Ramirez dropped through the hatch narrowly missing the pair and pointed his handgun at the boarder, clearing his throat. “Hand it over.”
The boarder stopped struggling and handed his weapon to Agameg. “Don't kill me, I'm just a hired hand.”
“I believe you,” Ramirez said with a smirk before knocking him out cold with the butt of his sidearm.
Agameg injected him with a strong sedative before stuffing him into an access panel. It was a tight fit, but he'd wake up with nothing more than a headache and a cramped neck. Agameg lead the way down the corridor to a ladder.
“They really didn't bring many people for this,” Ramirez said quietly. “No wonder they locked everyone in their quarters.”
Finn patched into the ship surveillance systems using a small, two millimetre thick computer panel he had brought with him. He flipped through the different sections of the ship and nodded to himself. “Security is limited to berths and the bridge.”
Ramirez looked at the flat computer terminal then up to Finn. “That would have been real helpful a little while ago.”
“I didn't think of it,” he shrugged as he brought up a view of the bridge again. Ashley was being pulled out of the pilot's seat and two other new crew members provided by the Aucharians were being walked off the bridge with four boarders behind them. “It looks like they're on the move.”
“See if you can listen in on comms,” Ramirez inquired as they made their way down the hall.
He started the signal search so his small computer could pick up any active communications, and it finally did. “-it's the third moon around Varman.”
“We will be there in ten minutes sir.”
“Good, get the rest of the security team down to bay two. We're taking the Samson crew into custody.”
“Right away sir.”
“That's Wheeler,” Ramirez said. “Man I want payback in the worst way.”
The trio put on their vacsuit headpieces and entered the small launch bay containing the Big Surprise, a long collection of energy storage devices strapped together. “How do you wish to do this?” Agameg asked. “The Big Surprise will not sustain a full charge for long.”
“Well, maybe if we set it to detonate in fifteen minutes,” Finn offered.
“Yes, that would give the ship time to enter a stable orbit.”
“What if they land instead?” Ramirez asked. “If we detonate it while they're in the air it could end in a crash.”
Price and Finn just looked at each other for a moment. “I'll stay here,” they said at the same time.
“What about a remote detonation?” asked Ramirez.
“There is always a chance it wouldn't work,” Agameg explained.
“He's right, someone has to stay, even if they put it on a short timer and run for it so they don't get flash fried.”
“Okay, so someone stays while the other two go their separate ways and try to find out what's going on or rescue the rest of the crew,” Ramirez said.
“Go Agameg, you can shape shift. I'll stay here, wiring this thing to a timer is easy.”
“Good luck Finn. Give yourself enough time to escape.”
“Fantastic, now go get that guard's uniform and mix in so you're not noticed. I'll drop out of the rear hatch and make a run for it. Meanwhile, try to patch into communications and get word out to the Auchorians,” Ramirez said with a smile. “This is going to be interesting.”
Finn was left alone moments later and he wired the Big Surprise's detonator into his fifteen by thirty centimetre computer. The systems were primitive, so it was very easy for him to program it to operate on a two minute timer. When he hit the trigger the timer would start and he'd have to get off the Samson to guarantee his survival.
One corner of his panel was switching from one security display to the next, and he could see that everyone on the bridge had been escorted off the ship. They'd start moving people from the berth soon, and when they found out they were missing three there would be trouble.
He connected to ship communications and found the number for the Aucharian Minister of Defence. A moment later a serious looking fellow came up on a quarter of his display. “Minister of Defence's office. How may I direct your call?”
“Hello, I'm a crew member of the Samson. We have been hijacked, and-”
“Hold please,” said the fellow, looking startled.
Finn looked back at the security feeds and could see Ramirez lowering himself through the rear hatch. He was running for the nearest doorway as soon as his feet hit the ground. As Finn panned the exterior view from the Samson's outer sensors, he realized there was no one around to see Ramirez. He couldn't have had better timing. The security force and boarders were busy moving their captives to the larger ship's brig. He panned back and saw that Ramirez had made it through a sliding doorway.
“Holy crap, there's a whole other launch bay here with old gutted fighters and what looks like some kind of wreckage, but there's no one here,” Finn could hear Ramirez moving. He was sprinting short distances, stopping for a moment, then sprinting again. “I don't even see anyone on watch down here. I'm going to see what I can find up top. There's an emergency ladder here.”
“Okay, good luck,” Finn whispered as he watched the internal security display switch to Agameg. He had changed into the boarder's vacsuit and was carrying him down the hall. “What are you doing Price?”
“I am putting this fellow into an upright storage locker. He will be more comfortable there and no one will hear him when he wakes up, which will be soon.”
“How is his comfort our problem?” Ramirez argued in a whisper. “Drop him under some plating somewhere and try to be inconspicuous, willya?”
“Opportunities for kindness should not be bypassed if one can help it. You never know who this person was to me in a previous life or if we could meet him again in the future.”
“Fine! Just hurry up!”
Finn just shook his head and watched Agameg carefully put the man into a large upright storage locker. He woke up just as the door was closing and it had to be forced at the last minute. “That's lucky,” he said to himself as he watched Agameg pat the locker door and walk towards the main gangway. He had taken the appearance of the boarding member perfectly, as far as Finn could see on his small screen. His mannerisms were unchanged, however.
“I am going to try and find out where the brig is and if there is anything I can do to help the rest of the crew,” he said quietly through his transmitter.
“Thank you for holding, I'm Lieutenant Harmon. How may I help you?” said a woman with a short hair cut as she came up on the sub screen of Finn's computer.
“I'm a crew member on the Samson. You know, Captain Jake Valance's crew. We've been hijacked by someone named Lucius Wheeler and are on our way to Nissa, it's the third moon around a planet named Varman.”
“I'm sorry Finn, I wish we could help but it clearly states in the privateering documentation that we can't dispatch a ship to aid you unless you are having difficulties during an active military engagement.”
“The crew is being taken prisoner right now! We're inside some kind of carrier that's cloaked. I can decloak it, but-”
“So you're in control of the vessel? I suggest you plot a course to the nearest military facility in that system so we can send infantry aboard to assist.”
“I'm not in control of anything except this big EMP bomb! It'll probably decloak the ship but-”
“I'm sorry, we can't help you and I'm not cleared to have detailed knowledge of your situation. Good luck,” she said before cutting the transmission.
Finn sat there steaming for a moment.
“They're not going to help us?” Ramirez said in disbelief.
“You heard it right, they'll take our help but when it comes to saving us, it's none of their business.”
“What the hell is wrong with those people? No wonder their losing.”