A Legacy of Crimson

A story by,

J W James

Copyright November 11, 2002

    The freighter accelerated to full speed, its pilot hoping to outrun the smaller, much more maneuverable, and incredibly faster fighters.  They had been lying in wait, their stealth technology giving them quite an advantage as they began their attacks.  they quickly overtook the larger vessel, their precision strikes targeting the essential, primary systems like the weapons and communications relays.  Without a way to fight back, it did not take long before the engines became endangered.  The smaller ships struck the outer, venting coils, causing the normally vented gases to back up inside the firing chambers.  With those systems damaged, the freighter's captain had no choice but to power down his engines.  Failure to do so at this point would lead to massive internal explosions, killing his crew.

    The small group of fighters maintained a tight, attack formation around the disabled hulk of a vessel.  Their commander took his time arriving, his medium sized craft advancing on the larger ship with what could have been looked upon as reluctance.  They were pirates, the scourge of deep-space and the lowest form of criminal in the known worlds.  They were usually quite random, attacking whatever unfortunate ships happened to pass near their strongholds, but this attack was much more deliberate.  This mission had been too well planned.  Unknown to the crew of the freighter, a rather large exchange had been made giving the pirates information on their illegal, or to use better terms, unregistered, military cargo.  If things went according to plan, none of the men would ever have a need to work again.  There would be enough to make each of them as powerful as any government in the entire quadrant.

    Jarik Bandry, the captain of the Aurora was suddenly filled with a deep sense of dread.  He had too many years in service not to understand how the men who had disabled his ship went about their business.  They would not allow for negotiations and chances were that they would rather destroy the entire ship than waste time in a firefight to gain access to it.  Knowing this left his hand tied.  If he let the squad of marines who'd been assigned to protect the cargo he carried, his entire crew would be sacrificed.  He would have to make a plan.  There was little time to figure out anything too elaborate, but then again, all he needed to do was buy some time.  He would offer up his normal cargo and pray that the rest was hidden well enough to avoid detection.  With luck, the lives of his crew would be spared.

    He was just about to head to his ready room, when Lt. Gardron, the Marine in charge of his security forces stepped through the door.  "Good evening, Captain," Gardron said, keeping his manners quite formal in front of the other officers on the helm.  "Can you give me an update on our present situation, Sir?"

    The captain looked at his security officer with a great deal of concern.  Of all the deep-space teams that could have been assigned to this mission, Gardron's were the best.  They were nearly legendary, their exploits during the war giving them the ability to pick and choose where they went.  They had single handedly wiped out an entire clan of invading forces at the colony moon of Arvor Three, something that two squadrons of fully armed drones could not do.  It was not going to be easy to convince him that surrender was the only option.  Captain Bandry was going to have a fight on his hands.  "The situation is grave," he said, looking over his shoulder at the rest of his helm crew.  "I think it's best if we discuss this in the ready room."

   Lt. Gardron stood there, his icy gray eyes locked on the captain's.  He did not seem as if he wanted to budge.  "With all due respect, Sir," the Lt. said, " we've got several fighter craft sitting off our bow and a landing ship on the way.  Our weapons and communications are out, not to mention our engines!"

   Bandry was quite impressed that the Lt. had had enough time to gather all of that in such a short amount of time.  "This is still my ship, Lt. and I want to discuss matters elsewhere," he said, the tone in his voice making it clear that he did not want to continue the conversation in their present surroundings.  "Mr. Waldron, you have the helm!"

   Surrendering, the Lt. followed the captain a short distance to the privacy of the ready room.  The room was almost as large as the helm of the ship, a large, oval table occupying its center.  The captain made his way to the far end of the table, his hand quickly retrieving a flask of whisky from beneath it.  "The situation is worse than I cared to let on in front of the others," he said, taking a long swallow from the silver flask and then offering it to the Lt.  "Those fighters carry travetti signatures."

   "Look, Captain, Jarik," the Lt. said, handing the flask back, " my men are ready to take them in the airlock.  Once they..."

