Bullied and threatened by Stone his men shuffled on out of breath and breathing hard as they trotted and stumbled to the Command Center.  At last the round double door to command was in view. The two halves were partially open.

          Stone noted that on each side a pirate in black armor and space suit stood guard. He quickly sized them up, they were leaning against the wall, weapons lowered, shoulders slumped down; and a sleepy, exhausted look told him these men were dog-tired from the hard fighting to take command center.

.            He turned around and gave his men a stare.  They had escaped the hard fighting, and looked fresh.  “Straighten up you pack of lackeys.  Form up in lines. Weapons at shoulder.  Walk tall and proud.”  He marched at their lead with his head held high and his chest out.  Coming up to the two guards he offered his best salute.

          “You boys did the real work.  Well done men.”

          The two saluted in reply.  “Yes sir, Thank you.”

         “We are relieving you.  Go get some rest.  My men are going to take over guard.”

          “But sir, we take orders from Commander Marx we are in his division.”

           “You are right about that, but we need to get over all the divisions and units business and start to work together as one.  I am also taking my orders from Commander Marx, and he sent us to relieve you.  So why don’t you get the rest you need?"

           “I apologize; I didn't mean to question your authority, sir.  It is just, well, you know we had it hard and all.”

          “Don’t mention it.” Stone was smiling like some friendly uncle. The two guards began to leave walking past the long line of Stone's men, who were patting them on the backs and congratulating them for their victory.  Stone gave the signal- a finger across his throat like a knife.  The two guards made it no further.  Pulled down under the weight of the pirates’ punches and kicks they didn't get up.

         Stone nodded his head.  “Mike, take half of the men and go around to the other entrance.  You saw how we took care of these guards here do the same to any you find there.  When you hear me talking to Commander Marx bring your men in.  Once inside you will know what to do, just like we did to that pompous pie eyed General.”

          “Got it, Captain.” He left with half of the men.

          “You, what’s your name?”

          “Randy, Sir.”

          “OK, Randy.  I want you to send the men in by ones and twos, so we don’t make Marx suspicious.  When you hear the shooting then everybody else come in and join the fun.  It should be like shooting fish in a bucket.”

          Stone stepped through the door, crossed the short entry and another double door. He walked in unnoticed and looked about.  He was surprised that the command center was small.  Around the edge of the room consoles and monitors flicked on and off.  Most screens were black, or had scrolling numbers or patterns of lights.  Furniture, tables, and office like chairs were still on their sides.  Black smudges covered the walls and equipment showed the results of fire and combat.  Three men were huddled around a monitor trying to start it up.  More were seated around different stations trying to start them up.  Some were standing idle.  Others were turning the pages of large floppy paged books with frustration and confusion on their faces.

          Stone waited, it was a custom that when an office entered the first to see him was to announce his presence; but these men were exhausted from battle and desperate to master the workings of the ship, so no one looked up from their work.  Stone could hear his men entering behind him as he moved half way across the cramped room.  In the middle of the room two chairs were mounted with consoles that had their own set of monitors.  Commander Marx sat in one typing on a keypad.

         “Congratulations, commander Marx, on your singular victory.”

          “Stone.” Commander Marx looked up. “What are you doing here? We need your men to go to the common room, and get the prisoners ready for evacuation.”

         “You would not deny me the courtesy of shaking your hand and congratulating a comrade in arms? Now would you?”  Stone held out his hand.

         “Very well.”  Marx stood up to take Stone’s hand.  “It might be a good thing you are here.  We are dead in the water.  The last owners of this little craft shut it down.  We are adrift.  All systems are off.  Do you have any computer hackers or programmers who could get into the systems and start things up?   All of my men are combat types we don’t have any technical types with us.”

         “Geeks, nerds and teckies?  I am loaded with them.  Remember we were from the most exclusive prisons in the system.  These guys could hack banks out of their window washing money in a second.”   He looked around at his men who had slithered into the room.  “Didn't we have the guy who broke into the Federal Alliance Planet's system defense computer?"

         "I know."  One of Stone's rag tag bunch squeaked, "Supreme Commander Graves had him directing the cyber-attack from Cirrus Five."

         "We'll send for him.  He is the best.  Meanwhile I got a few code crackers right here.  See what you guys can do.”  Several men eagerly took seats at consoles and began to type on keyboards or touch light screens in front of them.

          "I've got some other men, Marx.  Let me bring them in.”  He went to the door and stepping out winked to his men. “Where is the guy who broke into that planetary life support computer and held it for ransom?”

         A pirate held up his hand.

         “Get in there and see what you can do to start things up.”

          He then waived the men forward so they began to fill the room. Stone walked behind Commander Marx who was leaning over a man sitting in the captain’s chair typing commands on the keyboard.  Stone carried a heavy blaster in his right hip holster and at his back he had a long knife.  His fingers ran over the top edge of the blaster.  He loved its power and strength.  This was a moment for satisfaction so he reached around his back and slowly pulled out the long bladed knife. Silently he leaned over as if to see what was happening on the monitor. Stone wrapped his left arm around Marx’s throat while thrusting with his knife.  He missed.  He swung his knife again and again at the torso and chest of The Commander, stabbing but never made deadly contact.

