The Story/Bio of James Woods[Slaver's Union]

[Slaver's Union]

Chapter 9: Falling Through Hell.

As they come within twenty clicks of the jump hole, they are suddenly cut off by a squadron of eight IMG fighters. Firing a cruise disruptor, the IMG ships deactivate the Zebrina’s cruise engines, leaving her slowly drifting through space with only her conventional impulse engines.

“Well now… What do we have here?” A voice says over local radio frequencies. “It appears that we have a Slaver, and with a full cargo as well. Perhaps we’ll free them, or perhaps we’ll keep them for ourselves?” The voice continues. “Either way, if you don’t halt your ship and deactivate your engines and shields, we’ll be forced to fire upon you.”

James hesitates while he thinks. After a moment, he stands and approaches a section of the control panels. Reaching over the shoulder of a crewmember, he lifts a plastic guard and presses the small grey button underneath. “I’m Captain James Woods of the Slaver’s Union. I demand you move your petty fleet and let us pass.” He says in his most threatening tone.

The radio remains silent for a moment. “We’d rather not.” The miner replies.
“Then perhaps payment is in order? A toll of sorts?” James adds.
“No… Charge weapons men. We’ll give you a moment to think reflect on your life.” The miner finishes, before terminating the link.

James releases the grey button, slowly closes the plastic cover over it, and then returns to the Captain’s chair. Sitting, he begins to reflect, holding Erica’s hand. As he sighs, he leans back, smiling at the thought of all that he’s accomplished in his life, and his time as a Slaver. As the IMG ships prepare to fire, a ship uncloaks at Zebrina’s port side. It’s the Ourang Medan! “This doesn’t seem like a fair fight.” Captain Harvey Crippen says over the local channel.

James sits up and orders his men to charge weapons, rushing to the control panel, lifting the cover, and slamming his palm on the grey button. “It’s good to see you, Captain Crippen!” Harvey laughs over the com. “Likewise. I’m not alone though.” He replies. “Incoming!” The IMG pilot shouts. Suddenly, within range are two more ships, the Governor Parr, and the Bannockburn.

“Mr. Cost convinced me not to allow my only brother to die in the cold of space alone.” George Woods says over the radio.
“He didn’t take much convincing.” Michael Cost adds.
“It’s good to have you all here.” James says.

The Bannockburn sits to the port of Ourang Medan, and the Governor Parr of the Zebrina’s Starboard. As their ships all charge their weapons, James looks back at Erica. “Now where were we…” He begins, looking at his crew. “Oh yes… Fire!” Zebrina fires first, and soon the other Slaver’s Union ships follow. The IMG ships scatter.

The Bannockburn flies with a strange swaying motion as she fires at the fighters. An IMG fighter’s shields fail before it crashes into the Governor Parr’s starboard-bow. The IMG ships refuse to surrender the Zebrina, and continue their assault, targeting her systems. The Ourang Medan destroys a light fighter that charges towards the Zebrina’s aft, and the Bannockburn slays two light fighters as well that swirl around Zebrina’s bridge.

With the IMG ships numbers cut in half, the lead fighter intensifies his assault, and calls out for aid from a nearby station. The Slaver’s targeted the weakest ships first to decrease their numbers, and although they weakened the IMG force, they only forced the heavy fighters to evade instead of fight. As the transports struggled to score enough hits on the heavy fighters, a single IMG ship approaches from a distance.

“Is this all they could spare?!” A terrified voice cries over the radio.
“I’m a bomber. I’ll do my best.” The pilot replies.
“Target the Zebrina!” The miner yells.

The bomber fires long range torpedoes. Realizing the immense danger they are in, James orders the crew to fire at the bomber and increase the shields’ strength. “We’re already out of shield batteries!” a crewman calls out. James grabs Erica and runs down towards an escape pod. The Bannockburn and Ourang Medan both target the bomber; the inexperienced pilot flies in a straight line and is soon destroyed in a magnificent cloud of debris and flash fire, but not before launching two more torpedoes.

The first two torpedoes strike the Zebrina’s bridge, depleting her shields and smashing out the windows. The crew screams as they are sucked out into space. The computer recognizes the breach and seals the bridge automatically. Reverting to its’ base programming, the Zebrina’s computer flies the ship towards the Tau-37 jump hole with impulse engines as the turrets fire automatically at the nearest targets.

James and Erica stumble as the force of the torpedoes ripple through the Zebrina. James tries to shove Erica into the escape pod, but she turns, causing James to push himself in. She stands at the door of the pod, hesitating. “Get in, now!” He yells to her. He grabs her wrist with his right hand, bracing himself with his left. Suddenly, the final two torpedoes strike the Zebrina, tearing into her midsection. Living slave, not placed into Cryo-Stasis pods, pour out of the cargo hold and into the void of space.

