END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (14 page)

I want to inspect everything the Princess and her guards brought up with them. Then I want a total sweep of our outer hulls. I need the guard’s stuff
inspected so that no guard can hide something while we're inspecting another guard's stuff. That means their stuff stays here, until we finish our
inspection. In fact, bring down one guard at a time; have him point out his luggage and watch while you inspect it in front of him. Then let him carry his
own stuff to his berth. As I told someone recently, we're a working cargo vessel, not some pleasure yacht. You can tell them all that if you need to. Every
person here signed on to haul freight, not kiss the Royal's Asses. As for the Princess, Phillie that's where I need you. As the another female on the
ship, I need you to go with the guys when they take her stuff up and inspect everything with a fine touch in front of her. Plus she has already met you. Show her as much respect as you
can without bowing down like her personal servant. You are not her servant. If she needed one of those she should have brought one with her. That's another
question. Why didn't she bring any of her servants? Phillie see if you can find out.

If anybody asks, you can tell them that its standard procedure for us to inspect everything any passenger brings onboard. You'd be amazed how those two
little words can make even the mightiest of Kings back down. Keep saying standard procedure at them and they will eventually go away and complain to
somebody higher up the chain of command. That chain ends with me! You can blame it on company policy or station administration regulations. Those guards
aren't smart enough to know any better, trust me. If anyone gives you too much trouble, call me. I'll handle it.” Jon finished up his instructions.

“Boy will he! You should have seen him handling two of the Royal Guards already.” When Jon scowled at her Phillie added, “I'll tell you boys all about it
some time.”

“I've got the Captain running the hull scans now, but even if the regular scans don't find anything I'll still want eyes on before we hit the slip.” Jon
told them. Then he asked, “Do we have a pressure suit onboard in a size that will fit me? I'll go out and help do the walk around.”

“The Captain's suit might work for you sir.” Bendy, the other crewman who would be going outside, said. “Phillie could tinker with it and cobble it to get it to
fit.”

“Yeah boss. I can make it work for you, but I think maybe you should stick around inside in case we run into problems with any of the other guards or if
the Princess demands to see you before she lets me inspect her things.” Phillie did not want Jon to go outside the cocoon of safety the ship provided and
venture into the vacuum of space in a cobbled together pressure suit. Too many things could go wrong too fast out there to risk losing the one male she had
come to admire. When she told him her fears Jon replied,

“I trust your cobbling Phillie. Get me fitted up before you inspect Lady Satrina's belongings.” Jon told her and as they walked to the cabinet where the
pressure suits were kept Jon called back, “Get those guards started coming down here and don't take any crap from them. This ship doesn't move until I'm
satisfied its safe.”

An hour later Phillie opened the last of Satrina's baggage. What she found inside took her breath away. Neatly folded and carefully layered were the most
majestic and beautiful gowns she had ever seen and each one was in some strange brilliant multicolored design that spiraled on a silver background. “By the
Goddess Princess, these aren't the Royal scarlet. I've never seen this before and I've seen all of the Royal colors.”

“You won't find those among the Royal Houses, or any other Lexonian house for that matter. Those are the colors of House Connell!” Rina proclaimed proudly.
“I'm hoping to be able to wear them openly at court soon.”

“They are so beautiful. Why not wear them now?”

“Its complicated.” Rina sadly told her. “Jon is such a stubborn male. He insists that for him to fully claim me as his mate, although it is now his right
to do so, might bring me problems should he be injured or killed in any up coming battles he might face while in the Peacekeepers. He doesn't want to leave
me used should I be forced into mourning for him before mating with another. Nothing I say will change his mind. Then there is my father, the King. Without
his blessings I would be cast from the Royal House. Jon says he knows what it is like to lose ones family and he doesn't want me to experience that kind of
loss.”

“What do you think?” Phillie asked.

“I think that he is only half right.” Rina said. “I would not ever wish to lose my family. My mother died when I was but a youngling and that has always
caused me much sorrow. To lose my father and my brother would break my heart. I love them both so much.” Rina had to hold back tears at just the thought of
something happening to either of them. “As far as leaving me used. Let me only say I can think of no better use.”

