Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Read online

  “We have a large enough crew that we do not need the dirty apes for workers Captain Turner. We keep them fed until the Gods need targets and weapons practice dummies.” I refuse to waste time and effort when they should have been killed outright like the rest of us.”

  Jack shook his head and tapped his wrist comm. “Gutner Dank, I need you to visit the hold with this ships Apes and find out what they want to do. If we have to we will transfer them all to the Red Pepper or the Base Hulk.”

  “Yes Captain, I have been talking to them already and most would like to join the Red Apes. With the rest expressing interest in learning various jobs around the ship once they are released from the hold.”

  “Ok Gutner. My apologies for taking it for granted this had already been done. But why have you not told me this before?”

  “It was not my place to make requests of you Captain.”

  Jack realized that no Ape had ever made a request unless asked first. Jack had simply taken it for granted that once they had started talking and working they would automatically start making requests. But he had been too busy to think about it. “Well Gutner. From now on it is your job and duty to make requests for the Apes. Especially if it concerns their wellbeing. Is that understood? And make it perfectly clear that any ape is allowed to make any request they wish though that does not mean it will be carried out or acted on. Most will be if possible.”

  “Yes Captain Officer.”

  “Very good. Now you can get them out of that damn hold and into some decent quarters as well as organizing them into Red Apes for the ones that want and understand what that means and the rest into training programs they wish to pursue. Keep me informed of any problems and of their progress Gutner. That is all for now. Out.” Looking at Yeti sitting across the table next to Pan as Gutner’s image flicked out. “Pan, if Yeti will not take the Apes that want trained then we will. Is that understood?”

  Pan smiled at Jack as Yeti frowned narrowing her eyes as she turned green. All Jack knew for sure was that was not good. Pan swallowed and spoke. “We are very good at training Apes Captain.” Pan looked at Yeti and then frowned herself. “I will have them transferred to our ship as soon as possible.”

  “Very well. Is feeding another couple thousand going to be a problem?”

  “No Captain.” Pans smile was back. “Between the 2 ships, we have enough food to last the few Apes we have left for decades without producing more. My apologies for not bringing this up to your attention before but I was hoping that once Yeti saw how well our Apes are doing aboard the Red Pepper and here that she would change her mind about her treatment of her Apes. Now that it is out in the open, I will take care of them as if they were my own if you issue the orders Captain.”

  “You have my orders Pan. You are now responsible for all the existing and future Apes we may take in. Just be sure to consult with Gutner Dank to make sure you cover their needs, wants and desires adequately.” Jack started to get up shaking his head in disgust at the half a ration bar he was giving up eating as he looked at the garbage shoot on the bulkhead a good thirty feet away.

  “What do you mean their wants and desires? They never cared for our lives let alone our wants and desires!” Yeti practically spat.

  Jack frowned as he started to sit back down shaking his head. Taking a deep breath Jack opened his mouth to talk when Pan burst out using a language that Jack had never heard before. Jack had been hearing a lot of strange languages since the Ensign had forced Jack to rescue the first slaves months ago so yet a new one was not that odd. But Jack suddenly realized that Pan was speaking so fast that she could have been speaking English and he would have had a hard time understanding her.

  Yeti answered her only to get cut off in mid-sentence if not word as well as both of their faces started turning many different colors as their words started coming faster and faster. Their sentences seaming briefer and briefer. It only took a few more seconds before they both sounded like intermittent or burping buzz saws until they simply stopped talking and stared at each other even though their faces kept changing like they were still talking.

  Jack could only shake his head in amazement. He had decided to leave the conversation to Pan who seemed to have taken exception to Yeti’s statement to Jack but with them simply staring at each other making faces Jack decided he had enough of them and the emergency ration bar. Turning as he stood to leave as the Ensign got up to follow.

