Wandering Engineer 6: Pirates Bane (25 page)

In a sudden explosion of sparks the overloaded electronics melted
down, fragmenting and pinging off the inside of the panel. The watch officer’s
adrenaline rush kicked in at the potential threat and he turned. He hadn't been
on hand when the auto-gun had blown the console, but he'd heard about it and
instinct took over, exposing himself briefly to the open hatch.

Admiral Irons stood and aimed, feeling Defender cut in tactical
overlays. The gun in his hand bucked as the round fired, passing though the
back of the chair to the officer’s skull, splattering its contents all over the
tech nearby. 

The Horathian female rating reared back in horror and Admiral
Irons detached the jacks and stepped onto the bridge and over to the body. He
turned and shot up the robot in the alcove and then shot through the flimsy
chair the security goon was hiding behind. The man slumped immediately. A pool
of blood began to form around his body.

Keeping the rating covered the Admiral picked up the gun, then
turned to the cowering techs. “Up,” he ordered, motioning with the gun.
“Against the back wall. No funny stuff. You know everyone here isn't happy with
you,” he said. He scanned each of them and then had them line up along the rear
bulkhead on their knees with their hands on their heads. The female Horathian
shook like a leaf. Apparently she expected the same treatment her own people
had given the prisoners.

The Admiral turned and handed one of the weapons to his people.
“Get this to the rear guard. The other one too,” he said, motioning to former
prisoner who had kicked the weapon away from the dead guard and then scooped it
up. The man nodded and scooted out the hatch.

“You,” the Admiral said, pointing to another of his people. “Take
this, cover them,” he ordered, handing his own weapon over. The rating looked
at it and then grimly nodded. “Don't kill them unless they move. We may want
to... discuss things with them later,” Irons said.

The rating nodded grimly. He settled in, covering the now cowering
Horathians.

“I didn't sign on for this!” one whispered fiercely.

“Shut up!” another whispered back.

The Admiral nodded, eyes cold but approving. He turned and opened
a channel. “This is John, we have secured the bridge,” he said simply. He knew
he wouldn't get any feedback through the channel. “Kinja?”

“We're ready John,” Kinja reported. “On your command.”

“Proceed then,” he ordered her to proceed, smiling tightly. Power
was cut to the contested compartments, dropping them into darkness. Life
support shut down, as did the artificial gravity.  The Horathians were now
trapped in the dark, floating in shock, with their life support cut off.

“What the hell is going on? Bridge answer me!” The Captain
bellowed over the communications link and Admiral Irons smiled evilly.

He tapped the line, and then shrugged. He jacked in to the command
station and opened a channel on all frequencies. “This is John, Captain of the
Phoenix. Bounty has fallen.”

“What the hell?” The Captain demanded.

“I repeat, we your former prisoners,” Irons smiled to some of his
team who smiled back. One clutched at his baton grimly. “We are now in control
of your ship. It is ours now. Resistance is futile.” He winced at the cliché
saying. “Throw down your weapons and you will not be harmed,” he calmly told
the Horathian Captain and others listening. That evoked a torrent of swearing
and cursing from the Captain and a soft whimper from the guard with Ian.

Chuckling Irons switched to the guard watching McGuyver’s team.
“I... I've got hostages here! Turn the ship back over to the Captain or I'll
kill them!” he said, blustering.

“Voice analysis states he will do it Admiral. But he's pretty
shaken,” Sprite reported.

“And we have a policy for negotiating with terrorists and hostage
takers,” Irons replied grimly.

“Kill us all John!” Ian said over the open radio. “Don't let the
bastard use us!”

“Shut up!” the hysterical guard said, turning on Ian.

“Do it! You've gone this far!” Ian said.

“They understand,” Sprite said softly.

“Let's hope it doesn't come to that,” the Admiral said as the
guard took out his fear on Ian in a series of kicks and blows. Ian went into a
fetal position, protecting himself the best he could.

“He's terrified. You can tell by his response.”

“Cut him off from the Captain. He only talks with us Commander,”
Irons replied grimly.

“Unfortunately I can't do that. We can't jam them from this
distance, there are too many compartments in between and their handcoms are
outside the ship's communications links,” Sprite reported.

“Darn,” Irons said mildly. “Here is the situation son. You are
alone, the only Horathian in a compartment with wounded hostages. We've taken
the ship. You've got about the same chance as a snowball on Mercury of retaking
this ship. If the hostages die, you die. Keep beating them and well, I just
might do what Captain McGuyver requested.”

“You wouldn't dare!” the voice replied.

“I might if there is no hope of getting them out alive. Your
survival and future is tied to theirs.”

“You're... you're bluffing! I don't believe it! It's a trick!
Yeah, that's what it is!” the guy said, going through the various stages of
denial.

The Admiral let him work through it, turning to check his people.
Two of his team had taken it on themselves to man the OPS and tactical station.
He nodded to each in appreciation.

“Hope they know what they are doing,” Sprite said. The Admiral
shrugged. Right now he had more important things on his mind. “I'll um, just
make sure they don't hit the wrong button or something,” the AI said. The Admiral
nodded in approval. “Yeah, I'll just go do that little thing,” the AI sing
songed.

“You done yet?” Admiral Irons asked when the guard finally wound
down. “Finished?”

“I can be,” the guard growled back.

“Okay, look, here is the deal. Even if you killed them all you
will die in that compartment in less than a day. With them it's a quarter of
that, wounded people use up more oxygen, all that gasping,” the Admiral
reminded him.

He heard the man swear.

“If even one dies, that's it. I'll tell the crew to pull the plug.
You were smart to block off the air vents, but that's not going to save you and
you know it by now. So, the question is,” His voice dropped a bit. “Where do we
go from here,” he said.