   "No!" the captain interrupted, his voice sharp and hoarse from another belt of the whiskey.  "Those bastards have far better weapons than this ship could handle.  They'd breach our hull and kill us all.  I have no choice but to surrender and let them have what they want from the cargo holds."

   "Are you entirely fucking insane?" he asked, not bothering to care about rank at the moment.  "They get on this ship and they'll wipe out every last one of us.  Not to mention what they'd do to the females in this crew.  Are you willing to let that happen?"

   "I've already though of that," the captain said, taking a seat at the head of the table and undoing the top button of his uniform shirt.  "The plasma tanks on the lower deck are empty.  You and your men will take the female crew and hide in there.  The rest of us will have to take our chances."

   "I could relieve you of your command, Sir!  Article four of the directives states..."

   "You'll do what I say, Niko!" the captain interrupted again, his temper showing.  "Even if they were to kill us, they'd leave the ship.  It would serve as a marker for anyone who thought about screwing with them.  When they're out of range, we'll come and get you out of the tanks.  If we're dead, Lt. Brileen will command the ship and you'll complete the mission.  I'll be sure that he goes with you."

   "We've known each other for quite some time, Jarik, but you're asking me to ignore my orders.  I've sworn to protect this ship, it's crew, and the cargo that it carries.  You're asking me to allow you to commit suicide and get half of the crew killed with you."

   "There comes a time when everyone knows why they agreed to accept the risks of deep-space missions.  Whether its pirates, a meteor storm, or just a bad relay that blows up your engines, we all know the chances.  The significance of this particular mission outweighs all of us.  You have to see it through to the end, Niko!"

   "But, Sir..."

   "Follow my orders, Niko," the captain said.  "Take Lt. Brileen and the women and get your asses in those tanks.  It's not gonna take these bastards long before they get aboard."

   Gardron stood there for several seconds before springing into a position of attention.  His right arm sprung up, the edge of his hand meeting the corner of his eyebrow in a perfect salute.  "Good luck, Sir," he said.  "I hope to see you still alive when all of this is over."

   The captain returned his salute.  "My reports will indicate that I gave you direct orders, Niko.  Now get those women into those tanks and be sure to protect them.  You keep them safe and be sure to complete this mission."

   The group of fighters moved into attack formation once more, their pilots arming their weapons systems as the commander's ship docked with the freighter.  They were under strict orders to fire upon the freighter should the bigger craft meet with any resistance.  They targeted the key areas of the vessel, their heavy payloads able to leave nothing behind but debris.  it was a chore for some of them to refrain from firing just for the fun of it.  There was not a one in the lot that would have felt even the tiniest pang of guilt.

   The pirates inside the command ship seemed just as ready to kill as their counterparts.  They were dressed in patchwork body armor, those of higher rank wearing more complete suits, while those who were with the group for shorter periods of time in little more than a vest and helmet.  Marsus Calderi, the leader of this little band of thieves and murderers, stood near the rear of the group.  He stared straight ahead, his icy gray eyes seeming to match his demeanor.  Staring at the hatch on the other end of the airlock, he seemed to be lost in thought.  Unlike his crew, his only protection against an attack was a long, latex slicker.  He kept two phantom-four-fifty blaster pistols holstered at his side.  In his right sleeve was the tiny scorpion blaster pistol that had become his trademark weapon.  Using it for emergencies only now, he was confident that he would not have to draw any of his weapons. 

   The airlock pressurized quickly, the tell tale hiss of escaping gases signaling the first wave of men forward.  They moved with the precision and accuracy of well trained soldiers, most of them having served in the Space Corps or in various militia units throughout the many colonies in the known systems.  They made quite a formidable opponent to even the best of military units.  In over two hundred different raids, Marsus had only lost two men, one of whom he'd killed himself for failing to follow orders.  Their reputation brought fear to those that they chose to attack.  Few had ever attempted to stand against them.

