The relieved traders and ore haulers nodded eagerly and huddled in a group behind John and Alyssa. They were all about to head out of the brig and back to the elevator when John heard the distinctive sound of the Gatlingser firing again. He darted forward to see what the problem was and he saw three figures slumped over in the corridor, smoke rising from their perforated corpses. He looked up and around for another camera and when he spotted one, he gave it the thumbs up sign. The Gatlingser bobbed up and down like it was nodding and John grinned at the camera.


    “Can any of you use handguns?” John asked the freed prisoners and most of the people raised their hands.


    “Ok grab the guns off the dead pirates, we might need the extra firepower” he instructed.


    Two traders picked up guns from the guard pirates, three more from the ones that Sparks had ambushed in the corridor. John and Alyssa led the group down the corridor and back to the elevator, which they called to take them back down to the hangar. When the elevator arrived, John got in with five of the prisoners, three of them picking up guns from the pirates that had been killed earlier. They headed down to ground level and then waited in the corridor, sending the elevator back up. Alyssa sent five more armed prisoners back down to join John and the growing group on the bottom deck, before finallying down with thest group.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    They headed back to the dropship, leading the bedraggled group of ex-prisoners behind them. When they arrived in the hangar, they saw a group of three pirates trying to figure out how to open the airlock door at the back of the Kirrix dropship. With a few well aimed bursts, John and Alyssa gunned down the men unceremoniously and then led the freed captives over to the dropship, where three of the ore haulers grabbed guns off the fallen pirates.


    “We’re going after the Pirate Captain” John said to the group as Alyssa opened up the airlock. “We won’t be long.”


    The traders and haulers nodded and then gratefully climbed into the safety of the dropship. It was a bit of a squeeze, but they managed to fit all 15 prisoners into the ship.


    “Ok that’s them free, now let’s pay a visit to Mr Hitch.” John said smiling grimly.


    They quickly jogged back to the elevator, before taking it all the way up to the second deck. The second deck held a handful of officers quarters that led off their corridor, but they had all been hastily abandoned in the rush to evacuate the stricken ship. Light spilled from the room at the end of the corridor, which the embossed namete at the side identified as the Captain’s quarters.


    John and Alyssa walked cautiously forward, eyes focused on the movementing from the room ahead and listening to the sound of boxes being moved about. They raised their assault rifles, ready to react in an instant, as the sound of someone’s voice drifted down the hall to meet them.


    “Commander Bloody ke…” the figure in the room ranted.


    “Curse him all the way to Hades!” the angry man eximed.


    “Can this one assist?” A high pitched voice asked curiously.


    “Shut the fuck up!” The man snarled in irritation.


    John and Alyssa finally got closer enough to see a familiar figure frantically stacking crates together. He walked over to the left side of the room and bent over to pick up another crate.


    “Mr Everett Hitch…” John said menacingly as he stepped into the room, his weapon sighted on the Pirate Lord.


    Hitch whirled to face them, the tails of his baneer’s jacket whirling around him.


    “Now, now Mr ke!” the shocked pirate said, his right hand raised catingly. “There’s no need for this to get ugly!”


    “Oh yes, there’s definitely a need.” John said, his voice dark and threatening.


    “I surrender!” the Pirate Lord said abruptly. “You do-gooders like it when people surrender right?” he said pleadingly as he backed away from them with his hands in the air.


    “I’m not that good” John replied ominously.


    *Yes! keep this fool distracted just a moment longer!* Hitch thought to himself gleefully as he backed into a nearby table. His hand dropping down as if to steady himself, but instead furtively picking up a remote on the table behind him.


    *Just don’t let him see the robot* Hitch thought as his hand gripped the remote to activate his security droid and pressed a button.


    “John, watch out!” Alyssa cried as she shoved John forward with all her strength, dropping her assault rifle in the process.


    The room was suddenly lit up with shocking strobing brightness as the unseen robot in the right hand corner of the room powered up and fired an arm mounted Gatlingser in their direction. Pulses of light zipped between John and Alyssa to score burning holes in the wall opposite. John rolled forward with the momentum of the shove and then found himself face to face with a stubby pistol levelled in his direction.


    “Say goodbye Mr ke!” The pirate Lord grinned evilly as he prepared to pull the trigger.


    The robot suddenly nked loudly, its head jerking to the side as it lurched forward on unsteady feet. It pivoted at the waist and pointed the Gatlingser at the Pirate Lord.


    “Stupid robot, what’s wrong with you!” Hitch cried out in fear, pressing buttons on his remote to no avail.


    “Goodbye.” John said with finality, guessing who now controlled the robot.


    The whirling Gatlingser trembled as it fired, bolt after bolt of high powered energy pulses searing through the terrified Pirate and sending his perforated corpse flying into the stack of crates on the left of the room. The crates tumbled over and broke apart, leaving a fortune in precious gems scattered over the floor. John and Alyssa stood in stunned silence as they gazed at the wealth of gemstones that had shockingly appeared at their feet.


    Abruptly a xon began to wail rmingly in the background, piercing the quiet in the room.


    “What’s that?” Alyssa asked John curiously.


    John shrugged, having no idea, but his watch began to sh insistently. He pressed the button to receive the call and Sparks’ panicked face filled the Holo image.


    “You have to get out of there!” she pleaded desperately.


    “Why, what’s wrong?” John asked, confused.


    “He must have had a dead man’s switch, the self destruct’s been activated! The Stalingrad’s going to blow in three minutes and I can’t turn it off!” she yelled.


    “Ok we’re leaving!” John said and ended the call, looking down at the fortune in gems with regret.


    “Come on, we haven’t got long until the self destruct blows!” John said to Alyssa, who had started walking across the room to a doorway opposite, her rifle lying forgotten in the doorway.


    “Just one moment John, I want to check something” the beautiful blonde said distractedly. She felt strangely drawn to a door leading through to a bedroom at the back of Hitch’s private quarters and she moved forward resolutely.


    Alyssa leaned into the bedroom, letting her eyes adjust to the dim illumination and saw a huge silk sheeted bed at the back of the room. Sitting in the middle of the bed was a figure that defied belief. The figure was a girl, wearing a school uniform,plete with id skirt, white stockings and a white shirt. However what filled that shirt was an absolutely enormous set of gigantic tits. Each was the size of a beachball and on the tiny girl’s slim frame, looked positively ludicrous. Finally managing to tear away her eyes from the massive creamy skinned mammaries, Alyssa looked at the girl’s face for the first time.