Chapter 14: The Wretched

THIS CHAPTER IS UNEDITED

In stateroom, 2677 Eithne and Dónall Hyland or Lisa and Marie as their slave names were assigned because their master couldn't pronounce their real names sat and looked at the ship closing on the Inspiration. "Dónall she's is an Alderian ship. She looks like one of the ships that cousin Colm is on. We need to tell them we need help," she said as she hugged her twin sister.

"Help is here, Eithne you know Morris code you learned it in scouts. Signal them I will stand watch at the door," silently she said to herself 'Oh please see us and help us.'

Eithne went to the window, and hung one corner of the sheet over the window and stretched it across to the other side. Biting her tongue, she tried to remember how to signal. "I think it's three short flashes followed by three long then three more short. If memory serves me right, that is the stand code for SOS. I just pray someone over there knows it, it's so old and not taught much." Looking at her sister, she smiled at her, "Keep watch out the spy hole," she held the sheet up and started signaling for help.

Dónall watched through the spy hole, keeping an eye on the people going down the halls to their cabins, one of the guards had one of the women bent over a hover table and raping her right in the hallway as his partner watched on.

Eithne had been sending the code for ten minutes when all of a sudden the lights went out.

"What the hell?" Eithne said as she looked around.

"They shut the lights down in the hallway as well. I think they have darkened the whole ship, Dónall said as she flipped the light switch.

"I think they did too, sis, I cannot see the running lights anymore from the side tower." Eithne said as she looked towards the bow.

Dónall turned and looked at her sister and asked, "Do you think they saw it?"

"I pray they did. Now let's shove the furniture against the door," Eithne said as she dropped the sheet to the floor.

They both rushed over to the big dressers and started pushing on them until they slid across the worn carpeted floor and blocked the door.

Captain Adams sat back in his chair and watched the great liner turn away. "What the hell are they doing? Its not like they can get away from us." he said to no one in particular. Flipping a switch on his chair, he said, "This is the Captain, I want all shuttles loaded with Marines. Full non-lethal combat loads. I will pull us near the Inspiration. When we get within ten miles, I want all shuttles launched and heading for the emergency boarding ports. If anyone fights, you have authorization to stun them, I want casualties kept to a minimum. You have ten minutes to get ready. That is all." Looking at the helmsmen, he continued, "Ensign, move us up beside her. Com, keep trying to raise her, someone has to hear us."

Ensign Matthew Harris looked up at the captains words, and replied, "Right away, Sir. Course is 280 Mark 4, speed 200k we will be alongside her in roughly 8 minutes."

Lieutenant Caldwell turned and looked at Captain Adams, "Sir, still no answer from hails. Either they don't have any receivers which I doubt because of the remaining lifeboat or they don't care, or it was disabled."

"Thank you. Notify the flag that we are closing with the Inspiration. We will report when we know more." Standing up, he walked towards the view screen watching, as the ship got closer.

"Sir, we are ten miles from the Inspiration. We are matching every course change she makes. She is so big she's like a pig in a trough at dinner time when she turns. True, I bet she was fast and maneuverable when she had all four engines, but now she's a sloth, fat and slow."

With a smile on his face, he looked at Ensign Harris and smiled, "Thank you for that description ensign, its very enlightening to know what your childhood was like."

"Well sir, I was the ninth of twelve children on our farm. I love animals, but by the time I was fourteen I hated hogs. Why couldn't cows live on my world? I will never eat port again for the rest of my life," Ensign Harris said.

"Well it's a good thing that you had the hogs, because without them a lot of people in our empire wouldn't have had them. It's the same reason while pigs wouldn't live on Alderia or I think so," replied Captain Adams said as he returned to his chair, he flipped the switch for the ships com, "This is the bridge to all shuttles. You are a go, I repeat you may launch when ready."

On the bridge of the Inspiration, an argument was going on among seven men and women.

"Damn it it's the Alderian Navy," replied Thomas Rollins.

One of the women looked at the leader, "How do you know Thomas?"

