Book II: Brinus Helios - From Criminal to Hero

Chapter 55: Hostage



Brinus leaned over a steel support truss. Sparks bounced off his safety vest, and gangster rap banged through his ear on noise-canceling headphones. The victory was currently in orbit over a federation planet, where they were in the process of rebuilding the industrial district and an irrigation system.

Harper stood next to him in the over-crowded workshop, using an angle grinder to smooth the fully cooled welded joints. He wore ear protection and eye goggles as pinkish sparks flew from the fresh welds. He had a lit cigarette in the corner of his mouth, and Brinus chewed a piece of caffeine gum. It was all hands on deck that day, as Brinus was pulling a 12-hour shift.

Brinus sang along to the music, streaming to Harper's headset, and the two of them bobbed their heads as they worked. When the song ended, Harper cut the grinder and flicked his cigarette butt into the ashtray. "Got any more good ones?"

Brinus nodded and scrolled through his playlist. He found another gangster rap song Fuck the Police! a protest song from pre-mouse utopia Earth written in 1989 by the hip-hop group: "Straight Outta Compton."

He started the song, and the two of them began to bob their heads to the music while Brinus sang out loud. Around them, the other grunts laughed at the thought of a Duke singing along to what could only be viewed as prison music with a commoner.

A few moments into the song, someone tapped Brinus's shoulder. He jumped and deactivated his welder as he flipped his mask over his forehead. "Lieutenant, you're wanted on Launchpad 16. A freighter is requesting the head of the workshop to look over installing a new replicator."

"Sure."

Brinus removed his gear and put it away before wiping down as best he could with a few baby wipes, and followed the crewman to the launchpad. When he arrived, he found an old Federation supply vessel with the pit crew huddled around it. "Lieutenant, sir," the master chief said with a salute Brinus returned. "The crew is waiting inside. Just to warn you they're a little weird."

"Uh, what do you mean?"

The petty officer shrugged, "It's their vibe, sir. They're creepy."

"Right. I will be back in a moment."

Brinus boarded the vessel in the cargo bay. It was clean, and the crates were neatly stacked with containers labeled liquid hydrogen. A cargo loading tech approached him. He had an old Federation chief petty officer's uniform. "The name's Chief Petty Officer D. You must be here for the replicator."

Brinus raised an eyebrow. "You do realize the war's over? Right? The federation lost and ya can turn in those there uniforms fer credits and a homestead."

"We're good. I'll introduce you to our commander."

Brinus felt his heart rate quicken, and his palms became sweaty. Somethin' ain't right.

Petty Officer D approached the commander on the bridge with Brinus in tow. He turned to Brinus with his fist crossing his chest to his left shoulder in a federation salute. Brinus returned a standard military salute, his discomfort growing by the second.

He looked into the almost dead eyes of an old military veteran, and something told him he needed to leave. Now. "I just realized I had an urgent meeting to attend I forgot about, so I'll get goin'."

"You aren't going anywhere," said the captain as he walked onto the bridge from the ready room. As soon as he entered the bridge, every man in sight pulled a gun, training it on Brinus.

"Really? Blaster pistols?" Brinus laughed until one of the men shot him twice in the forearm. Brinus yelped in surprise as blood ran down his forearm and dripped onto the metal floor. The blaster pistol was only that in resemblance. It had fired a slug instead.

"Next shot goes through your head. Take him to the med bay and then the brig until we need him."

Brinus drew his wand at the captain, but no magic came out.

"Nice try," the captain sneered. "We have a damping field throughout this ship. Your ability to cast spells has been nullified. Like I said, take him to Sick Bay to get patched up and then the brig."

Brinus was having the bullet removed from his forearm as the ship escaped from the flight bay and went into warp. The medical bay was well stocked but had used forty-year-old equipment bought at a discount from hospital sales. The doctor had numbed his arm with anesthetic and was digging for the bullet while Brinus was silent.

Brinus's nostrils flared as he scoffed, "Do ya enjoy bein' a federation lap dog despite the feds bein' dead?"

The doctor rolled her eyes. "It isn't like that. The Confederacy has left us veterans with little recourse."

"You're a doctor. A surgeon, even. You can work in any hospital in the Confederacy."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, continuing to dig in the open wound. The silence returned for a few more minutes until she pulled out a piece of metal to a satisfying hiss. It plinked in the metal bowl next to her, and she looked up at Brinus. "Do you even know what kind of reputation federation medical officers have because of the experiments run in the concentration camps?"

"I know a little of what happened. Like the twins' experiments and the experiments on the mentally ill people."

The doctor pulled out another piece of metal and then applied a deep tissue regenerator. "You have no idea how much federation military doctors are stigmatized in the confederacy. I was called an old-school Nazi in an email when I applied for a nurse practitioner position at a hospital on earth. Do you know what I did in the federation?"

