Chapter 44
Captain McWilliams quickly ran his fingers through his shock of red hair, and fussed with his uniform. Admiral West's shuttle was on final approach, and he wanted to look halfway presentable. The Admiral had a well-deserved reputation as a tyrannical perfectionist, and he wanted to make this as easy as possible. Jason knew that he was doomed. Everything was in the best shape that he could manage, but it still was not going to be enough.
Jason held his breath as the shuttle landed in the hanger bay. Technically it was newer than any of Redemptions shuttles, but the Admiral's vessel was far less sophisticated. It's boxy, utilitarian shape seemed out of place in Redemption's busy, streamlined hanger.
Silence hung in the air as the shuttle's door slid open. Admiral West stood in the door for a moment, surveying his new surroundings, before stepping down out of the shuttle. He sneered distastefully as he looked past Jason at the chaos beyond.
"Admiral, welcome aboard." Captain McWilliams stepped forward, reaching out his hand in welcome. "Your arrival is well timed, and much needed."
"Of course it is." Admiral West stepped up to Jason and weakly shook his hand. His grip was soft, that of someone accustomed to sitting behind a desk, never having to lift a finger to do any sort of manual labor. He smiled mockingly at Jason, before moving on. "Olcai and her people are in need of help Captain. What are you doing about it?"
"Well Admiral, we have a couple of shuttles doing recon of the area. Other than that, we have our hands full here." Captain McWilliams fell into step beside the Admiral. "If you'd like, I can give you a short tour of the ship, and you can see the damage for yourself."
The Admiral turned to his aide, ignoring the Captain. "Commander, launch our own squadron to recon the area, inform me of the progress." Without waiting for a response, he turned back to Jason. "Captain, you may proceed with your little tour."
"Yes Sir." Jason motioned for the Admiral to follow. "As you can see, we're really busy with repairs. All of the hanger bays have been turned into staging areas for parts. Our medical staff is swamped with casualties, but they're good, and making a lot of headway."
"I'd like to speak with your Chief Engineer, so that I can get a more accurate estimate for repairs." Admiral West interrupted as they stepped out of the hanger.
"That's not possible." Jason turned to look the Admiral in the eyes. "My Chief Engineer is currently missing. She was on Olcai getting clearance for us to use the debris field for raw materials, when the attack began, and we haven't heard from her since."
"Then your Engineer is most likely dead. Serves you right for sending one of your most valuable crewmembers down to do your dirty work." Admiral West sneered at Jason. "A worthy commanding officer would not have done that."
"Admiral, if you insist on rebuking me in front of my crew, I will be forced to ask you to leave." Jason glared at the other man, wanting to put him flat on his back. "My Chief Engineer was the logical choice to send to the surface. She is also my wife."
"Yet another of your mistakes. Am I to understand that you lost your entire compliment of Marines as well?" Admiral West continued without looking at the Captain.
"No, Admiral. Major Narja survived." Jason answered guardedly. A handful of different scenarios entered his mind, none of them entirely good. Why did the Admiral want to question his senior officers? What were this man's motives? Could he be trusted? Jason didn't think so. No, the best course of action was to play everything as close to his chest as possible.
"Well, I'd say it was stupid on your part to trust the defense of an entire planet to a Caldonian." Admiral West scoffed. "And only a Major at that."
Jason led the Admiral through the ship, showing him some of the worst of the damage. He tried to ignore the Admiral's comments, but found it harder and harder to do. Narja was one of the best men that Jason had ever known, and not speaking up to defend him in any circumstance, made Jason feel like a coward.
Finally, after covering most of the ship, and Jason reaching the limits of his tolerance, they arrived at Sickbay. Casualties lay in rows, nearly stacked one on top of the next, lining the walls. The technicians paused momentarily when the senior officers walked in, then continued about their business. Quietly, Jason led Admiral West to the back of Sickbay.
"Major Narja is in here, quarantined." the Captain didn't bother to look at the other man. He knew that there would be nothing but contempt on his face. Contempt for what, he wasn't entirely sure, but it was undoubtedly there.
"Well Captain, this is nothing more than one more case of your ineptitude. These Marines, your Marines, died because of you." Jason could hear the hatred in the Admiral's voice. "You do not deserve to command a ship such as this. Therefore, I am relieving you of command, and transferring my flag to Redemption, effective immediately."
"I don't think so." Jason turned and faced his accuser. "You have no authority here, other than what I give you." He stepped closer to the Admiral. He could see the bewilderment in the other man's eyes. "You are going to leave my ship now Admiral. You are going to do so without any further incident."
"Insubordination is punishable by death, Captain." the Admiral actually smiled as he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Jason. His eyes were wide and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the weapon.
Jason whipped his left arm into the pistol, knocking it away, then kicked the Admiral in the groin. He kept his grip firm on the Admiral's wrist as he wrenched his arm around, and rode Admiral West down to the deck, driving his face into the plating. Jason rammed his knee into the back of the other man's neck, and held it there while he pried the pistol from his limp fingers.
