Engineer Report on the Kommandant's Zeppelin

TO: Captain XO

FROM: Chief Engineer. Renegade

SUBJECT: Analysis of anomalies associated with the Kommandant's Zeppelin

Boss:

I've been with you since the beginning, so I'm as familiar as you are with the Tesla's.  As you recall, the original generators that we 'acquired' when you 'borrowed' the Renegade were prototypes.  The scientists who had been working on them were into some bleeding edge shit and may were using a primitive hypergeometry generator to get enough juice to run the Tesla cannons.  We switched to negatron magnetic containment system with our first upgrade to the Tesla's, which generated more power, more reliably.

When we seized the KZ and made the decision to outfit her with Tesla's, we brought the prototypes out of storage to use.  Instead of installing them in parallel, we installed them in serial.

We think that may have allowed the hypergeometry to square itself.  We're not sure of the equations, since hypergeometry is either math based magic or magic based math, but we believe that running them in serial allowed them to feed off and to each other.

The result was the KZ went...elsewhere.  And then came back.

And it brought something with it.

Incident with the Kommandant's Zeppelin

Crew:

In our years together as the crew of the world's most powerful Airship, we have seen and done some strange things.  We've fought creatures and entities that are inexplicable to science.  Hell, we have fellow crew members that are inexplicable to science.

This...incident...tops those.

Background: while we were cheerfully reducing the warfighting capabilities of the North American Federation to glass and then executing emergency repairs in Macao, I had tasked our spare Zeppelin with conducting some of our other contracted activities; of note, one of these was a Arctic circle patrol on contract to the Finn Margrave.

For those who don't remember the backstory on the Kommandant's Zeppelin, we took it as a prize by coup de main a year or so ago; we retrofitted her to almost Renegade standards.  She's been a useful adjunct and we treat her crew as family.

When we got back to Wick, I ordered ops to signal the KZ to return to Wick, so we could install the NAF generators I had arranged to disappear from a NAF warehouse a couple of weeks back.  This would have given the KZ to run her Teslas up to about 90% of the Renegade's capacity, increasing the utility of the KZ.

Her ETA to Wick was last night.  She arrived more or less on time, but not under power.  She drifted in, engines off, no lights.  That was bad enough, but the Met officer pointed out to me that she was drifting in from the northeast.

Winds were from the south.

As you all recall, we scrambled the Hussars into a boarding skiff, while the mortars fired illum.  I went with the Hussars on this boarding action.  Everything below is eyewitness from your Captain.

We landed on the main dorsal pad.  The hatch was dogged but not locked, so we didn't need to breach.  As soon as we opened the hatch, we could smell the coppery tang of blood and hint of something sickly sweet.  No interior lights were on, so we went to flashlights.

There was a pool of drying blood near the bottom of the ladder.  No body.  I ordered the Hussars 1st Squad to secure the engine room, 2nd Squad to secure the main fire director, and 3rd squad to accompany me to the bridge.  We all moved out on the double.

More blood.  On the walls, in the passageways.  Some hatches had claw marks.  Some were bashed in.

No bodies.  Sounds, though.  Distant.  Hard to describe; faint moaning sounds, scratching, chittering.  So low that you'd almost associate them with the sounds that any airship makes while it is in flight.

Almost.

Some of the Hussars asked if they could search for survivors--see if any of the noises led to our fellows.  I denied permission.  The best place for the KZ was on the ground ASAP.  Frittering off combat power to look for our fellows may seem like the right thing to do, but I have to keep the bigger picture in mind.

We hit the bridge.  The bridge hatch had been pried open, by something sharp and strong.  Again, more blood.  My radio crackled: 'Sir, 3rd has secured the engine room.  She's got power, but the interlock to the propulsion units has been shut down.  More blood down here sir.  Some bullet casings.  Signs of a fight, but still no bodies.'

My glance around the bridge told the same story: bullet holes in bridge equipment.  Blood.  Shell casings on the deck.  Signs that the bridge hatch had been barricaded.  Someone...something...had breached it anyway.  And still no bodies.

Helm was intact enough that I could see systems were green.  I ordered 3rd to reset the interlocks and directed the skiff pilot to helm his first zeppelin.  'Put us on the ground, Mr. Mate.  On the far side of the airfield from the Renegade, if you will.'

At this time, 2nd squad reported that they had secured the main fire director...similar conditions.

We set her down, and I ordered the Glider Zouaves and the Dragoon Vespas to establish a perimeter, and withdrew the Hussars.

The KZ is currently isolated on the airfield, with the dorsal turrets of the Renegade trained on her.

Something is definitely not right.

How I fell in with Air Pirates, Part 7

Part 7

Back onboard the Dromedary, which signage actually identified as the very unoriginally named Camel 4, Top was taking reports from the different squads as they moved through the airship.  2^nd had the perimeter secure, with a fire team ready to act as a QRF if needed.  3^rd was working their way down from the two crow’s nest positions, meeting some resistance, but they were nearly to the bridge.  1^st had cleared the main cargo hold pretty rapidly, and now the Bravo Team was moving down what should be the main passageway that ended at ladders leading up to the bridge and engineering.  Suddenly the point man reported contact with a group that included three women and they were heading towards the forward area of the airship.

                Top’s orders were straightforward.  “Run them down quick, don’t let them get behind any doors.  3^rd, get the bridge secured NOW.”

                The point man and the rest of the fireteam took off after the group, their squad leader racing to catch up, when one member of the group stopped and turned to face the Zouaves.  It was an older woman in a long brown dress.  Weapons came up as she raised her hands in apparent surrender.

                “Get out of the way lady!” yelled the point man, his Thompson leveled at her.

                “No, I don’t think so” replied Aunt Sarah.  The last thing the point man saw were spear like tentacles erupting from her hands.

                Top heard the screams, then the shots of several Thompsons which most of the Zouaves carried.  He raced forward, followed by the Alpha Team.  Turning into the main passageway, they were greeted by what could only be described as a slaughterhouse.  The body parts of the 1^st Squad Leader and his Bravo Team littered the floor, their blood all over everything.  Standing in the middle of it all was a figure out of a nightmare.  Female form wearing a brown cloak, but not human, not with all the bloody tentacles it was displaying.  The thing looked up at Top, gave a blood-filled smile, and said “Oh good, more prey.”  Top didn’t hesitate.  His finger was already squeezing the trigger on his BAR as he snapped it up to his shoulder and sighted on the creature’s head.  The first three rounds impacted on the its torso, but the next five exploded the head and the creature went down.

                Top lowered his BAR, and then noticed the creature had stuck him in the left thigh with one of its tentacles before it died.  He sagged against the wall to his right and yelled “Medic!”  Then he keyed his radio, “2^nd Squad, send your QRF in, break, Renegade, we have multiple casualties down here and could use some back up.”

                The reply was not what he was expecting.  “Negative Top, we have our hands full up here.  Hold tight.”

                As the medic arrived and started to see how he was going to remove a tentacle, the radio keyed again.  “Top, Sniper 3, Renegade is currently fending off two other airships.  No other movement on the ground.  I recommend pulling in the full 2^nd Squad to reinforce what you have already.  We’ll keep overwatch here.”

                “Roger Sniper 3, good idea.  Break, 2^nd Squad, fall back into the Dromedary and trade spots with 1^st.  1^st Squad, fall back to the cargo bay and secure the entrance.  3^rd Squad, gimme a SITREP.”  Then to the medic, “Would you hurry up!  I have a fight to get back into.”

*****

                As soon as the announcement from Captain XO finished, Puck began to move the Renegade laterally so the gunners could get a shot at the engines on the other side of the ship.  While he was moving, he caught sight of two other airships taking off from the docks.  “Look alive people, two airships are taking flight, looks like a pair of light cargos, dachs-class by the look of them.”