Thomas pointed at the screen and snarled, "That is an Adams class destroyer, top of the line three years ago." looking at the ship closing on the portside. "We are so screwed. Well we knew it couldn't last forever folks. I was hoping we could have linked up with the pirates but they never came back so I would suggest you kill your slaves and dump their bodies in the recycler, even then, it's a fletchen round to your head if they capture you alive. We can fight but they will be in armor and we don't have any that will stand up to theirs."

Looking at the ship one more time, he adjusted his pants. Walking over to the com he flipped the switch, "Albright you dogs we have uninvited guest showing up. They will be trying to board us in a few minutes. You have three minutes to get ready for them. All hands, man your weapon stations. Open all defense walls and take station behind them."

Two years earlier they had stumbled over the Angel and had stripped the small type 2 lasers from the escort giving her somewhat of a defense. With ten lasers position internally and ten external it was going to be a useless defense.

"Fire all weapons at the shuttles. Do not allow them to dock," Thomas said as he sat down in his chair.

Samuel was watching the shuttles close on the ship when all of a sudden three of the six assault shuttles exploded into fiery balls of molten derbies. Samuel snapped his orders out as the explosions from the shuttles winked out, "All weapons stations target the enemy weapon mounts and use twenty percent power, take them out."

The three remaining shuttles zig and zag all over space trying to get out of range. Finally, the dove under the liner, as the last shuttle ducked down she took a near hit that destroyed one of her tail fins. The underpowered weapons of the destroyer's main batteries reached out and literally picked the guns off the ship leaving divots in their wake. Two tractor beams from the other two shuttles quickly latched on the tumbling shuttle.

Ensign Harries scanned the ship, "Sir, weapon emplacements destroyed. Continuing to scan for more." He said and a minute later he continued, "No more external weapons detected, Sir."

"Order all shuttles in, I want prisoners."

Lieutenant Caldwell turned the com on, "Portland to shuttles, Move in, the captain wants prisoners, and wants them yesterday."

The shuttles flew up towards the side of the great ship, and they rose up like submarines of old and latch onto boarding ports. Tractoring into the side of the ship, magnetic seals sealed each ship to a port. In the shuttles, the Marines stood ready, weapons up, amour charged and ready to kill. Captain Sam Whiteeagle walked back into the troop compartment.

"Okay you mutts, the captain wants prisoners and we will give them to him. Stun nets and batons ready, front rank raise shields. Corporal Michael's opened that fucking door." As two Marines activated and raised their portable blast shields the corporal punched the code into the door computer, a second later the door slid open and quickly followed by the hatch on the liner.

Light flooded into the dark hallway from the shuttle. This showed another door three meters into the great ship, which was closed. Quickly moving up to the door Corporal Michael plugged his mini computer into the slot. He waited for the door to start cycling and ducked back behind the Marines with the shield. As the door opened, they found themselves in total darkness.

Captain Sam Whiteeagle looked down the hall. He reached over and shut the shuttle lights off. "Okay everyone go thermal, move out."

The Marines started boarding the ship. Moving into the three-way intersection, stopping there they took several infrared glow lights from their carrying case on their hip and snapped them. They then tossed them down the hallways. The one that went strait ahead landed at another wall. However, the two thrown down the corridors, the one on the right hit a wall covering half the hall about five meters down and fell to the floor. Suddenly a head appeared holding a Mark One laser pistol.

Martin Woods stood behind the one-inch plassteel sheet welded wall on a swing joint muttering to himself. "Damn it. Turn the fucking lights back on, how the hell are we supposed to see anything." Suddenly something hit's the barricade wall. Holding his pistol in one hand, he looks around the piece of steel. Not seeing a reason for the sound, he switched the pistol to the other hand and grabbed his light wand. As it started to glow, he squinted at the floor to see a small rod laying there. Reaching down to pick it up he froze as a pair of armored feet suddenly appear. As he started too looked up, a hand grabbed his left one in a vice of steel. Winching in pain he continued to look up, and he blanched when he looked into the face of a snarling marine who reached out and grabbed his other hand.

