Alien Caged (39 page)

Four men peeled off.  As they did so, Oret went to the assortment of hand tools hanging with neat precision on the wall nearby.  He considered before tucking wrenches, hammers, and cutting tools in his belt.  His two remaining men followed suit.  Armed with these primitive pieces and with the two men at his back, Oret went to the dozens of tubes suspended overhead in the middle of the room.

A phenomenal waste of power accompanied the employment of a mix of computer and mechanized systems.  However, the Earther use of such configurations had been among their best defenses against the Kalquorians during the war.  Even with frequency jamming and computer viruses, the Kalquorians could not remotely shut down an Earther ship’s systems for any appreciable time.  Mechanical parts did not respond to modern jamming fields.  Even if their computers went offline, the Earthers were quite adept at executing work-arounds that ensured their engines ran.  Oret had known his efforts at killing off the ship using Engineering’s computer commands would only be a temporary solution. 

However, the Nobek was now physically present in the belly of the ship.  He and his fellow interlopers would be getting their hands on the actual working parts, hopefully stopping the vessel dead for as long as it took the Empire’s fleet to find it.  It would be the final injury from which the battlecruiser could not recover from in time.   

Oret looked at the configuration of tubes suspended horizontally over his head.  He counted seven larger ones, side by side, the circumference of each large enough to fit two men within.  Dozens of smaller tubes as big around as his thigh flanked them.  He dismissed the smaller ones.  Captured vessels had revealed those ran primitive fiber optic wiring, feeding commands and power throughout the ship.  Oret wanted to stop the real heartbeat of this vessel.

He jumped up, managing to get a good grip on the smaller tubes, and used them to haul himself up on top of the metal casings.  His two men clambered up with him and followed as he crawled to the first of the larger tubes. 

This was what he wanted, all right.  The hum of the thing vibrated through his body.  It was like sitting on a growling zibger, making his teeth click together with its power.

Oret pointed to an access hatch on the conduit, which would open to the working parts that moved the ship.   “I want you to each access another tube.  We’ll start tearing up the engines at the same time.  If you come across computer components, smash them.  If the pieces are moving machinery, jam them and break off what you can.”

“Blasters?” one of the men asked.

Oret shook his head and patted the tools he’d taken from the wall and hung on his belt.  “They’d hear those from the next room, even over the engines.  Use hands and tools only.  As long as some of the machines are running, they’ll help mask the sounds of our activities.  It could be the Earthers won’t realize right away that the damage is physical.”  He grinned savagely.  “Ready?  All right, let’s kill this bucket.” 

They nodded, their fierce, eager smiles answering his.  One climbed over to the tube next to Oret’s, and the second man went to the next one.  They watched as Oret pulled the field disrupter he’d taken from Coombs and used it to unlock the hatch on the tube he straddled.

It slid away, opening an area half his body-length.  Moving parts moved in a complicated ballet of physical motion:  gears and pistons much like those Oret had seen in the most primitive of machines.  There were also tethered plaits of wires running throughout and disks covered with tiny computers no larger than his fingernail.  The sheer complexity of the ship’s inner workings would have boggled Oret’s mind had he had the time to consider this strange and amazing mishmash of older and newer technology banded together.

He did not have that time.  He handed off the disruptor to the man straddling the tube next to him.  That Nobek also opened his hatch and passed the disruptor on to the next man, who followed suit.

Oret pulled a wrench from his belt.  He looked at his men and gave them the hand signal for ‘kill’.  Then he jammed the wrench into the moving parts before him.

The gears and pistons locked up immediately.  A grating sound issued from the tube, and Oret smelled something burning.  Then the strident blare of an alarm went off.

Oret wasted no time, knowing there was none to waste.  He yanked and smashed and tore at the components as fast as he could.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his men doing the same.  More alarms sounded, blasting at his ears.

Heavy smoke had started billowing from his tube.  Satisfied with this part’s destruction for the moment, Oret leapt up and ran across tubes to get to the next one not yet under attack.  He held out his hand to the Nobek next to him.  “Disrupter!”

It slapped into his palm.  That man went on to the next available tube, as did the second Nobek.  Oret was smiling as he unlocked the hatch before him.  Handing the disruptor off again, reaching into the tube, and taking its innards apart, he took great pleasure in his work.

Wanton destruction wasn’t like spilling the blood of a hated enemy, but it was still damned fun.

Chapter 20

Lieutenant Commander Robards had gone from miserable exhaustion to punch-drunk exhaustion.  That was why his voice came out so high-pitched and giddy as he called to Chase, “Ha!  Internal tracking sensors are up.  Now I can find the bastards—”

The steady hum of some of the cruiser’s engines abruptly cut off and the lights in Engineering dimmed to near darkness.  Robards’ glee sliced cleanly off with the engines.  He could hear alarms going off in the distance and recognized the claxons came from the engine room itself.

The vid in front of him flickered as backup power not dependent on the main grid fired up.  Engineering’s lights brightened again, but more engines went silent.  Seconds later, there was only the peal of the sirens in the next chamber.

Chase scowled at everyone around him.  “Now what?”

The delirious joy Robards had felt was gone as he snapped at a haggard-looking member of the engineering crew.  “Bring up engine diagnostics.”

The crewman’s hands flew over his keyboard.  The blankness of his vid answered before he did.  “I can’t, sir.  We still don’t have diagnostic functions back yet.”

Robards could have screamed his rage.  He had nothing now but life support indicators and internal tracking sensors, neither of which were any help to do with the engines.  He brought up the sensor readings in the engine room, knowing damned well they wouldn’t show him what ailed the cruiser’s power.  He had to do something though, or he’d end up pounding the computer in front of him like a five-year-old having a temper tantrum. 

