END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3

by John Short

  “ENOUGH!” Jon called out. “We are in control of this ship's engines and I have killed all of your crew who were sent to delay my arrival. This ship is now forfeit and considered salvage under the laws of piracy! Come out with your hands in the air and your weapons down. I give my word; you shall be allowed to live. Continue this attempt to prevent our takeover of the vessel and you shall all die here and now by my hand.”

  “Who are you to be making demands on my ship?” a voice called out from where the pirates had made their final stand.

  “You know me as the Butcher.” Jon called back. “Must I be forced to show you how I earned the name?” Jon had quietly moved to within a few feet of the hidden pirates and planned to kill any who stepped from their cover to continue the fight. When one of them emerged with his plasma pistol extended in front of him, Jon snapped into action by first raising his sword and cutting the man's arm off at the elbow before taking one step to thrust the sword through the pirate's black heart. Then as Jon pushed the limp body of the dead pirate off his flaming blade and back toward his still hidden comrades Jon made one last strike with his sword to sever the man's head from his body before he called out, “That's one! How many more will die this day?”

  From behind the bank of computers the gasps of the remaining pirates could be plainly heard, “Goddess! He cut Kelkio to shreds in less than a breath!! WE SURRENDER!” Then two pistols and a rifle were thrown out before two ragged looking males walked out with their hands held over there heads. “Please sir, don't butcher us like that!” one of them begged.

  “Who is your Captain?” Jon demanded.

  “You just cut him up.” One of the pirates told him. “That's him laying in pieces with a hole in his heart, his arm out there somewhere, and his head over there.” The male pointed to the head Jon had just removed.

  Jon commed his teams “Report!”

  “Team 1 reporting, we have control of Engineering. The engines have been taken offline, but they are still functioning as you asked. We're still dealing with some pirates but the ship is in our control. Sir”

  “Team 2 reporting, this ship is ours sir. All pirate forces have been killed or captured. We can fly her anywhere you want.”

  “Well done teams.” Jon commed. “Did we loose anyone?” Both teams reported that they had suffered no losses, but they did have some who needed the attention of the Healers.

  “Get our injured back on Defiance.” Jon ordered. “I'll alert them to your approach.

  Dragon to Defiance.”

  “Go Dragon.”

  “Shuttles will be returning with injured. Have the Healers standing by to receive them.” Jon ordered. “Then bring the ship in close and make ready to jump with these two ships in tow.”

  Jon's legs were on the verge of buckling under him. He had put too much stress on them again. Luckily he was able to walk to the commander's chair and sit before he fell.

  He had just gotten himself seated when the com blared out, “Defiance, this is cargo vessel Lomi. Thank you for the assist. Its common law out here to drop slip for ships in distress, but lately the pirates are using that to lure in ships. They're not satisfied with attacking us before we reach port anymore. I can see you're part of that new security force that opened out here. That banner on your bow is rather distinctive; I've never seen one like it before. Anyway, how much do we owe you?”

  “Lomi, it is our pleasure to help. Besides, our Flight Engineer wanted these pirate's ships for some kind of experiment she's planning.” Defiance's Captain told the cargo vessel's Captain without the need for Jon to say a word. “Today our services are free, just remember, you owe us a favor. Defiance out.”

  “Wait, Defiance, we have an urgent message for your Boss. Don't tell me he isn't there, I saw that Dragon Ship. He's the only one out here who would fly one of those ships. According to the legends, they are tuned to only fly for those who use them for good. Evil men can never fly them. Tell the Butcher that he is needed along with his ship and crew for a special mission. He must accept this mission or some very important people will be killed. He must meet the agent at Jake's Tavern on Hiliost 5 as soon as he can get there. The agent will be expecting him at 1900 hours local time. The message says it’s vital that he come. Something about running out of time and space.”

  Turning his attention back to the pair of pirates in front of him, Jon ordered three of his team to take them away and lock them up. “Shoot them if they give you any trouble. If they speak a single word, shoot their Asses. If they do anything but follow your orders, shoot their Asses. If they sneeze, shoot their Asses!”

