The Thargoid Advantage: Misdirected Enthusiasm
07 Jan 2023Creamy Goodness III
Continued From Part 3
They had the better position and his team were out of grenades. Pined down by two cheap ass hoods with local weapons because they had a solid door frame to use, and his team of trained troops didn't. Sargent Bodies' team had pursued four hijackers to the top deck, he knew they were going for the bridge. If he didn't make a death or glory charge against the two that were pinning his team down, the ones going for the cockpit would be almost imposable to pry out of there.
"Give me some cover, I'm going for it" He said keeping his voice calm and the tremble out of his hands.
He wasn't scared, he was just practical and he knew being the first man in, gave him a very little chance to come out alive. His team knew it too, and silently they said all they needed to say to the man that was going to get the hard part of the job done, so they would live to do the rest. Corporal Matija and privet Reagan took position ready to pelt ceramic rounds into the solid frame, and any face stupid enough to peek out.
The cover fire streaked over Bodies' head as he started his charge. Saying low, he moved as fast as he could with a pistol in each hand, watching the edges of the frame for a barrel that could hold the shot that would end his life. I was only a twenty five meter sprint, but he could expect hot death to come for him at any moment.
What he didn't expect was to see a big blond man in a company pilots uniform to go streaking past the doorway with a hijacker in one hand and the other out stretched like an old-Earth ball player going for the run. There was a mighty thump and a very organic sound of pain come from beyond the door way as Bodie pulled up his charge.
"Hold fire! Hold fire!" he shouted taking cover on his side of the frame.
"Hold fire. Hold fire" was confirmed by his team and the shower of shit stopped.
Holding his weapons close, but pointing them where the bad guy had been, Bodie could see the shooter on his left was gone, scooped up by the pilot he assumed, and the other one must be part of the high speed human sandwich on the other side of the frame. Snapping round, weapons pointed up, Bodie checked the other side. He was greeted with a big well tanned face of one of the Evacuation Ships pilots.
"Oh hello sergeant" said Creamy looking at down the barrels of Bodies' pistols with friendly confusion. "Don't worry, I don't think they are up for a fight any more" he continued showing Bodie the two hijackers he was holding in way of explanation.
Sergeant Bodie waved his men forward to deal with the hijackers and check for more hostiles. Creamy stood like a confused rock in river of direct action before Bodie clicked his fingers in the pilots face.
"Captain Goodness? Captain, put your helmet on; the atmosphere is compromised" he said activating Creamys' helmet.
The suit pressure quickly equalised as Bodie explained.
"The hijackers got into life support and pumped a tranquilizer in to the air supply"
"Yes" said Creamy trying to get out the way, not knowing where to go, so he ended up turning on the spot "Now, I was thinking. These chaps are after the passengers; to sell them on the slave market you see. What I thi.."
"Yes sir, you think we retake the ship and find out where they are going" said Bodie patiently waiting for Creamy to breath some clean air.
"That's right! When we get there, we can.."
"We will sir, but after we get in contact with General Cousland and form a strike fleet first. This slave ring wont be a small operation, and we'll need more than what's left of the security detail on this ship to deal with it"
"But if we.." tried an enthusiastically heroic Creamy.
"No sir, you are drugged. I've read your file, I know you are a professional party goer, so think about how you are feeling and tell me if you are thinking straight"
Creamy stopped trying to sell Sergeant Bodie his cunning plan to capture a slave ring all by them selves, and thought about his mental state.
He remembered doing as Puerberry had told him without hesitation although Creamy was the senior officer and more experienced in this scenario.
He remembered the happy 'just out for a stroll' feeling he had since he left the bridge and the cruel way he had treated the raider that had made a bug eat Creamys' head.
It all added up to one thing.
"Well fancy that, I've been Roofied! That's bloody disgusting" Creamy paused pressing his lips together and shaking his head "S'pose I'm not in my right mind what?"
"Its not just you sir, its the whole ship, so you understand your not thinking straight right? You'll do as your told yes?" asked Bodie hoping Creamy would cooperate. The liner pilot reluctantly nodded.
Bodie had read Creamys' file, and he knew the Captain would be very hard to contain if he didn't want to play ball. Fortunately, the drug in his system made him pliable to suggestion, so the situations only had the smallest chance of becoming a problem.