"Your mate is different from other males I've known. They would all have wanted me to service more than just their ships if they hired me. I would have been forced to hurt them like I did that slime worm captain on my last ship. All your mate has ever asked for was my best work." Phillie told the Princess with a smile in her eyes.
"What I still don't understand is why you're traveling with only four guards and no servants."

"The trip came upon me suddenly. I had planned to stay another week on Haven when I was told I was needed back on Lexon II. The message was very clear that I should come alone. The guards with me refused to let me travel without an escort." Satrina explained.

“Connell to Wrenches!” came an excited call over the com interrupting their conversation. “Wrenches! Answer me NOW!”

“Wrenches here boss, just finishing up with our passenger.”

“I found it! Get you tail up to the main viewer on the bridge! FAST!”

“Going boss. Be there in two shakes.” Phillie answered using another of those little known human sayings that she loved before she closed out her COM and
looked to Rina, “Sounds excited, doesn't he?”

“We'd better hurry.” Rina told her. “Two shakes of what?” She asked.

“I don't really know. I read it in a book of ancient human sayings that I found in a book out on Riva 4. Humans had a lot of sayings that no one
understands these days. I use some of them because I like how they sound. If you can keep up, follow me.” Phillie explained and then she took off at a flat
out run until she thundered out at the coms officer on the bridge, “Patch me through to the boss and get out of my way. He's found something on the hull!”
Sitting at the com station, with a slightly out of breathe Princess and four royal guards standing behind her, Phillie spoke calmly into the com, “I'm here boss. What have you
got?”

“Put this on the main screen Wrenches.” Jon told her when he had adjusted his helmet camera to show the entire device that he had found attached to the
slipdrive housing. “Can you determine what it is from there?”

“Yes, its a disruptive. We used those things to test new engines before they are installed on FTL ships. It should not be there now though. Its not even
the right one for this ship. That's meant for a much bigger engine, say a 15-38.” Phillie told him.

“This looks like it’s been put here recently, within the last few weeks.” Jon told her. “There's not enough dust on it for it to have been out here for
very long.”

“You're right boss. That's a rush job for sure. Only time we were sitting long enough was when we refueled at Lexon II before coming here. Can you get the
cover off?” Phillie was getting nervous. One wrong step and that thing could blast a hole through her engine, not to mention her boss.

“I'll give it a try.” Jon told her. “I see six bolts around the edge. Are those the ones?”

“Yes. Boss. Have you ever worked with one of these before?” Phillie nervously asked.

“Nope, but I've got the best Flight Engineer in the galaxy to teach me how.” Jon answered.

“Boss, come back inside. I'll go out there.” Phillie was getting very nervous now.

“No Wrenches. You tell me what to do. Captain Claudi... get everyone forward of section 25 and close the airtight hatches just in case. Have Bendy stay
back to bring me any special tools I don't already have.” Jon ordered.

“You heard the man people,” the Captain ordered, “Start moving people, passengers an crew. Everyone forward of 25 and lock her down tight! Close up
everything. Nothing stays open to space in case that thing blasts a hole in our side. If there is even a slime worm's chance of venting atmo, close it off.
Now MOVE IT!” As far as anyone had ever determined slime worms didn't vent anything, ever. Born pregnant, they lived their entire lives storing everything
they took in until they exploded from over filling themselves. The newly hatched worms went right to work eating the scattered remains of their parent
before setting out to over stuff themselves. That's why they were called slime worms, because of the slime you stepped in after they blew up.

“I've got the cover ready to come off Wrenches. Lifting it now.” Jon transmitted to the bridge as he gently removed the cover on the foreign device
attached to his ship. Inside was a computerized counter attached to some kind of electrical magnet with a series of robotic hammers. The numbers glowing
brightly as they clicked down. It looked like it was set to go off 24 hours into their slip. It would have destroyed an engine, thrown them off the slipway
into the vastness of space between systems. They would havee all died. “Are you seeing this Wrenches?”

“Yes sir. That's a timer. Probably wired to a trigger.” she told him. “Somebody sabotaged my ship! I'll fry their balls! Sir. I'm coming out there.”