                “This is Badger in the Crow’s Nest, we see them.  It looks like they’re just trying to get away from the action, they’re going straight up like they’re scared!”

                “And you would know what that looks like!” replied Puck

                Andrew chuckled, got his composure really quick, and then replied “Keep an eye on them Badger!  Tesla’s, who has acquisition of the other engines on that barge?”

                Martin replied, the laughter easily heard in his voice, “Tesla 5 here, we got them, stand by.”

                Andrew watched as more Tesla arcs reached out in a very precise manner, enveloping the other engines in the blue sparking that indicated both a direct hit and a complete disruption of the engines.  Now that airship really wasn’t going anywhere.

                 Up in the Crow’s Nest, Badger looked at Bajan who was laying on his back, quietly laughing while acting like he was still working on the rail gun feed system.  “What’s so funny?”  He turned to look at the two interns who were trying to recover from their own laughter, but instead looked like cats who had gotten some canaries and now they were playing innocent.

Badger gave them a stern look and said, “Do I need to threaten to eat you?”

The two interns looked at each other, an amused look still on their face.  They turned back to Badger and the female started to talk.  “Do you know any German?”  Badger shook his head no.  “Dachs in German means Badger.”  At that, Badger rolled his eyes and said, “Ugh, ok, now we need to find a way to get back at Puck for this…”

He didn’t get a chance to finish as he saw the intern’s eyes get wide and the male started to point over Badger’s shoulder.  This caused Badger to whirl around where he saw the two Dachs-class airships, each of them now had a Tesla protruding from where a false panel was falling away.  “Q-SHIPS!” Badger yelled as he reached for the rail gun handles, just as the first Tesla fired.  Badger ducked out of instinct since the blast was coming right at their position, he glanced back to yell at the interns to duck as well when the blast washed over the top of the Crow’s Nest and the two interns took a direct hit, literally frying them where they stood.

“GAHH!” He cried out.  “No one is going to believe that I didn’t set this up.”  He then keyed his intercom.  “Those two airships are Q-Ships!  They’ve got Teslas!”

Down on the main gun deck, Andrew saw a Tesla blast wash over the #7 Tesla mount, then he heard Badger’s Q-Ship announcement.  “Starboard side Teslas, switch to air-to-air and fire on the airships!” 

This was followed immediately by Captain XO, “Puck, start maneuvering on those airships!”  To which Puck immediately acknowledged and began to increase their altitude and maneuver the Renegade into a more advantageous position so that all of the weapons on the starboard side could bear on the two Dachs.  Andrew then called over the intercom, “Badger, weapons free!”

“Roger!” yelled Badger, then he sighted in on the nearest Dachs and let loose with a round from the rail gun.  The outer sheaf of the round immediately separated, allowing the 25mm tungsten core to fly straight, true, and very fast at its target. It impacted immediately above the Tesla that had fried the interns, and passed completely through the airship, slicing through everything, and potentially anyone, that was in its way, exiting the other side to land who knows where.  Generally, the Renegade did not use the rail gun near populated areas for just that reason.

“Bajan!  I need another round!” yelled Badger.

                “Got it, stand by!” was the immediate reply.  Bajan quickly cycled the feed mechanism as Badger adjusted his aimpoint.  “UP!” yelled Bajan, and Badger pulled the trigger.  This time the tungsten core went straight into the tesla just as it fired on the Renegade again.  The combination of energy from the tesla, coupled with the kinetic energy of the rail gun round, produced a spectacular explosion that tore that section free of the hostile Dachs and caused the entire airship to lurch upwards and to the side.  It was obviously in trouble now, and Badger saw several of the Renegade’s Teslas impact on the airship as well.  Bajan yelled that another round was loaded, and Badger sighted in on where the engine room should be, and he fired again.  The impact caused the enemy airship to immediately wallow and lose all control, sinking rapidly back down towards the docks due to the lack of power and the holes already in it.

                Now Badger turned towards the other airship.  This one was sparking with multiple Tesla hits, and it was obvious that it wasn’t going anywhere since the engines were completely idle.  He heard Redleg order the Teslas to cease fire on it and for the Grapple Guns to get ready to secure it for a boarding party.  Badger knew better than to fire on a ship that was being captured, but he was still in a murderous mood due to the two interns being killed, so as soon as Bajan announced that another round was loaded, he shifted back to the first airship that was quickly falling below where he could engage, sighted in to where he thought the bridge would be, and he fired a final round.  His reward was a small explosion from inside the airship that blossomed into several secondary explosions.

                “Badger!  Cease Fire!” yelled Captain XO.

                “That guy killed my two interns, he had it coming.” Snapped Badger, but he also let go of the rail gun and instead shifted over to the minigun while Bajan called down to the medics and requested bags for the remains of the interns.

************

                Down in the CIC, Captain XO looked at the current status of the Renegade and its forces and he made several decisions at once.

                “Bold Air Hussars send one squad to take control of the remaining Dachs. Parasites, launch a two-plane CAP, hold the other two at the ready.  Puck, as soon as the Hussars have that airship, get us back into a position to support the Glider Zouaves.  Redleg, get the ventral Tesla’s back on air-to-ground, leave the rest at air-to-air for now.  Top, I need a SITREP, what’s going on down there.”

                “Top here.  3^rd Squad has secured the bridge and reports that the girls have been taken into a forward hold.  They’ve taken no casualties and are pushing the opposition back.  2^nd Squad has relieved 1^st inside, they’re moving to catch up and see if there’s another way into that forward hold, also no casualties.  Alpha Team of 1^st Squad has the main cargo hold and the entrance secure with one walking wounded, the rest of the squad is KIA.  Sniper 3 is still reporting no hostiles outside.  I’m up and mobile again thanks to the medic.  We have no idea what that thing was that sliced through the 1^st Squad Bravo Team; the body is dissolving, just like the ones at the ambush that Redleg described from this morning.”

                “Understood Top.  Let us know if you need any more support, we’re coming back into position over you.”

                “Roger” said Top, as he moved forward with the medic to catch up to 3^rd Squad.  He found them at the doors to the hold, wiring in explosives for a breach.

*****

                Micah was not happy; nothing was going as planned.  The Commander had assured him that their intel was excellent, that the plan was perfect, and that with god on their side there was no way they could fail.  Now he stood in the hanger of their transport, just he and Efraim the only survivors of the mission so far, along with a few of the crew that had fallen back to the hangar.  Aunt Sarah not being here was just another example of how the mission was failing.  He watched as Efraim helped finish securing the oldest girl into the backseat of the mercenary fighter; the youngest was with him and would go in the second fighter.  That was another part of the plan that had now gone wrong.  The fighters were only supposed to be used for the final leg of the journey, not the entire thing.  He hated to rely on heathens to accomplish HIS mission, but he saw no other choice at this point.  With the Renegade outside and intruders inside, he was out of options and he was determined to accomplish his mission of returning these two betrotheds to Gilead even if no part of the plan was going right.

                The Renegade was another part of the mission that went wrong.  What was it doing here?  Anti-slavery mission?  That made no sense.  The Renegade has a fearsome reputation as an air pirate, especially if you were a Muskovite, but there was no history that it pretended to be a champion of anything other than its own wallet and drunken debaucheries.  That also led back to Micah’s first question, why here?  Everything he knew was that the Renegade operated in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, so it’s appearance in Scotland was a shock to say the least.

