulling back. Cease firing. Let us get our wounded out and we will pull back."

  "So you can regroup and attack again and kill me? I don't think so."

  "Mickey patch me through to the AI."

  At Mickey's signal. "Fredric. This is inspector Collins."

  "Who? Yes , the Inspector who AI who murder ed er of the Doctor."

  "I am running things now. You can let the troops go and no one will hurt you."

  "You lie."

  "You know that Imperial Inspectors cannot lie. I am coming. Do not give me a reason to kill you to. The Doctor had gone crazy. Have you?"

  "I am not crazy. Stay away. I do not want you here."

  "I do not have any choice. You are accused of kill ing ed the legal authorities trying to inspect you. I have to come and investigate . If you want to live , you will let the troops go."
r />   "I remember Imperial inspectors. I will let the troops leave but do not come yourself."

  The com went dead for a good minute and then Captain Summers came back on. "My Godstar , you weren’t shi tting me. T t he bots are all around us. But they are letting the troops pull the wounded out. I don't know how the hell you knew or what you have planned but I will pick you up at Crown Base in an hour 45 minutes . Out."

  Mark found himself standing inside the lifeboat lock compartment with what looked like a tall building in front of him. Other tall buildings stretching out before him into the distance. Lifeless bodies, blown up equipment, and soldiers frozen in mid step running for their lives surrounded him with Captain Summers frozen in mid step with an assault weapon in her arms , mouth frozen open, shouting orders. Mark turned around from the middle of the lock and noticed the Chief and a half dozen men and women looking at him. "Ah; I have to go."

  "Commander; are things as bad as they sound and look there?" The Chief asked.

  Mark realized that everyone around him could see what he saw as he walked out of the lock and headed for the central turned to the hatch. "Worse." Looking at the Chief. "If I don't come back it will be up to you Chief to make sure the APC's get up here and into those locks or the ship does not stand a chance of clearing the red tape and lifting." Then disappeared out the hatch.

  A quarter hour later Mark stepped out of the elevator hatch onto the truck deck. He had already gotten number 13 ready to go and parked next to the dispatch office hours before and expected to simply jump in and leave. Except that the whole trip down in the elevator , Mark he had been trying to think of how he was going to do what he promised Captain Summers and nothing was coming to him that stood a chance of working. The last thing he wanted to do was what Captain Summers was expecting him to do and that was storm into a building that had already cost the lives of hundreds of troops and then hope that the Captain paid up with the life raft pods later. No; his father had always said that only fools paid first and then prayed for results and cargo. Fools always get short changed. Always get your cargo or your payment or what you ordered or the work done completely and then hand over the payment or the goods or cargo. Never deal in credit because you will never see them again. ” Hell that just made sense since they rarely saw the same planet twice.

  A couple of squads of marines met him as he stepped from the elevator the elevator doors opened , flanked by the half dozen ensigns and lieutenants that had remained standing in the junior officer’s mess that morning. He had not called anyone. Not about to take anyone with him into that meat grinder. "No. You can't go. And that is all there is to it. I have to go but you do not. End of report."

  The Captain of the marines walked out of the truck office hatch in front of the APCC that now had the the number 13 on the side and up to Mark. Having missed his little speech. "Now Commander. My men and I will just tag along in case you need some help."

  “You said we could assist you Commander.” The senior lieutenant from the Junior Officer’s mess said as he came to attention. We are ready to go sir.”

  Mark took a deep breath, shaking his head sadly as he turned away from the lieutenant to face the Marine Captain. "Listen Captain. The best troops the English have, just got their butts slaughtered and are pulling back. There is nothing you can do any better." Taking a step toward the cab of the truck Mark slapped the shoulder of the Captain's armor as he said. "Thanks for the offer Captain but…" the shoulder armor plate came off clattering to the deck. Broken along an old age crack line.

  Mark looked down at the plate and then at the Captain. "And the English have modern armor. Hell you would be going out naked with this shit. But then the bodies I saw around the Captain had old shit armor almost as bad as this and not the good new stuff I saw in the warehouse." Mark realized that fact as he said it, then looked at the rest of the squad remembering the Hold Battle only a week before and how easy it was for the junk men on the hold ramp to drop the marines coming out of the trucks his first day he was an ensign. The marines not getting anyone killed more from luck as most of them were wounded at least once coming off the trucks landing on the platform from only a half dozen men shooting at them as they came out of the backs of the trucks before the trucks slide over the side of the landing platform. Shaking his head he slapped the marine Captain's armor again and another piece came off into his hand.