“No, you're not! You stay right there where you're safe! This thing goes off I don't want you anywhere near it!" Jon ordered firmly. "Now walk me through this.” Jon continued to speak in a steady voice despite his own nervousness.

“Boss you've got to disconnect the timer from the detonator. There should be some small screws holding it in place.”

“I see them.” Jon updated her.

“OK, loosen the screws from the top right corner going clockwise, that's to your right sir. Just loosen them for now to remove any torque.” Goddess this
was nerve racking, Phillie thought. She'd like it more if it was her out on the ship's skin doing this dangerous work. That was her boss out there and Princess Satrina's mate. She'd never let either of them down! Jon Connell had taken her away from that piss hole of a repair shop and given her three ships to look after and she was really beginning to like the Princess too. “Easy does it sir, don't loosen them too much until you've got them all loose.”

“I'm here with you Wrenches. Loosening the last screw now.” Jon told her. “OK. There. All screws are now loose.”

“Good, now go back and remove them in the same order that you loosened them.”

“On it.” came Jon's crisp reply. Then the COM stayed silent as he worked until, “Got it! All the screws are out Wrenches. What's next.”

“Very carefully lift the timer until you can see if it has wires connected to it.” Phillie told him.

“No wires Wrenches. I think it just plugs into a slot on the device. It just came off in my hand.” Jon's voice sounded slightly relieved, but was
still tense. “Can you see anything else I need to worry about?” Jon made sure that he positioned the camera to give her the best view of the entire device.

“Leave the cameras on, but turn the lights off Boss.” Phillmma instructed. “Let's check to make sure.” Jon carefully adjusted himself to keep the camera in
position as he turned the three high intensity lamps off one by one. After the third light went out some kind of red blinking light was clearly seen from
underneath the device. “Boss, that first timer was just a dummy. The real timer is still active and it’s under the thing. We may have to abort the flight
to get that thing removed.”

“Can I just cut it off?” Jon asked.

“It would be easier to cut away the entire hull panel than to try to remove that thing.” Phillie told him.

“Then that's what I'll do. Once it’s off the ship we can take our time getting to the slipway while you and Bendy come out here and replace the panel.” Jon
told her as he ignited the plasma cutter from his tool belt.”

“Sounds like a plan there Sweet Cheeks.” Phillie told him. Now that they had found the danger and were about to remove it, she felt like she deserved to
have some fun.

“DARN IT Wrenches! You make me wish I believed in the Goddess.” Jon barked.

“OH Boss.. why's that?” Phillie asked.

“Because if I believed, I would not feel so bad about praying for you to bend over in the engine room and burn your ass on the intermixers!” Jon told her as he
began to cut away his ship's outer hull.

“Yeah, real funny Boss.” she stammered as the rest of the bridge crew chuckled behind her. Of course when she opened the mic to speak it picked up the
sound of everyone on the bridge laughing, including one female whose laugh Jon had come to know over the last few days.

“Ah, Wrenches, is there a tiny tigress there with you?” Jon asked.

Satrina leaned into Phillie and whispered in her ear. “He calls me that sometimes.” Satrina told her.

“Yeah boss. Near as I can tell though its all teeth and snarls, nothing soft and fluffy about this one. Not that it matters but I like it.” Phillie told
him.

“Just keep it safe Wrenches. I'll be done out here in a few.” Jon informed the entire crew. “Captain Claudi... What would be the best way to rid ourselves
of our little surprise package?”

“Once you get it cut free, I'll use the parking thrusters to move us away from it. Those are just compressed gases not hot plasma. Then once we're far
enough away we can use the engines and swing around. One touch of the mains should be enough to blow it. We might get a little shaken up, but we should be
fine. Maybe even hide the explosion from the station this far out.” his Captain informed him.

After 20 minutes of cutting away the outer hull using small, aligned cuts to avoid over heating the surrounding metal, Jon had the device floating free in
space about 10 feet from the ship. Funny thing about working in space, nothing has any weight, just mass. Overcome the mass and you could lift a mountain
with one hand.