"Great, I'm pleased to hear that sir; now, what's the situation on the bridge? Is Captain Puerberry still in charge? How many hostiles did you incapacitate on the way here?"
"Er" said Creamy counting the raiders he'd hit on his fingers "Um two that fibbed to us. Then the one with the rat and his partner.. Theses two.. That's right, six" Stated Creamy happily "All bound up and disarmed. Oh, and Captain Purberry is still at the helm. Did you not hear his rather good announcement?"
"Yes captain Goodness we did, just asking for confirmation. Thank you"
Six? Damn. Bodie didn't know two more had gone ahead of the hijackers he was chasing. He looked Creamy over for weapons while doing a quick check for other injuries. Not even a stick. The file said Creamy was a pacifist, but he was to be considered armed and dangerous at all times; but no one really believes that sort of evaluation until they see proof.
His team had secured the prisoners and where holding a defence around their Sargent and the Liner Pilot.
"Ok, Matija, Reagan, you escort Captain Goodness back to the bridge, The rest of you, were going to the coms array. If that's covered, we'll make for the drive room and get the FSD back on-line" Bodie looked back to his Corporal "You two catch up after the bridge is locked down. Orders understood?"
"Sir, yes sir" answered his small squad.
"I say, if you need some back up.." started Creamy
"No Captain, we're going to the bridge" ordered Corporal Matija in her firmest voice, pushing Creamy ahead of her while the rest of her team went looking for another fight.
The job was babysitting civilians and keeping the crew safe from panicked evacuees, but now there was some real action, Matija wanted to be with her squad, not holding hands with a stoned, well meaning male model. She caught Creamy looking down at her, he had 'that' type of smile on his face.
"I say, hello there.. Matija was it? Isn't that a chaps name?" Asked Creamy flirtatiously.
"Forget it sir. You've been mentioned in our briefing, and we have a strict 'No booty on duty' code. Consider this is your warning. Continue, and there with be hostility" Said Matija still using her business voice.
She meant it, but it was nice to be hit-on by someone like the Captain. Shame the guy had no idea about there being a time and place for such things.
"Right right. Yes, very sensible policy. Duty to the passengers and crew first; I agree one hundred percent. . When do you go off duty?" asked Creamy, purely out of curiosity.
_______________
Matija and Reagan were checking the two raiders outside the bridge were secure, and getting them ready to take away while Creamy looked out the window.
"Hello Suzi" he said waving at a passing Anaconda in the company colours.
Corporal Matija looked out the window to see the ships belly drifting by a good few hundred meters away. The ships markings were not visible, so Matija wondered what made Creamy think that ship belonged to the Company director.
"Why do you think that's Mrs Randel-Egbert's ship Captain?" she asked.
"Oh well, the search lights were flashing, so that means Lilucy is with her mum. Dashed hard to find a babysitter Suzi trusts with that little she-devil. Little-Lou dose like to flick the lights at the other pilots"
Both Matija and Reagan found it strange to hear a liner Captain talking about the Companies Managing Director as if they were just some other company pilot. They were under strict orders to stand to attention and not make eye contact when ever any of the executives were on deck. Thinking of the MD as 'Suzi' was just weird.
It occurred to them all at the same time. The company owner and her little girl were about to land on a station and load up her ship with hijackers, and they had no way to warn her. Creamy didn't seem to let that obstacle stop him; by the time Matija was looking for the man she was ordered to guard, he had already told a suggestable Captain Purberry what Creamy needed him to do.
She strode over to Creamy and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back.
"Captain Goodness, stop right now and get in your seat. Once we get coms.."
Creamy grabbed her gun and wrapped its strap around her arms, spinning her around. Reagan came to help his squad mate and Creamy gave him the same treatment. Before either of them knew what was going on, the were bound together by their own gun-straps, facing each other barely able to flap their hands like penguins wings.
Creamy stood back to admire his handy work. "I say Reagan, you should ask Matija out; I mean, she's not into the tall hansom type, so your in with a chance what?"
For a moment, being pressed up tight against Matija, Reagan smiled looking into his Corporals eyes. Going out with her would be nice. Then he ran by what Creamy had said.
"Hey, I'm pretty tall too ya know?"
It was too late. Creamy was in the escape pod, and Captain Pureberry was angling its exit port towards the retreating Anaconda with the MD and her little girl on board.