Metal Boxes

by Alan Black

  “Almost the whole tower. There is a workshop midway that can turn out a few thousand mines per hour if they had more space to store the resultant product. Since a finished mine is about the size of a basketball, we can squeeze quite a few into what is essentially a tube that is sixteen kay by eight kay. I’ve never done the actual math, but we have a butt-load, if you pardon the expression.”

  Stone nodded, “Thanks, Commander. I am sure you will make the right choice about jumping out or staying when the time comes.”

  “Oh no,” Shalako said with a wild laugh, “that is the captain’s call and no other. If we jump into a containment system you will decide whether you kill everyone on board or if you leave a navy fleet to die.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  Stone decided he liked the navy less and less each day. Kill or be killed. Kill this guy or kill that guy. Life was sure easier on the Golden Boulder when the most challenging decision he had to make was which color of underwear to put on for the day.

  “Crap!” Stone said.

  He looked around the room. The only one to meet his gaze was Admiral Shalako. The man was grinning.

  “Still want to be in charge?” Shalako asked.

  “I didn’t want to be in charge in the first place,” Stone said. “Do you still want to kill me?”

  “Son, if I had wanted you dead you would be dead,” Shalako laughed. “Don’t worry about containment though. We are staying ahead of the Hyrocanians in fleet size. I have never had to jump out on a fleet yet. As a matter of fact, the Emperor hasn’t lost a fleet in the last few years.”

  Stone shivered and decided to change the subject. “Major Numos, please give us an update on securing this ship for Agent Storovitch.”

  He sat quietly and listened with half a brain while the major listed system after system that was shutting down. Much of the Ol’ Toothless was in preparation for a combat zone jump, so lockdown had been easy. The marine and the security forces were syncing up well so far and would continue to do so as long as the E.M.I.S. agents did not identify any security forces involved in criminal activity.

  When the major finished his report, Stone looked around to see if anyone else had anything to add. He checked the time and realized the meeting had gone on a lot longer than he had planned.

  “I am sorry for taking up so much of your day,” Stone said.

  “Ha!” Shalako said. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

  Stone ignored him, “I do have two questions before we break for…for whatever. Commander Melendez, do the fleet’s battle wagons pull into the aft docks when they come for resupply?”

  At the man’s nod, Stone continued. “Then we start drawing what they need from all over the ship’s warehouse spaces. Don’t we really have a good idea what they are going to need? I mean Grandpa always has pretty much the same shopping list every time we have to resupply the Golden Boulder. Shouldn’t we be able to put together various bundles based on the ships we are expecting to resupply?”

  Melendez was frowning, so Stone said, “I mean, a destroyer will need supplies A, B, C & D. And any cruiser will need A, B & E. We can always supplement from all over the warehouses if we need to, but wouldn’t it be quicker…”

  He let his voice fade away as Melendez looked at him oddly.

  Shalako laughed, “That is not the navy way. Just because that works for a commercial freighter doesn’t mean it-”

  “Of course it will work,” Melendez interrupted. “With all due respect to Admiral Shalako, that is a good idea, Captain. It would be a lot easier to move a bundled package from storage to a ship than pulling pieces from dozens of places. It would tremendously speed up the load out.”

  Numos added, “Suppose you tell the fleet that cruisers are to resupply in tower two’s aft dock and dreadnaughts resupply from tower three’s dock and so forth. That way you do not even have to move your bundles around too much. After all, we marines are used to being told where to go and where to stand. You navy types can get used to, it if you try.”

  “I will get working on a plan right away, Captain. I should have a load out chart for you by the end of the day,” Melendez grinned.

  “Whoa, Commander,” Stone said. “I don’t know enough to approve your plan. If you think it will work, then just do it, okay?”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Melendez grinned.

  “My last question of the day isn’t quite as easy. Commander, did you ever play the vid game ‘Iron Commander’?”

  “No, Captain. Sorry, I have enough live combat experience under my belt that I really want to avoid such gaming,” Melendez replied.