Brinus shook his head. Truthfully, he didn't care. He just wanted to get off of this ship and back on a Confederation vessel.

"I was an RN at a dressing station in some field hospital before I was captured. I spent most of the war in a POW camp." She applied the dermal regenerator once the wound was healed. "Do you know what else is sad? We didn't want it nor ask for any of this. We just wanted to live in peace and be free." She regenerated the top of his skin tissue and sealed the last of his wound. "That should do it."

Brinus was put in cuffs and taken to a jail cell on the ship. A few hours later, he sat fiddling with the power conduit in his cell when a first lieutenant came to stand at the bars. his hands behind his back and flanked by a pair of marines. "You're needed on the bridge."

"Fuck you," Brinus sneered and shorted out the plasma cable causing it to shoot white-hot plasma in his face. The liquid metal felt warm on his skin, pleasant even, and his sneer turned into a satisfied smirk as the brig lost power. The lieutenant rolled his eyes and stepped back, gesturing to the cell as the marines closed ranks and tossed a can to the floor. It hissed and released a smoke that after one breath, caused Brinus to crumble to the ground. The cell door opened and four men wearing gas masks entered. They hoisted him and drug him down the hall, and into the bridge. He woke up after a few minutes.

The captain turned in his chair with a wicked grin on his lips. "On screen." Someone removed his restraints and the comms officer gave him a pointed look as he fingered the gun at his hip. Brinus snarled at the man but turned his attention to the screen and the image of a Confederation First officer.

"Who are you?" The officer snapped.

"Acting Lieutenant Brinus Helios. Command Code, Woodstack 4546-2."

The commander sighed in disgust, "You didn't salute me, lieutenant."

"No sir I did not. Might I offer you a three-button salute instead?" Brinus undid his first three buttons, showing his bare chest.

The commander did not react but instead nodded, made some notes on a datapad, and handed it to the EX-O

He waved his hand at someone off-screen. "Is it true what their captain says? That you are overseeing a shipment of liquid hydrogen to Planner Station for research purposes?"

What the fuck? Thought Brinus. What are these rebels doing? "Yes, sir. It is for a school project. You can contact Captain Plato. His command code is Ginger Cat 8585-4."

The commander remained unperturbed after he typed the command code into his console. For a moment, the screen flashed red on his display. "Do you need an escort lieutenant? Perhaps I can have some fighters escort you to your destination?"

Brinus looked at the captain of his vessel, who nodded. "Yes, sir. We would like an escort. Is that all, captain?"

The captain nodded.

The view screen cut out, and Brinus was put back into cuffs. "Well done, lieutenant."

Without another word, Brinus was taken back to his cell.

The first officer of the battlecruiser looked at his comms officer. "Petty Officer Wong, tell the captain we have a hostage situation of a VIP officer involving possible explosives. Get me Captain Plato's TriQuarter Number now."

Captain La'Noir, the battlecruiser's captain, sat before a list of officers, men, women, and cat people who were AWOL or deserters. On his epoxy wood desk was a computer terminal displaying Brinus Helios's personnel file. Woodstack 4546 was listed as AWOL and a possible deserter. 4546-2 was his code to signal that he was taken against his will and is being held hostage. The three-button salute was a way for one officer to subtly show a superior he wasn't giving his captors intel or helping them. Ginger Cat 8585-4 was the signal that Captain Plato was his emergency contact.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He sat back in his chair and looked around his office. Captain La'Noir had an ashtray with ten cigarette butts along with the clutter of various datapads. There were oak wood floors with a silk Persian rug from Afin 2 and various jade statuettes.

After taking a moment to look around his office, he decided to investigate the issue. He called Captain Plato and his TriQuarter tried a few times before he picked up. "This is Captain Plato."

"I found you're missing officer," said Captain La'Noir.

Captain Plato howled and then said with a low cat growl, "I want him back so I can court-marital and throw his ass in prison."

"It looks like the crew of that freighter is holding him hostage. He gave me a three-button salute and used the code 4546-2, indicating he was taken against his will and wasn't cooperating with the enemy. He also indicated you were his emergency contact in this type of situation."

Captain Plato was silent for a moment and then said, "I want him back. I know you're probably looking at his personnel file, but he is one of my best officers."

"I could blow up the freighter and chalk it up to an accident. It seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth to rescue him."

"Get him back. As Captain of the Fleet, I am issuing you an order to bring him back alive and unharmed."

Captain La'Noir sighed and crossed his legs. "Yes, sir."

The call terminated.

The captain buzzed his first officer. "I want a schematic of a class A federation military supply ship delivered to my email in 10 minutes."

"Yes, sir."

