Carnifex

MV Hoogaboom

The Tauran slave girls were crying or screaming anymore. Neither were there any klaxons or alarms. Instead, "All hands to battle station," announced the captain, through the ship's intercom. Then he and his own bridge crew retired below to the armored CIC. From there, they'd direct the ship via video camera and remote control. There were redundant systems for both.

Down in CIC a mullah, one of the very few willing to die the same way they encouraged others to die, spoke into a microphone. His words were carried to small speakers all over the ship, and especially to the individual fighting compartments where the mujahadin waited by their machine guns to fight, if necessary, for the right to destroy the warship of the wicked.

"No doubt it is a clear honor," said the mullah, "a clear honor which Allah has bestowed on us. Honor on us; honor to us. He will give us blessing and great victory, now, and by the acts of the faithful inspired by us, in the future.

"Across this world, this is what everyone is hoping for. Thank Allah that the Federated States came out of their caves. Those who came and fell before us hit her the first. Now we shall hit her lackeys, those wicked and faithless ones, with the strong hands of true believers.

"By Allah, this is a great work. Allah prepares for you a great reward for this work. By Allah, who there is no god besides, my brothers, we shall live in happiness, happiness such as we have never before experienced.

"Remember, the words of Mustafa, the great and pious. He said they made a coalition against us in the winter with the infidels. And they surrounded us as in the days of the prophet Muhammad. This is exactly like what has been happening recently, with the faithless and the apostates turning on the One True God. But the Prophet, peace be upon him, comforted his followers and said, 'This is going to turn and hit them back.' As we are hitting back, my brothers."

The mullah noticed the arrival of the captain and stopped speaking. "Would you like to address the crew?" he asked.

"No, holy man. My words are small things against the great words of Allah, and of his messengers, and of those who teach the faithful. Please, continue with this sermon.

Nodding, the mullah went back to his microphone and continued, "And it is a mercy for us and a blessing upon us. It will bring people back. And Allah will pour upon us blessings untold. And the day will come when the symbols of Islam will rise up and it will be similar to the early days of the Salafi, back on Old Earth. And victory shall be upon the sons of the Prophet . . . "