                He noticed Efraim getting down from the fighter, the launch crew prepping the catapult.  Both would launch just as soon as the other betrothed was loaded.  At that moment, two simultaneous explosions occurred.  The main door into the hangar blew inward, as did a ceiling panel above.  Intruders moved expertly into the hangar from both locations, double tapping anyone that resisted.  Efraim was one of those that immediately started shooting at them, his rounds catching one of the intruders low in the legs, but then he was taken down by two shots to the head from one of the Thompsons that the invaders carried.  Micah didn’t try to fire at the intruders, he simply wrapped an arm around the youngest girls upper body so that she was pinned directly in front of him, put his head behind hers, pointed his Smith and Wesson .357 at her head, and started a slow and careful movement towards the other fighter.  Others in the launch bay were surrendering and the intruders took them under control, which reduced their overall strength and gave him a bit of a plan.  He glanced at the catapult controller who was cowering behind his consol.

                “Launch the fighter!” he yelled.  The controller looked up at him, nodded, spoke into his headset.  Once he heard the fighter’s engines start to whine, he pressed hard on the launch button.  One of the intruders saw the movement and fired two quick rounds that dropped the controller, but the fighters launch was now impossible to stop.  The electro-magnetic catapult sent the fighter racing out of the bay, its engines firing as soon as it was clear.

****

                Turbo heard the call from the Renegade, the launch of a fighter.  He banked his F-4 to the left and saw another F-4 racing away from the Dromedary airship and climbing.  He knew he would have a significant speed advantage, so he completed his turn and got right behind the other plane, a Sidewinder missile already growling with a good target lock.  He keyed in the GUARD frequency and started talking.  “Enemy Fighter that just launched from the Dromedary airship.  Turn around and head back to land or I will fire and destroy you.”

                “Hi there” came the response that sounded entirely too cheerful for someone under missile lock.  “I don’t think you really want to do that, say Hi to the nice man behind us sweetheart.”  Turbo’s eyes got wide at that response, they grew even more when he heard “Um, hi?  This is Morgan McCall speaking.”

                Turbo blinked hard and then his eyes narrowed; this could be a spoof.  “How do I know she’s really onboard and this isn’t a radio game you’re playing.”

                “Well, you can come up and take a look.  I’m now at my cruising speed, and since you aren’t encumbered by drop tanks, I’m guessing you won’t have a problem getting closer.  You can even use your wingman to cover me, not that I plan to do anything stupid.  I don’t get paid if I don’t deliver.”

                Turbo looked right, made a hand signal to his wingman to cover him, then he pulled up slightly to get above the other Phantom, added a little acceleration, then he inverted in a classic “Top Gun” move so he could close with the other fighter and see who was in the cockpit while his back-seater got a video camera going.

                The other pilot looked up and waved.  Turbo heard him say over GUARD “Wave to the other airplane, make sure your visor is up so they can see your face.”  Now they were as close as they could get, Turbo made a quick glance at the rear seat and saw Morgan waving at him.  His RIO announced, “Yep, that’s one of Redleg’s daughters.  I’ve got some good footage of her waving at us.”  Turbo slid his fighter to the side before banking fully away.  He got back into a normal orientation for flight and started to parallel the other aircraft.

                “So, trafficking in kidnap victims doesn’t bother you?” he asked.

                “Dude, don’t try to tug at my heartstrings.  I’m just a Transporter, it’s a job, nothing more.  The client hires us to transport someone, we do that.  As long as they pay our rates, we don’t care what the circumstances are.  Now you’re welcome to follow me to my final destination, but since I have drop tanks and you don’t, I doubt that’s going to end up well for you.”

                Turbo grimaced, the guy was right.  All of those extra tanks gave him twice the range Turbo had, and that’s assuming he didn’t rendezvous with one of the airships that served as a neutral party and refuel point over the Atlantic.  That would only extend his range and make it more unpredictable.  He banked away, called on his wingman to break off, and then replied “If any harm comes to that young lady while she’s in your care, you better pray to whatever you worship that we never find you, so travel safe.  Turbo out.”  With that, Turbo headed back to the CAP location.

*****

                Back in the hangar bay, Micah’s latest plan was to get the girl into the other fighter, have the pilot hold her hostage so that he could work the launch controls, and get them away.  Due to the cowards that surrendered, there were only a few of the intruders left in the hangar so it just might work.  He had no illusions about surviving, but he’d also been ‘dead’ before so who knows how this might turn out.  He started to move towards the other fighter when a loud voice yelled “HALT!”  He stopped and looked at someone that was obviously the leader of the intruders, even though he was injured.

                “I don’t think so” Micah replied.  “You aren’t going to do anything stupid as it’s pretty obvious that you’re here to rescue this young lady, which I can’t allow you to do since my job is to see her returned to her future husband.”

                Top looked at Grace and her captor, and immediately keyed his radio.  “Renegade, we have a hostage situation here.”

                Up on the Renegade, Andrew heard the report from Top and the request for additional support.  XO acknowledged and ordered grapples to the open hangar bay on the Dromedary and a squad from the Hussars to deploy.  Andrew supervised as two Grapple guns put lines into the entrance of what they had quickly deemed the ‘launch tube’, then Viking and his 3^rd Squad immediately zip-lined down to the Dromedary.  Andrew wanted to be there, the father inside of him screaming to do something else.  XO seemed to read his mind and spoke over the intercom, “Let the Zouaves and Hussars handle it Redleg, they know what they’re doing.”

                “I know” Andrew said after keying his own intercom handset, “I just feel like I need to be there.”

                “And how do you think you’re getting there?” remarked XO.  “I know you haven’t done the zip-line training.”

                Andrew was about to reply when another voice spoke up.  “Perhaps I can help” said Vlad, and with a blur, Andrew and Vlad were off the airship.  Talia and Smoke Cooper just stared, their jaws dropping.  Talia started to point at the spot where the two had been standing, when Smoke started blubbering “Wha-wha-wha-what was that?”  At that moment they both noticed that XO was trying to get an acknowledgement from Andrew; he was seeking further confirmation that Andrew wouldn’t try to go over to the Dromedary.  Smoke looked helplessly at Talia, who gave a very lame shrug, and then stated, “You need to answer him, I’m not crew.”

                Cooper grimaced, then he keyed his own intercom.  “Uh, Captain XO…”

                XO cut him off, “Don’t say it Smoke, don’t you dare tell me that Redleg went down to that other airship.”

                “Ummm, it’s not exactly Redleg’s fault” replied Cooper, “Vlad showed up and they both, well, they both disappeared.”

                There was a pause for several seconds, then XO said, “Maybe this time Vlad will stay gone.”  Then the intercom switched off.

                Cooper looked at Talia, who was also looking at him.  “I hope Vlad brings Andrew back with him first.”  Talia got a stern look on her face and replied “He BETTER.”  With that, Cooper decided that if Vlad didn’t bring Andrew back, then no bonus could be big enough to cover Talia’s anger.

*******

                Down in the launch tube of the Camel 4, Andrew and Vlad appeared in a blur.  “What was that?!” exclaimed Andrew, “I think I’m going to hurl” he continued as he bent over in sudden exhaustion while also trying to reorient his inner ear to whatever it was Vlad just did to the both of them.

                “Trade secret” said Vlad.  “Now quit being so melodramatic, it’s unbecoming of an officer.”

                “Have you been around the rest of the crew much?  Being melodramatic is commonplace” replied Andrew as he stood up straight with a grimace on his face.

                At that, Vlad merely grinned, and the two of them headed down the launch bay and caught up to 3^rd Squad.  Viking had just finished deploying his troops when looked back at the two of them in surprise.  “How did you two get here?”

