Metal Boxes (46 page)

Stone saw two
marines holding an emergency medical box. It would be big enough for a drasco if it had been stripped out. The med-boxes could seal against vacuum and would allow for any wounded to breathe until a medic could get to them. A second team was trying to get Jay into another box. Neither drasco wanted to get in a box. There was a third box, but it lay abandoned on the deck. Someone had melted the controls and the interior functions. Stone realized the third box was for him, but since he was in a suit it was not necessary.

“Hammer!” Stone shouted. He pulled an ooze brick from a hip container
and threw it at the marine. Hammer missed as the throw went wide, but another marine caught the toss.

“We have company coming back
,” a voice called out. The words were punctuated by weapons fire lighting up the dark corners of the hanger bay.

The
marine with the ooze did not waste time. He ripped the chunk of dried tree sap into two pieces and tossed half in each box. Both drascos dove into the boxes after their candy. The lids to the med-boxes slammed shut.

“Fire in the hole
,” Allie shouted and hit the toggle on her detonator.

A wide, gaping hole appeared in the hanger
hatch. The piece blew out and barely missed the edge of a marine shuttle hanging in space a few meters away. Atmosphere sucked at them as everything that was not nailed down or in a combat suit blew out the impromptu exit.

At the same time
as the hatch blew, two muffled explosions rocked the shuttle. Stone could see his shuttle begin to fold in on itself. It quickly melted into a puddle and sank into the deck plating.

Two
marines raced forward carrying a med-box. They threw it out of the hatch exit and directly into the open hatch of the marine shuttle. They leapt out the hole and followed their charge across. The second team tossed the other drasco.

Stone
glanced across the hanger. He saw a line of marines backing toward the hatch door firing weapons as they moved. He did not know what type of weapons they were shooting, but they were definitely more powerful than his TDO-960A. He could not see what they were firing at, but wherever they shot it tore holes in the Hyrocanian ship. He started to reach for his weapon to move and help them, but two marines grabbed him and tossed him out through the hole in the hatch and across the open space.

He flailed at the vacuum
, trying to guide his flight, but flew through the open hatch, crashed to the deck and slid to a stop in a heap. He looked up into the visor of a grizzled old marine master chief.

“
Get up, Mister Stone,” the woman said. “Move it! Do you wanna get stepped on!”

EPILOGUE

‘
Get up, Mister Stone. Move or you’re gonna get stepped on.’ The voice still rang in Stone’s ears even after nine weeks. Sometimes the voice in his head was a grizzled old marine and sometimes it was the voice of Senior Chief Tsosie. ‘Move or get stepped on.’ ‘Get up and move.’ Stone grinned. It had almost become his mantra.

He had
not had much option but to keep moving.

The Periodontitis had saved the fleet. The Ol’
Toothless had proved that while she may have been toothless, the old girl still had plenty of scrap left in her. Melendez had come out of hyperspace and driven her through the gap in the Hyrocanian containment bubble. Moments after the marines pulled him and his drascos out of the hanger Melendez pounded the shieldless Hyrocanian spaceship to rubble while using his shields to protect three fleet ships. They had completely broken the back of the Hyrocanian containment bubble. Those enemy ships that could escape had jumped to hyperspace, the rest were pounded to scrap by a reinvigorated fleet.

While the
Periodontitis supplied the fleet, Stone and his drascos were wined and dined on dozens of ships. He was hailed as a hero and the savior of the fleet. Wherever he went enlisted ratings lined the corridors to catch a glimpse of him. Admirals shook his hand, clasped him on the back and in one case, hugged him with tears in his eyes.

Stone
was relieved when he had ordered them back into hyperspace. A lot of people had been involved in saving the fleet. He kept insisting to every admiral who pinned another medal on him that there were others who deserved it more than he. They had just laughed and gave him more medals. He was tired of fancy dinners, fancy dances and fancy dress uniforms.

Agent Storovitch had been overjoyed
when the fleet was completely resupplied and Stone could finally order Melendez to set course for Lazzaroni Station. He was so excited to be getting his investigation back on track that he kissed Commander Wright in front of everyone. He was embarrassed at first, but lost his embarrassment when she grabbed him by the ears and kissed him back.

He knew hyperspace meant five weeks transit time
, but this time he was determined to ‘get up and get moving’. The five weeks fairly flew by as he jumped into his studies. He did not lack for tutors, but Allie shooed them all away and returned to teaching. She was determined to keep her distance because of his captaincy, her duties to teach him and to be the head of his security detail. She was a great teacher and a superb protector, but she failed miserably at keeping her distance.

Stone
even did a few shifts in third watch warehouse three-whiskey. He was surprised when P.O. Watkins showed up sober every shift in a spotless uniform. He was also surprised when Ensign Shultz from first watch bounced prettily in to relieve him early each time he pulled a watch, flirting shamelessly with him each time.

He was relentless in his ‘get up and go’ attitude. He thought it would become annoying to others, but he
was surprised at how infectious it became to the officers and crew around him. The trip flew by.

B
efore she had clearance to dock, the U.E.N.S. Periodontitis was redirected to head for lockdown at the navy yards. Her crew had not been cleared by the E.M.I.S. agents and was being held on board. He was relieved of command and told to take some time with his family.

Stone
now found himself walking down the corridor on Lazzaroni Station between the navy shuttle docks and the class B waiting area. He was wearing his dress midshipman’s uniform. It almost jangled with a dozen shiny metals and colored bits of metal-backed ribbons. The pant legs were striped with the blood red seam marking him as having been a captain of an Emperor’s spacecraft that had seen actual combat. Many navy captains never earn their combat stripe no matter how exalted their rank. He was not sure any other midshipman had ever earned the stripe.