         Men were shouting.  A shot was fired.  The remaining men surged through the doors and began shooting at everything.  Stone shoved Marx at his men and ducked down under a table where he huddled in fear.  More shots were fired.  Zip sound of lasers and booms of blasters made the air bounce with percussion.   Marx’s men were extremely outnumbered.  Stone was confident his men were victorious and was content to hide and wait for them to figure out they had won the second battle for the command center.

          The shooting lasted scant seconds.  To be replaced by a silence that was broken only by the beeping of the computer consoles and footsteps on broken glass and heavy breathing. Stone looked up from his huddled shelter under the table.  He half feared to see Marx facing him eye to eye.  But through the smoke found Marx lying in a red pool on the floor.  Many of Stones men lay dead but all of Marx’s men were dead.

          “Well done boys.”  Stone got up on his feet. He sat in the command chair. “Are my technicians OK?”

          Men were crawling out from under broken tables and hiding places.

          “Someone get the Supreme Commander on the communication system.  I need to let her know I prevented a counter attack to retake the command center, and that I am in control of the ship.”

         The techies typed and pushed buttons.  “Captain we need the command code for the central computer. Do you know where it is?"

         “Do I have a magic crystal ball?  How am I supposed to know?  You figure it out.”

         “It will take some time.”

          “I don’t have time. Dunderhead!  I need to report to the Supreme Commander now.  I don’t want that albino zombie Whitey taking the credit, or any other units.”

          “Maybe you can use the radio from one of the transports to report.”

          “You guys keep working on it.  Randy you and the others come with me we need to find a working radio on this stinking tin can somewhere.”

         Whitey was running at an easy tired loop toward the command center when he heard the bang and zips of weapons. “Oh, Hell's bells. What now?” He drew his blaster from the holster at his hip and stopped to get a sense of his environment. If he was running into a firefight he would know all the exits and options. Satisfied he ran with the last strength he had, turning a corner he skidded to a halt in front of Stone and his men. Some instinct in him triggered a reaction and he stood with his blaster inches away from the face of Stone. Whitey glared down into his one evil eye.

        “So, Stone it’s you. What is happening in the command center and where is Commander Marx?”

         “Put that thing down Whitey.” Stone was sure he could bully the thin older man.

          Whitey lowered his blaster without putting it away.  He was sure he was among enemies. “Where is Marx?”

        “Oh. Well you see there was an attempt by the ship’s crew to retake the command center we arrived too late to save Marx but recaptured the command center.  Unfortunately all of Marx’s men were killed, some of mine too it seems, bad luck.  So now I am in command of the ship and my team is in the command center bringing everything on line.  I am on my way to report to The Supreme Commander.”

         Whitey looked at the men standing behind Stone.  He sized them up as ex-convicts and some “liberated” from an insane asylum.  If they were true soldiers or even a true pirate clan he knew he could challenge Stone right there and fight him hand to hand safe from the surrounding men. True pirates keep the rules of the red book and mercenaries had similar rules of honor but these were liberated criminals without loyalties. He could take down half but not all.

        “Why don’t you use the radio or communications systems in the command center?”  Whitey asked with narrowing eyes.

         “Oh, it seems they are temporarily offline something about an access code.  But I got some of the greatest hackers working on it and will have it up in no time.  So just run along and we will take care of everything.  Report to the common room and help with the prisoners.”

         Whitey fixed Stone with a cold stare, his blue eyes icier than ever. “I do not take orders from you unless I want to.  And if the ship’s crew was in the common room how did they attempt to retake the command center?”

          “The crew?  Oh just the confusion of battle I guess.  I don’t have time to waste with you, Whitey.  I've got work to do to get this ship running.  We have a revolution to win remember.  You are getting paid to fight the regime not stand in the hallway like a…”

         Whitey’s cold glare was a threat worse than words and Stone did not finish his sentence. Whitey turned and walked away his back to Stone and the mob of men as if a dare to shoot him in the back.  He turned to the left and went through doors and descended stares to to another passage lined with workrooms and factories like a city street; he walked through rubble and debris and pondered his situation.  Obviously Stone killed Marx.  These things happened in Piracy.  The Red book of rules made it clear that assassination is allowed to gain promotion.  But Stone was a coward and a bully and Marx was an honest man who believed in this stupid revolution, Marx had decency and honor.  Whitey would not forgive Stone.  He would avenge Marx somehow.

        Hundreds of yards beyond the factories he found the the common room, a large auditorium.  Whitey’s men were working alongside the men of other units.  Searching the prisoners and getting basic information.  Doing their jobs, and Whitey was proud of them, they were a black and white contrast to Stone’s Mob.