                “You know how Vlad keeps reappearing onboard after Captain XO finds a way to get him off the airship?” replied Andrew.  Viking nodded, then Andrew continued “Well I’m pretty sure he just demonstrated it for me.  I might live.”  Vlad growled a quiet “Stop it”, then Andrew winked at Viking and asked, “What’s going on?”

                “See for yourself” was the reply.  Andrew looked around the corner and saw an F-4 with pilot, and Top with 3 of his Zouaves holding weapons on someone that had a hold of Grace.  Andrew heard Top saying something about how the other guy wasn’t going to get away, then he froze when the reply came.  “I am most certainly going to get away, it’s the will of our Commander and therefore it is god’s will also.”  Andrew shook himself, it couldn’t be, then the guy holding Grace shifted a little bit and Andrew caught a glimpse of his face.  He turned to Viking and said, “Remember the part of my story about the MP at the lodge that threw me across the room?”

                Viking gave Andrew a puzzled look before replying, “Yeah, so what?”

                “That’s the MP” Andrew said matter-of-factly and pointing at the person holding Grace hostage.

                Viking’s eyes got big as saucers.  He looked at the guy holding Grace, then back at Andrew.  “I thought you killed him?”

                “So did I.”  Andrew then thought for a second.  “Who’s your best marksman?”

                Viking looked a little wounded at the question, “I am of course, can’t have anyone out-shooting me.”

                Andrew nodded.  “Ok, I’m going to step out to talk to him.  Get ready to take a headshot when the opportunity presents itself.”

                Viking gave Andrew another puzzled look.  “When the opportunity presents itself?  How are you going to pull that off, and what about the guy in the plane?”

                Vlad spoke up then.  “Leave him to me.”  Then he was gone.  Andrew and Viking looked at each other again, shrugged, and then Andrew said “Trust me” before he moved around the corner.  Viking decided he may as well set up to shoot.

                Micah knew some other intruders had made their way into the airship from the launch bay, but he wasn’t expecting the girl’s father to walk out into the hangar.  Looking at him from behind the girl, Micah called out “Well now I think I understand why the Renegade is involved.  So, did you hire them?  That must have cost a pretty penny.  What did you pay them with, your wife?”

                Grace also saw her father, and the ghost of a smile started to cross her face.  When the alarm had sounded, she and Morgan both knew it was the Renegade.  They had no idea how they’d been found, but they knew it was them.  Even when they were taken from the room with Aunt Sarah and brought to the hangar, they knew everything was going to be ok.  When Morgan was placed aboard the jet and it took off, that’s when Grace got scared.  Morgan was always her rock, the one that she drew strength from.  All she could do after the jet took off was pray.  Now, seeing her father and the others from the Renegade, she knew that her prayers were answered.

                Andrew smirked at the former MP, who was obviously trying to bait him, while at the same time he was grateful to see his youngest.  More importantly, it was even more obvious from his question that no one had a clue about Andrew’s association with the Renegade.  “I think I just heard you say more words at once than in the entire time I knew you at Fort Carson.”

                “Cute” sneered Micah, “though we didn’t know each other at Carson.  You were too uppity, and too heathen, to have a conversation with me.  Now make yourself useful and tell everyone to lower their weapons so we can board the aircraft and leave.  Your former daughter has a wedding to attend.”

                Andrew cocked his head to the side as he stared back.  “I don’t remember you being rated as a pilot.  Did you pick up some new skills after I killed you the first time?”

                “Ha!” laughed Micah as he continued to move towards the boarding ladder to the fighter.  “We’ve got a pilot, now quit stalling and lower your weapons.”  Then he made a rather dramatic motion of pressing his pistol to the side of Grace’s head, which in turn caused Grace to cry out in pain.

                Suddenly a body thumped onto the ground next to Micah.  He let up the pressure on Grace, and gave a quick glance down to his right, and then did a double-take, his eyes growing wide as he saw a flight-suited body with an obviously broken neck lying at his feet.  Next, he heard a voice from the top of the boarding ladder, “You didn’t mean that pilot, did you?”  Glancing up towards the top of the ladder, Micah saw a pale figure, with fangs.

                Morgan knew better than to look at whatever had landed near them, but she smiled when she heard Vlad’s voice.  Now she had no doubts that she would be free soon.  She focused on her father, waiting to see what he would do next.

                Having seen both Vlad and the dead pilot, Micah was now frozen in his tracks; he had no idea what to do next as every plan had now unraveled.  Unfortunately for him, that meant his emotions were now taking over when he should be using his common sense.  He looked back at Andrew, who now had a wide taunting grin on his face.  Micah couldn’t help himself as he started to yell “You’re supping with vampires!  This is why we will win, because we are god’s chosen and we do not consort with the heathen and undead of this world!”

                Andrew kept smiling as the former MP got louder, bordering on shrieking.  It was obvious that he had completely lost whatever demeanor he had as his words started to get incoherent.  When he paused, Andrew raised his own voice, making it louder than the former MP’s rant without resorting to shrieking, as it was never becoming of an artilleryman to shriek.  “Oh, I am so sorry that I missed out on how you’re going to rule the world!  Newsflash!  That may have been true once upon a dream…”

                Hearing the line from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Grace suddenly raised her knees to her chest while simultaneously thrusting her arms forward as hard as she could.  Her actions had the desired effect of loosening Micah’s grip, and letting her drop straight down to the floor where she landed on her backside, leaving Micah standing there with no shield to his front, his weapon pointed at nothing, and a shocked look on his face.  Viking wasted no time, and one .45 ACP round from his Thompson later, the former MP was lying dead on the ground with a new third eye.

                Grace scrambled forward as soon as she heard the shot, seeking her father’s protection.  Likewise, Andrew rushed forward as soon as the former MP fell and scooped his not-so-little girl up into his arms.  He held her head to his chest as she clung tightly to him, then turning to walk back towards the launch tunnel, mouthing a “Thank you” at Viking as they passed him.  Viking gave a jaunty salute, nodded at Vlad as he passed on his way to catch up with Redleg, and then he pulled his boarding axe from his back and went towards the fallen goon that had held Grace hostage.  “Remember” he said quietly to himself, “always go for the head.”

*****

XO walked into the Plunder & Lightening and took the open seat that by a strange coincidence also had a scotch sitting in front of it.  Deuce, Redleg, Smoke Cooper, PSG Kim, Turbo, the Professor, Puck, and Kiwi were all present, each with their preferred beverage.  He took a drink and then looked at Redleg, thinking about making a negative comment about Vlad, but considering his role in Grace’s rescue he decided against it.  Instead he simply asked, “How’s Grace?”

“As good as can be expected.  She’s in my cabin with Talia” said Andrew.  “After a bit she’s going to sit down with Jerri to see what intel she may be able to provide.”

XO nodded and then turned to the Professor.  “Professor, your interns?”

She made a face before replying.  “Pretty shook up after what happened to Tony and Carol.  I don’t think they appreciated having to bag up their friends, but everyone has to do it sometime.”  She shook her head in sadness at that thought, but then continued.  “We might lose a few after that, the reality of everything involved in what we do can be pretty jarring sometime.”

“See if they want to transfer to Ground Staff” said XO, “believe me, I understand.”  The Professor nodded and then XO looked at PSG Kim.

