Chapter 16: Pirates

I glanced at the door when Simon stopped in it. He smiled and leaned against the frame, “I have a mission for you.”

I sat back and pushed the data films away as I reached for my ready bag, “Tell me it is off world.”

He laughed and nodded his head, “A prisoner transfer to Graham.”

I stood as Dragon leaped from her perch and flew towards me, “Let Amanda know I went out?”

He chuckled, “She is down in dispersing getting your vouchers.”

I stopped when I reached him and sighed, “Simon...”

He put his hand on my shoulder, “It has been three months since the emperor asked. You have made your choices but the two of you have not had much time together. Go do the prisoner transfer with Amanda and spend some time together.”

He handed me a data chip, “While you are out take a little time to go over the paperwork side of running things with Amanda.”

I took the chip and nodded before leaving and going down to dispersing. Amanda grinned and gestured with three packets, “And I did not even have to shoot the new android.”

I grinned and we headed for the lift, “We can take your vehicle.”

She snorted, “Since you have not drawn one in a month it is the only one we have.”

I glanced at her and sighed, “You do not have to stay on guard. We both made the decision. You might have spoken first but it was what I was thinking. If or when I change my mind I will let you know. Children right now would distract me.”

She smiled and bumped my shoulder, “And if Simon talks you into it?”

I laughed, “I sent a text to Samantha and she said to send him to her before the baby is delivered.”

Amanda grinned, “I think they would be good for each other.”

We took the lift up and then went through and up the stairs to the roof. I relaxed as we flew towards the starport and pet Dragon in my lap. Cynthia crawled onto my shoulder a few minutes later and I smiled as I pet her, “Simon wants me to go over the paperwork with you.”

She groaned and I smiled sweetly, “I think he found your punishment.”

She grinned and set the vehicle down, “I heard a rumor that we had another commander coming.”

I climbed out as dragon climbed to my other shoulder and headed towards the prison doors. The guards had the prisoner waiting so we only had to sign for him before leaving. Of course he was one of those people frightened of animals and Dragon being on his shoulder terrified him. Everything went smoothly even if we were on a cargo transport.

It was when we jumped into the Graham system that everything changed. We were pushing our prisoner out of the jump room when the captain jerked and looked at us, “Trouble.”

I looked at him as he stood, “What?”

He started for the hatch, “We have a ship closing fast and it does not have a transponder.”

I looked at Amanda and she grinned, “A pirate?”

The first officer went past, “Do not even think it.”

I followed him and the rest of the crew with my eyes before looking at Amanda, “Stay with our prisoner.”

I turned and started running for the bridge. I had never been there but I knew where it was. I caught myself at the hatch and looked at the captain and the bridge crew, “Well?”

He growled, “Pirates.”

I nodded and started to turn, “Use the intercom to let me know which airlock they use.”

I trotted back to the cabin and opened the door before walking to Allison as Amanda relaxed and stuck a needle in his neck. I caught him when he collapsed and moved him to the bed, “We have pirates coming.”

I straightened and turned towards the door, “I plan to meet them at the airlock and take the fight into their ship.”

I opened my bag and pulled out nose filters and my laser and looked at Amanda as she dug in hers. Five minutes later we were in the corridor as the captain came on, “The starboard aft airlock!”

I turned and began to run with Amanda following and Dragon clinging to my shoulder. Several of the crew were already at the airlock when we reached it. I pushed through them and nodded to the first officer, “Move your people back and set up a cross fire.”

I went to the evac suit rack and pulled one off as Amanda joined me. We put sonic blockers in and I opened the inner hatch and stepped in to wait after closing it behind Amanda. From an inner pocket I pulled a sphere and pushed a tiny button before dropping it. We moved to each side of the outer hatch and pulled slim lasers and waited.

It was several minutes before there was a clang and a minute later the hatch slid aside as bursts of sonic explosions started. Four men were in combat suits but without the helmets as they rushed in. They folded as they breathed in the invisible gas from the sphere. I turned around the hatch frame and shot the next two swimming towards the hatch.

Amanda leaned out to shoot another two while I moved to slip needles into the downed men. She spun and dove into the tube as she shot two more and started pulling herself along using the bottom hand holds. I shot another pirate aiming at her from the other end of the tube. She reached the other airlock and I dove in and followed her as she kept firing and covered me.

When I rolled out and stood she was stripping out of the evac suit. I ripped my suit off and moved to the inner hatch. Amanda hit the open panel and I moved through and dove as men fired plasma weapons. I shot three as Amanda shifted around the edge of the hatch to fire in the other direction. Both Dragon and Cynthia had taken to the air and flown into the ship.

A few moments and men were yelling and screaming and I came to my feet and started for the corner, “Take engineering!”

I put the laser away and pulled my weapon. I moved around a corner quickly with it up and fired into three men rushed towards me. They went down and I started moving and climbed up a level as I headed for the bridge. I stopped at the closed bridge hatch and looked at the security pad. I grinned as I input a marshal override code and lifted my weapon.