   The pirates et with no resistance as they entered the freighter, the crewmen that awaited them there, simply surrendering as they boarded.  Marsus stepped through the airlock, his cold gray eyes suddenly coming to life as he weighed each of the uniformed men that stood in poses of submission to his troopers.  His three most elite men surrounded him, slowly surveying the chamber and then lowering their weapons.  Their mannerisms marked them as his personal guards.  "Who is the ranking man amongst you?" he asked, his steely gaze moving over each of their faces.

   "I am," answered a man with an ensign's insignia on his collar.  "I was instructed to escort you to the helm as soon as you were aboard.  Our Captain wishes to..."

   Marsus took a quick step towards the man.  "I don't care what your captain wishes!" he snapped, his nose stopping just a few centimeters from the ensign's nose.  "Put the collar on this one and binders on the rest.  This one here will pay if his captain decides to try anything!"

   The pirates quickly forced their prisoners to the deck, placing small, circular devices on each of their wrists, an energy beam flashing to life between the bands.  Another man placed a larger device around the neck of the ensign.  There was a loud click and a whining hum as it closed, several, small, colored bars igniting on the circumference of the collar.  "You try anything slick and boom," Marsus said calmly.  "Now let's go see your captain."

   Five of the pirates fell in behind their escort, the lead man holding the barrel of his rifle against the man's back.  Marsus and two of his bodyguards brought up the rear.  The third body guard, a tall, bald man, stayed behind with the rest of the pirates.  "Fifteen minutes, Berringer," Marsus said, pausing and turning to give the man a slightly sadistic smile.  "You don't hear from me by then, you kill them all and return to the ship."

   Berringer nodded.  As Marsus' second in command, he knew very well that if he didn't hear from his commander in the allotted time period, that he was already dead.  He also knew that everything would become his, the ships, the men, all of it.  "Will do Marsus," he said, his deep voice matching his looks.  "There won't be nothin' but wreckage if they manage to take ya'."

   Captain Bandry did his best to assure his helm crew that they were going to get through this with their lives intact.  Each of them knew the risks when they joined the Academy, but most were facing such a desperate situation for the first time in their careers.  "Cooperate," Bandry told them, his voice drowning out the sound of the doors opening on the other side of the helm.  "If we let them take what they want, then there's a change we'll make it out of this alive."

   "That's very good advice," Marsus said, entering the helm with his men and the young ensign.  "I think you and I are going to get along just fine!"

   Bandry turned to face his captor with a look of surprise.  "I've prepared the manifests for your inspection," he said, "but we carry very little that will bring you any profits."

   Marsus stood in silence as his men moved into position and corralled the rest of the freighter's crew.  "Are you sure about that Captain?" he asked, stepping forward so that there was little more than a foot between the two of them.  "It would seem that you are carrying something that I find quite valuable."

   Bandry looked as if he was going to faint.  His mind raced as he thought of the secret cargo that was tucked safely behind a shielded wall to prevent detection in a situation such as this.  There was no way this pirate could know about it.  "Not unless you can get a good price for engine parts and medical supplies," bandry said, trying not to seem too shaky with his lies.

   "Interesting," Marsus said, the small blaster sliding out of its holster in his sleeve.  "I suppose that my sources were wrong when they told me about the bio-weapons that you're carrying?"

   He fired a single shot into one of the officers who stood just a few feet from Bandry, killing him instantly.   "Perhaps your memory is a little fresher now?"

   The pirates turned their weapons on the rest of the crew who were quickly angered by the senseless death of their crewmate.  "We both know that bio-weapons are outlawed!" Bandry said, obviously shaken by the death of his man.  "We..."

   Marsus fired another shot, killing a second man.  "Don't fuck with me, Captain!" he shouted.  "Do you want me to kill them all?"

   "No!' Bandry exclaimed, realizing that Marsus already knew what he was transporting to the destruction facility on Telos.  "I'll give you what you want!"

   "Very good, Captain," he said, a sadistic, yet satisfied grin forming on his lips.  "Now let's see if you can keep the rest of your men alive."

   Marsus clicked the small device on his wrist and Berringer's voice came through a small speaker.  "We're all secure up here," he said, looking at the captain again.  "Have one of the men show you where the brig is and secure the prisoners."