Captain McWilliams drove the muzzle of the pistol deep into the Admiral's temple. "Now, you are going to do exactly as I tell you. You are leaving my ship, and not coming back. The Olcai need the help of the Resistance, therefore you are going to provide them with what they need." Jason drove his knee deeper into his neck. "Any attempt to resist, and I am going to kill you."
"This is insubordination. I am Admiral Nigel Andrew West the third! I order you to release me and hand over your ship at once." the Admiral whimpered.
"Nothin' doin'. Redemption is my personal property, not yours. Get up." Jason kept the pistol firmly planted against the Admiral's temple as he wrenched up on the man's arm, forcing him to his feet. "Order your men to stand down."
Admiral West glanced up at his entourage. "Stand down. Do what he says." fear permeated his eyes and his voice waivered as he spoke.
"Good. Now move. Angel, disable the Admirals shuttle. Leave only basic life support functioning." Jason ordered, moving the Admiral and his entourage out of Sickbay and towards the hanger.
"Yes Captain, it will be a pleasure." Angel appeared beside Jason for the first time since Admiral West had arrived.
"Angel, prepare to move us into the debris field as soon as the shuttle is launched." Jason shoved the Admiral forward, forcing him to move faster.
"What are you going to do with us?" Admiral West's voice cracked when he spoke. "How are we supposed to help the Olcai?"
"First, your Captains will be able to figure things out without you for awhile. Second, I'm going to do to you what should have been done a long time ago. Don't worry; you'll probably live through it."
The hanger bay was deserted as Captain McWilliams and his party entered, save for a single repair drone that was exiting the shuttle.
"Men..." Admiral West began but never finished, as Jason slammed the butt of his pistol into the base of his skull. Jason kept the Admiral upright, with the pistol barrel pressed against the man’s skull. He was careful to keep his eyes on the others as they tried to circle him.
"This is your one and only chance to keep your Admiral alive. Get in the shuttle, all except you." he said, nodding to one of the nearest of the Admiral's entourage. "You're going to carry this worthless piece of crap."
Jason let go of Admiral West, letting him fall to the deck with a thud, while keeping his w
eapon trained on the others. He distanced himself as best he could so that none of them could try to grab him before they got on the shuttle. As soon as they were aboard, he ordered the repair drone to seal the hatch.
Satisfied, Captain McWilliams left the hanger. "Angel, are we moving yet?" he asked the A.I.
"Yes Sir, we are currently maneuvering into the debris field." the reply was almost instant. "Captain, the other ships are changing course to intercept."
"Good. Recall our shuttles, launch the Admiral's shuttle, and put me through to the Resistance ships." Jason began to run. He deftly picked his way through and around the crew as he ran. "This is Captain McWilliams of the starship Redemption. Admiral West and party tried to forcibly take command of this vessel. They have been detained and set loose in their shuttle. The shuttle is disabled, but life support is fully functioning. Any attempt to follow or contact Redemption or her shuttles, will be viewed as hostile. Angel, send the recording from Sickbay. Redemption out."
Jason skidded to a halt when he came to the bridge. Beyond these doors was the heart of his ship. It was the place where he made his most critical decisions, and held most of his biggest fears. He opened the doors and stepped into the darkness. Jason could hear the drones working and could see movement backlit by the hundreds of stars that shone through the hole where the crew stations had once been.
Captain McWilliams quickly made his way to his chair. He activated the compartment that held his Cognicence Helmet. The door slid open, but the helmet didn't rise. Jason shrugged, knelt down, and retrieved the helmet. Without a second thought, he placed it on his head, not allowing the memories or fear of his last encounter to paralyze him from taking action.
After a moment, he slid the visor into place and was rewarded with access to every system on the ship. What he saw was not good. Shields were off line. Every weapons system needed repair, and worked only minimally. The Engines seemed to be the only bright spot. They at least were coming online. If you could call fifty percent power online.
A tiny red blip caught Jason's attention. Redemption's sensors were actually working, and they showed that the Resistance ships were closing in on him. Apparently, they hadn't cared much for Admiral West, and had left him to drift in order to pursue Redemption.
Jason checked the status on the repair drones that he had launched earlier. They were working in perfect order. Small miracles were still miracles. Without thinking twice, he activated the drones and their remote weapons systems. It took only a second to reconfigure the IFF systems to show only Redemption as friendly.
"Angel, do you still have that signal?" Jason asked as Redemption came to a stop in the middle of the new defensive perimeter.
"Yes Sir, I do still have the signal." Angel's reply came quickly. "Captain, Major Narja is starting to wake up. He should be fully coherent soon."
"Thank you Angel. Please let me know as soon as we are fully operational." Jason studied his sensor readings. Admiral West's shuttle was still tumbling towards the remains of Olcai, and his ships had come just inside the edge of the debris field, but no further. Wearily, Jason removed his helmet, and went into his ready room, hoping for some rest.