  “Will do sir. Let's go you two. I know exactly where to put you so you can't cause any trouble.” Marching the two pirates past the hacked up bodies of their friends caused the pirates to rethink any plans they might have had for escape. If seeing their own Captain, the strongest and most fierce among them, cut to pieces before their eyes wasn't enough, every male sent to stop the advancing warrior who flew the legendary Dragon ship had failed and their cut up bodies proved that no one could stop the huge warrior once he made his mind up to do something, he would do it!

  Jon knew he needed help. His legs were beginning to go numb from the exertion and he was starting to feel the pain in his back again. “JARRIEAL!” Jon called across his COM badge. “Come up to the bridge please.”

  “On my way Dragon.” Jarrieal could tell by the sound of Jon's voice that his friend needed him there now, so he wasted no time in giving his team their orders before taking off at a run. Along the way, the number of bodies he found that had been hacked apart by what could only have been Jon’s Dragon Sword astounded him. The blade made the cleanest cuts he'd ever seen only to seal the wounds so blood loss was kept to a minimum. He found bodies cut in two, with no spilled internal organs, no pools of blood, nothing to say that a battle had taken place except dead men with dismembered limbs and heads laying on the floor several feet away from their bodies. “Goddess Jon, what have you done?' Jarrieal thought as he passed what must have once been over twenty living pirates, now reduced to an assortment of body parts lying on the decks.

  Stepping onto the bridge, Jarrieal did not see Jon at first. His eyes were too busy looking over the walls charred from plasma bolts and the dead pirates that told of a vicious firefight that had taken place on the bridge. Just knowing that none of their own had been lost in this fight was miracle enough, but to then find Jon in one piece, sitting in the ship's command chair, seemingly uninjured after the battle He must have fought to get here was overwhelming!

  Walking up to his friend's side Jarriael said, “I'm here Admiral.”

  “I need your help, brother.” Jon said, fighting back the pain that was spreading up his spine. “Will you help me to my ship? I must make Defiance ready to leave as soon as we get these pirate ships back for your mate. You know how she loves to get new toys.” Jon smiled up at Jarriael and then lost consciousness.

  “Defiance!” Jarrieal commed, “Have you got the grapples fixed on these ships yet?”

  “Yes Jackal,”

  “Jump us back NOW! Have the Healer report to this ship's bridge immediately upon our arrival!”

  “Jumping in 3, 2, 1, JUMP!”

  The three Destroyer class ships appeared off the bow of Leviathan mere seconds after the order to jump had been given. Still locked together they gently rocked as they rapidly bled off their speed to settle at even station just yards away from the much larger ship. The jump drives that Phillie had found and added to Defiance's propulsion systems worked perfectly even with the added mass of the two pirate Destroyers.

  “Bring us inside as fast as you can and get that Healer up here fast! Jon is in trouble!” Jarrieal yelled through the com. “Security, we'll need a prisoner detail, we have five on this ship and three on the other one. We also need a clean up detail. There are dead pirates all over both vessels. Some are messier than others, so make sure they can handle the sight of blood. Defiance, make ready to go on a special m
ission.”

  “Jarriael?” Phillie's worried voice commed, “Is Jon hurt?”

  “No love.” Jarrieal assured her. “He just pushed himself too far again. The fool doesn't know what it means to 'take it easy'! We may have to tie him down to make him rest! Sometimes I could really kick his ass!”

  “I'm coming over there.” she told her mate.

  Once all three ships had been brought inside Leviathan and their pressures matched, Phillie made her way up the ladder leading to the pirate ship where her mate and her heart-brother still waited onboard. She had to argue with the clean up crews who were reluctant to have her see the piles of dead body parts. At last they let her pass and she made her way through the carnage that was clearly the work of Jon Connell and that amazing Umin sword that he carried. Why couldn't the male just use a pistol like normal people did?