A whimper sound from the guard was his only reply.

Irons smiled. “Got him?” Sprite asked hopefully.

The Admiral shrugged. “Time to set the hook,” he murmured. He
cleared his throat.

“I tell you what. I'm an officer. You have my word that I will
spare your life like any others who surrendered as long as no one else is
hurt.”

“How? How can I trust you??” The terrified guard asked.

“Unlike the others, I haven't been subjected to your people's
hospitality for long. And besides, I said I am an officer. I will give you my
word. My word is law son. You best obey it.”

“That's...” the Horathian stopped when he heard a noise outside
the hatch. 

Sisko and his team arrived at his hatch. He rapped on the hatch in
the ancient 'shave and a haircut, two bits' antic.

“Finally!” the guard said. “Someone tell me this is a joke! A sick
fracking Joke! Shifty that you?”

“No it's the tooth fairy asshole. I'm here to collect,” Sisko
replied grimly.

“Oh frack,” the guard whimpered, backing away from the hatch.
“Don't come in here! Don't you come in here or... or I'll shoot them!” he said,
voice rising.

“I'm all right if anyone cares,” Sindri said over the radio.

“Shut up Sindri, we knew you were alive and free,” Gustov said.
“We've got a few situations to take care of. Hold tight. I've got someone
headed your way.”

“No problem,” the dwarf said. “But I'd appreciate you hurry up,
this guy just voided and it's stinking up the compartment. Some fresh air would
be nice right about now.”

“Working on it,” Kinja replied absently.

“Thanks lass. You are a life saver,” the dwarf said warmly.

“Ah, your just saying that,” Kinja drawled.

“Only because he's stuck in a compartment and you control the
power,” Gustov replied with a laugh. “By the way, has anyone looked at the map
lately?”

“I have,” Irons replied, noting Gustov was near the Captain. He
was just outside the hatch, setting up to rush him if needed.

“Who the hell do you think you are? Like we're going to believe
that or anything you say! This is mutiny!” Captain Hathaway snarled. “You'll
never get away with this!”

“I want to hear what he has to say,” the guard said, voice
sounding shaky.

“Shut up!” the Captain raged. “He'll never let us live! Fight!
Fight on!”

“My name is John Henry Irons. As Fleet Admiral of the Federation I
hereby give you my word as an officer of the Federation Navy that I will spare
your life so long as you surrender with no further harm to the prisoners.” Admiral
Irons told him, straightening to attention. His hand unjacked from the bridge
station.

Echoing stunned silence hit both the bridge and the ship for
several long seconds. The wounded rating was astounded, staring at Admiral
Irons with awe. Even the luckless Horathian prisoners turned to stare at him.

“This is Fleet Admiral John Henry Irons of the Federation to all
surviving Horathian Pirates. Surrender and your lives will be spared. To this
ship and her new crew, as senior officer present I hereby take command of this
ship in the name of the Federation. Carry on,” Admiral Irons said.

He morphed his hand again to jack into the bridge controls.
“Kinja, you still there?”

“Uh, yeah, where else would I go?” she asked, clearly off balance
mentally.

“Restore the gravity and life support to the compartment where the
prisoners are. As a show of good faith,” he ordered.

“Yes sir,” Kinja quietly said.  He could hear some of her team
murmuring in the background of her channel but tuned it out he had to focus.

The guard stuttered in shock and disbelief, further done in by
that unveiling.

“I'm judging he's over the edge. From the sound of it, he's heard
of you. Fifty fifty on which way he'll jump though Admiral. He's been through a
lot mentally in the past few minutes,” Sprite said.

The Admiral nodded grimly.

“You're bluffing! It's not possible!” Captain Hathaway swore.

“You and I both know it's true. You found my uniform in the
laundry,” Irons replied grimly.

“Shit!” the Captain swore again.

“So, you mean it's true! He really is an Admiral?” the guard
asked. “He is?”

“Shut up! Clancy, shoot a prisoner! Do it now!” The Captain
snarled.

“Clancy, you don't want to do that,” Irons replied. He's no longer
in command, I am.”

“Well Irons, you either surrender to Horathian justice or he
will!” the Captain said. Desperately the Horathian demanded that the guard kill
one of the prisoners to force Admiral Irons to surrender.

“That's not going to happen and you know it,” Irons replied
grimly.

“Here is what is going to happen. If one of them dies, I will
order Kinja to cut the power again and vent the compartments, allowing them to
die in darkness. It's not pretty, nor fun,” the Admiral replied. A few on the
bridge shivered.

“Gustov?” Irons asked through his implants.

“Um, yes Admiral?” Gustov replied. “Sitrep is we're on the side of
the hatch, but we can't get to you, they are between us and you.”

“But he's on our deck right?” Irons asked.

“Yes sir.”

“Send someone with weapons to the lift and go up a deck, then come
over to the special lift and down. I'll send word to let you in,” the Admiral
ordered.

“Aye aye sir. My pleasure.”

“We'll need someone to keep watch on that hatch,” the Admiral
said.

“We've secured it sir, but they can break out with the bot,” the
security man said.

“Understood. Keep your people back and clear of the door just in
case,” the Admiral ordered.

“Marcus?” the Admiral said, calling to the male rear guard he had
left in the corridor.

“Yes um, Admiral sir?” the kid said.

“We've got help coming. Gustov is sending in reinforcements with
armor and weapons through the lift. Be prepared. Tell, um...”

“Irina,” Sprite supplied.

“Yes, Irina, tell her to undo what she did to the lift doors and
let them in.”

“How will we know it's them?”

“Use your ID implants,” Sprite interjected.

“Who is...”?

Irons frowned when Marcus was cut off. “I'm filling him in. You
don't need the distraction,” Sprite informed him. He nodded.