Mantis rising, p.6
Mantis Rising, page 6
“Yes, Captain, with a few to spare.”
“Good. Lieutenant Balsom is going to pilot our shuttle over to Felix. You four will accompany him, in suits. Ferguson, verify that the damage is as severe as it appears. Doctor, one of the goals of this mission is to check for survivors. That’s your job. Render what aid is possible and get them back here. Leave the dead. Our priest will be holding a service for them later.” She paused. “Yes, Doctor?”
“Will I be allowed to pick up some of my equipment that I was forced to leave behind?”
“Yes. Assuming Felix can’t be repaired, I intend for us to acquire all medical supplies and food stores on board before we leave her adrift. We will be able to collect the rest of our clothing too. To continue, Sergeant Heidel is in charge of the mission. You will all do what she tells you to do. That includes you, Doctor. Private Hamy, I’m afraid I’m sending you along primarily as muscle. That means shifting rubble if necessary. It also means helping to carry injured and helping the doctor with his equipment if it is more than he can handle on his own. You’re not his pack mule, but please be considerate if the opportunity presents itself. Sergeant, no weapons. You won’t need them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Captain?” Ferguson said.
“Yes?”
“We should copy the ship’s log and any personal logs that survived.”
MC frowned. “Why?”
“None of us had a spouse anymore, but some of the crew had children. I know Ship Master Lamont had a son.”
With a nod, MC said, “Thank you. I didn’t think of that — I don’t have any family. Not this trip, though. We’ll go back for those. Hmm. While we’re on the topic of things I haven’t thought of… Doctor, what does Oleon’s pet eat? Did she have any special diet for it?”
He shook his head. “No, Captain. It eats whatever we do. She does provide it with a mineral supplement, but I saw her pack that when we left for the shuttle.”
“OK, good. And Doctor, don’t sneer when you call me ‘Captain.’ I can make your life very uncomfortable.”
With a sour expression on his face, he nevertheless nodded. MC said, “Sergeant, one last thing before you go.”
“Sir?”
“No accidents. All five of you are to make it back. Your life depends on it.”
Alone on the bridge, MC considered comming Oleon’s room. She thought better of it. Everyone still on board was supposed to be sleeping. Ferguson had told her engineering didn’t require constant monitoring, so she had sent her other two engineers to their cabins.
A few minutes after the shuttle left, Ema walked onto the bridge. “May I sit with you, Captain?”
MC waved her over to an unoccupied seat. “What can I do for you, Ema? You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
Ema sighed. “I tried. I can’t get to sleep. I never got to sleep alone on this ship. It’s strange. I worry a lot. I think I’m a little bit afraid that Gabon will come looking for me. He always hurts me when he’s in a bad mood.”
“Ema, I’ve warned everyone about the altered policies on this ship. I will execute anyone who hurts you. You’d still be hurt, but it would be for the last time.”
Ema smiled weakly. “Hesta doesn’t like me. Probably because I’m young and pretty and she isn’t either. She’s never hurt me, though. Captain, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Since we’re alone at the moment, you may.”
“You’re young and pretty, too. You’re way much prettier than I am.” She glanced over at the three dead bodies, still on the bridge, although now moved off to one side and out of the way. “You’re very hard, too. How old are you?”
MC shrugged, but only mentally. That question was bound to come up sooner or later. She was a little surprised nobody had already asked her. “I’m nineteen-standard.”
Ema was silent for a couple of minutes. “I’ll be nineteen in three more weeks. Hamy and I have been on this ship — I don’t even know what they call it — for about eight months now. Our mother was killed when the pirates boarded the ship we were on. I lived because, like I say, I’m young and pretty. Hamy says they didn’t kill him because Lancome liked the way he looks. She’s a hard woman, too.”
MC said, “I planned on conducting interviews with everyone on board tomorrow, after we’ve all had some sleep. If you’re going to stay up with me, we could go ahead and talk now.”
“Whatever you like, Captain.”
“First, Ema, you need to understand the difference between a request and an order. An order, you always follow. A request leaves the decision up to you. Staying here and talking to me was not an order. It is your choice. Considering your history on this ship, if one of the men invites you into his bed, it’s your choice as to whether you accept the invitation or not.” MC grinned at her, not sure whether she was being too serious with the girl or not. “I’m the only one on this ship who can order you to bed with me. I won’t ever do that.”
Ema made a coy expression. “The old captain did. Don’t you like young and pretty, Captain?”
“Yes, I do. Stop flirting and let’s get serious. What skills do you have?”
“Other than as a playmate?”
MC considered spanking her. Not a good way to enforce shipboard discipline! “Yes, other than that. Education or vocational training?”