Robards looked at the readouts, absurdly hating the ship and wishing he could make it sense pain in revenge for driving him crazy.  Epitaphs crowded his head as he mentally ranted at it. 
Fucking stupid cruiser, piece of shit that was ripped too easily from our control, ridiculous metal cunt—

He stared.  His breath froze in his chest.  His eyes grew so wide he felt like they might fall right out of his head.

“Fuck,” he said loudly. 

He sensed rather than saw Chase give him an affronted glare.  “Mr. Robards!” the first officer said in a warning tone. 

Robards ignored the remonstration.  He turned towards the wall that separated Engineering from the engine room, as if he might be able to see through the partition to what was happening beyond. 

“They’re in the engine room itself.  The Kalqs are attacking the engines!”

His cry set off panicked yells from the crew.  Everyone stood still as they absorbed the news.

Then one of the men standing near Chase and Robards, that sly little weasel Ensign Remington, broke.  “They’ll blow the ship!  We’ve got to evacuate!” he shrieked.

Remington, who had always exhibited bravado in Robards’ presence, who had promised Robards again and again that he’d be glad to personally execute all the Kalquorian prisoners if they got out of line ... Remington ran.  He took off for the door, apparently intending to escape right then and there.  Two other men, their faces pale, started to run too.  Terror fell over the room’s atmosphere, and Robards knew in a matter of moments there would be a mass exodus.

Remington was halfway to the door when a percussion blaster went off, echoing in the room.  Remington hit the floor, everything between his shoulder blades vaporized.  Everyone froze again as the sound of the shot faded.  All eyes, including Robards’, turned to Commander Chase.

The percussion blaster in the first officer’s hand did not tremble even minutely.  He looked around at the men, his previously wan face as resolute as Robards had ever seen it.

In a cold, controlled voice, Chase told them.  “I will have order.  No one abandons this ship.  I will send every deserter straight to his judgment, right here and right now.”

Robards waited to see if anyone would attempt defiance.  No one did.  They all watched Chase.  It seemed no one even dared to breathe.

Seeing order somewhat restored, Robards went back to his readouts, tapping for more information.  The first officer taking control of the situation had settled his own nerves. 

In an even tone, Robards told Chase, “There are only seven alien signatures in the engine room.  There are a few more, groups of four, scattered about the ship.  I would hazard the guess those are to create diversions.  The main group of Kalqs are two levels below, in one of the cargo holds.  There are two smaller signatures, obviously Earther.”

Chase nodded.  “Excellent.  Take whoever you feel will be men of faith and kill those bastards in the engine room.  I’ll lead a team after the ones on the cargo level.  Destroy the vermin, Robards.  Whether it’s Kalquorian or Earther, if a man opposes us and the Holy Leader, he dies.”

His voice was loud enough to carry through the room.  Chase was putting the crew on notice:  there would be no mercy for traitors or cowards.

Suddenly Robards didn’t feel tired at all.  He felt invigorated.  At last he could do work worthy of an upright Earther officer, without the compassion of a weak captain standing in his way.  He gave Chase a grim smile.  “Yes sir.” 

He pointed to several men who’d helped him fight his way in here, men he knew would stand true despite their current wide-eyed stares.  “Follow me to the engine room.  Your orders are simple:  kill them all.”

“Yes sir!”  Their response was appropriately enthusiastic, especially since they saw Chase mark them with his hectic stare.  He still held his blaster ready to fire.

Robards led them out, ready to do battle for the last time.

* * * *

Oret was happily mangling the contents beneath the hatch of the last conduit when a percussion blaster went off close by.  He turned to see the guard at the nearest door firing at something in the corridor outside.

The guard stopped firing long enough to yell, “Armed hostiles coming, Commander!  We’re discovered!”

Blasts sounded from the hall, forcing the guard to duck inside the room.  The Nobeks watching the other doors rushed to his side to help him return fire. 

Oret and his helpers leapt down from the smoking pipes.  The head of security waved the pair towards the service tunnels.  He followed them, though the instinct to join those fighting felt overwhelming.  Still, he’d made a promise to his clan that he would return.  He had to protect Elisa.

As Oret went, he yelled back to those defending the door, “Fall back to ductwork!  We’ve done all we can here.”

The first guard yelled to the others, “Lay down suppressing fire and get out of here.  Kanhak and I will go last.”

Oret entered the tunnels and ran behind the other two.  He heard others of his team behind him, their usual silence somewhat defeated by the hurry they were in.  The group wove in and out of tunnels until Oret judged they were deep within.  He signaled a stop.  The team stood silently, listening for pursuit.  For the moment, they seemed to have outrun their enemies.  Quiet stretched for nearly a minute before Oret decided it was safe to talk.

He was delighted to see his entire team had made it out alive and without injury.  No doubt the men had wanted to stand and fight, the same as he’d been tempted to do.  However, they all knew the bigger battle was elsewhere.  His men were as eager to be a part of that as he was.

Oret asked, “How large was that attack party?”

“No more than six men, Commander.  They came right at us, ready to fight.”

Oret said, “If they sent only that many, then the rest are attacking elsewhere.  We’ll move back to our group in the cargo hold.”

Nobek Kanhak nodded.  “It was no accident that the Earthers came straight to us.”

Oret said, “I think the ship’s crew has gotten computer tracking back on line.  The rest may already be engaging Captain Zemos’ group.  If there’s a fight, we’ll join it.  If our people have evacuated, we’ll head back and keep the Earthers busy in Engineering.”

The men snapped nods and chorused, “Yes, Commander.”

Oret allowed himself a grin.  “You’ve done good work, men.  Whether we leave this ship alive or not, it isn’t going anywhere for some time.  Our fleet will no doubt find the Earthers before they can escape.  This is one less enemy for the Empire to worry over.  You have all served with honor.”