quivering. “What's your name?” She asked him.
“They call me Corky.”
“Okay, Corky. You're going to be stuck there for a while, and you're going to listen. I'm the Master At The Helm, the highest ranking pilot on this ship and I've been watching that display for a very long time, making sure we get to a safe solar system where Captain Valance will put this ship in order. I understand you've been fighting for a long time, and you're probably twitchy, but I'm not the enemy.” Her tone was soft for Zoe's sake, but her expression was fierce. She'd never been so angry in all her life. The sounds of more approaching boot steps drifted towards her. “That's what you're going to tell all your friends so I can keep us five by five in this wormhole.”
“I hear ya, lady,” said one of the new crewmen behind Corky.
“All right, just get us down. I don't know what my people will do if they see us all tied up. I’m also feeling a little dizzy.”
Larry pulled a tab from the hilt of the gun and tossed it into the mess of strands. They started dissolving as a chalky gas escaped from the chip. As soon as the door was clear, Ashley pressed the close button. “They're gone, baby, don't worry,” she cooed to Zoe.
“I really didn't think you'd fire,” Larry chuckled.
“Neither did I, it just went off.”
“I guess Stephanie didn't get to the part where you're not supposed to hold the trigger like it's part of the grip.”
“Nope, I got to the 'picking the gun up, realizing how dangerous it was then putting it back down' stage. I have to admit, I like that gun just fine though. Earth design?”
“No, it's a much older style of grenade pistol that was used to get past primitive weapon detection systems. I didn’t realize the stunner was off. Good thing though, because if it were on, they would have all been unconscious the moment you shot them. I’ll be turning it on for you, just so you know.”
“Wait, that’s a grenade pistol?”
“Yup. I only gave you crowd suppression rounds. Completely harmless but perfectly inconvenient.”
“Okay, here,” She said, offering the weapon to Larry. ”If this thing can kill people, then I don't want it.”
“Keep it, really. I didn't make any lethal shells and you're the only one with ammo for that thing on the entire ship.”
“You're sure. I'm not a killer.”
“I don't want to turn you into one. If you're really that worried, just look at the display whenever you load it. It'll tell you what kind of rounds you have and whether the stunner is engaged.”
“Okay, now I just have to learn how to shoot, I guess,” she resigned hesitantly. She turned it over in her hand and saw the display at the top of the grip. Beside it was a red switch that said SAFETY OFF. She carefully flipped it on and watched it turn green as it said SAFETY ON.
“I'll give you a few lessons when we get the chance, the practice rounds are just paint loads.”
“That actually sounds like fun,” Ashley said as she leaned over the gurney in an attempt to move Zoe back to her blanket. Her tightening grip was accompanied by a whimper. “Now I'll never get her to sleep.”
“Why don't you lie down for a while. I can take the first shift at the controls, especially now that we've got protection right outside.”
“I don't think I could sleep either, not after that.”
“Just sit up, the gurney reclines. Look away from the console for a while, give your eyes a break.”
“I'm not going to argue there,” she sighed as she eased onto the gurney. With a push of a button the upper half raised to recline. It felt really good to lie down, and Zoe seemed to calm down a little, reassured that Ashley wouldn't be leaving. “Now what do we do?”
“I was thinking I'd go out and talk to them for you. That’s if you'd like me to, Lieutenant Commander.”
“Oh please, don't call me by rank. I'll watch the autopilot from here while you go make nice. Think you could get someone running between the command deck and here so we can start talking to Oz again?”
“Just what I was thinking, but I suspect that jamming signal is coming from something those people are carrying, they probably don’t even know it.”
“Oh. Well, while you’re figuring it out, make sure you apologize to the guys I just shot. Tell them it was a mistake.”
“Not on your life. You were absolutely in the right, and you showed them you mean business.”
“You sure?”
“Definitely.”
“'Kay, go. I'll keep watch in here.”
Chapter 40
The uncharacteristically serious expressions on the faces of Minh and his copilot were enough to prompt Jake to lead the pair away from their fighter. The nearest enclosed space was the rear emergency cargo door of the Samson, and he led the way there without a word. With a tap on his comm unit, he directed the pair of soldiers shadowing him to start walking a patrol through the middle of their landing space.
“Welcome back, Commander. What's the word?” asked one of the fighter pilots as they passed.
“I'll be back in a minute, Finger,” Minh-Chu replied quietly.
Jake swung the heavy hatch closed behind them and pulled the pressure lever to make sure it was sealed. The lower cargo hold had been modified to accommodate the plasma cutters, breach airlock and motors for the maxjack. The heavy components were just up a set of stairs and isolated by a flimsy mesh cage, just enough to keep cargo from sliding into the machinery.
Jake checked his tactical screen for any sign that there was anyone loitering in the hold and retracted his armoured hood when he was sure they were alone. “Welcome back, I was getting worried,” he admitted.
“You worry? What happened to the steadfast Captain who was here when I left?” Minh smirked.
“An illusion for the masses. What's the situation?”
“It's bad, but it could be worse.” Minh brought up a hologram of the Triton and cleared his throat.
Jake's legs turned to jelly at the sight of it and he sat on the stairs. The markings on the exterior of the ship indicating damage were too numerous to count at a glance, but what caught his eye more was the name at the top of the casualty list. “Oz is dead?”
“No, ignore that thing, it's wrong,” Minh said as he deactivated the list with a gesture, leaving just the exterior display of the Triton. “He flat lined long enough for what's left of the ship surveillance systems to assume he wasn't coming back, but his emergency meds got him back on his feet.”
“I think his words were; 'I'm plenty alive,'” added Slick.
“That sounds like him,” Jake sighed in relief.
“We did lose a lot of people, but things were turning around just as I arrived. From where I was sitting, it looked like they booby trapped the bridge, sealed off main engineering, the Botanical Gallery and part of medical. I even got a chance to talk to Ashley and someone she rescued.” At the mention an image of Ashley and Zoe appeared beside the Triton.
“That looks like medical, and she's using a flight console.”
“Yup, she's got brains to go with her looks.”
“What caused all this damage?” Jake asked, pointing to the port side torpedo launchers and the torn edges of the hull.
“Oz hard wired most of the torpedo launchers around the port and starboard side hard mooring points to launch at some point. When they managed to get control of the bridge, thanks to some fancy espionage work by Agameg Price, Oz threatened to activate them if they didn’t surrender.”
“They didn't take him seriously,” Jake groaned, running a hand down his face.
“Actually, they did. Instead of surrendering, they tried to decouple the destroyers that were docked to either side of the ship. There must have been some welding holding things together, because they didn’t make it in