10 minutes later, Captain La'Noir identified a weakness. So, according to scans, it has a magic dampener, so disabling power to the ship should cause the dampener to also lose power. Scans didn't detect backup power. Brinus is a fire mage, according to his personnel file. I can fire an ion torpedo at the engines and then let Lieutenant Helios do the work. I can send a rescue party once everyone is dead. The captain thought, laying down his plan.

Brinus ate a spaghetti and meatballs ration pack, water with orange cream flavoring, and a candy bar. A guard was outside his door watching him eat, and another guard walked down the hall every half-hour. Brinus's head started to hurt, and he yawned and stretched a few times as he hadn't had caffeine all day and started to feel the effects.

Finally, Brinus sneered after finishing his meal, "Why are you doing this? You could've joined the Confederation Military with your skills."

The marine shrugged and leaned against the wall. "I was bored after the war. I spent my whole life in the Federation military, and the rebellion was the best way to get back that old camaraderie."

Brinus snickered and then leaned back into the bed. "You realize there is no way y'all are getting out of this alive."

"I died a long time ago. All I have left are my shipmates."

Brinus handed him the plate and silverware and yawned again. "You're pathetic. The rebellion is doomed to fail, and you're clinging to false hope."

The marine flashed his teeth and crossed his arms. "I wouldn't be so sure. The confederacy screwed over a lot of people to get where they are and it only takes 10-15% of the population to overthrow a government."

"I think you overestimate your chances." The marine turned around and continued standing outside of the cell.

A lieutenant came up to the cell. "Turn around and put your hands behind you're back. We need to talk."

"Get me a cup of coffee, and I will consider it."

"Do as I say or face consequences."

Brinus flashed his teeth and put his arms behind his head under his pillow.

"You really wanna do this the hard way?"

"Bring it on bitch or give me coffee."

The Lieutenant grinned, "With pleasure."

The captain of the freighter and commander sat across from each other in the captain's office. The captain's office was cramped with a computer terminal, two chairs, and a simple metal desk. There were four metal walls and pictures of the captain's family on the desk. A hologram of his wife and two kids on a fishing trip was on the corner. Another hologram on the wall behind his desk was of his brother getting accepted into college.

The commander said in a hushed voice. "I see you still remember your family, Harvey."

"Yeah, Dent. If I don't keep their memory no one will," growled the captain in a low tone.

"Why don't we just get Brinus's command code and a 3D image of his face for the scanner and then throw him out of the airlock?"

Harvey turned around the monitor of his computer terminal and on it was a list of 500 people on the rebel's no-kill list. Number one on the list was Brinus Helios.

"But why? He's a duke and a member of the Council of Dukes."

Harvey crossed his legs and arms and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and? He's also one of the most loved celebrities in the Confederacy. He has given hundreds of millions of credits to alternative schools and trade schools. His money has built detox wards, metalworking workshops, libraries, and hospital wings; He has established trust funds and scholarships for people to go to trade school for free. If we kill him our rebellion will be dead. Do you want to be the crew who killed the only noble that actually contributes to society? I did withhold any addictive substances as punishment for his stunt earlier."

Dent smiled. "I hope he enjoys Tarken Tea withdrawal."

He sighed as he poured milk and sugar into his coffee. "I am not sure if he smokes or not but I heard AA nicotine withdrawal can be lethal. He will learn his lesson about defying us." Both men laughed, and the captain poured himself a cup of coffee. "He is petulant and insolant. We will make our liquid hydrogen delivery at this next stop and then dump him at some random space station. The sooner he is out of our hair the better."

Dent smiled and rose from his seat. "I'm glad the old federation fell. It needed to die. But the Confederacy is just Federation 2.0. They're no better than any other monolithic organization."

Dent went onto the Bridge and sat in the first officer's chair. The bridge was organized differently than a confederation bridge. It had three horizontal rows of computer terminals in front of a viewscreen. The first officer's chair was next to the captain's chair. The seating was auditorium style, and there were twenty computer terminals. However, only five techs sat at the desks.

"Yo, commander! I got the message ready."

Dent went over to the AI Officer and looked over his shoulder. It was Brinus sitting in a chair in his cell flashing his screw-you smile. "Can we have one where Brinus is more… coherent?"

The tech rolled his eyes. "Hey Dent, this is the best I could do. I spent 24 hours on this message."

They played the image and it had every bit of his sarcasm as the AI-generated version Brinus began speaking. "The rebellion has helped me see the light. They are the best ever and totally not a group of terrorists. They are so understanding…" The video glitched out for a second looking like a multicolored checkerboard and then crashed.

"What happened?" asked Dent.

The AI tech looked into the code. "The AI video was corrupted. I ain't doing this again."

Dent cussed and sat back in his chair.