  Pan suddenly turned to Jack. “We have decided that I will take her captive Apes to train as I see fit with her supplying their food as needed.” Taking a deep breath. “Her first children were killed in the arena by Black Apes for the God Officers sport for failing to get God Officer Approval even though they passed all their tests. No open overseer spots had been open across the fleet at the times each came of age and had not been contracted out for marriage. She has agreed to let only Red Apes that have killed Black Apes aboard her ship as slaves as long as they do no harm to her charges.” Pan looked at Yeti and then back at Jack. “That is with your permission Captain.”

  Jack had turned back around when Pan had started speaking and could only nod as he shook his head. There was so much wrong with what Pan had said that Jack did not know where to start. He could not believe she was not following his original orders for her to take over the care of all the Apes not to mention Yeti’s whole demeanor as well as the statement about keeping some for slaves was verging on the ludicrous. Maybe she had not understood or used the wrong words.

  Taking a deep breath as he sat back down he looked at Pan as he realized she knew and already understood his orders and had complied as best as she could and had asked permission not for carrying out already issued orders because she had realized Yeti’s problem and was telling Jack in the only way she knew how. That the choice of words were not a simple misunderstanding of vocabulary.

  Switching his gaze to Yeti, Jack looked at her for several seconds wishing he knew Dumont facial expressions better.

  Yeti took a deep breath and then in slow carefully spoken English. I will tolerate Slave Apes on my ship only if I know they well kill each other when I order it Captain.”

  Jack closed his eyes taking a deep breath and then sighing as he let it out. “Translator Overseer Yeti, I am sorry if I miss understood your English but this is not your ship. I appreciate you and your people’s help when we captured it from the God Officers and berserker Ape troops. Even your help in capturing the remaining God Officers. But make no mistake, this is never going to be your ship. While I can’t see us doing anything else with this ship than making it into a Station next to the Hulk station we already have or even someplace else. At this time I cannot even guaranty that you will be living on it much longer and not on some planet if that is what you choose. Don’t get me wrong. I will do my best to keep you on as supervisor running the station if that is what you want and even in time you and your people may be able to purchase permanent quarters, cabins or station houses when things settle down. While I cannot feel your pain at the loss of your children I can understand your wish to make someone pay but please understand that we have already killed those Apes that killed your children. I can only ask that you help us win this war against the Gods that are really responsible for your children’s deaths and not take your vengeance on Apes that are trying to help us and you do that. And one last point.” Jack took a deep breath shaking his head. “We do not keep slaves for any reason including Apes. The Apes are to be treated as free and equal as all the other beings whether you like it or not or I will find someone else to supervise the crew.”

  “I have been this ship’s Overseer taking care of my people for most of my life Captain Turner. They have grown and prospered because of my abilities to guide them and placate the God Officers above us. I do not plan on letting intruders disrupt or change our harmony and wellbeing simply because they killed a few Apes that were too stupid for me to control. Without my help you cannot run my ship Captain.”

  Jack suddenly
felt like his brain short circuited for a fraction of a second and suddenly realized that Yeti was being reasonable helpful to his wishes. After all, so what if she kept and treated the Apes and the rest of her crew as slaves. It wasn’t his ship or his business. ‘But no!’ Something was terribly wrong with that. It was his business. His responsibility not to treat anyone as slaves. ‘How could he even think that?’ Jack thought to himself.

  Yeti seamed to put on an all too human smile. “You have no need to worry yourself about my ship Captain. You take care of your war and leave the ship and its people to me. Take your troops and leave the ship to me to worry about Captain Turner. Leave my ship now!”

  Jack watched Yeti squint at him with a smile that seemed to grow from ear to ear as he seemed to understand how reasonable she was. Then his brain suddenly short circuited again for a fraction of a second and then he realized that her ear to ear smile was actually not what he thought it was but an ugly grimace and that he suddenly had a headache. Rubbing his temples with his hands Jack glanced at Pan as she opened her mouth.