  Every bit of anger she had built up at her friend's foolish behavior during the battle for the ships drained from her tiny body when she walked onto the bridge and saw the Healer working on Jon and her mate sitting at one of the command consoles watching the Healer work. She went over to Jarrieal and wrapped her arms around him. Her strong warrior mate was shaking as the tears freely ran down his face. “What is it Jar?” she quietly asked.

  “We almost lost him Phil. He saved my life not so long ago and I let him come over here alone. Did you see the mountain of bodies he stacked up on his way to this bridge? There's another one behind the computer banks. When he finally called for me to come to him, he passed out almost as soon as I got here! What if he'd done that while the battle was still being fought?” Jarrieal was badly shaken. Phillie could only hold him and weep her own tears for the two males she loved the most in her life.

  “He didn't fall in battle Jar.” Phillie told him. “He waited until he knew he was safe with you by his side. He knows, as do I, that as long as you are with him he will always be safe.”

  Jarrieal pulled Phillie into his lap and held her tightly to his chest. “I love you little one,” he murmured in her ear before kissing her. “Did you see the two presents we brought for you?”

  “Why two? I only asked for one,” she wondered out loud.

  “Jon said to bring you both ships, so we did. You'll have to ask him why he brought two of them.”

  The Healer gave Jon an injection in his neck and then walked over to where Jarrieal sat with Phillie still in his lap. “He'll be fine. Exhaustion and pain knocked him out. The male thinks he's made of stronger stuff than he really is. I've given him a sedative that will keep him knocked out for a full day. He needs rest more than anything.”

  “Healer, we have to have him up and ready for a special cargo mission. These new jump drives don't give us the luxury of extended travel times anymore. Once we issue the commands into the computers we stop being in one place and show up at another.” Jarrieal explained with a snap of his fingers.

  “He will be down for a full day. I insist and the drugs I've given him will make that happen. Whatever this mission is can wait a day. After that, he'll need to use either the wheelchair or the frames for a month. If he continues to ignore my warnings I will order him put back in a tube until I think he is fully healed. I'm leaving now to take care of people who listen when I tell them something.” the Healer smiled at the pair. “Like any of the fools on these ships ever listens to me. If you must go on this mission, put him in his bed and keep watch for a day. When he wakes he'll be hungry. Feed him, stuff him into the frames and then go on your mission.”

  “I'll make sure he behaves Healer.” Phillie told the healer who nodded his head and left the pirate ship's bridge. “If you are serious about taking this mission, we need to move Jon over to Defiance.”

  “It sounded serious, Phil. Something the cargo Captain said got under Jon's skin this time.” Jarrieal told her. “Jon's last orders to me were to make Defiance ready to go. He's not going to like it if he wakes up and we aren't near Hiliost 5. Since we have a full day to work with, I'm going down to the surface and check out this Jake's Tavern before we let Jon walk in there on his frames!”

  True to the Healer's words, Jon woke up in his bed onboard Defiance as hungry as a mountain bear after a long winter. He found both his wheelchair and those dreaded eckto-frames sitting beside his bed. Sliding into the chair, he rolled himself into the cleansing chamber and showered before dressing and heading off in search of something to eat. The stabbing pain in his back forced him into the wheelchair after taking just a few steps.

  He was just about to dig into his favorite bacon and egg meal when Jar and Phillie walked into the mess room. “Hey Boss. Feeling better?”

  “Yes. Thank you both. I'm sorry for scaring everybody. I didn't realize how far I'd pushed until it was all over.” Jon apologized.

  “We'll forgive you this time, but you should know that the crews on every ship you own have forbidden you from going on any more raids until you're fully recovered. We will decide when that is, not you! The only reason we're letting you go down to the surface on this one is because Jar has already checked the place out and says there is nothing that he and the others can't handle. You should know that we arrived in the Hiliost system while you were asleep.” Phillie told him.