“Both Hamy and I were working on a small liner when the pirates took us. I was in housekeeping services — you know, cleaning and straightening rooms, replacing dirty towels, and things like that. Hamy worked in the kitchen. We actually had a real cook. But Hamy mostly bussed tables. I think sometimes they had him serving. We both have a basic education. We were both also trying to save up enough to take university classes.”
“You said your mother was on the ship too?”
“Yes, she was the cook.”
“Ever shoot a gun?”
“Me? No.”
MC sighed. She had wanted more for this girl. “I’m sorry, Ema. You don’t have the skills I need on a starship. I’m going to assign you as the ship’s housekeeper. If anyone is excessively messy, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”
“I understand, Captain.”
MC nodded. “You will be paid. Hopefully you’ll earn enough that you’ll be able to attend your university. What were you interested in studying?”
“You’ll think this is silly. I wanted to be a veterinarian. I love animals and the job prospects are good, especially on some of the more rural planets.”
MC thought a moment. She hadn’t considered that taking over this ship was going to make her responsible for people other than getting her three passengers to where they wanted to go. Her father hadn’t been the best role model as far as that went. “Do some research. Figure out where you want to attend, if you haven’t already. Then find some preprogrammed learning courses that they’ll accept. That’s how I got most of my education. I’m willing to buy them for the ship.”
MC could have blocked Ema’s tackle. Sometimes, when someone was flying at you, you just had to be able recognize the difference between danger and excitement. She would have hated to hurt an overenthusiastic young woman who probably had just received some of the most encouraging news of her life. Ema’s arms went around MC’s shoulders and squeezed as she kissed her ear. MC could hear her quietly crying as she said, “Thank you, thank you, Captain.”
MC briefly returned the hug before pushing Ema back. Somewhat wryly, she said, “While I appreciate the sentiment, that is something else you are never to do unless we are alone. Captaining a ship isn’t easy, Ema. Frankly, I have no experience at it. What I do know is that, especially as young as I am, I need to command respect. It’s either that or command fear. Fear is easy. I’d prefer respect. From your perspective, that means no public displays and no sassy responses. Can you follow those guidelines?”
Looking contrite, Ema said, “I’ll do my best, Captain.”
“I think you should go and try to get some sleep now.”
The girl grinned. “Is that an order or a suggestion, Captain?”
MC sighed. “That’s what I mean about sassy responses. It was a suggestion. One more thing before you leave. Do not repeat anything I’ve told you about myself to anyone. That one is an order.”
Ema looked at her, reviewing their conversation in her mind. “I think I understand, sir. You have my word.”
Once the shuttle returned, MC met them in the docking bay. As Lancome disembarked, MC said, “It’s late. Is there anything to report that can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“I don’t think so, Captain. There wasn’t anyone on board who was still alive.”
MC nodded. “Sergeant, please see to it that everyone, including Doctor Crawford, services and stows their own suits. Roge, I have us holding a stationary position. I’ve programmed alarms to sound in both of our cabins if anything needing our attention is encountered. Once you’re done with the suits, all of you go to bed. We’ll meet on the bridge at ten hours. I’ll see you then.”
As MC stepped through the hatch into her cabin, she heard someone breathing from her bed. Ema, of course. She locked the hatch behind her. Placing her phase pistol on the bedside cabinet, she undressed and climbed into bed, noticing that her sheets smelled nice. Ema roused up and asked, “Captain?”
“Go back to sleep, Ema.”
“Uh, huh. I changed the bed linens for you and put clean towels in your lav. I feel safe here, Captain.”
“If you’re in my bed, you can be less formal. Call me MC. Go back to sleep.”
The girl giggled. “Yes, sir.”
Chapter 11
The Interview Process
At nine hours the next morning, MC woke up and shook Ema gently awake. She smiled down at her. She hadn’t yet decided whether or not allowing the girl to sleep in her cabin was a good idea. She also wasn’t sure she was going to allow it to continue. She hadn’t been planning on replacing Celeste in her life. But truth be told, having a warm body next to her made her feel more human. Ema looked up and blinked her eyes. “Thank you for letting me stay, MC.”
MC nodded. “Get up. You can use my lav to refresh, but then find yourself another outfit to change into. We’ll be having a general meeting in the mess at ten hours, so don’t dawdle.”
Once Ema had scooted out into the hall, MC activated the ship-wide comm from her cabin. “Could I have everyone’s attention for a moment, please? This is Captain Jones. You should all recognize my voice by now. We will be holding a general meeting in the mess at ten hours. Attendance is required. I’ll see you there.”
Once she got herself a mug of coffee — unlike what had been available on the Felix, it seemed to be the real stuff — and a hot ready-meal, MC sat next to Lancome. Lancome said, “Morning, Captain. So, no meeting at ten hours on the bridge?”
Savoring a sip of coffee, MC didn’t reply immediately. “No, Sergeant. We’ll talk here instead. How did everything go yesterday?”