Meanwhile, on the battlecruiser, Captain La'Norie smiled. He sat in the captain's chair on the bridge, looking smug. "Good job, hacker, first-class. I am going to give you a double round of rum rations."

On the hacker's command console was an ashtray filled with cigarette butts. He looked up at the captain. "Sir, permission to leave the bridge."

"Permission granted. Take the next 72 hours off, and I am going to give you an extra bonus from the prize money."

The hacker smiled as he grabbed his uniform coat and rose from his chair.

"Fire the torpedo when ready and then launch the boarding pods afterward."

Brinus was in his brig cell, vomiting into his toilet. "I need coffee. Please."

The marine smirked. "Nope. No addictive substances. Captain's orders. You fuck around you find out."

Brinus crawled into the bunk. "Can you at least turn off the lights?"

The marine grinned ear to ear and then yelled, "Computer turn up light brightness up by 25%." Brinus groaned and put a pillow over his head. "Computer! Turn on music from my playlist. Play song 58 on 180% volume on an endless loop."

The lights became brighter, and a song blasted loud enough to vibrate the walls and bars. Brinus vomited onto the floor and then groaned. The marine laughed maniacally.

Suddenly, the ship lost power and then was knocked out of warp. Everyone was slammed into the wall, and Brinus realized he had his magic again. However, he was too sick from caffeine withdrawal to do anything immediately, and it took a moment for him to realize the ship had no power.

He snapped his fingers after a moment or two, and then the marine exploded into a ball of fire. He ran down the hall, screaming.

Brinus reached for his wand and opened the cell door with magic… or rather, tried to. It took a few tries to do the unlocking spell before he could open it because of how cloudy his mind was. The marine who burst into flames begged Brinus to kill him.

Brinus laughed and then said, "Sucks to be you." He walked away, leaving the enemy marine screaming on the floor. He could hear the sound of blaster fire and what sounded like a boarding party outside the bridge. He made his way to the bridge, shooting killing curses at any rebel who stood in his path. A couple of killing curses were too weak and just knocked out the rebels.

He met up with the sergeant major of the boarding party as they were in a gunfight just outside. "You must be Lieutenant Helios. This here battle's a shit fest. We're getting heavy resistance. Got you're magic yet?" asked the sergeant major over the sound of blaster fire.

Both sides exchanged blaster bolts as Brinus walked into the line of fire. His body absorbed the shots as he pointed his wand at the rebels and yelled, "Fireball!"

A wave of superheated plasma burst out from his wand, incinerating everything in his path. He came up to the blast door and opened it with magic. The strike team took out the entire bridge crew with ease, leaving the captain and first officer.

"Surrender now!" yelled Brinus, pointing his wand at the captain.

The captain handed Brinus his pistol after removing the gas ammo chamber.

"Now where is your coffee maker?"

"In the back."

Captain La'Noir came into the view screen once Brinus restored power. "Good to see you're safe. She's yours. I am going to send you a prize crew in a moment. Take her to any confederation or commonwealth spaceport. Sell the ship and the cargo and then transfer the money to this account. You will receive your share of the prize money. Good luck, Lieutenant, and may the temple spirits bless."

Brinus had a cup of coffee in his hand and sat in the captain's chair. "May the temple spirits bless you. Sergeant major! See to our prize crew! I am going to chart a course."

"Yes, sir!"

Brinus went into the captain's office. His hands shook once he realized he didn't know how to chart a course. Shit! What do I do? He began breathing rapidly but used a breathing technique he learned from Calnori. Deep breaths! In and out! It took a moment to get control of his breathing. He looked and saw a master chief petty officer who had his arms crossed leaning against the door frame.

"First command?"

Brinus nodded. "I don't know how to plot a course."

"Don't worry about that. You can have the ship's pilot plot a course. Or have the computer do it. What else do you need help with, sir?"

"What is the closest spaceport?"

"A commonwealth-controlled spaceport is three days warp from here. It is managed by the merchant's guild. Do you wish to set course, sir?"

Brinus nodded "Yes Master Chief. Also, I want you to take command of the night watch."

"Yes, sir."

Brinus calmly looked at the dispatches sent to him by Captain La'Noir. Due to the lack of caffeine, he had trouble focusing so his mind wandered. I'm so glad to be rescued. I wondered what the rebels were gonna do to me. Maybe kill me? Dump me in space somewhere? I don't fuckin' know. I was so scared. Maybe I am not as strong as I thought I was, Brinus thought to himself.

He went onto the bridge. The war with the federation was over. A new type of war was beginning though. A war fought by politicians, men and women in suits, and intelligence services. Will we win? Thought Brinus as he sat in the captain's chair. Maybe the rebels will force change, maybe not. Only time will tell.

"When we're ready plot a course for the nearest station."

"Aye, sir." said the helmsman.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.