Battleship Destroyer (92 page)

The Ensign walked up beside Jack. "Looks like you took out a couple thousand Apes with that engine blast Jack. Good going.
From what I can see, it incinerated most of them on this side of the ship. "

"Oh. Ya but there are thousands more where they came from."

"Well hopefully we will be gone by then. The marines should all be onboard in a minute and we can leave."

The big
armored core hatch opened and out came a couple of large containers some 20 feet across and tall rushing toward the boat.  "Damn It." Slapping his comm. "Gutner Dank! Get me at least those stern turrets on this boat working now. We have a big box probably a weapon or even full of Apes that looks plenty big to take this boat. If it gets here." Jack looked hard, squinting his eyes against the glare of the lock's lights.  "Damn there must be 10 of those damn boxes coming down the damn core shaft, heading this way fast."

"Just about got it going Captain. Give us a few more seconds and we will have both of them working on the stern corners. They won't be very accurate until we can sight them in but at least you will have something."
The grated deck around the cargo hold was quickly filling with marines.

The first box was half way to the boat when the first turret fired missing it by 50 feet. The plasma ball hitting the overhead.  "Just give us a few more seconds to adjust the sights Captain."

"We don't have a few more seconds damn it." Looking down Jack suddenly wondered why the Apes were not firing at it. Were they that pragmatic to not waste ammo if it had no chance of penetrating?  But then he remembered how powerful their weapons were and was sure they could penetrate the average damn cargo container. Leaning over to yell down at the Aps to fire he came up nose to nose to the short red tinged haired Greenfoot just stepping up on the deck of boxes below him. Her suit again zipped half way down her chest giving Jack a magnificent view that he ignored.

Her
Green eyes leveled with Jack as she looked into his eyes. "Why are you shooting at our cargo box of refugees? You miraculously clear the enemy away for them to get here but then fire on them. You do not make any sense Captain."

"What?  You
have refugees in those boxes? Are you sure they are not enemy soldiers using a Trojan horse to get close enough to kill us?"

"Yes
Captain. We are talking to them now and know nothing about a Trojan horse. There are no enemy Lizard Apes in those boxes.  Only the last of our alien brothers from the God Officer Part of the ship."

"Shit all mighty." Another blaster ball hit close to the leading box as more formed a line behind it and he saw a big green head pope out from behind the lead box to look toward the boat.  Jack hit his comm. "
Gutner Dank, hold your fire. Those are refugees in the boxes not enemy Apes." Tapping the comm again. "Number One, hold the cannon fire until I say. We have friendlies in your line of fire. I say again hold your fire." The last of the marines ran up the ramp past Jack and into the boat and climbed the ladder up to the catwalk.

The Marine Commander stopped beside Jack. "All present and or accounted for Captain. We can leave anytime."

"I wish we could but we have more refugees coming." Looking down at the center isle down the middle of the boat filled with Greenfoots. "I don't know where the hell we are going to put them through."

The first box had almost reached the boat when the enemy started firing
sporadically into the lock and the Red Apes opened up in return. The Greenfoots suddenly started rushing out of the hold pushing past the Red Apes firing past the incoming boxes at the enemy Apes now shooting from the step ladder cone of bulkheads Jack had made for them. Reaching down to get Red's attention Jack grabbed her head pulling her closer. "What is going on? It is dangerous out there. Tell them to get back onto the boat."

"They will in a few seconds Captain.
They are just making room for the new boxes." The Greenfoots started laying down on the deck beside the hatch or running out to help push the boxes.

The first big cargo box
was pushed up the ramp and down the center of the hold and the isle just wide enough for them until it slammed up against the end bulkhead. The four Greenfoots quickly locked it down and then jumped on top of it as another box was pushed onto the boat and down the center isle of the hold to be locked down and then used by the Greenfoots to sit or lay on. A bolt streaked through the side of the hatch hitting a marine as he tried to help a wounded marine laying on the grated deck knocking him down.

The boat's stern gun turrets started firing. The gunners walking the fireballs into
the enemy firing around the sides of the blasted bulkheads.  It took Jack a second to realize that the turrets were not firing at the boxes to his relief.

T
he Red headed Greenfoot girl with Jack's hand still on her head, turned placing her huge hand on the back of Jacks head and pulled him over to kiss him slobbering all over his face in one wet kiss taking another couple of breaths into him. Her big long tongue darting into his surprised mouth before backing up.  "Thanks Babe for saving my cousins." Smiling at Jack. "We will be loaded in a few seconds and we can leave."

Jack let his hand drop away from her head in shock
wiping his face off. "Ah ya. Your welcome but why the hell didn't you tell me about you having clan up ship. We could have gone up and gotten them a lot safer than making them come all the way down here or leaving them behind."

"No Babe. We can go anyplace on the ship without the Apes or God Officers even notic
ing us if we are even a little careful. The Lizard Apes are not even shooting at us as we load being none entity slaves. As far as not telling you, why did you not tell us you were planning on docking here to pick up your marines? We could have done many things differently to facilitate the rescue." Another bolt streaked close past Jack making him flinch.

Jack watched the last of the cargo boxes drop down the core elevator to the boat deck without detecting anyone even trying to stop or fire at them.  "No. I could not take the chance that someone amongst you would tell the Lizards Apes. If they had found out my plans they would have
wiped this lock out before we could get around to saving them."

"Yes. Our thoughts exactly. We did not know how much we could trust you and most
did and do not but most were willing to take a chance. Not with all until you came back for your own. Some still don't but don't worry Babe, I trust you impeccably with my life. We are bonded now but I still won't marry you even though I now could."