“James!!!” George yells as he watches from the bridge of the Bannockburn. Aboard the Zebrina, James struggles to hold onto Erica. The tear in the hull is visable to them as Erica is lifted off of her feet and pulled towards the void. James pulls her with all of his strength towards the pod. As she slips in, the pod door, on a time, slams onto James exposed left arm, severing it above the elbow.

James screams in pain as he lets go of Erica and grabs his bloody stump. Erica cries out and holds the stump with him, applying pressure to stop the blood. James points to a small medical kit inside of the pod. “Band...” He chokes out as sweat beads on his forehead from the pain. Erica opens the medical kit to find a single med-statis band, among other small articles. Applying it to James arm, she activates the band, which quickly closes off James’ wound, saving his life, for the moment.

The pod ejects into space and spirals out of control. Already prepared to rescue the pod, Harvey Crippen made sure the cargo hold was empty and depressurized. As the Ourang Medan prepares to enter position, the fighters target her and start to bring down her shields. The Bannockburn continues the fight, as does the Governor Parr, both firing at the same targets. They make short work of a heavy fighter, but the damage is done. Her shields taken down, Ourang Medan is forced to flee or risk being destroyed.

Her starboard engine fails and begins to tear off of the hull, as George Woods demand that Harvey Crippen escape. Following his orders, Captain Crippen orders the cloak activated, as the nanobots struggle to maintain the ship. As her cloak activates and her cruise engine fires up, she heads to Cali base for repairs. The remaining three IMG fighters decide to flee, as their shields take more and more damage. George Woods order the crew of the Bannockburn to give a brief chase and secure the area, as Michael Cost turns toward the slowly shrinking escape pod.

The pod drifts through space at nearly the speed of a ship under conventional power. The Governor Parr slowly catches up and flies just ahead of the pod. Shutting down the engines and allowing his ship to drift at speed, Michael Cost orders the ship to be slightly tilted, and the fighter bay opened. Once in position, the Governor Parr slows ever slightly, allowing the pod to gently drift into the fighter bay. As the doors creak shut, the bay is pressurized and a team of medics and security personnel rush to rescue James Woods.

The crew of the Governor Parr opens the pod to find Erica, sweating and nearly hysterical, hovering over and unconscious James. Whisking her out of the pod, the medical staff secures James to a gurney and takes him to the med-lab. Michael Cost’s bloody lab, used mostly for experimenting on Slaves, is quickly washed and the table sterilized. Surgery on James is performed immediately, although they are unable to save his left arm; they remove the shattered humerus and remove the excess skin and muscle tissue, leaving only the socket of his left shoulder usable.

Michael Cost, already experimenting with cybernetics, brings out a new left arm and prepares it for installation. After multiple hours of surgery wiring the electronic nerve endings to James’ tissues he is sedated and left to rest. The battle long over, the Bannockburn and Governor Parr reach planet Malta, where the Outcasts take over James’ medical care.

After a week in a medically induced coma, James awakes to find Erica, and his son Dallas, waiting for him in the hospital room. Looking around, he sees George standing near the window, looking out, with Michael Cost and Harvey Crippen playing some sort of board game just to George’s left. “Hello there.” James croaks weakly. Everyone in the room turns to him as he speaks. Erica leaps at him, hugging and kissing him, as Dallas giggles, sitting on the bed.

“I’m glad you’re back, brother.” George says. “Mr. Cost here saved you life.” He adds. Michael cost takes a small bow.
“I tried, at least. Because of you, my Ourang Medan spent three days on Cali being repaired…” Harvey Crippen says sternly. “But it was worth it to bring you back alive.” He continues, his tone softening.

James smiles and looks down, then notices a strange sensation in his arm. He nearly jumps when he sees the metal arm of a skeleton jutting from his shoulder. “What the hell happened to my arm?!” He cries out. Dallas begins to cry, startled by James’ yell. Erica grabs baby Dallas and coddles him.

“Michael did all that he could. He’s actually a pretty competent doctor.” George says, standing to the right of James’ bed.
“The Outcast doctors were rather impressed.” Michael begins. “We can dress it up with synthetic skin, or at least we can to your hand. It will even be warm to the touch. In time, the rest of your arm will appear normal as well.” He finished.

James brings his hand up to his face; turning it over repeatedly, he admires the gleam of the metal skeleton in the light. Slowly closing his fist, he looks at his three slaver brethren. Smiling, he says, “I like it…” With baby Dallas calmed down, James reaches out his right arm to him. Erica hands him over, and smiles, as James holds his son. Looking down, he kisses his head and brings him closer, grateful to have his family back. “When I return to space, you have the option to stay here, or come with me, Erica.” James says, looking up to her. As his eyes close, he cuddles with his son and whispers, “I can’t wait to welcome you to the Union…”

The End

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