It seemed to work.
Kris got some very good looks from the light fixtures at the top of the pier. Of course, all it showed was inebriated pirates making their way to and from different pubs or their ships.
Other than that, the stations seemed about as inactive as you could get . . . and still have air, water, and lights.
“Wonder if those autoguns are switched on, or if anyone is looking at their sensor take?” Jack asked as he looked over Kris’s shoulder at the feed Chief Beni was getting.
“I was wondering about that myself,” Kris said.
There were a whole lot more automatic machine guns sited around the station than Kris wanted her Marines facing. Jack passed The Word to the Marines’ heavy weapons teams to be ready to take down a lot of machine guns—fast.
Plans for the seizure of the station moved along quickly and smoothly after that.
Then . . . at exactly midnight . . . all Kris’s planning became irrelevant.
It seemed the pirates had other plans.
34
Kris was feeling pretty good as the Wasp’s clock struck eight bells for midnight. Chief Beni had sent a swarm of spider bugs out, inching their way along the power cables to nest in more light fixtures. Now she had one at each of her two prime targets. . . the command center of the station and the reactor.
Each showed four or five people standing their watch by playing cards.
In the process of locating those, Kris had also situated cameras so they could watch the piers where the three pirate ships were tied up.
She thought that was a good idea.
It turned out to be a very good idea.
Right around midnight, those cameras started showing a whole lot of irregular troops flooding out of the three ships. Most were armed with what they called cutlasses, which looked more like rough-forged machetes to Kris. Some of the few that might qualify as officers had pistols. Others wore black pants or shirts, leftovers from recently ended careers in Greenfeld State Security. Inevitably, those carried machine pistols.
“Oh my,” said Chief Beni.
“If I didn’t know better,” Kris said, “I’d say there is no honor among these thieves.”
“It does kind of look like they’re very intent on hacking out for themselves a share of the sudden wealth that’s come the way of the Bucket of Blood,” Colonel Cortez observed on net.
“I’m getting a sudden lack of electronic activity on the main deck of the station,” Chief Beni announced. “I think someone turned off the cameras and the autoguns.”
“It would be embarrassing to shoot up your new best friends while they were busy stealing from your former best friends,” Jack Campbell remarked from the Blood.
“And who would want to leave photo evidence for the boss to look at tomorrow of who stole what,” Penny said.
“Which may make it a whole lot easier for us to take the station down,” Jack Montoya added. “Assuming we can avoid getting our throats cut in the meantime.”
“Looks like we’ll be the first boat boarded,” Kris said, noting that the Wasp’s pier was closer to the flow of flashing and sharp metal. “Anyone have a suggestion as to how we handle this.”
“Ah,” came slowly from Campbell. “They were all laughing their fool heads off at the story of the Blood’s pirates chasing my panic party.”
“Do you think these could be distracted just as easily?” Kris asked.
“What do you say we try them?” came from Abby, coming on the Wasp’s bridge with an armful of calico and two standard Navy mops. “Penny, you want to do some panicking with Kris?”
“I’m sure not going to run around like some empty-headed female,” Sulwan announced.
“What about you, Abby?” Kris countered.
“You don’t pay me enough. Remember, it’s the Longknife legend that everyone is always talking about. Looks like it’s time for you to add a couple of more paragraphs.” So saying, Abby tossed Kris a simple cotton dress. Then she tossed another to Penny.
“Hold it,” Kris said, shaking out the latest in captive-crew fashions. “I never heard anything about Grampa Ray or Trouble saving the world in a dress.”
“I’m sure he paid well to have those particulars skipped by the writers of history books,” Abby drawled.
Penny slipped the dress on over her head, then modestly shimmied out of her shipsuit. “Hurry up, Princess. I’m not doing this alone,” the Navy lieutenant said.
“Whoever heard of a Longknife panicking,” Kris cried plaintively, but she was pulling the colorful dress over her head.
“The idea of a panic party is not to panic, just make the uninitiated observers think you are,” Jack said from the safety of his full Marine battle armor. He’d donned it an hour ago in preparation for the coming festivities.
Abby handed the two Navy officers their mops. “Go swab the deck, gals. Oh, and ditch the shoes. You’ll get better traction.”
“You’re enjoying this,” Penny shot back.
“You’ll never know how much,” Abby admitted.
Kris and Penny headed for the quarterdeck, Jack right behind them. “I’ve got your back,” he said.
“You better,” Kris growled.
Sergeant Bruce was leading the guard at the gangway. “It looks like we got company coming. What are your orders, sir?” he asked his captain.
“Back off and leave it to the ladies,” Jack said.
The sergeant frowned at the unexpected if not unheard-of command.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Abby put in, “I’m not one of the delectables we’ll be dangling in front of the pirates.” The maid, who was also a qualified sharpshooter, had her automatic out.
“Stay worried, Sergeant,” Kris said. “Penny and I will be the ones playing decoy.”
“Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say,” the poleaxed Marine said.
“Be careful, honey, or the princess will have you trading dresses with her,” Abby said, patting her Marine buddy on the shoulder.
The sergeant braced against the bulkhead to let Kris pass.
“Hurry up,” Nelly whispered. “The boarding party is getting mighty close.”
Someone had thoughtfully arranged for there to be a bucket of suds in the middle of the quarterdeck. Kris dunked her mop in and pulled it out dripping. In a second, she was sloshing soapy water this way and that.
“Be careful,” Penny said.
“Right. We wouldn’t want folks to be slipping and sliding, would we?” Kris said, through the first grin of the day.
“On second thought,” Penny said, and dunked her mop again.
Water and suds flew.
THE PIRATES ARE ON THE PIER STAIRS. BEND OVER MORE, Nelly said on net.
BEND OVER MORE? Kris asked.
YEAH, GIVE THE BOYS HALF A CHANCE, AND ALL THEY’LL BE LOOKING AT IS UP YOUR DRESS.
THERE’S NO THERE THERE, Kris pointed out.
BUT THEY DON’T KNOW IT. TRUST ME, MEN WILL ALWAYS BE HOPING FOR A GIRL TO SLIP.
Kris could almost hear the chuckling on command net as she and her computer debated her sexual wiles. HOW DID YOU SUDDENLY GET SO SMART ABOUT WHAT MEN LIKE IN THEIR WOMEN?
I READ A LOT, Nelly shot back.
Kris bent farther over her mop.
Nelly showed Kris a view of the pirates on the stairs. Yep, sure enough, a couple of the guys had spotted the two women swabbing the deck and were pointing them out to their associates. From the leers and ugly grins, Kris knew the two Navy officers were not being discussed in anything like a wholesome and proper manner.
ENJOY YOUR FUN, BOYS. I’LL BE LAUGHING LAST, Kris said on net.