   Choosing one of the men from amongst the helm officers, Marsus had the rest taken to the brig.  When everyone was securely locked away, Marsus had Bandry take him and his men to the secret cargo bay and open it.  "Do you have any idea how many of my friends were killed with this stuff, Captain?" he asked, picking up one of the small, glass vials that had been carefully placed into a padded case. "You see, the Alliance tried to say that it was the rebels who were using the toxins, but it was the government all the time.  They'll pay dearly for their mistakes and we shall finally see an end to their reign over known space."

   Sliding the vial back into the protective case, Marsus opened another and removed a vial.  He held it up to the light and looked at the dark colored liquid inside of it.  "What's in this one?" he asked, holding it out in front of bandry's face.

   "I don't know what any of it does," he said, the fear in his voice letting Marsus know that he was being honest.  "I was under orders to deliver it all to Telos for destruction."

   "Destruction!" Marsus barked.  "Are you that much of an idiot?  Telos is the staging area for the Alliance's main invasion forces against the Outer Range.  They've been building ships and preparing for all out war!"

   A look of understanding flashed across Bandry's face.  "We weren't told of anything happening out there," he said, his voice suddenly filled with the tones of a man who just discovered that he had been used.  "I would never have..."

   "Save it Captain!" Marsus said, interrupting him.  "I don't wanna' hear how great of a patriot you'd have been had you known."

   Marsus picked up the inoculation device that accompanied the vials in the metal case.  "Let's have a look at what this stuff does."

   Two of Marsus' men took hold of the other helm officer and forced him to the floor.  A look of terror flashed onto his face as he realized what Marsus was about to do.  "Please!" he squealed, his voice cracking as he pleaded with the leader of the pirates.  "I did everything you instructed me to, Marsus!

   Marsus held the injection device against the side of the man's neck and quickly depressed the trigger.  "Think of it as giving your life for the cause!" he said, pulling the gun back and stepping away.  "It's not like they'd ever let you live once they figured out that you were the one who sold the information to the rebels."

   Marsus and the rest looked on as the man's skin turned a violent shade of red.  A mixture of anger and satisfaction came suddenly to bandry's face.  He couldn't believe that the dying man had betrayed them and sold their mission out to a group of pirates.  He could say nothing as the man began to convulse in front of him.

   Seconds passed and the man began to vomit.  Marsus watched intently as the infection quickly caused he man to lose his insides, the stench making him want to vomit, himself.  He stepped back to avoid being hit by a stream of vomit that came out of his victim.  The others watched with less enthusiasm as their leader, some of them turning their heads away.  Bandry shook with fear and shock.  He suddenly hoped that this would be the only test that Marsus planned on performing.  He would rather see his crew shot than to have to endure something like this.  A few seconds later, the man collapse, his body becoming completely motionless.  He was dead.

   "He would have betrayed me the first chance he got," Marsus said, coldly, placing the inoculators back into the metal case and closing it.  "At least you don't have to deal with a trial when you return to your spaceport."

   Bandry was surprised.  "You mean you plan on letting us live?"

   "I'm a man of my word, Captain," Marsus said, spitting on the dead man's body.  "You saw to it that your men behaved, so I see no need to kill them."

   Marsus turned to the group of pirates that stood around the dead man.  "Gaben, you and Sujio see that this stuff is ready for transfer in two hours.  The rest of you come with me."

   Marsus left the two men to their work, the rest of his pirates following him as he took the captain back to the freighter's helm.  They moved the cases to small transport sleds, being extremely careful not to let anything fall.  They began to sweat, the contents of some of the vials contained in the cases filled with agents that would render them dead within seconds.  Neither wanted to end up like the man on the floor.

   "You think we should cover him up?" Sujio asked, stopping what he was doing to take another look at the dead spy.  "He's kinda freaking me out."

   "Fuck 'im," said Gaben.  "He's dead.  It aint like he can do anything to us."

   "Let's get this sled down to the airlock, then," Sujio said.  "The faster we get it all there, the faster we get the hell of this piece of shit ship."