  “Here is how this is going to be done Jon, and there will be no arguments or we turn this ship back to Leviathan and stick your butt in a tube. Jar and your flight crew onboard Jar’s attack shuttle will take you to the surface. We brought the one from the Lev with us for this job because it can jump. We’ve also learned that it can be cloaked to not show up on the scanners. Defiance is in far orbit right now around the Hiliost system out beyond the most distant planet. She's not going in any closer. If this is an ambush, she can jump in, but unless we need her, she stays out here where the system defenses can't find her. Jar will jump in and take you down to the planet. Then he and Jelio will escort you to this Jake's Tavern to meet this Agent. We picked those two because they can act like just any other couple of spacers having drinks together, but in reality they will be there as your body guards in case of trouble.

  You WILL be wearing your frames! Those are not an option. The Healer demands that you wear them, so you're wearing them. You want to go be all scary with your swords and cape, fine. Just remember, Jar and Jelio do any fighting. Anything goes down, you get back to the shuttle. That's your entire job this time. Go down, see what this cargo is that is so important only you can haul it on a fully operational Warship and get back here safe! Do you understand me Jon Connell?” Phillie demanded.

  “I'll try Phillie, but I will not allow Jar or Jelio to be hurt trying to protect me!” Jon told her emphatically. “Especially Jelio. She's a female for the Goddess sake! You really think I'll stand by and let anything happen to her?”

  “I told you Phil.” Jar interjected. “The guy is incapable of standing by and letting others be the heroes. Somebody starts a fight and he'll be right in the middle of it.”

  “Then its up to you to make sure no one starts any fights.” she informed her mate through squinted eyes.

  “Yes my lady.” Jar told her with a curt bow before turning to look at Jon, “I just love it when she gets all serious and stuff.” Then turning serious himself he told Jon, “You are coming because the call was for you to come. If we could find out about this mission without you, we would and your stubborn ass would be staying safe on Defiance out here at the edge of the system.”

  “OK, you win. I'll be a good youngling and stay out of trouble. You two are worse than my auntie Gala!” Jon exclaimed.

  “Finish your meal and Jar will help you get into your frames. Then you can go off on your next adventure.” Phillie stood, gently touched Jon's face, gave Jar a kiss, and left the mess.

  “OK, time for you to tell me why we ignored every request we got for you to come here and now suddenly we had to come?” Jar asked.

  “If I told you, you'd think I was losing my mind.” Jon muttered.

  “You lost your mind cycles ago. That hasn�
�t changed my opinions about you in the least. So let’s hear it. Why now?” Jackal insisted.

  “It was something in that last message, ' running out of time and space'. My uncle used to say our family would survive until all life had run out of time and space! He used to tell me that whenever I'd get feeling sorry for myself being the last of the human race. I don't know why Jar, but when I heard those words I knew I had to come. It was as if my uncle was calling for me from the beyond. That's all I can tell you, it’s all I know myself.” Jon realized that he was almost begging his friend to understand his need to see this through.

  “Well then, finish your meal and we'll get you ready to go see what this is all about.” Jar told him as he laid an arm on Jon's shoulder. “I'm a firm believer in things like overwhelming gut feelings. Do what your heart-sister asks though. You and I are all the family she has. It would kill her if anything happened to either of us.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  As the appointed hour drew closer, Jar landed the attack shuttle at the space port on Hiliost 5. Jarrieal and Jelio both knew where the tavern was because they had visited the place the night before. Pretending to be just another couple of rim runners out for a few drinks, they had gone in, sat at the bar where they could carry on small talk while carefully watching the patrons come and go all evening. The place served a really good meal and even had the better beers from all the worlds.

  Hiliost 5 was a mostly desert planet with few oceans and only one large forest. It sat at the boundary between the outer rim worlds and the inner central planets. It held little except a huge spaceport that serviced ships from all over. Like any such place, there were the support facilities for the ships that came calling, a couple of places to rent rooms either long term or just for an hour or two and everything in between plus a lucrative lumber mill still being fed exotic woods from the local forests that were sold to builders on all of the inhabited planets. The lumber coming from here made up the majority of Trans Corp's legal cargo.