Battleship Destroyer (83 page)

As he walked away
half the crew disappeared up the tower while the rest ran out the hatches up ship to the deck that was being stripped. "Ensign, you have better start wrapping things up.  We need to get out of here.  I bet an army of Lizard Apes are headed this way and I would not be surprised if they had something besides knives and swords for weapons."

"But I am almost to
what looks like some kind of main personnel compartment. That area is better protected than most of the rest of this section of the ship and could contain air pressure by the looks of it.  I was just getting ready to head down for it."

"We don't have time now Ensign
.  We have plenty of loot.  Time to go."

"Ya,
sure Captain Jack. Be right there."

Jack hit his comm again. "Cargo Chief, how many landing decks do you have open?"

"Two with the closing of the main gun deck you were on. I will be closing the next upper one in a few minutes as they finish loading what the crews have collected."

"Good. I want you
down here on the lower gun deck as soon as possible. We are pulling out." Jack looked down through the decks and saw The Ensign head down toward the hot spot full of hot moving shapes.  Hitting his comm. "Commander I need a squad with me.  I am headed down for what looks like an army below us."  He started running to catch up with The Ensign.  "Ensign Stop right there.  It looks like a frigging army is down there.  What do you think you are doing?"

"It is not an army."

"
Captain."  Came the marine Commanders voice.  "I need all my squads for blocking the Lizard Apes until we can get the work crews off ship Captain. We are setting up defensive positions now."

"Well you are going to have to do it with one less squad Commander
.  The Ensign is getting herself into trouble. We have hostiles below us."  Jack said as he dropped down the nearest pipe and cable chase trunk, holding the sides of the ladder and letting himself slide down several decks to intercept the Ensign.  Jack heard the call of another shuttle backing into the landing zone and the orders to the crews to stop what they were doing and load the shuttle and start evacuating the ship.  Jack had to kick the rusted hatch open onto the deck.  As he headed for the Ensign hopping to cut her off before she started down again, the Sgt. that had saved his life a few minutes before joined him with a five marine fire team instead of a full squad pilling out of the chase behind him.  "Damn it Sgt. I need a platoon but asked for a squad because I know they are going to be needed above and the Commander only sends me a fire team."

"I don’t know what the Commander sent you Captain
.  I just followed you with what I thought I needed to protect you.  I have not heard a word from Command yet."

"Good
.  Maybe I will get the troops I need after all. All we have to do is grab the Ensign and get the hell back up ship to evacuate before she does something stupid and gets herself killed."  Jack continued down the passageway hitting his comm. "Ensign.  Stop right there damn it.  That is an Order. We don't have the time or troops to take on another army."

Jack stepped around a corner just in time to see the Ensign watch him come around the corner then
turn and disappears down a ladder trunk.  "Damn it Ensign I said stop!  That is an order." He said exasperated.

Jack followed her down the ladder trunk trying to catch up to her but she stayed ahead of him as he took just a little longer than her to make the turns around and down each flight of steep ladders
.  Jack growing more pissed and scared as the mass of strange looking hot bodies on the deck far below got closer and the mass of bodies and energy he could see emanating from them grew more distinct.

The Ensign
finally left the trunk and ran through a hatch into a long passageway with moving hatches and then down another passage into the compartment packed with life forms to Jack's horror.

A few seconds later Ja
ck rushed through the same passageway of moving hatches and into a short passageway with a closed hatch on the other end that opened as he rushed at it and out into a huge compartment ready to kill any and everything in sight.

As soon as he jumped
through the hatch he pulled the assault gun up as it fired hitting the overhead barely missing a creature a few feet away with its four empty arms held up over its head.  The marines piled out behind him two at a time ready to kill.

"No
!  Stop!  Don't shoot!"  The Ensign screamed.  "These are slaves.  Don't shoot damn it."

The marines did not fire but they spread out with their backs against the bulkhead covering th
e hundreds of aliens massed across the large Compartment.

Jack stood there s
taring at the long snouted creature with 4 raised arms and then started noticing many other races of aliens that included some that looked all too human.  Most with their arms raised.

A thin
spindly frail looking creature that almost looked human but with a big head and small eyes and mouth slowly walked up to Jack and the Ensign.  It made a jester for jack to take off his helmet.  Fighting down panic as The Ensign took off hers, Jack reached up and unlocked his visor letting it slide up and back out of his way.  Taking a small breathe the air smelled sweet. Much better than the stale sour burnt air aboard the Red Pepper.

The big headed creature started speaking
.  "My name is Moo Goo Guy Pan.  Speech slave to the Great God Race.  I have recently learned human speak.  Forgive me if I do not speak well.  We see you stripping the ship and fighting the God Army above.  You are getting ready to leave. Please take some of us with you.  We can help you fight the God Army.  We can teach you the ways of the Gods.  The technology of the Gods."

Jack could only stare at the creature as the Ensign spoke
.  "You will need vacuum suits.  We do not have time to place an air bridge to transfer your people."

The creature turned and started speaking a strange
guttural language.  It suddenly stopped and whipped around to face the Ensign.  "Forgive me.  I do not wish to insult.  May I talk to the other races in God speak they can understand to arrange a consensus?"

"By all means
.  Sure."  Jack said then turning to The Ensign he whispered. "We do not have the time or room to take on a bunch of slaves."