Dan took a drink and then looked around at those gathered.  “We lost five from the Zouaves; one complete fire team and a squad leader.  We still don’t know what that thing was that killed them…”  XO interrupted “I might, keep going.”  Dan nodded, “…but it didn’t leave much behind that was identifiable after the dissolving.  Three personnel were wounded including Top, all are recovering.”  He took another drink and then continued.  “The looting of the three airships is about done.  The Camel 4 (what a stupid name) we can sell without issue, or keep for ourselves, either way it’s in pretty good shape.  The cargo is nothing spectacular; a hodge-podge of auto parts, consumer electronics, European foodstuffs, and some IKEA knockoffs.  We can turn that for some good coin unless people find stuff that they like first.  The two Dachs were empty.  The one that Badger shot down is a total loss, pretty much only good for scrap and some spare parts.  The other one is like the Camel 4, good shape to sell or keep.  One interesting item though; while empty, the Dachs showed evidence that they were used to smuggle goods.  We found several false compartments throughout the ship and even in some of the shipping containers.  No idea what the surviving one was carrying before we captured it, but the one Badger hit shows evidence of having explosives onboard.”

XO grunted.  “That would explain the explosions.  Ok, Kiwi?”

Kiwi looked at PSG Kim.  “Anything in the foodstuffs that we can use in the P&L?”

“Already identified and heading into the hold.  You should have an inventory in the next hour or so” replied Dan.

Kiwi nodded.  “That will help, but we’ll need a lot more food and drink before we head in pursuit of Morgan.”

XO nodded again.  “Already thought of.  The Kommandant is in route with plenty of supplies and some replacements.  It can take care of recovery of the two airships after we leave.”

Kiwi nodded and sat back, taking a long drink from her own tumbler.  It was obvious she was finished, so XO turned to Jerri.

“First off, let me apologize for all the stuff we missed going into this op…”

XO cut her off.  “Stop.  We never dealt with Gilead before.  I knew enough about them that I just wanted to avoid them.  Plus, they never seemed to have anything worth stealing.  So with that in mind, there was no reason for us to know.  That changes now, but there will be no recriminations for the past, at least as long as everyone is sober.  Got it?”

With that, everyone raised their glasses and let loose with a loud “Huzzah!”, and then they drank.  Andrew put his glass of coke down and smiled, “So I guess that means I can’t ever blame anyone for what happened, right?  I mean, I am the airship’s Designated Sober Person.”

“Captain XO is wise” stated XO matter of factly.  “So, Jerri, you were saying?”

“Right” replied Jerri, stifling a laugh.  “Ok, so we’ve gotten some good intel off of all three airships, it’s definitely helping us to build a better picture of Gilead and their operations.   We still don’t know how many people are in the group, but we’ve confirmed that they have control of two shipping operations.  I.G Deal which appears to haul large bulk units all over, and Lidaeg (another anagram) which is a smaller operation that only goes between several locations.  Scotland and Baltimore, Morocco and Wilmington, Miami and Caracas.  My best estimate at this point is that they have a lot of monetary resources.”  This brought some “ahs” from the group, and Jerri smiled more.  “Yep, we should definitely make a profit off of this venture.”

“The fighter that we captured is not Gilead.  It belongs to a mercenary outfit called ‘Delivery’.  This group we know of as we’ve seen them around and considered using them for some of our ransom returns.  They specialize in personnel transport, but also do small items that can fit into the fighters.  F-4s are their primary aircraft, but they also have some F-5s and an F-111.”

“That’s pretty much it for now, but we’re still gathering info.”  With that, Jerri concluded and looked back at Captain XO.

He sat for a moment.  Everyone knew the look on his face; he was formulating a plan, one that he may or may not tell them, but his plans generally worked out and were profitable for the crew, so there were no real complaints.

“Keep working your sources, get all that you can.  The Renegade was made for full-spectrum dominance, and we’re going to demonstrate that to these cultists as only we can.  Rescuing Morgan McCall remains our priority.  Almost as important is we are going to drain this group dry of all their capital and crush their ability to reach outside of Utah.  Any question?”

There were none.  Just nods of understanding.

“Ok, soon as the Kommandant gets here we will cross-load supplies and head for the Caribbean.  We’re taking the southe

Raid! On! Muscovy!

Crew!  Your beloved Captain, the cunning and capable Captain XO has rested from his recent non-airship journey.  In that time, he has been developing a cunning plan.  It is in fact, more cunning than a fox who used to be a Professor of Cunning at Oxford University.

There are multiple lines of effort, so pay attention.

Situation: The Muscovite Empire has recently won a 'war' with a breakaway Belarussian province.  After stomping the guts out of this nascent border March, the Tsar Premier decided to have a May Day style parade, culminating in an arms expo--show of the gear and then sell a bunch of it.

We have also developed excellent intelligence that the pieces of the original Amber Room have been discovered and are currently in an armored train, headed to an Oligarch's compound in eastern Muscovy for installation.

Mission: Airship Renegade attacks Muscovy parade to inflict maximum destruction on Muscovy units involved in the parade in order to humiliate the Tsar Premier, damage his warfighting capability, and impact Muscovy's ability to generate hard currency via arm sales.  Simultaneously, the Kommandant's Airship, with its newly installed Tesla turrets, will attack the armored train, seize the Amber Room IOT generate airship revenue.

Execution:

Commander's Intent: Dead Muscovites, a Tsar Premier shaking an angry fist at the sky, and the Amber Room in the hold.

a. Renegade. Phase 1: Infiltrate Vespa Dragoons and Bold Air Hussars in by ground movement.  Attack and seize Muscovite air defense sites along the Renegade's route of movement IVO Moscow.  Mortars will support by fire.  Captain XO's Own Sappers and Miners will conduct route reconnaissance and identify and prepare countermobility obstacle locations to channelize and delay the parade.
Phase 2: Airship Renegade flys along the route and blows up all military targets in the parade.
Phase 3: ???
Phase 4: PROFIT
Phase 5: Collect dismounts, go home to Wick

b. Kommandant's Zeppelin: Phase 1: Disable train.
Phase 2: Insert Glider Zouaves.
Phase 3: Assault train and recover Amber Room pieces
Phase 4: Recover Zoauves
Phase 5: Home to Wick.

Service and Support

Does anyone actually read this paragraph?  If so, make sure the Plunder and Lightning is well stocked with booze.

Command and Signal

Captain XO calls the shots.  Use standard comms channels.

How I Fell in with Air Pirates, Part 6

Part 6

                Andrew led Talia out of the Plunder and Lightning after the rest of the crew had moved ahead of them.  They went back down the passageway that had brought them to the P&L until they reached a ladder, then up one level and back down the passageway in the opposite direction, going past several doors until Andrew stopped at one where he turned the handle and opened it wide.  He stepped out of the way so Talia could go in first.

                “Well color me impressed” she said after stepping inside the and looking around.  “I’m guessing this is yours?”  As a ship’s officer, Andrew rated his own cabin.  In this case it was large enough to host small meetings if needed.  To Talia’s question, he immediately pointed to the pictures that were fastened to the bulkhead above his desk.  Talia saw several of her and the girls, as well as a family photo that was taken at Christmas.  Seeing the girls, she smiled, but the tears started again.  Oh, how she wanted to hold them!

                Andrew walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around her, knowing what she was thinking and feeling the same way.  Talia rested her head against his right arm, drawing comfort and strength from his presence.  After a minute she tilted her head up and asked, “I’m guessing we’re here to change?” she said.

                “Yep, since this suit is definitely not fit to wear anymore, nor is it or your dress appropriate for shipboard operations.” replied Andrew,

                “Good to know, because now is not the time for one of your lame pick-up lines” she answered dryly.

                Andrew laughed.  It was nice to hear his wife making a joke, even during this time.  She always knew what to say, and her sense of humor tended to bubble up at more appropriate times than his did.

                “I wouldn’t dream of it, for the least because I know who has rooms to each side.”  Then he inhaled and raised his voice to a volume like he used to use during Artillery live fires, “GET MOVING BADGER!  YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE AT YOUR STATION!”

                A muffled “Nuts!” came through the walls, along with the laughter of several other voices who were with Badger waiting to see if his prediction would manifest.  Then the sound of shuffling feet and the closing of doors.