  “I am sorry Captain but I warned her not to try. You humans are too different from what we are used to.”

  “Have you been influencing me and other humans as well Pan? Or at least trying to?”

  Taking a deep breath. “I tried to keep you from shooting us when you burst into the central meeting hall the first time you saw us. I do not think I was able to make contact. You were so different and then I tried to plant the feeling of hate for the Apes so you would kill the Apes when I took you to the hold they were in but you ignored my attempts. Each of the other Dumonts from the other Godships have each tried to influence you humans but have all failed. You are not God Officers which we can influence to some extent at close ranges with some effort. Now that Yeti, our most powerful of all minds has only managed to give you a headache, I hope you will forgive us for trying and not kill all of us. I can name several of the other Dumonts that will gladly take over the care of this ship following your directions without arguments or further attempts to influence you or other humans.” Pan bowed deeply placing her face onto the table and waited as Yeti sat staring at Jack defiantly.

  Taking a deep breath Jack tried to think of what to do. He did not like the fact that Pan and the other Dumont’s were able to influence other species with their minds and how could he be certain that they had not already done it to humans. Jack tried to think of any decisions he may have made concerning the aliens that were against his normal better judgments but could not think of anything off the top of his head while he could think of several that Pan and the other Dumonts they had rescued had not liked at the time. Though they usually did come around in time. He certainly did not like Yeti’s attack when his mind short circuited and he seemed to be seeing and feel things about Yeti and her outlook on life he knew were not possible. Yet even then he seemed to realize something was wrong with his thoughts and feelings.

  Jack’s mind short circuited again as he stared at Yeti trying to think. The thought and feeling that Yeti was a good friend and could help him, started to overwhelm Jack and then his mind short circuited again leaving his mind blank for an instant as his own thoughts returned with disbelief as Yeti continued to stare unblinkingly back at Jack making his head ache.

  “Leave my ship Captain Turner. You are not wanted here. I will not trade one master for another I don’t know.”

  Jack suddenly realized all the talk in dozens of languages around the mess deck had suddenly seized as hundreds of faces stared at them. Most of them with strange looks he could not read or understand.

  Shaking his head as sweat popped out on his face. “I do not want to be yours or anyone else’s Master Yeti. You do not need to do this. We only ask that you cooperate with us and follow our written laws that you and all your people will eventually have a chance to influence and change if you want. When you learn how and mature.”

  “You speak gibberish human. The God Masters always come. We will take this ship and leave and go far away leaving you to the God Masters and your fate. I will be the Master of my ship from now on. Take your Apes who I cannot make my slaves and go. You do not need or want this hulk Captain.” The Dumont waved her hand across in front of Jack seemingly in an effort to accentuate her attempted control. A wave of pain washing over his mind as her hand waved at him blocking out the sight of her face.

  Jack’s brain short circuited again but this time he did not feel the desire to comply as he had before. He only had a headache in his temples that made it hard to think.

  “Stop that Yeti. This is not helping you or your people. No. you don’t care about your people. You only want to replace the old masters with yourself. Your own kingdom of slaves as you run from the Godmasters.” Jack knew that was typical of Dictator types of cultures that were freed. The people used to being slaves always found it hard and almost impossible to realize what freedom truly meant. They always thought that freedom meant that they had to replace the old tyrants with new tyrants with them in control to stay alive and treat everyone else as the slaves instead of themselves. It took generations sometimes for a Dictator or Slave cultures to realize what freedom truly meant. And even then there was always someone trying to enslave the others and make themselves kings or gods again. Even after hundreds of years. Even in the most freedom loving countries.

  “Leave Captain before I have to kill you. I can make Pan leave with all the Apes since they seem to follow her orders and with you out of the way and the Apes gone your puny human ships cannot stop me from disappearing into this nebula where I will be safe from ever being discovered by humans or the Godmaster fleet even if they knew I still existed. I have felt your hunger and disgust at your food since you came aboard and cannot believe you have not left already simply to feed your faces. I do not understand why you want this ship so badly to put up with starving to death.”