An alarm began screaming and the hatch slid open. I shot the two men holding weapons in the shoulders and threw a dart into another. I moved onto the bridge as the last man began screaming. The other two were on the deck as they writhed around. I kicked weapons away from all three and knelt to turn each and put slim plastic restraints on them before putting them out with needles.

I turned and left and headed back to engineering as I opened the marshals comm, “Bridge secure.”

When I reached engineering Amanda was playing pot shot with a single man hiding behind feed lines. Cynthia kept bitting a man as he shifted while sitting at a console and I growled, “Move Cynthia.”

She looked at me and spun to leap into the air as I aimed and fired. The man was reaching out slowly before the round hit the side of his head. The last man screamed as both Dragon and Cynthia struck and Amanda moved towards him. I moved to the man I had just shot and knelt to check him before putting restraints on. I pulled out a small vial and put a tiny smear of blood in it before standing.

I added a drop from a popper vial as I headed for the hatch. I glanced back before I stepped out, “Watch the one I shot. It was just a graze but he is a Stat user.”

A Stat user uses an extract from stasis drugs so it feels like he is moving faster. The side effect is that it makes it harder to put them into stasis. Of course when Cynthia’s stasis venom begins to wear off he is not going to like how it feels. I began to slowly and carefully search of the rest of the ship before moving to the airlock and calling the first officer.

I waited until he peeked around the hatch on his ship, “Have a couple of your men come across. Send the others back through and let your captain know the pirates are either dead or in custody.”

He nodded and began giving orders as I searched the men in the airlock and outside in the hall. Next was to pull those alive together and then move all the bodies across to another airlock. Amanda began running ident scans on both the living and the dead. I searched the captain’s quarters and was sitting behind his desk when she came in.

I glanced at her, “They are working for someone on the planet.”

She nodded as she crossed to the desk to give Dragon a rub, “All the pirates are listed as prisoners.”

I sat back, “Escaped?”

She shook her head, “According to the scan data they are still in prison.”

I looked at the log I had been trying to access, “This was a seized small transport that is listed as planetary property.”

Amanda growled as I used the desk comm, “Fleet base Graham, commanding officer.”

It was a moment before someone answered, “Commander Jennings line, lieutenant Davis speaking.”

I sighed, “This is marshal Morpheus I need the commander.”

“The commander is sleeping. He will be available at...”

I growled as I leaned forward, “Lieutenant, I am a captain in the marshals. You will wake the commander right now or I will have you before the emperor on charges of treason.”

The line was silent for several minutes, “Commander Jennings.”

I looked at Amanda, “Commander on my authority you are to go to condition red. I want all guards and personal in the prison taken and replaced including the warden. Detain the system constable commander and get a combat shuttle up to the Brewer. On the starboard aft airlock is a converted small transport. We have the crew in custody for piracy. The ship is listed as seized planetary property and the crew are all listed as prisoners.”

“You think ... aye sir, seize the prison, detain all prison personal, the constable commander and send up a shuttle.”

I stood, “We will take the shuttle down so send up a skeleton crew for the ship. I would also begin high orbit patrols until we know how far this goes.”

“Yes sir.”

I headed around the desk as I disconnected, “If you watch these I will get our prisoner and our bags.”

Amanda grinned as she turned to walk out with me, “Babysitting sleeping prisoners.”

While I was on the cargo ship I spoke with the captain. I carried our prisoner back with our bags. I went to the ship bridge and sat in the captain’s chair as I connected to the star comm using a priority encryption, “Commissioner Drake.”

It was a couple of minutes before it was answered, “Do you know what time it is?”

I grinned, “Since you ask probably in the middle of your night.”

“What do you need?”

I looked around the bridge, “We had a pirate try to take the ship we were on. The crew are all listed as prisoners. The ship is a seized ship belonging to the Graham system.”

He growled, “Did you take ... never mind. You know to take some alive. I will wake his majesty and get imperial warrants to authorize the prisoners to be compelled to speak.”

He disconnected and I stood to go back to the prisoners. It was forty minute before the military shuttle docked with the pirate ship. The first one through the airlock was a captain in the commandos. Four more followed him and he nodded to us, “Marshals?”

I nodded and he grinned, “We always have fun when you lot decide to shake things up.”

He turned and gestured back into the shuttle and a dozen men started through, “We brought the crew for the ship.”

He waited until they had gone further into the ship, “We have the prison and all the guards including those off duty. The warden and deputy warden are both screaming for their legal rep. The constable commander is ready to skin someone.”

I nodded and turned to start moving the sleeping prisoners into the other ship, “We are going to need a transport to the marshal building and a couple of men.”

He grinned and gestured to his men, “I was hoping you would say that.”

Once the shuttle moved away it dropped and began a rapid descent and began using electronic countermeasures. We landed without incident and I woke the prisoners. The large transport was more than large enough. I let Amanda drive as I watched the prisoners and ignored their threats and pleadings. Word had leaked out about relieving and holding everyone from the prison as well as the constable commander.

We set down in front of the marshals building and I got out first. I looked around before nodding to Amanda and the commandoes. They began moving the prisoners out as I headed for the front doors. I touched my badge to the door scanner and looked at the lobby guards and the small crowd of people. To one side was a group of armed commandoes guarding a courtroom door.