  “I understand, Commander,” Stone said. “I ask because I have played it a few times with my cousin Jim. He always beats me. He does one thing that I can’t figure out how to do and he gets me every time. He changes the IFF signal on my missiles so they hit me just as often as they hit him. Can we change the IFF signal on Hyrocanian mines?”

  “I do not know, Captain,” Melendez said. “I know we pick up their signals, but I don’t know how well we can interpret them, much less if we can subvert them. That is a fantastic idea though. With your permission I will ask some of my staff…sorry, your staff, to look into it.”

  Stone stood and stretched, “I want to thank everyone for meeting with me. I know you don’t have the time to explain every little thing to me, but I appreciate it. I am sure we will have to meet again soon, but I am going to try to keep these gabfests down to as few as I can.”

  Maggot said, “Mister Stone, since Shalako is already here I would like to ask him a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

  Stone shrugged, “That is up to you and the admiral. I have no objection.”

  He turned to the drascos, “Hey! Do you two want to go for a little walk with me? Come on, let’s go stretch our legs.” He opened the hatch to the corridor leading to the atrium. Outside the hatchway there was a pair of security guards, one marine and one navy, both enlisted and both in combat armor.

  “Excuse me; is Lieutenant Vedrian or Hammermill around?”

  “No, Mister Stone,” the marine answered. “They are both off duty for now. Do you want me to call them? Lieutenant Heller is the detail commander.”

  “No Sergeant, I am just planning on taking Jay and Peebee for a stroll down to the tower one fields. They need to spend some time running around. Would you be able to escort me?”

  The marine looked at the petty officer and nodded. “Yes, Mister Stone. I think between us we can find our way to tower one.”

  “Okay, Sergeant. Let’s go.”

  The sergeant held up a massive gloved hand. “Mister Stone, the navy goes first to lead the way. You and your whatever they are; are in the middle and I will bring up the rear.”

  That was the order they used to get to the elevator and head down to the next cross tower corridor. On the way he called Commander Wright on her p.a.

  Her voice was harried and rushed. “What?” she shouted.

  “It is just me, Commander,” Stone said.

  “Sorry, Mister Stone, we are just busier here than an anteater at an ant convention.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but I take it that is busy. I just wanted to let you know I am coming across to tower one. Jay and Peebee need some fresh air.”

  “They are probably hungry, too. Have your containers taken up to your location.”

  “Oh, good idea, thanks.”

  “I will try to get up there to see you and the girls as soon as I can, but it might be a while.”

  Stone ended the call and commed Heller. The man sounded irritated that he had left the bridge area without telling him. Irritated or not he promised to have someone get the drascos containers and get them up to the tower one fields area near the bridge crossover tunnel.

  It did not take long for Jay and Peebee’s containers to show up, but it had been too long to wait for the drascos. They all but stripped a small tree and chewed off a ten square meter area of long grass. The girls w
ere interested in the containers, but not for food. They jumped and ran in circles until Stone pulled out their balls. He threw them across the open field as far as he could. They did not go far.

  The marine sergeant held out his hand when the drascos brought the balls back.

  Stone shrugged and handed him a ball. He was surprised to see how far a marine in an enhanced combat suit could throw a rubber ball. Peebee did not register surprise, she just wonked happily and raced after the ball. She sprinted full speed and caught the ball on the first bounce.

  The sergeant whistled in astonishment and threw Jay’s ball even farther. Jay managed to get under the ball, making a leap upward snagging the ball before it reached the end of the throw.

  The sergeant must have called someone because security forces in marine and navy armoured combat suits appeared as if they oozed from the bulkheads or grew from the grass.

  Stone spotted a small bench under a large shade tree and sat to watch his drascos play. Even though his eyes watched everything, his mind continued to worry and gnaw at a command he really did not want.

  He still did not like being outside, but the drascos enjoyed playing with people in armored combat suits. They could be as rough and tumble as they wanted without damaging their new playmates.