"No? I am devastated love but I will just have to do my best to live without you."

The last of the boxes were pushed onboard the boat with the Greenfoots on top of them and the hatch started closing. Jack took one last look out the hatch.  A bright flaming torch was dropping down the core with several cold Lizard Apes. "What the hell?” Looking closer, Jack could tell it was somewhat smaller than the Apes with two arms, two legs, a head and was carrying something hot in its arms. Something that burned even brighter than the little humanoid but with 6 legs, a long flopping tail with something wide and flat at the end and a head that looked king of like a dog. Whatever it was, kept squirming until it freed itself scampering away around the elevator car amongst the Apes as it was chased by the little humanoid around the much bigger and colder Apes. Jack finally realized that it was a girl with little boobs as she finally caught up to the 6 legged pet picking it up.

"Shit! You have a straggler coming down the core elevator with some
kind of 6 legged pet?" Jack turned to the Red headed Greenfoot.  "Are you people missing a child?"

"Yes.
I will miss her." She looked at Jack with her eyes growing big as tears started clouding them. "I was told my sister disappeared running after her stupid pet and they did not have time to look for her. She will be well taken care of by the Gods. But you say she is in an elevator in the core?"

"Yes with some Lizards that seem to be ignoring her."

"Yes. She is too stupid to be noticed unless she gets in their way and then they will kill her without even thinking about it. She knows this well. Our brother was killed years ago for that reason." Taking a deep breath as the boat continued to be hit by the weapons fire of the lizards. "I will understand if you cannot wait for her babe. Losing loved ones is just part of being a slave."

"Well
, you are no longer a slave and we are not going to lose her if I can help it." Turning to the alien at the ramp controls. "Close the hatch but leave it part way open so we can continue firing out of it while some of the hold is protected." Turning back to the red head. "I won't risk going after her but if she comes this way we will wait for her. Is there any way for you to contact her? A phone or something?"

"No
, she is only 20 years old and not old enough to have a communicator yet."

The hatch closed and locked
. Turning back to the operator he started to yell at it to open the hatch. "I said to only close the hatch part way."

"Yes. Open
part of the hatch Captain." the alien said looking up at Jack.  Then the center 3rd of the hatch suddenly started opening.  "Damn why didn't they do this before. It would have helped save some of the people getting wounded from enemy fire up the sides at least." The grated ramp that had been extended to the deck below moved to form a deck across the ramp opening.

Walking over
to peak around the closed third of the hatch Jack looked at the descending Greenfoot girl. "Ok do we have anymore we need to get?" Looking around the ship his eyes dropped down a few decks as he noticed a bright spot some 20 decks below them and seemed to be growing hotter with a hot figure moving around it. Turning to Pan. "Is that one of your people down a few decks and what is that hot spot? It looks like some kind of reactor."

Pan glanced at Jac
k and then down at the deck where Jack had looked, frowning. "The Ships Main Fusion reactors are down several decks. Volunteers are staying to operate it long enough for us to leave."

"Well we are leaving. Get them up here now."
Jack looked as several more hot spots walked out from around the Fusion Core.

Pan continued to stare out the hatch as the firing from the bay increased. "They will stay to make sure we are safe and then blow the Reactor destroying
the Godship hulks so they cannot be salvaged."

Jack suddenly realized many things that he had been trying not to. Swallowing. "Ok. Ah. What about the other hulks. Are there not refugees like you on them as well?"

"A few survive. We have talked to them. They do not expect you to rescue them."

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he looked past the ship's hull at the hulks surrounding them that were taking a plastering from their own fleet. "Can any of them reach boats of any kind for us to pick up?"

Pan turned to Jack
staring at him. "Yes if you will pick them up. Some can reach boats."

Jack looked up to the overhead of the boat. Shaking his head. "I know I am going to regret this but we will pick up as many as we can. Ah. If you can assure me no enemy troops are on them."

Pan turned to Jack and raised her chin up several inches and back down. Taking out a large box from a pocket she started speaking into it for almost a minute. When she was done she held the box out in front of her for several seconds and then a series of different voices started making short statements from it.

Jack watched the elevator reach the boat bay deck and
Apes start to pile out of it. He noticed now as close as they were, that they had no weapons but swords at their hips. Smiling he let out a long breath of relief until a blast ball landed close beside him.

The voices stopped coming from the box and Pan turned to Jack. "Several thousand think they can reach boats to leave their ships in the next few minutes. I will know if any enemy troops are on any of them. But one ship is to badly
damaged and has no working boats. Though few survive on that ship."

Jack watched the  child in the elevator slowly walk out into the wide core compartment
full of apes milling around and noticed what looked like a hot can rush out of a smaller tube to one side of the main elevators. The Apes suddenly started lining up into rows.

Shaking his head in bewilderment at the new
being that could be an officer. Jack focused on the human sized can floating around the core compartment and started to ask Pan if that was a Godofficer. Then something bright past one side of the hot human sized can caught his eyes. Something out beyond the hull of the ship they were on
.
Jack still had a ghost vision of the ship hulks through the hull if he concentrated and suddenly realized something moved on one of the ghost hulks he had only noticed but ignored up until then. Focusing on it, he watched a small boat pull away. Slapping his comm. "Number One hold your fire. That should be a refugee filled boat. Send one of our empty boats over to check it out. Make sure they have everything they need in case it turns out not to be friendly or an enemy."

"More Refugees Captain. Where we going to put them?"

"Hell I don't know. Empty out a couple of the mass tanks." Turning to Pan. "How many refugees did you say we are talking about?"