Harris + Niples "Sabotage"

Major Harris and Cmdr Niples joint post
"Sabotage"
> Security office
> 1346 hours
>
> Security officers Ensign Ned Meat and Ensign Robert Donover stood waiting,
they had been called there roughly a hour ago and Major Harris had yet to
show up.
>
> Donover checked his watched and commented. "Five more minutes and then we
go."
>
> "Go where?" Came from behind them.
>
> The pair spun round to see the Major standing in the open doorway.
>
> "Nowhere sir." Meat quickly answered.
>
> "You wanted to see us, Sir?" Donover asked.
>
> "For some strange reason most of the senior staff are going to be
performing a planetary survey in less then 24 hours and that deranged
Captain Cannon is leading it himself." Harris told the pair as made his way
behind his desk and finally settled into his chair. "You are going along to
make sure nothing happens to the Captain!"
>
> "Why us sir?" Meat asked.
>
> "I've looked over your records." Harris told the pair. "When anything
nasty happens, it usually happens to you two."
>
> "We're going to act cannon fodder for the Captain." Donover said. "Aren't
we sir."
>
> Harris leaned back in his chair and simply answered. "Yep."
>
>
> Day 3
>
> StarBug Bay 02
> 1145 hours
>
> Harris looked up at the green ship that was going to take him and most of
the senior staff down to the planet. 'Bloody budget cuts'. Harris throught
to himself, the Blue Dwarf had enough room to house at least twelve starbugs
but they had three.
>
> The two Ensigns Donover and Meat just milled around waiting. Harris had
already ordered them to search the spacecraft three times and found nothing.
>
> At least they weren't going down in a Blue Midget, they were way to small
for his liking and the way they took off left him wanting to vomit, not that
that starbugs were much better as they were slower then an ice-cream van
flooring it.
>
> Nipels had arrived before Harris and his two ensigns had and had been
since checking out the craft himself. The Captain, unlike Van Threk and
Mahok Yolandon who were still waiting around, had yet to show.
>
> That android, Box, would be left in charge of the ship while they were
down on the planet. 'At last, a competent officer in charge', Harris
throught to himself.
> "Where I am I?" Jill called from his pocket.
>
> Harris groaned, that damn computer was asleep when he had removed her from
the draw in the security and he could imagine that it would be a nasty shook
to wake up in his trouser pocket.
>
> Harris rised his watch and quietly told Jill. "I can't trust you enough
to leave you alone on this ship so you're coming down to the planet with
me!"
>
> "Why?" Jill demanded.
>
> "Because I don't intend on returning to the ship to find you have
convinced the scutters into a revolt and have taken over the ship." Harris
snarled at her quietly, sure that Van Threk was looking at him like he was
mad, more so.
"Meat! Donover! Come here!" shouted the commander from the other side of the
shuttle. The two unlucky "redshirts" ambled over to him. "yes sir!" the said
as they saluted.
The commander waited a few minutes for them to finish the long salute and
then whispered orders to the two.
"Look, heres the situation. There have been rumours of a religeous group
operating within the Earth Military, they use extreme action against any
"disbelievers" and we fear that there may be some onboard."
"What are they called sir?"
The air around Niples was still and silent as he spoke the words that struck
fear into everyone's hearts.
"They are called.........The Clarkson Brethren!"
The two security officers looked at each other nervously.
"What do you want us to do about it?"
"I want you to search the shuttle for anything unusual- the brethren may
have sabotaged it."
the two started to salute again but Niples waved them off. They began to
search the Starbug, looking under tables and behind seats- even in the glove
compartment.
After a few minutes they reported back the Niples and Harris empty handed.
Harris sighed and went to check for himself.
Harris disappeared into the engine section of the ship. Then he shouted.
"Donover, Meat! Get in here, now!"
The Commander followed the two security crewmen into the engine second and
saw what Harris what was shouting about.
"How the hell do you miss something like this?!" Harris snarled at the
security crewmen pointing towards a large black casing with LEDs flashing
'ARMED' with a piece of paper stuck to the casing.
Harris spun round to Donover and Meat and yelled at them. "You searched
this ship three bloody times and still you failed to notice that!"
"Never mind that." Nipels said calmly. "We have to defuse the bomb."
"Cut the red wire." Donover said.
"No, its' the yellow wire." Meat said.
"It's neither." Harris commented peering into a hatch he opened in the
casing. "All the wires are black, however did this did not learn but put
together a explosive device from watching the movies!"
"What this?" Donover commented as he pulled the piece of paper free of the
case. "It's a note, sir." Donover told Nipels and then he handed it to the
Commander.
"Hello Commander Nipels." Nipels started to read aloud. "We the remain
few of the 'Clarkson brethren' are going to get revenge on you for your part
in preventing us from reaching the 'Great Ferrari in the stars'. This is
really going to ruin your day as we have planted a bomb in this ship's
engines. Have a nice day."
Then the timer ran out.
Everyone in the shuttlebay dived for cover and Seymore dropped the ticking
object to the ground.
Instead of exploding, a large mouth appeared on the timer of the bomb and
started spouting eccentric drivvel.
"I have a feeling next time we won't be so lucky" said Niples.