  Stone found himself sitting on the same bench day after day. He told people it was for the drascos. The reality was it really kept him out of Melendez’s way and out of Maggot’s investigation.

  The days turned into weeks and their anticipated month in the gray was coming to an end. Stone knew he was running out of hyperspace time.

  Stone picked up the red ball that had rolled up to his feet and threw it as hard as he could. He was still not very good at throwing, but almost every day for the past month Hammermill had been teaching him to throw and catch in the park area near the bridge crossover tunnel.

  He was not sure where Hammermill was now. He still had a marine and a navy escort. The E.M.I.S. agents had tagged and arrested most of the navy personnel involved in the theft scheme. Stone had been shocked at how far reaching it had become. He was very surprised to find out that no one from his old third watch warehouse three whiskey crew was involved. He had been sure Petty Officer Watkins knew what was going on, but Maggot’s crew cleared him completely.

  Without Hammermill around he was not playing catch. Jay and Peebee were happy to fetch anything he threw, but they were engaged in a game of some sort with a couple of dozen enlisted men. Stone was not sure of the rules. He knew Jay and Peebee did not play by any rules. What the men did one day varied from what they had done the day before. Ever since the first day of play men showed up to play fully encased in their combat armor. They were able to play, wrestle and tackle the drascos without damage to themselves, each other, or the drascos.

  Increasingly larger crowds showed up, both to gawk at the drascos and to play with them. Jay and Peebee reveled in the attention, but neither one ever let Stone out of their sight. The crowds always kept a respectful distance from him. In the beginning, he thought having an armored combat escort was putting people off, but he soon realized it was because he was captain. He had seen Rodriguez and Rojo from his old warehouse crew once, but they just nodded to him from a distance.

  Despite his good intentions of not having too many meetings, he had to oversee a staff meeting every morning. He invited all officers to come to the meetings to ask questions, discuss issues or just listen. At first, he invited the admiral to sit in, but after Shalako repeatedly made snarky remarks about and to the guest officers, Stone had him removed and ordered him to stay in his quarters under E.M.I.S. arrest.

  Stone finally opened up his staff meetings to every officer and senior enlisted on board. When even the auditorium on Delta Deck became too small, he had the meetings broadcast to venues throughout the ship for everyone who wanted to listen or participate. He was not surprised when good ideas began coming in from all over the ship. Melendez assigned a couple of officers to collect and publish all issues discussed during the meetings.

  Stone had taken to having his lunch under the wide tree while the drascos played, ran and ate. The drascos eventually turned their faces away from the remains of Allie’s World leaves and began exclusively eating the grass, trees and bushes growing in abundance in the tower one fields.

  He was feeling more and more isolated every day. Allie did not stand guard duty anymore, instead she arranged the schedules for his escorts and checked in on them occasionally. She did not look at him even when she was in the area. Her eyes were always on the crowds, watching, analyzing and calculating.

  Commander Wright managed to only drop by and see him a couple of times. She was busy in what she called a round up. Tower one crew was spending the hyperspace time gathering up many of the farm animals and sending them to a slaughterhouse facility near the tower aft. The crew harvested the animals for their meat and rendered down every part for protein. The meat went to the warehouse freezers and the powdered protein was put on the shelf. It was all done to prepare for feeding the fleet. Dani spent much of her time selecting animals to keep as breeding stock.

  Stone watched the players running back and forth with the red and blue balls. Whoever had either ball was fair game to be tackled, dragged to the ground and pummeled until the ball was coughed up. For whatever reason, today the red ball was more valuable than the blue one. He watched two suits grab a third and threw the person into a knot of other players. Whatever the game was, it was not for the faint of heart. One of the teams scored a goal, although Stone could not tell how the points were earned or even if anyone was keeping track of who was winning.