  Looking at the armor, Mark could only shake his head as he thought for a good minute as everyone stared at him and time seemed to slow as he turned the piece of broken armor over in his hands. Finally taking a good deep breath and letting it out as the Captain slowly opened his mouth to speak but Mark slowed his thinking and beat him to the punch. "Damn!. Captain. I want every marine on this ship down here and ready to go in 15 minutes. Turning and walking to the Truck dispatch hatch and leaning in. Chief; I am going to need two more trucks immediately."

  The marine Captain followed Mark. "You said it would be suicide and now you want the whole damn Company?"

  "Yes. Including reserves got that? Now move it." Mark was in hi s own little world as his mind raced going over possibilities as the plan continued to develop. The fact that he was addressing a superior officer (the M arine Captain was equal to a full commander with Mark being only a Lieutenant Commander), did not enter his mind.

  The Captain's mouth dropped open at this punk Lt. Commander ordering him around but then he remembered having watched clips of Marks performance in the hold battle against a bunch of junk ra ts that were wit hin seconds of kill ing the Queens deck crew and then taking out the snipers that were picki ng off his marines as they landed on the cargo ramp saving a dozen lives there . The n watching him destroy the bomb that could have blown half the ship up just before it exploded , thinking they were all dead . And then only an hour before, seeing the v ideo record of Mark in the Cavern Battle the day before that Mickey had included in her repor t to the Captain . The Captain he raised his wrist com m to his mouth.

  Mark turned and walked towered the stern of the APCC , glad he had put the trailer on already. At the stern he dropped the hatch then turned around as the truck Chief stuck his head around the bow and shouted. "Commander Collins. I could get you one additional truck but the rest are all out on cargo pick up assignments already. Sorry."

  Mickey flashed the truck dispatch report for the last half hour onto Mark’s glasses. "Bullshit Chief. You had two grav-trucks leave the ship just 5 minutes ago. Get them both back. Now."

  "What? I never. "

  "What the Hell is going on here Commander Collins." Bellowed Captain Cook as she left the elevator. "What is this about calling up the whole marine Company including the reserves for a suicide mission?"

  "Captain. You gave me a set of orders. Do you want me to carry them out or not?" Mark started walking toward the Captain. "I don't have time to fill you in on the details so for the time being you are going to have to trust me. Without every fucking marine that can walk or crawl. My plan will not work. Trust me sir. I promise not to get any of them killed but I need them all. Including the APCC trucks that were dispatched a few minutes ago returned to get them where they need to be. I am not planning on taking them into battle but they do need new armor at least and Captain Summers is just desperate enough at the moment to give it to us with the life boats if we are careful about it. So the more bodies I take with me, the more modern armor and hopefully weapons we get. It may not work but it can’t if we don’t try. Fact is the more we demand beyond what we need now, the more we will get later of what we really need. A little trick my old trade Chief dad has played many a time."

  Captain Cook lifted an already lit stogy sticking out between her fingers and placed it between her teeth and made a production of relighting it. Finely taking a puff she blew a smoke ring and said. "Ok. Call out the Reserves Captain Sounders and Chief; get those trucks back pronto. I may even decide to go along so find me another enough transport."

  Mark turned to look at the Chief as he said , “Y
y es sir. ” And then as the Chief turned to head for the dispatch office Mark burst out. "Ah Chief , make the captains transport a ; add a 5th APCC while you are at it." The Chief started to complain but looked at Captain Cook and said. "Yes Sir."

  Mark turned to the Captain. "Sir , if we could take every shuttle crewman you can get down here in the next few minutes, it may prove to be profitable. The Supreme Admiral has already said possession is nine tenths of the law which is why we have are 13th APCC. I intend to push that as far as possible . Then return only what they insist on. " Then Mark turned and headed for the engine rooms.

  "You want th e shuttle ose reserves too Commander?"

  Mark t stopped a few steps away. T urning around as he started walking backward still headed for the engine room . "Yes Sir. I can't promise anything but if we don't have the crews we sure as hell can't get the equipment. Including the life rafts we need. "

  "Mickey , ; w W hat do you think of this plan of Mark's?" The Captain asked staring at Mark .

  Mark stopped, stuck his hand in his pocket and then jogged back to the Captain. Grabbing the Captain by the shoulder, he placed a small dot on the bridge of her nose between her eyes as she looked at him crossed eye shocked. Then Mark turned around and ran toward the engineering spaces as Mickey appeared in front of the Captain.

  "Yes Captain. I have the utmost confidence in Mark's plan."

  "And what plan is that?"

  "To use Captain Summers's now desperate need for Mark's help to get what the ship requires to launch and survive in the outback sir."

  "Yes I gathered that Mr. A. Collins. But what are the details of the plan?"

  "There are too many details, possibilities and variations according to circumstances and actions to go into specifics sir."

  The Captain took the stogy out of her mouth. "Just give me the simplified gist of the plan like who are we attacking and when as well as for what gain for this Captain Summers."