  Jack’s mind short circuited again though it was not as bad as before as each time it happened the pain was less. But this time it was followed with an overwhelming hunger that lessoned as he thought about the fact and realized that the feeling was not his. Not his stumach as that was separate and quickly faded.

  “Aaa yes, I can influence the basic animal urges Captain. Leave before you starve to death. This ship is not worth starving to death for. Leave and come back later, much later. The ship is not going anyplace. Leave.”

  It sounded like a reasonable demand until Jack thought about it a second time and realized it was all lies.

  Jacks mind tried to short circuited again but didn’t and suddenly he was not hungry as the disgusting taste of the food bar he had just eaten hit him again. But then the top of his head started to feel like opening up and exploding.

  Clawing at his side he grabbed the pistol Gutner Dank had insisted that he carry just in case a berserker showed up again or something more dangerous appeared. Though he wouldn’t say what. The pistol was short ranged with a shot gun type of blast that was good enough to take out an armored Ape at under 20 feet without bothering to aim much and a kick that had almost broken Jacks hand the first time he had fired it putting a 3 foot hole in the cargo container he had used for a target at 30 feet.

  Dragging the pistol up onto the table as the pain in his head increased Jack realized that if he fired killing Yeti the blast would kill at least a half dozen others behind the Dumont.

  Jack heard Pan yelling at Yeti in that new buzz saw language and then in English. “Stop this Yeti. This is stupid. We are not Masters. If you kill the Captain all Dumont’s will suffer when the humans cannot trust us. Stop this now.”

  “I don’t care if humans trust us or not you moron. I am done with Masters except myself. Come with me Pan and I promise to treat you well if you don’t interfere with my rule.”

  “No Yeti. The humans have a chance to stop the Godmasters here fare from the Galactic Core. Fare out of direct communications range even by the Fleets biggest FTL Comm. With our help they can defeat the remnants of this Godfl
eet and without the engine production from this factory, the house will fall wiping all records of this fleets existence from the core. It will be centuries if ever before another house sends a fleet this far out this arm. By then the humans will be powerful enough to form their own house and keep them out of this arm for good. With our people as equals and free.”

  The pain in Jacks mind lessened as Pan talked interrupting Yeti’s concentration.

  “Do you think I care if the humans survive as long as I and my descendants do? The Godmasters can take over this whole arm and I won’t care once I am lost inside this nebula. Besides you delude yourself to think that the Godmasters would leave this arm alone. The only time the houses unite is when outside resistance materializes. All the houses will unite and stop the game of killing each other’s fleets as soon as word gets back to the Core that the humans have killed this fleet. If even one ship makes it back to the Core with the news, the Humans are doomed when a thousand fleets with millions of ships all converge up this arm.”

  Jack slowly slid his gun under the table across his knees until it was pointed up through the table at Yeti.

  “Ahh I see you are as bad at history as you are at most other things including guiding your people. Preferring to rule them as slaves. You listen to the God’s propaganda instead of facts. All the houses will not even stop most of the fighting amongst themselves while they pick only one house at a time to send up this arm to fight the humans. Only one House will want the honor of wiping out the Humans. They will fight even greater battles amongst themselves for the honor to be the first and the next and the next. The humans will only have to fight each victor after they have been worn down deciding who will be next. Yes it will mean a thousand years of bitter fighting but I think the humans can eventually wear them down until the losses make even the great houses give up and go back to their Rich Core worlds. Especially when the losers start losing core worlds to those that do not lose half their forces fighting the humans. No. Eventually the Houses will decide by default to forget about the humans out on their isolated arm since they pose no threat to the Core World Houses as they go back to fighting amongst themselves. If for no other reason than to keep from losing any more of their own worlds. We just have to give them a little help and let the humans do their thing.”