Battleship Destroyer (87 page)

The Ensign bent down to check Jack's health readings on his suit and practically screamed drowning out the Ape's laughter. "Where are you hit Jack? Where are you hit?
I don't see anything… Where are you hit damn it?"

"Nowhere love. I am fine except for my pride."

The big Red Ape bent down and picked Jack up one handed by his rescue ring in the small of his back, grabbed the power pack webs and weapons from the dead Apes with the other and started down the passageway back to the battle. The Ensign following behind.

Coming out into the Big Compartment surrounding the
ladder trunk the Red Ape started talking in Jacks ears. "The little Human Officer killed two elite storm troopers in hand to hand battle. The evidence is covering him. We have a leader!  All bow before our Officer." The Big Red Ape placed Jack back down standing on the deck then stepped back and knelt down on one knee bowing before him.

The Red Apes, some with blackened marks from fireballs on their suits stopped stripping the black suited bodies around the trunk, turned and knelt
on one knee bowing their heads to touch the forehead of their helmets to the palms of their hand with an elbow placed on their upraised knee. "Allegiance to Officer Captain Turner." A hundred voices said as one in his ears.

"Ok. What the hell is going on? How are you sudden
ly able to use our battle comms let alone speak English?"

"The communications translator provided us with your comm codes and our suits translate automatically."

"You have translators in your suit programing along with our codes?"

"Yes Officer Captain Turner. We must be able to talk to
the gods new slaves we concur. Our suits are programmed with the species languages before we assault each new race and the ships we have captured in your other star systems have given us your basic suit comm codes."

"Ok why did you wait so long to talk to us yourselves instead of playing dumb."

"We did not have translators to begin with without our suits and expected to be slaughtered without questions when you conquered the deck. Then with the suits on, we are not allowed to talk to sub races without permission of an officer. When you killed the Elite Storm troopers in hand to hand combat you became our officer and now we await your command while the squads already assigned to your other troops can now talk to your junior officers."

"Now isn't that something. Ah one moment please
and continue with whatever you were doing. Carry on. Oh and in this navy we just solute and not bow." Jack saluted them to demonstrate." Turning away Jack hit his comm. "Commander, the Red Apes seem to be able to talk to us now and they do fight damn good. We have the breakthrough taken care of and the deck secure. We will be moving up to your gun deck shortly."

"N
o don't move Captain Turner. Most of the Apes with guns are headed your way taking the pressure off the rest of us for the moment. Set a Rat Trap down there for them and let them come. And yes that was quite a shock when they started talking a few minutes ago and yes we are going to the new comm code Mandarin. Out." Jack started to turn back and noticed a Red Ape body on the deck still out gassing through a hole in its side. Going over to it he looked into the faceplate at the Ape inside and saw pain on its still breathing face and the signs of low air pressure.  Grabbing a patch from his leg pouch Jack looked down at the hole and slapped the patch on. "Why didn't you put a patch on damn it and where is your medic?"

The Ape started breathing better as air pressure was restored. It slowly reached up and touched a
control. “Why did you stop me from dying peacefully honorable Officer? Now I will suffer many hours as I bleed to death in my suit."

"Not if I can help it." Turning to the nearest Apes. "Get your butts over hear now and take this man down to one of your medics or
my doctors on the boat deck and be quick about it."

The Ape that had carried Jack back to the compartment walked up.
  "We have no Doctors or what you call medics honorable Officer. Let him die in peace. He has earned his place in Heaven."

"Sorry but we need him down here for now. Take
him to our medical section down in the shuttle bay." Pulling out his tactical screen Jack showed the Ape where it was. "Assign however many you need to get him there. No wait." Looking around he spotted one of the Greenfoot Giants with a breathing helmet on but no suit. "OK. Ah. Can you tell the Greenfoot to take your man there?"

The
Greenfoot dropped the pallet he was carrying and jogged over shaking the deck. "Did you call Officer Captain Turner? How may I help you?"

"Ok… Ah
. Take this wounded man to the medical treatment module located here in the shuttle bay as fast as you can." Jack glanced at the Greenfoot that looked shorter and thinner than the normal giant. Wondering if he could lift the Ape very well if at all, Jack pointed at the tactical map. "Can you do this?"

"Yes Officer Captain Turner."

"Just Captain is fine or just plain, sir. Good, get going." Then watched the Bigfoot scoop up the heavy Red Ape in his arms and started running as he left the compartment. Turning, Jack looked for more Red Casualties and headed for the nearest one. "I need you guys to clear the compartment. We are going to set a trap but everyone check for wounded that are still alive, slap a patch on the hole and tell me so we can see about saving their lives." He said holding up a bunch of patches in his hand.

The Ensign was already bending over a Red body placing a patch over a hole.
"I have one here Jack that looks good now. It or she looks like she is starting to breathe again."

Jack looked down at the body he approached and realized that the Ape was out of luck with half a dozen holes in its suit and the face plate blown off
, the Ape was definitely dead. A Greenfoot scooped up the wounded Ape the Ensign had been working on and ran off with her. Tapping his comm again.  "Commander, I have a couple of wounded Apes headed for medical in the shuttle bay by some Greenfoot giants they use around here for forklifting cargo. They are harmless but I need our Doctors to try to save the Apes lives if they can."

"And how am I
supposed to know anything about the Apes let alone talk to them out of their suits?"

"Ah good point Commander. I will send someone along
to act as translator and it may be able to help with medical information. Out." Turning around he looked over the Red suited Apes. "I want every one having a wound that prevents him from fighting well or life threatening, brought to me now."