                Talia turned around to look at Andrew.  “Do I want to know how you knew they were there?”

                “Probably not.” He replied with a somewhat embarrassed tone.

                Talia smile broadly, a more playful tone now in her voice, “Do we need to have another talk about what you do for a living?”

                Andrew’s hands went up defensively even as he saw the sparkle in her eyes.  “Oh, I tell you all I do.  I just don’t tell you everything my shipmates do.”

                She pondered that statement and decided it was probably good that he didn’t tell her everything, especially since they had teenage girls at home, or would have them at home once they got them back.  “Got it.  Ok, with that in mind what am I supposed to change into?”

                “Good question.”  Andrew gave another glance around his cabin.  “I don’t see my ‘Go-Bag’ or the extra that Captain XO said he would have for you.  I keep a few things here but not enough for us to be comfortable.”

                Then there was a knock at the hatch.  “Enter!” yelled Andrew, and the door opened, and a very young-looking crewman stepped in with two bags and a very nervous look on his face.

                Andrew gave him a quick once-over to make sure he recognized him.  “You’re one of the Professor’s Interns, right?  I thought the Captain XO had a batman that was going to bring those bags?  Or is that you?”

                The intern replied “I am Sir, an intern I mean.  The Captain XO’s batman asked me to help, he was pretty overloaded with getting everything on board for the emergency deployment.  I agreed and he told me what room to bring these to.  No one told me that shortcuts through the forward hold were...”

                “Ah, you met Vlad I take it.” Said Andrew, trying very hard not to smile at the intern’s predicament and apparent discomfort at having met Ensign Vlad.

                “Yes Sir, I did.  I’m amazed he let me leave.  I thought for certain I was going to be his lunch.  That’s what the Professor and Badger both told a group of us last night in the Zeppel Inn.  They just never told us where he lurked.”

                Andrew gave a sympathetic smile; he had heard this one before.  It didn’t mean it wasn’t humorous, just that some people liked to see how far they could push it.  “Vlad has a policy, he doesn’t attack members of the crew, even interns.  That doesn’t mean he won’t mess with you, but he won’t eat you or attack you.”

                The intern sighed in obvious relief, when from behind came a raspy voice that sounded just a few degrees above freezing and with a decidedly Romanian accent.  “Redleg iz correct.”  And with that the intern dropped the bags as he jumped and shouted in surprise.  Landing, he whirled around to see Ensign Vlad, the very pale skinned Assistant Engineer from the forward hold, standing in a position just behind him.  Andrew was impressed, he never saw Vlad move up behind the intern.  Vlad continued, still staring at the intern,  “But you vill be zee first to know vhen I change my mind.”  He finished with a very toothy grin that showed off four very sharp and pronounced incisors.  That was all the poor hapless intern could take as he took off down the corridor yelling “PROFESSOR!”.

                Vlad and Andrew watched him run, as Talia burst into laughter from inside the room.  They both faced each other and chuckled.  “Can I help you with the bags Sir?” said Vlad, sounding more like he was raised in the state of Maryland, with no trace of the Romanian accent anymore.

                “Certainly Vlad, come on in” replied Redleg and he grabbed his bag, moving back into the room, while Vlad picked up the one for Talia and joined them inside.

                “Hi Vlad” said Talia, “was that as funny to you as it was to me?”  The family had known Vlad for a while, ever since he ‘joined’ the crew during the Renegade’s Halloween trip to Transylvania last fall.

                “Hello Talia, it is good to see you again.” said Vlad as he placed her bag onto the bunk.  “I do enjoy my part in perpetuating the myth about interns being a food source.  Those with a sense of humor tend to enjoy it.  Those that don’t are the variety of recruit that only sees the profit in what we do, and none of the adventure or humor that is required to get the profit in the first place.”

                Andrew nodded, “Very true, though I’m pretty sure Captain XO would prefer that particular rumor died quickly.”

                Suddenly the ships intercom system sounded with a two-toned whistle indicating that the Captain XO was about to broadcast a message to the crew.  “All hands listen up.  We are at cruising altitude, secure anything loose as we are about to go to maximum speed.  If it falls off, we aren’t coming back for it.  As we discussed during the briefing in the P&L, our intelligence is that the kidnappers are heading to Wales, so we have about a 3-hour trip.  The drinking lamp goes out in two hours.  Also, STOP THREATENING TO EAT INTERNS!  That is all.”

                “I guess that particular intern already made it up to the bridge deck” said Andrew with a chuckle.

                “He was moving pretty fast” replied Vlad, “I guess I will let you two get ready and move to my own duty station.  But before I go, let me say that I will do anything to help you recover your daughters.  They are the only two young ladies in Scotland that haven’t read ‘Twilight’, so therefore they actually hold real conversations with me instead of being in a constant swoon.”

                “Just so long as it stays at the ‘conversations’ level” said Andrew with a stern look on his face but a twinkle in his eye.

                Vlad grinned, then a left, closing the hatch on his way.

                Andrew turned towards the bunk and his bag, quickly pulling out his boots, dark khaki weatherproof cargo pants, a dark green long-sleeve t-shirt, and a black light jacket that was both wind and waterproof.  He started to peel off his Sunday Suit when he saw Talia holding up a leather corset that would not have left much to the imagination if she were wearing it.  “Ok, before you gut me like a fish, can I go and air-keelhaul a couple of crewmates for thinking it would be funny to include a corset in the bag for you?”

                “So not your idea?” said Talia in a tone that would freeze oxygen.

                “Oh I’d love to see you in it, but not when I’m having to share the look with the rest of the crew.”  Talia smiled at that comment, then Andrew continued “Please tell me there’s other stuff in there that you can actually wear.”

                “Pants, boots, socks, a jacket, but no shirt.  Got an extra t-shirt I can borrow?”  Andrew reached back into his Go-Bag and pulled out another t-shirt, this one red with a Disney logo on it.  “How about this one?”

                “Perfect.” And with that they both began to change.  It didn’t take long, and as Andrew was strapping on a drop holster for his .45, Talia looked at him and asked, “Do you have a holster for me?”  Andrew went to his cabinet, dialed in a combination, “Wedding date in case you’re wondering” he said over his shoulder which brought another smile from Talia, then he opened up the door and pulled out a universal belt holster that would fit her PX4 Sub.  Handing it over, Talia hooked it to her belt, holstered her weapon, and then went back to lacing up her boots.  They actually fit pretty well, along with the rest of the clothing, which now had her curious about the…other item that was in the bag.  Time for that later.

She looked up at Andrew, “What about clothes for the girls?”

                Andrew looked up as he finished with his own boots.  “Good question.  We can cover that when we get them back.  I’ll ask Kiwi who has stuff in their size.  If anyone knows, she does.”

                “That works.”  Talia said as she stood up.  “Ok, anything else?”

                “Yep, hang on.” said Andrew.  He reached back into his locker and pulled out two leather caps with goggles on them.  He handed one to Talia and kept the other for himself.  “You don’t need to wear the hat, but you will need the goggles if we get into any kind of situation where the Tesla’s are used.”

                “Got it” said Talia as took the goggles off of the cap and then slid them around her neck while Andrew pulled his cap onto his head and adjusted his goggles so they sat on his forehead.  When that was done, he took Talia’s hands in his own, and they both bowed their heads to pray for safety for their girls and the crew of the Renegade, wisdom to help them find the girls, peace for the entire situation.

                When they were done, Andrew opened the hatch to let them both out.  “Now we go up to the Combat Information Center and see what’s going on.”

                “Is that where you are during your raids?”