  He stood and brushed lunch crumbs from the front of his uniform. It was a simple plain midshipman’s work utility uniform. He glanced at the crowd. There was a knot of midshipmen in the crowd. They were dressed just as he was except for the small collar patch indicating his captaincy. The last time he had approached such a knot of midshipmen, they had dispersed with such swiftness he was sure he must have smelled bad. He had left them alone ever since.

  He tossed the remains of his lunch into a trash chute next to the bench and gestured to his escort. The navy guard turned and trotted to the corridor opening leading to the cross tunnel between towers. Stone was sure the way the person ran it was female, but the escorts stayed sealed up these days and had become little more than anonymous combat suits.

  As soon as the navy guard waved the all clear he started toward the tunnel. He hesitated slightly as he stepped out from under the tree’s canopy. He was working hard not to do that, but sometimes the openness of the tower startled him. He looked up. If he concentrated he could imagine the other side of the tower. He told himself it was just like being in a room, a big room, a very, very big room.

  He shook himself and moved toward the tunnel. He did not call the drascos. He did not have to call them. As usual, they got to the tunnel well ahead of him. They scattered the crowd gathered in the little park area as they rushed between them to reach him before he was out of sight.

  “Where to, Captain?” It was the voice of his navy escort coming from his ear bud.

  Stone shrugged. He was aware that the navy security person was not watching him and could not see the motion. The marine escort behind him was probably walking backwards and could not see him either. If the drascos had not been watching him, he would have thought he had become invisible. Some days it was like Jay and Peebee were the only creatures on the ship that would look him squarely in the eye.

  “Let’s head up to the bridge conference room, please.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain, the bridge conference room.”

  The conference room was crowded when he got there, buzzing with excitement. The crowd squeezed back to make room for him. Then it squeezed even farther to make room for the drascos. The last time he had tried to leave Jay and Peebee in the atrium they tried to tear the hatch off the bulkhead to get to him. It was an unspoken agreement among everyone present that making room for Stone�
�s pets was preferable to having two angry and upset drascos running loose in the atrium.

  Jay and Peebee liked Hammermill’s company more than anyone other than Stone. Hammermill often suited up to wrestle with the drascos, rolling on the deck with them, roughing them up in a way that was not possible without such protective gear. But neither drasco would allow even Hammermill to distract them from being close to Stone.

  Stone watched Commander Melendez laughing and slapping officers on the back.

  Stone smiled lightly. He was having difficulty generating enthusiasm for much of anything these past few days. He was becoming increasingly lonely, though he was never left alone. Even at night the drascos slept almost on top of him trying to be close. He was also feeling increasingly useless.

  Melendez was managing the ship and crew with confidence and skill far beyond Stone’s wildest imagination. The commander had turned control of the first watch bridge crew permanently over to Light Commander Gubicza, leaving the first officer free to wander the ship and talk to officers and enlisted personnel at random.

  Stone thought back to a few nights ago. After a particularly late meeting he found himself alone with Melendez.

  “You know, Captain,” Melendez had said. “I am more familiar with the Ol’ Toothless and how she works than I was in the previous two years I have been aboard. Did you know there is a galley down below that makes ice cream out of goat’s milk? I tried it. It was disgusting, but it does have a fascinating flavor.”

  Stone smiled. He remembered his first taste of goat ice cream. He would have mentioned that he had been there and tried that, but in spite of the late hour, the commander was wound up and excited about something.

  “Something else, Captain, I wouldn’t have believed it, but I even look forward to the meetings with Maggot and his E.M.I.S. crew. They are civilians, but I respect their dedication and commitment to their tasks.”

  Stone had nodded as that seemed to be all Melendez required of him.

  “I am much more comfortable in the meetings with the various security details we have set up. I can see why we have such divergent sets of security as they work to secure such divergent areas. Oh, by the way, Lieutenant Vedrian decided to pull the security detail from Commander Wright. Maggot assured her he had cleaned her staff out of any criminal involvement. After all, her staff is by far the smallest of any tower and it is harder to bring in a fake cow than a fake shipping container.”