Corporal Michael, grabbed the mans left hand in his armored one, with thirty percent power he started crushing the bone and the gun. "Drop it or die!"

The gun tumbled from the ruined hand as another marine grabbed his shit yanking him to him.

"The Captain wants to talk with you. I would advise telling him everything you know, or else!" Still looking at the terrified man he snarled, "Take this garbage to the captain."

"Yes sir." Another fist grabbed his arm and he was being led down the hallway, "Look I advise you to tell the captain what we want to know."

Martin was led past more Marines, and he nodded his head, "Yes, Sir, just don't kill me. I don't want to die."

Captain Whiteeagle stood in the shuttles troop compartment going over the battle plan with the two other shuttles. "Shuttle one to shuttles two and five."

"Two here, go one."

"Five here."

"Shuttle two I want your squads to grab the bridge and computer control and mid decks one through ten. Shuttle five. You have engineering, hydroponics, auxiliary control and all stern locations. One will seize the bow, decks eleven through twenty-five. Shuttle two, as soon as you're empty, dispatch her back to Portland for the remaining Marines. Take as many prisoners as possible, but don't endanger yourselves. Shuttle one out." Studying the movement of his men on the scanner, he looked up as a pair of Marines marched a young man around seventeen years old in to his presence. The man was rubbing his left hand as he was brought forward to him.

"Pfc's White and Edison with a prisoner, Sir," White said as they stood on each side of the man. Their weapons holstered and his arms held firmly by each guard.

Looking at the scrawny man, he said, "I am Whiteeagle, Captain Alderian Marines and you best answer my questions. Who ever is in command killed sixty Marines and ten Navy personal when they blew up two of my shuttles. I am pissed, my men are pissed, but worst of all my Captain is pissed, and you don't want him pissed off at you."

The man started shaking at his words he knows he is a dead man. "My name is Nathanial I will answer anything you want just don't kill me."

Captain Whiteeagle looked at the young man, and snapped in his command voice that he has developed over the years, "Nathanial what? Why did this ship open fire on us? What's been going on this ship for the last three years?"

Nathanial looked at the man, and felt a warm feeling as he pissed his pants. Swallowing the lump of fear in his throat, Nathanial replied, "Sir, Hyland," clearing his throat, he realized that he must give more information to this man if he wanted his help, and he continued, "Nathanial Andrew Hyland. My father is ... er was captain of the Inspiration. Three years ago, the ship left Beseret system in convoy with some other liners and freighters. We had a few navy ships along for escort. As we neared this hellhole, a large fleet of pirate ships came out of the Tanner Nebula and attacked us. The destroyers were ripped apart and the command fell to the Captain of the H.M.S. Angel. She ordered the rescue fleet to flee into the Nebula to hide, but as we entered, we were hit in the stern. Three of our four engines were destroyed. Before we could fully get away, we were hit a second time which punched through the side of the ship and blew our hyper generators to bits.

"My father dropped us through a dense could of gas and ice and we got away. After we hid for three weeks in here trying to do what repairs, we could. The worse thing was the calls for help from the other liners of the evacuation fleet. My father thought it was a trap to get us to come back, but the cries kept coming over the com system and we kept running. What could we do? We had no weapons to fight with and they had a battleship and heavy cruisers. We stayed in the Nebula after we were almost caught.

"We came out one time and we saw one of the pirate cruisers on our sensors. My father got us back in before they could close with use and we never stopped moving around the Nebula. He assumed if we did we would all die. Then one day we stumbled across the other ships adrift in here. Our Chief engineer, Mister Rollins went to my father and said he could get parts off them. He said he thought he could get the engines fixed to get us home.

"My father agreed and he sent Rollins and some of the engineering crew over to the Angel for the parts. When they came back with what we though were supplies he made his move. They killed the purser and the chief of the boat on the Angel. They spread out and quickly took the boat bay from the crew. They killed my father and all the remaining officers. Any who resisted, they killed. People like the woman, the children and crew like me were left alive to do their job or be used as sex slaves. They also blew up all the remaining shuttles but the captains launch after some of the woman tried to escape in one."