                Andrew answered, “No, typically I’m on the main Tesla Deck with Smoke Cooper keeping an eye on the Ventral and Main Deck gunners.  I do hang out in the CIC prior to the actual raids, it’s the best place to be so I can know what’s going on.”

                Andrew started to take her back towards the Plunder and Lightening when they both felt the Renegade bank hard and the speed increase.  Glancing back at Talia, he took her hand and said, “Here’s hoping that’s a good sign”, then he led her back down a level and then forward of the P&L.  They came to a hatch guarded by a member of the Bold Air Hussars, who upon recognizing Andrew opened the hatch to let them inside.  Inside they found Jerri with some of her intel team, Platoon Sergeant Kim, Top from the Glider Zouaves, Turbo, and Smoke Cooper, along with XO.  Everyone acknowledged their entry; XO spoke first.  “Deuce, tell Redleg and Talia what your people found out.”

                Jerri took a long drink form a wine goblet and then looked at Andrew and Talia.  “We’ve been having a hard time getting any information about the van, it seemed to just disappear.  Then we got a call from one of our contacts who’s stationed in the port of Greenock on the west coast of Scotland.  He got us pictures of a Mercedes Van with a license plate that starts with CP18, and he reports that it’s parked next to a Dromedary-class airship that belongs to an outfit called ‘I.G. Deal Imports Inc’, based in Miami, and it’s currently taking on cargo for a midnight departure to the US.  We’re still trying to hack into the vehicle’s onboard GPS, but unless someone else gets a better sighting, we’re assuming this is them.”

                XO took a drink from a tumbler and then continued the update.  “Based on this new info I ordered the course change.  It makes sense that they would want to get out of the country as fast as possible.  Renting their vehicles from Wales is a classic case of misdirection that I could almost admire if I wasn’t ready to kill them for taking your girls.  We should be there in about an hour, maybe less.  We’re going to come in from the west, sending in the Glider Zouaves first to do a covert infiltration and rapid seizure of the ship.  The Bold Air Hussars will be in reserve.”  He then picked up his tumbler again, waved towards Top, and then took another drink.

                Top was holding a bottle of beer from a local brewery that some members of the Renegade had a stake in.  “Squads 1 & 2 will come down on the loading area to secure the perimeter and make entry at the cargo hatch.” He paused to take a drink and then he continued.  “Squad 3 will land on top of the cargo airship and make their way inside from there, except for their sniper team which is going to drop onto the building where the spotter is right now so they can do some overwatch.”  Another drink.  “Once we’ve secured your daughters, we’ll see if the cargo is worth looting and finish securing the airship for future ransoming.”

                Andrew looked up “Tesla’s set to disrupt electronics and engines?”

                XO took another drink and then he nodded.  “Yep.  Also, the Parasites will be ready to launch but we won’t deploy unless we need to.  No reason to spook the locals any more than they already will be.  As the Zouaves make entry, we’re going to broadcast a message on GUARD letting everyone know that we’re conducting an anti-slavery operation on behalf of the Dutchy of Luxemburg, in accordance with our Letter of Marque.    We may need to spread around some coin after the fact, but it won’t be anything out of the ordinary for us.  Other than that, this should be easy, but these characters have already surprised us a couple of times today, so everyone be on your toes.”

                With that, Captain XO finished his drink and then looked around the room.  “Anything else or any questions?”  Another drink appeared next to his hand, and Loggie asked “Yes Sir, when do you want the mortars to light stuff up?”

                “Probably never, and definitely not without direct orders” said XO as he picked up the new drink.  “And I mean that, I don’t care how many drinks you bring me.”  XO then took a drink, after which he held up the glass and toasted Loggie.  “But if I was susceptible to bribes this might do it.”

                “I’m shocked that you would accuse me of trying to bribe you” replied Loggie as indignantly as he could.  “I would never resort to such a tactic, in fact it’s a baseless lie.  Why am I getting all of this abuse and hostility?”

                Andrew replied matter of factly, “Because your WP rounds burned down the London docks, which included the Muskovy Yacht that we were about to hijack, meaning we were unable to ransom it back to the owner, and a number of crew received burns in the process.”  He turned to look at Talia “All covered by the Letter or Marque of course.”  She nodded and gave a smirk, “Of course.”

                Loggie threw up his hands in frustration.  “That was months ago.  This is unfair.  I’m going to file a grievance with the pirates union representative.”

                “Good luck with that, I know the Union President” said XO.  “Ok, anyone else?”  He looked around and saw Talia with a hand raised.  “Yes Ma’am, you have a question?”

                “More of a comment, but did you all notice that ‘I.G. Deal’ is an anagram for ‘Gilead’?”  Talia looked around at all the faces that were now trading looks with each other and contemplating her statement.  Several “ums” and “ahs” could be heard when XO finally blurted out “AARGH…Deuce!  How did you miss that?”  Andrew then turned to his wife, a wide smile on his face, “Good one babe.”  He leaned over and kissed her and then looked back at Jerri and her team as they were now furiously pounding away at their keyboards.

                One of the analysts turned their laptop towards Jerri, who then said “Give the lady a prize.  I.G. Deal is a shell corporation for Gilead.  Not the most complicated set up we’ve ever seen, but enough that it didn’t trip our normal filters.”

                “Fair enough.  Get all you can on them and see if you can dig up any others” said XO.  “Top, assume the whole ship is now hostile and not just cooperating.” 

                “Always, but I’ll give everyone a final brief before we go, which I need to go and do now so I can get my pre-combat inspection in.”

                “Go, we should be about 15 minutes out.” said XO, and Top was out the door, followed by PSG Kim.  Andrew and Smoke Cooper headed out as well, with Talia right behind them.

                “How much bacon is on?” asked Andrew.

                “One pound per Tesla, changeover is in,” Smoke checked his watch, “3 minutes, then another pound goes on.”

                Andrew nodded.  “That should work considering the current timetable we’re on.”  He then looked over at Talia who was shaking her head in disbelief.  “Hey, the crew likes it and the grease makes a great lubricant for the Tesla mounts.  Win-win.”

                Talia looked at the two of them.  “Did you two come up with this idea when we were at Carson?”

                “Oh yeah, we even experimented some” replied Cooper.  “We just couldn’t do any full-scale production due to ‘health code’ factors and some other silly stuff like that.”

                Talia rolled her eyes.  “Well that’s comforting.  Do I get any of this bacon?”

                “Absolutely” said Andrew.  “You can stick with us as we check out the turrets on this deck before we go to General Quarters.”  With that, Andrew took her and started walking forward.  “Smoke, check the upper deck mounts.  Make sure Badger isn’t torturing anyone up there, then meet me on the main deck.”

                Smoke Cooper through Andrew a salute that would give a Sergeant Major an aneurysm, snarled “AARRGGHH!”, and then went looking for a ladder to head up to the Crow’s Nest while Andrew and Talia headed towards the ventral tesla turrets.

                When Smoke got up to the Crow’s Nest, he found just what he expected to find, or mostly.  Two Tesla crews, and Badger with his group of ner-do-wells, which is saying something for an air pirate crew.  Badger had responsibility for a rail gun, a mini-gun, and the ‘t-shirt cannon’, which could fire t-shirts but typically was used to lob oversized grenades or lewisite bombs at worthy targets.  The t-shirt cannon and mini gun were pretty straightforward weapons as far as operation and maintenance were concerned, but the rail gun was experimental.  Captain XO said it was acquired during an early raid shortly after he started his second career with the Renegade, but he never gave any more details than that.  Since no one ever saw an instruction manual for it, operation of the rail gun was voluntary.  Badger was crazy enough to run the rail gun without a second thought, and that normally attracted a few other likeminded individuals among the crew and interns.  What Smoke was not expecting was to find the Armorer up in the Crow’s Nest as well.