   Gaben laughed as he grabbed the control lever on the sled.  "I'll run this one to the airlock.  You get the next set of cases loaded.  Marsus said two hours so we'd better hurry."

   Sujio worked on loading the next sled as quickly as he could, his attention constantly going to the body lying just a few feet away from him.  He was not as bothered by the thought of the body as he was the possibility of contagions that it might contain.  Bio-weapons were known for causing widespread disease amongst the victims that were infected with their toxins.  He began to contemplate grabbing an anti-viral helmet from the ship, but he knew better than to stop working.  He'd get one after he took the next sled to the airlock.

   Gaben returned to the cargo bay a few minutes later, his expression showing shock as he entered.  Sujio was nowhere to be found, the sled he'd been filling with cases still sitting where he'd left it.  The body was gone as well, making him think that his partner might have become too unsettled and decided to get rid of it.  "You piece of shit," he said aloud, knowing that he'd be giving his companion a piece of his mind whenever he returned.  For now, he had work to do.  Marsus was going to be pissed if they were late.

    Gaben grabbed the next case, feeling its full weight as he turned to load it onto the sled.  He set it in place with a loud bang, the noise covering the sounds of the movement behind him.  "I'm gonna kick your ass, Sujio," he said to himself, under his breath.  "Take off and leave me with all the work!"

    The creature took hold of him, the sharp claws on its hands digging through the leather vest that he wore.  He cried out, spinning towards his attacker, his hand going to the blaster pistol that he wore at his side.  "What the fuck!" he exclaimed, coming face to face with the mutated beast in front of him.

    The mouth of the beast was filled with rows of sharp fangs, its face barely resembling a human being.  Gaben wrapped his hand around the grip of the pistol, tugging with all his might.  The creature lurched its head forward, tearing at his throat and bringing its teeth into the soft flesh.  There was a loud crunching sound and then the creature began to suck blood from the wound.  Struggling to call out, gaben continued to tug at his sidearm.  He was losing his strength quickly, the creature draining every last ounce of blood from his wounded neck.  He felt the darkness of death slowly creeping in on him, the entire room around him beginning to spin.  In one final attempt to survive, he squeezed the trigger on his blaster.

    An alarm began to sound throughout the helm.  Marsus drew one of the pistols from his side and took aim at the captain's head.  "What the fuck is that?" he asked, anger showing in his icy eyes.

    Bandry raised his hands submissively and took a step towards one of the consoles.  "It's laser fire in the cargo bay," he said, hoping that Marsus wouldn't use this as an excuse to kill him on the spot.

    Marsus shot a look at one of his bodyguards.  "Take three men and see what's goin' on down there," he said, motioning for Bandry to return to his seat.  "Notify me as soon as you get there and tell me what the hell it is."

    The men moved with a certain quickness that made bandry miss his days as a squad leader in the Space Corps.  He had always enjoyed the action, but a well placed shot from an enemy trooper left him only fit for flight duty.  "You better hope that one of my men dropped his weapon," Marsus said.  "I warned you what would happen if one of your men tried anything."

    "All of my men are in the brig," Bandry said, hoping that Lt. Gardron hadn't taken matters into his own hands.

    "Well let's go make sure they're all where they're supposed to be," Marsus ordered, motioning with his head for his men to take the lead.  "We can't have them running loose on the ship, now can we?"

    The bodyguard, whose name was Halen, arrived at the cargo bay within a few minutes.  Sending the three troopers ahead of him, he let his eyes scan the upper platforms for signs of an ambush.  He stepped forward, his foot sliding as he found what appeared to be a thick pool of blood.  "Marsus!" he beckoned into the communications device on his wrist.  "We've got hostile activity!  Gaben and Sujio are nowhere to be found!"

    "Keep looking for them!" Marsus' voice shouted through the tiny speaker.  "I'm about to see just how many of the good Captain's crew are on the loose."

    "Will do, Sir."

    "Keep me informed!  Marsus out!"