As the creature looked at him without moving for several seconds
, The Ensign spoke up.  "Yes Moo Goo Guy Pan.  Please talk with other races in God speak.  You can call me Ensign Pullver."  She pointed to the gold name plate above her breast.  Then pointing to Jack.  "That is Captain Turner."

Bowing before the Ensign
and then Jack.  "Please call me Translator slave Pan."  The alien pointed at the collar around its neck "I am honored to know your names Ensign Pullver, Captain Turner."  Then turning back around it started talking the guttural speech as several aliens walked up.

"What are you doing
Ensign?  We do not have the time to rescue even some of these a, aliens."

"We can make time Captain. If anyone knows what we
are up against these slaves do."

"And how are we supposed to know if they really are slaves Ensign
?  They could be lying."

"Damn it
, look at them.  I have been going through their birthing and work decks for hours now and these people are slaves.  Besides you want prisoners?  You have prisoners.  Don't turn down the Christmas Gift.  We can sort it all out on the ship later."

The translator turned from the assembling group
.  "We have decided that most of the maintenance slaves want to go with you as well. We have suits. We also have a boat lock plenty large enough for your boat to fit into. We can load your boats much faster without the inconvenience of vacuum."

Jack could not believe what was happening. "You expect us to lock one of our boats inside an enemy ship?  What if you can't open the damn hatch again? No, you can wear suits ev
en if I decide to risk taking you aboard my ship."

"Please begging your forgiveness
Captain Turner. Several of the slave races do not take to vacuum suits very well."

"They can just
damn well get used to them. We are a combat ship and the entire crew wears vacuum suits to keep from dying if that section of the ship is hit. Your slaves will not be allowed an exception even if they do not like suits." Jack looked up shaking his head in exasperation. "I can't believe I am arguing with an alien I am not even sure I want to even try to rescue over vacuum suits. My God. I am not going to let you die from something as stupid as the lack of vacuum suits after going to all the trouble to rescue you. If we do."

The
Alien turned and spoke to the crowd for a few seconds. Then the whole compartment erupted in howls, grunts and screeches as half of them started jumping up and down. Jack and the marines gripped their guns tighter.

At a yell from the translator they all dropped to the deck
bowing before the humans and then jumped up and scattered. Some of them going so fast Jack had a hard time following them with his eyes. Translator Pan turned back around. "Please forgive our outburst Captain Turner. No God has ever expressed worry about the life of a slave."

Rolling his eyes. "You are not slaves but you will be
prisoners until we can determine if you can harm us or not and I expect that the medical boys are going to want to study all of you in great detail so you may well wish you were slaves again with your god. Ah oh. We are not Gods. Does that change your minds?"

"
No Captain Turner. Yes we fully expect that you will want to dissect several of each race but that will still leave most alive to provide you with information and knowledge."

"Ok wait one. No one is going to dissect any of you. Humans do hot do that. Though what they do, do to you may heart like hell for short periods of time, they will not kill any of you on purpose. We have already run into a few alien races and dissecting is definitely not on the table for any of you
unless you give us permission to dissect a body that dies of natural causes."

Translator Pan bowed and turned as he brought something up to his face and spoke into it. After an answer came he turned back around. "Captain Turner. Please do not take my next question as disrespectful
and I would understand if you decide to kill me for even suggesting such a, a, a ridiculous thing." The alien seemed to swallow as its blue color turned pale.

Jack looked at Translator Pan baffled.

Translator Pan seemed to stand an inch taller as it braced and straitened its back and waited for the worst as it asked. "Your honorable Captain. We would like to take our small ones, our off spring, our children with us? They are not allowed vacuum suits and would require a boat to transfer to your ship. We are willing to risk their deaths from vacuum if your ship is damaged in battle. We understand that freedom is costly and will kill or leave our young ones here with the few volunteer caretakers we are leaving with the babies, if you do not wish to risk them on your ship."

Jacks mouth just dropped open for several seconds and then he raised his hand
s to his face rubbing his forehead. "God, I don't believe these people."

Ensign
Pullver took a step closer to the Translator. The Translator's muscles rippled across its body as it tried to keep from cringing. She reached out and put her hands up on its shoulders. "You will take even your babies with you. We have air bags for even the smallest babies to keep them safe. Do you understand me? Leave no one behind. Is that clear? No one stays behind."

The Alien looked down at the
Ensign as color came back to its face. "No one stays behind? Do I understand you correctly Ensign Pullver. Leave no one behind? Does that mean every person large and small can go with you?"

"Yes Translator Pan. No
matter how, a, large or small."

Pan turned around and yelled for a few seconds in the
guttural language and the deck started to shake under their feet as a huge green man with his head brushing the overhead some 20 feet above came running into the huge compartment. He was followed by several green monster men and women a little shorter than he was. One woman carried an obvious baby suckling at her breast the size of a large human child as she walked not even trying to keep up with the others.

Jack felt himself start to back up as the giants rushed up to them. Ensign
Pullver grabbed his trembling arm preventing him from running. The group pounded up to them slowing as they approached to stop only feet away. They looked down at Jack and his party and started talking in the gutter language.

The Translator raised its
hand to quiet them and turned to Jack. "They pledge their allegiance to you even if you cannot take them along after all. They understand and will keep the God troops back long enough for you to leave with everyone else."

Jack looked up at the giants and then at the suckling mother as she walked up baby cradled in her arms. Shaki
ng his head. "The Ensign said NO one will be left behind and that includes the Giants even if I don't have a frigging clue where to birth them. At least tell me they have vacuum suits."