                “Ok Badger” Cooper said with a scowl, “what did you break this time?”

                Badger smiled and held up his hands.  “Hey, It’s not my fault that the flux capacitor won’t draw the 1.2 gigawatts needed to fire the rail gun, it completely broke on its own.”  Cooper just kept scowling since he had no desire to let Badger know that he found that particular line pretty funny.  From just under the rail gun mount, Bajan Yoda, the Armorer, remarked “Stop trying to say this thing runs on Lightening, it’s not a Tesla.”

                “Tesla’s don’t run on Lightening either Bajan, I should know” growled Cooper.   He and Bajan could go around and round about how the Tesla’s worked.  Cooper had the know-how from being the Master Gunner for the test unit that Redleg used to command, while Bajan was one of the smartest armorers that Cooper had ever met, not that Cooper was ever going to admit that in front of witnesses, especially Badger.  “So, what are you doing if it’s not fixing the non-existent flux capacity inside the rail gun?”

                “I’m troubleshooting a power problem with the automatic feed mechanism for the rail gun.  They can still load it manually, but I’m starting to think our latest jury-rig isn’t working out quite right.”  Bajan looked up from his work.  “It should be good to go when we hit our target, but just in case I’m going to hang around up here to keep an eye on things.”

                Cooper thought about that, probably wouldn’t hurt.  “Ok, keep working and let me know when you’re done.  If we need you, I’ll know where to find you.”  He got a wave from Bajan, then he turned to Badger.  “What about the mini?”  Badger looked at the mini gun and ran a hand along it.  “No issues.  Ammo and power feeds are both synched up.  If anything unfriendly flies near us, it won’t fly away.  I’ve got a couple of the Professor’s interns to keep the rest of us company and to teach them the proper way to hose done an engagement area.”  He turned back to Cooper and started rubbing his hands together.  “I can’t wait, hehehehehe.”

                Cooper shook his head, typical Badger.  Then he looked at the interns and asked, “You both aware that Badger has a bad reputation, even for this crew?”  The two interns looked at each other, then back at Cooper.  “Of course we do, we volunteered to be up here” said the female of the pair.  Her male counterpart just nodded his head and grinned.  “Alright.”  On that note he went over to check on the Tesla crews.

*****

                After checking all of the gunnery crews, primarily to make sure they had stopped drinking, but also to verify Grapple Guns were loaded and safe and the Tesla’s were set to disrupt ground electronics, Andrew, Talia, and Smoke Cooper met back up on the main gun deck near the forward turret.  About that time the order came over the intercom; “Glider Zouaves, Launch”.  Andrew and Smoke Cooper looked off to the starboard side; Andrew remarked “There they go.”

                Talia looked in the same direction but didn’t see anything except the lights of the port in the distance.  “Where?” she said.  Then she looked at the two of them and jumped in fright.   Both of them had their goggles down, and the addition of the steam punkish look to their faces was just one more stressor for the day that Talia wasn’t prepared for.

                “Oh, sorry Talia,” said Andrew.  “Put on your goggles and I’ll point them out.”

                Talia reached to the goggles hanging from her neck and started to pull them into place, but then stopped.   A hand went into a pocket to pull out a hair tie, which she used to put her hair up into a quick ponytail.  Then she pulled up the goggles and adjusted them onto her face, discovering in the process that these had some light amplification ability as everything turned green.  Then she turned in the direction Andrew was pointing and saw a lot of winged shapes moving away from the Renegade, towards a distant group of lights where she also saw some grounded airships.

                “Well that’s cool” she said.  “Airships are pretty commonplace, but I’ve never seen a flock of gliders moving together.  So now what do we do?”

                “Hopefully we stand here and watch” replied Andrew.  “Once their inside we’ll be ready to zap any electronics if needed.  Captain XO’s announcement about our raid should be going through about the time they touch down.”

                Talia nodded, still fascinated by the Gliders and how the goggles worked.  Ok, maybe her husband’s job had some pretty cool perks after all.

*****

                Back in the CIC, Jerri kept a line open to her observer.  This guy was definitely getting a bonus if she had to pay it out of her own funds.  His voice coming over the speaker again saying “Ok, there’s movement at the van, people are getting out.  Their walking around to the back and opening it up…doing something…not sure what.  Ok, now they’re moving towards the open cargo hatch of the Dromedary.  Bingo, now six people, and two of them are wearing dresses.”  At that news, a collective ‘YES’ went through the CIC, and Jerri reached for an intercom as they continued to listen.  “The other four are definitely escorting the two in dresses, stand by for pictures…Ok, got the pic, I’ll send it gkskgah…”

                Everyone looked up at that sound and listened as the line went dead.  “What was that?” said one of the analysts.

                “Someone just got to our spotter, probably killed him” said Jerri.  She grabbed the intercom and keyed in the bridge.  “Captain XO, our spotter confirmed the presence of the girls being taken into the target airship, then he dropped off the air.  It sounded like someone killed him.”

                “Roger” XO replied, then he keyed a radio.  “Glider Zouaves, spotter is down, LZ may be hot.”

                Up in the lead glider, Top heard the news and quickly adjusted part of the plan.  “Sniper 3, you are weapons free for any perceived threat at your overwatch location.”

                “Sniper 3, acknowledged.”  With that the two-member sniper team switched on the targeting sights that were integrated with their gliders.  There, on the rooftop, two figures.  One was dropping the other out of a grip, a heavy bladed knife evident in its hands.  The lead sniper adjusted the sight to zoom in on the head of the one still standing, then she squeezed a lever on the crossbar of her glider, which triggered the 7mm sniper system that was also integrated into her glider.  She watched as her target’s head snapped backwards, then it fell.  “Sniper 3, target down, 10 seconds to landing.”

                Top double-keyed his radio to acknowledge.  15 seconds later he heard “Sniper 3 in position, no visible threats.  We have two bodies on the roof, one is the target we took down, the other is our target’s victim”.  Top pulled back on the glider bar and dived down to the dock, knowing everyone else was headed in as well.  Another 15 seconds and his platoon started to land, drop their gliders, and take up quick positions before they made entry.  He heard 3^rd Squad report landing on top of the airship, and then there was no more time to wait.  He looked at the 1^st Squad leader, made a fist, and then pointed at the open door.  The squad leader took off with his squad, securing the door and moving inside.  The sounds of gunfire started right way, as did an alarm.  Top keyed his radio “Renegade, they know we’re here” then he moved inside with the rest of the Zouaves.

                Hearing Top’s report, Andrew took his wife’s hand, and then keyed the gunnery intercom.  “Tesla gunners, sound off if you have a positive ID on any antennas, engines, or other electronics.”  Immediately he heard “This is Puff, I’ve got antennas at the nose of the airship.  No friendlies in sight.”  Andrew smiled then replied, “Slag them.”

                The forward ventral tesla lit up the night as a charge arced away from the Renegade, impacting the nose of the Dromedary-class airship.  It lasted long enough to ensure no radio message would get out without full replacement.  Seconds later, the starboard ventral and both starboard main deck teslas fired, their targets were the engines that were just coming into view.

                “They’re not going anywhere” opined Andrew.  He squeezed his wife’s hand just as he heard the Captain XO initiate the warning to all in the port about the Renegade’s intentions.

                “ATTENTION!  ATTENTION!  In accordance with the anti-slavery policies of the Duchy of Luxemburg, the Airship Renegade is conducting an anti-slavery operation.  Our only interest is the Dromedary-class airship and the safe return of the captives aboard.  If you do not interfere, then we will not consider your actions to be hostile.”