She grunted. “As well as could be expected. Your doctor is a self-centered pain in the ass.”
MC shrugged. “I don’t consider him to be my doctor, but otherwise, I agree with your assessment.”
Lancome grunted again. “Captain, no offense, but you’re very young. You don’t, however, come across as naive. Why are you allowing me run of the ship? Surely you realize how many weapons I have access to?”
“You have military training, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How many soldiers to a squad where you were trained?”
“Six. Generally five privates under a corporal. Ten squads reporting into a sergeant.”
MC took another swallow of coffee. “Say you’re dropped, unarmed, into the middle of three, fully armed, battle-ready enemy squads. Could you survive if they wanted you dead?”
“No, sir, I don’t think so.” Her eyes widened. “Could you?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I could. I strongly urge you not to attack me, no matter how many weapons you have.”
Ten hours came. Everybody had eaten and the table had been cleared. MC stood, a bit surprised that they were all here. “Please come to order. This meeting will take as long as it needs to. First, Roge, what is the name of this ship?”
He grinned. “It’s named Apple Blossom. The captain used to laugh that no one was going to run from a ship named Apple Blossom. We found that to not be entirely true.”
MC frowned. “We’ll be renaming it before we leave the vicinity. Yesterday, I declared myself the captain of Apple Blossom by — if you want to be technical — right of conquest. I expect all of you to do your assigned jobs. That includes former passengers and former pirates. Ferguson, too, of course, but I’m not concerned about him.”
Ferguson said, “Thanks, Captain.”
She nodded in his direction. “Just so there is no misunderstanding about this, none of you are prisoners. I fully intend to get Felix’s three passengers to Koveen — for which they booked passage. If we put into another port before we get there, you’re welcome to leave at that time. I am not in any position to refund fares, however.
“Former pirates — what you did in the past is a problem. When I meet with you later today or tomorrow, I want to know what acts you’ve committed that might get you prosecuted on a civilized world. I have killed more people than all of you taken together. You might ask, if what I just said is a true statement, who am I to judge you? The answer is simple. I am MC Jones and your lives depend on my goodwill.” She smiled. “Are there any questions about that?”
Hamy said, “You look awfully young to have killed a lot of people.”
Lancome groaned. “You’re not very bright, are you?”
He looked puzzled, but didn’t reply. MC decided not to mention the nuke. “I want to mention personnel matters next. I don’t care who sleeps with whom.”
Doctor Crawford spoke up, “Not Oleon!”
“I would say that’s up to her, but we’ll talk later, Doctor. What I do want understood is that neither Ema nor Hamy are obligated to spend time in anyone’s bed unless it is by their choice. I will have no problem executing anyone who violates that simple rule. I also promised Ema to severely hurt anyone who hurts her again. If anyone else thinks he or she needs protection, let me know. Am I correct, Heidel, that you don’t desire to test me?”
“No sir. I don’t think that would be a wise decision. I looked over our dead.”
“Good. Gabon?”
He looked confused. “Huh? I don’t understand. I’m an engineer.”
“Ema specifically requested protection from you. I told her I would execute you if you hurt her. Do you want to test me?”
He swallowed. This new captain certainly looked strong. It didn’t escape his notice that Heidel, the most efficient fighter on this crew, wasn’t challenging her. He didn’t think she was just biding her time. “No, sir. I’ll keep to myself.”
When no one said anything else, MC said, “Ferguson, tell me about Felix.”
“Everybody’s dead, MC — sorry, Captain. We didn’t even need the doc to check ‘em. Worx had his suit on but when engineering was holed, he was vaporized from the waist down. Really nasty. The bridge was open to space. It wasn’t pretty, either. The hold was only hit once. It looks like seventy to eighty percent of the cargo can be recovered. Most of that is the computer equipment. While the meat might be salvageable, most of the hardwoods were in the section that was destroyed.”
“What about fuel?”
“Yes, we can probably top off our tanks over here.”
“Make sure to refuel the shuttle, too. Doctor, did you get everything you wanted?”
“I did. There are some miscellaneous first aid supplies in the mess that it wouldn’t hurt to collect on another trip.”
“Sergeant, do you have anything to add?”
“No, sir. If you’re thinking about salvage, you might want to consider dismounting the two phase cannons. They’re old, but they’re worth something.”
MC nodded. “Thank you. That’s a good idea. Ferguson, could one or both of them be mounted on our shuttle?”
He hesitated. “Yes. Without checking schematics, I’m not sure it could be done outside of a shipyard.” He shrugged. “It’s worth looking into.”
“Before we break, I have today’s duty assignments. We have bodies littering the ship. Hesta and Gabon, find tarps. Wrap the bodies and secure them in the cargo hold. It’s currently empty. I think that eventually we’ll take them over to Felix, but for now, I want our hold opened to space so that they freeze.”