Several Apes came up to Jack with at least on
e arm hanging down to a side. One with both arms dead. Another walked with one leg stiff swinging it with every step. "Yes Officer Captain Turner. We will lead the next charge and die honorably taking the enemy shots so others can fight."  Two Apes came up dragging another with blast holes in both legs and carefully laid him on the deck next to the others as several Black Apes came running out of the trunk hatch into the compartment firing their weapons or swinging their swords. The surprised Red Apes standing around only took a half second to return fire and take them out.

"
God's Star." Turning away he pointed at the trunk hatches. "I want a squad covering each trunk hatch from the cover of the passageway hatches into this compartment. Cut some holes in the bulkhead next to the hatches for firing ports." Shaking his head as he turned back.  "And what happens to you if you survive the battle? Do they kill you anyway?"

"No Captain, sir. Our arms and legs would grow back in time.
But if killing your handicapped troops is your way. We will make sure we die gloriously this battle."

"No I would rather you live to fight well another day." Looking at their arms and legs. "If I had more patches I would slap them on your arms and legs hopping it would help but I need to save the few I have for mortal sui
t holes. Take your wounded companions down to the shuttle bay to the medic station, see what the medics can do for you. At least one must stay with the medics if they can fix you all up mobile, doing what you can to help the doctors and medics by translating for the wounded that are out of their suits and telling the doctors what you know about taking care of Ape wounds. One of you can bring more patches back for the rest of the Apes and act as a medic for the Platoon doing just what I did.  You others that can walk can do the same for the rest of the squads scattered around the ship and tell a few of the green foots to act as resupply and stretcher bearers to take your and our wounded down to the medic station in the bay when needed."

An Ape came up to Jack. "What do you want to do with the
black apes that are wounded Sir?"

"Oh shit. I would like to try to save them too but I cannot have an enemy Ape tearing up our medical tents no
t to mention killing our doctor and medics. And we don't have the troops to guard them. Damn it to hell." Jack thought for a few seconds and dug a handful of patches out of his thigh pocket. "Slap a patch on the critically wounded and have a couple assigned to take them down to the boat lock deck and guard them until we figure out what to do with them." Shaking his head. "Tell me. Is there any way we can turn them to the Red Ape side?"

A bunch of Apes suddenly burst out of the hatches of the trunk.
Jack dove for cover as he brought up his weapon but the squads already setting up positions at the passageway hatches made short work of them.

Things quieted down after a few seconds
as the wounded Red Apes left and several black apes were carried out of the compartment. Looking around Jack grabbed a paint can that Apes had been using to touch up the scorch marks on their suits dropped by the Greenfoot and started painting a big Red line in a circle half way from the trunk hatches to the outer bulkhead. "Someone take another paint can and do the same around the other trunk hatch."  Jack finished his line and started walking toward the nearest hatch. "After we get the compartment clear. No one fires at an enemy before they get out of the red circle. Got that. We want the enemy to feel safe for a while so more enemy troops will come down thinking this is a breakthrough. So stay under cover hidden and don't fire until you have to. Got that?"

"Yes Officer Captain Turner Sir."

A bunch of black suited Apes came rushing out of the hatch Jack had just finished painting a circle around and started firing at him. Diving to the deck behind a couple of Black Ape bodies. No one returned the fire flying over Jacks head as the Black Apes quickly took cover behind bodies inside the red circle and continued to fire at Jack and the other Red Apes who dove for cover around the compartment. The Greenfoots picking up wounded Black Apes and the pallets of charges were completely ignored with even the Red Apes having only a shot or two fired in their direction.

After a few seconds and no one still return
ing fire against the Black Apes Jack tried to keep from screaming. "I said after we get clear of the damn compartment. Fire at and kill them for crying out loud!"

The
deluge of fire from the outer hatches with their newly cut armored firing slits in the hatches and side bulkheads quickly dispatched the Black Apes.

Getting up Jack noticed the bodies he had taken cover behind looked like
Swiss cheese on the Trunk hatch side. Shaking his head he walked as calmly as he could to the nearest hatch as the Ensign ran up to him. "What the hell do you think you were doing out there?" 

The compartment had just finished being cleared when the next group of black Apes came bursting out of the trunk hatches and took cover. With them providing cover
ing fire more Apes started streaming out of the trunk hatch.

Jack smiled. "Ok good
, I need you to do the same at the next junction hatches all the way around the compartment and get enough explosives to blow the hatch and side bulkhead at the trunk end of the passageway so they don't have quite as much cover. We have to make it look like they are making progress down here if we want to continue suckering them in."

The Red Apes
safe behind their barriers and firing slits started firing as the first enemy troops crossed the red lines. Ignoring them until they did cross the Red line as Black lizard Apes continued to pile out of the trunk hatches.

The Ensign walked up to Jack. "
I can see that most of the Lizard Ape hibernation decks are being warmed where you were up ship. I can see thousands of Apes working their way down here. Even with this trap we can't stop them all Jack."

"What is even worse
, is that I thought we destroyed all their weapons." Jack tapped his wrist comm. "Number One, we really need you to dump a few rounds into the upper ship taking out those decks being warmed up."

"Captain if we fire
, the enemy torpedoes will start targeting us as they pass heading for the fleet."

"Well fire a broadside out in the open
, plant some active decoys on the other hulks and then move behind cover. We need some support over here now."

"Yes sir. We will be sending you a broadside
and another salvo of torpedoes in a few seconds." Jack turned around and looked down through the ship at the boat bay.  Another shuttle was just backing into it as a shuttle was just leaving in the background.