Still, Stone felt naked. Without thinking, he felt his collar for the missing
captain’s tab.

“Do you miss th
e captain’s patch?” Allie asked.

Stone smiled at her. She was in her best
marine uniform and looked stunning. She walked beside him although she was no longer head of his security detail.

“No
,” Stone shook his head. “I didn’t think I had been a captain long enough to even notice when they took it away, but I do feel lighter than before.”

“Yeah, command feels that way sometimes.”

They glanced behind them at the short squad of marines following them. They were a mishmash of officer ranks and a variety of uniform styles, some with baggage and some without. Except for him and Commander Wright, the marines were the only personnel allowed off the Periodontitis. Allie and Lieutenant Heller were the only marines with him that were permanently assigned to the Periodontitis. The remainder were transient marines transferring to other stations. Maggot, Bob and Jake trailed along behind the marines.

Stone had argued that many of the crew of the Ol’ Toothless had gone above and beyond in saving the fleet. He and Commander Melendez had approved dozens of commendation
s. He believed holding them without allowing outside communications was unjustified. He had been overruled by Maggot, by Maggot’s boss’s boss and by the fleet admiral in charge of all naval operations in the sector.

“Do you think that Peebee and Jay will be okay
,” Allie asked.

“I don’t know who was happier. Hammer or the girls; they have
all of tower one to play in while Hammer and his armored buddies play ball with them.”

Nothing had changed in the
class B waiting area.

“It is strange, Allie
,” he said as he looked around. “I sort of expected this place to look different than the last time we were here.”

“It hasn’t been that long, Stone
,” she laughed. “It has been less than a year since you made Hellfire back down right in this very room.”

Behind them the
y heard Lieutenant Heller snort, but they both ignored him.

“I know
, Allie. In real time, not counting hyperspace jumps, it has only been a few months. But it seems like a lifetime. Okay, look over there.” Stone gestured to the seating area. He glanced behind him as the marines broke ranks, waving and calling to other marines in the waiting area. The marines scattered to talk to friends or gather at the snack bar; flowing around Stone and Allie, leaving them alone. The E.M.I.S. agents had disappeared.

Stone could see men and women from all services staring at him from all over the waiting area. He had been briefed
how his story had been carried home by damaged ships leaving the front lines long before the Periodontitis could finish resupplying the ships remaining behind. He had viewed the combat footage of the fleet engagement. He had watched his rescue by Allie and the Hammer. He had been startled to see himself from Allie’s viewpoint; standing in the middle of a pile of bodies, covered in Hyrocanian blood. Peebee stood nearby with a dismembered arm hanging from her tail spike rattling a suit over her head and Jay spiking another suit through the visor. He had even watched himself through the recorder in his helmet. It had been surreal, like he was watching someone else.

Stone took Allie’s elbow and guided her over to a couple sitting in the chairs by the
arrival/departure displays.

Stone grinned at the two. “Excuse me, Signore and Signora
Aldamani. You probably don’t remember me, but I am Midshipman Stone. We met a while back when you were here to meet your son on his way through.”

The elder man stood and extended his hand. “Of course, I remember you, Mister Stone. You were very courteous to us and defended our honor from
the marines, as I recall.” The man’s eyes flicked to Allie and back again. “Our son wrote us from Brickman’s Station that you were doing exactly as expected and again from Tamvor Station that you had met with an accident. But, we haven’t heard from him since. I do hope everything is okay?”

“Oh, yes. Please don’t worry. Your son is in good health, but the Ol’ Toothless did have a bit of excitement
,” Stone smiled, shaking the man’s hand.

The woman leaned forward and smiled. “
Your picture has been all over the videos about being the hero of the fleet. You have become very well known, you know. However, we would have remembered you even if that had not happened. You were a very pleasant young man the last time we met.”

“Thank you, Signora
,” Stone gave a small bow to the woman.

“
Do you suppose our boy will be along soon?” She asked

“No, Signora
Yassova.” The woman’s smile froze at the sound of her real name, but Stone continued. “I am afraid he will be detailed a bit longer. In fact, he might be detained for twenty years to life depending on whether the charge of conspiracy to commit murder is upheld along with the fraud and theft charges.”

The woman jumped to her feet beside the man.

Stone held up a stalling hand. “Don’t worry. The Navy and E.M.I.S. have worked things out where you will get to see your son very soon.”

The man lowered his voice and spoke calmly. “I am armed
, young man. I don’t think we will go all that quietly. Hero or not, I can assure you that you and your lady marine friend will not be able to stop us. I am very fast with this pistol.”

Stone shrugged. “I have no intention of stopping you. However
,” he smiled and pointed over the man’s shoulder, “they might.” Heller stood off to the side with three marines. They had pulled rifles out of their luggage and were pointing them directly at the couple.

Stone
tilted his head and pointed with his chin at the doorway. It was blocked by another four marines, also pointing rifles at the couple. “They might, too. In addition, I can assure you, Signore Oorta; these people are all combat veterans. You may be fast, but are you willing to bet you can pull out your gun before they can shoot you and the Signora?”

Stone
waved a hand casually in Maggot’s direction. “If you would just step over to the snack bar and surrender to the waiting E.M.I.S. agents, please. Who knows, if you get expensive lawyers you might not be found guilty. And you would certainly save the janitorial crew from having to mop up all your spilled blood.”

Without waiting for a reply Stone took Allie’s hand, turned his back on the couple and walked away. The
marines in the corridor doorway parted and let them through without losing sight of their targets.

Stone said, “
Lieutenant Allison Vedrian, why don’t we go meet my family?”

Allie
clenched his hand tighter, “Um, I am still working on that. How about we go get some ice cream first?”

Stone laughed
, “I thought you would never ask.”

The End