    Marsus turned to look at the captain.  Keeping his pistol on the captain, he followed his men to the brig.  The group of them stopped dead in their tracks as they saw what used to be the heavy, cell door.  It was torn away from it's hinges, the steel that made up the frame around it twisted as if someone had used explosives to get it open.  Marsus looked at his remaining bodyguard, motioning him forward.  Obediently, the man climbed through the wreckage and entered the brig.  A moment later he returned.

    Voner looked as if he was going to be sick, his normally dark-skinned face almost as white as fresh linens.  He stood there with his mouth hangin wide open, his eyes filled with fear and disgust.  He looked as if he was going to be sick.  "They're all dead," he said quietly, his voice reflecting the emotions of a man who has just seen the worst possible sight in his lifetime.  "They look like someone cut them into pieces!"

    Alarms began to ring from somewhere deeper in the ship, causing both Marsus and Bandry to look at each other in surprise.  Marsus brought the communicator up to his face and began to speak.  "Come in Halen!" he shouted, his calm demeanor beginning to show signs of frustration.  "What's going on down there?"

    A voice crackled on the other end of the communicator, followed by several bursts of laser fire.  "I've... seen anything... it!" the voice managed.  "...being attacked in... cargo bay."  There were a few more shots and then static.

    Marsus looked at the captain with pure contempt.  Leveling his pistol at his head, he switched channels on his communicator.  "Berringer, how much of the cargo is aboard?"

    The voice came through with clarity this time.  "Ninety-four cases, Marsus."

    "Good enough!" he said, looking at the captain again.  "Get the ship ready for take-off!"

    Bandry looked at Marsus with anger in his eyes.  "What the hell is going on?"

    "It looks like I'm going to have to leave without the rest of the cargo," he said, a sly grin forming at the corners of his mouth.  "Whatever you've got on this ship is your problem."

    Marsus motioned for his men to lead the way.  Keeping his pistol aimed at the captain, he moved slowly down the corridor.  "It's been a pleasure doing business with you Captain.  I can't say I hope you make it through this."

    Bandry stood there with anger and contempt on his face.  he watched as Marsus and the others disappeared around the turn at the end of the corridor and then made a break for the elevator.  He didn't care if they got away, but he did care about getting to Gardron and the rest of the crew.  Breaking into a run, he jumped through the open doors of the elevator and hit the descend button.  He was on his way.

    Bandry sat in his chair on the helm, the rifle in his hands feeling heavy.  PFC Larporic stood just a few feet away, the look on his face letting Bandry know that he wished he was with the rest of the squad, looking for who, or whatever had killed the pirates and the crew of the freighter.  The rest of the survivors sat about the helm.  they looked tired and frightened, stains from tears marking some of their cheeks.  It was a pitiful sight.

    The door to the helm opened suddenly, admitting Gardron and the rest of his men.  "May we speak privately, Sir?" he asked, motioning for bandry to come with him.

    Bandry nodded, appreciating the fact that through all of this, Gardron kept his professionalism as a Marine.  Handing the rifle to one of the Marines, he followed Gardron to the ready room.  The two of them stepped inside.

    "I've run bio-searches on every part of the ship, Jarik," Gardron said.  "the thing that was here is gone."

    "Any idea of what is was?" Bandry asked, grabbing the bottle of whiskey that they'd been sharing earlier and taking a long drink.

    "Actually, Jarik, I know exactly what it was." he said, handing a small data-pad to the captain.  "The agent that was used on Klimons is called Trans-V Toxin."

    "And what is it?" Bandry asked, looking at the pad in front of him.

    "They say it's the blood of vampires, Sir."

    Bandry looked at the Lt. with surprise.  "Vampires?"

    Marsus laughed like a madman, the barrels of both of his blaster pistols turning red from too much use.  He was surrounded by the creatures, many of which resembled his missing crew.  It had been days since he'd locked himself in the cargo hold and only now did he realize that he was going to die.  He thought back to the events that had taken place on the freighter and realized that this was all his fault.  Turning his thoughts back to the advancing beasts that came for him, he let out another burst of laughter.  He fired until his pistols were useless.  Closing his eyes, he waited for death.

THE END

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