Maureen
Character List
U.S.S. Gladiator Crew (listed by rank)
Captain Joshua Kyle Stoner — Captain of the U.S.S. Gladiator.
Commander David Patrick Andrews — Chief Science Officer.
Lieutenant Commander Marlana Berg — Chief Medical Officer.
Lieutenant Commander Dennis Roger Pearson — Chief Engineer.
Lieutenant Commander Paul Loring — former Chief Medical Officer.
Lieutenant Diane Pearson — Communications Officer.
Lieutenant Tobias Carter — General Medical Officer.
Lieutenant Louis Johns — Epidemiologist (doctor).
Lieutenant Shalonna Robinson — Master Chief Diver.
Lieutenant Amanda Rugan — Nurse.
Lieutenant Keith Hampton — Navigator.
Lieutenant Wayne Shasta — Laser Technician.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Bonnie Shea — Laser Technician.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jill Mann — Nurse.
Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Greene — Science Officer.
Ensign Kyung Ahn — Diver First Class.
Ensign Mohammad Saad — Navigator.
Ensign Benjamin Rubin — Communications Officer.
Ensign Beverly Glenna — Wildlife and Fisheries Specialist.
Culinary Specialist First Class Lansky — Head Chef.
Seaman Neil Chase — Security Officer.
Seaman Paula Scott — Diver Second Class (deceased).
Yeoman Juanita Perez — Clerical.
Fabiana — Teacher from Hapo, former slave.
Joban — Police officer from Pila, former slave.
Penelope — Therapy cat.
United Galaxy Command (listed by rank)
Admiral Alan Wilcox — Division Head of United Galaxy Command.
Commodore Christopher Naper — Head of the Architectural Engineering Team.
Captain Victor Torgenson — Head of the Search and Rescue team.
Lieutenant Commander Maxine Campbell — General Medical Officer assigned to the Architectural Engineering Team.
Lieutenant Meyer Monroe — General Medical Officer, specializing in pharmacology, assigned to the U.S.S. Skybounder.
Lieutenant Colin Evans — Senior officer on Architectural Engineering Team.
Lieutenant Selmo Danielli — UGC officer under Captain Torgenson.
Ensign Bess Tremont — Pharmacist, assigned to the U.S.S. Skybounder.
Ensign Thelma Childs — UGC officer under Captain Torgenson.
Brisula Residents (listed by rank)
Chief General Monks (AKA Chieftain) — Tradian Army General of the highest rank.
General Platt — Tradian Army General.
Colonel Warren Flax — Colonel in both the Tradian Galactic Army and the Brisulan Military Guard, head of the Zoo and Deliveries,
Dr. Ottman — Primary Medical Director.
Gina Flax (maiden name Gina Praza) — Colonel Flax’s wife, head of the Records Department at the Court House and an officer in the Tradian Galactic Army.
Mox — Deliveries Manager.
Gus — Zoo worker.
Tommie Flax — Colonel Flax’s son,
Tossie Flax — Colonel Flax’s daughter,
Salton — Slave in the Flax residence, police officer from Pila,
Hom — Slave.
Characters mentioned but not actually in story (listed alphabetically)
Nancy Bartow - Doctor formerly on U.S.S. Gladiator who has been reassigned.
Becky — Wayne Shasta’s girlfriend in Vermont.
Russell Berg — Marlana Berg’s brother, a medical doctor.
Elizabeth (AKA Liz) — Jackson Greene’s girlfriend in Michigan.
Murray and Agnes Hampton — Keith Hampton’s parents in Pittsburgh, PA.
Lorraine — Marlana Berg’s best friend.
Lydana — Salton’s girlfriend on Pila.
John and Harry Pearson — Dennis Pearson’s two older brothers.
Dr. Polson — Visiting physician from Imp (a Tradian)
Dr. Sawyer — Beverly Glenna’s professor and advisor at the Space Academy.
Kyle Stoner — Josh Stoner’s Great Grandfather.
Mr. Stoner — Josh Stoner’s father.
Mr. & Mrs. Shasta — Wayne Shasta’s parents.
Miles Stratford — UGC’s top Public Affairs Officer.
Zappy — Elizabeth’s guide dog, a golden retriever.
Prologue and Epilogue
Little Josh Stoner — A young boy.
Marlie Stoner — Little Josh’s sister.
Great Grandpa James Glenn Stoner — Little Josh and Marlie’s great grandfather and Joshua Stoner’s great grandson.
Mom and Dad Stoner — Little Josh and Marlie’s parents.
Penny — Marlie’s stuffed cat.
Coming Soon!
BEYOND THE GALAXY: REDEMPTION — Adventure 3 in the Beyond the Galaxy Saga
Continue to follow along with the adventures of Captain Joshua Stoner and the rest of the U.S.S. Gladiator crew.
Here’s a snippet of the adventure that lies ahead:
Captain Joshua Stoner pressed the disconnect tab on the video phone and the admiral’s image faded until it disappeared entirely. Josh stood up, stretched his arms up toward the ceiling, and then cocked his head first to the right and then to the left. It seemed like he had been on the phone for hours. The calls had been endless. He sat back down in his office chair, picked up a short chubby stylus, and logged in the conversation with Admiral Wilcox. The phone log would need to be transmitted to United Galaxy Command along with explanations as to why each call had been placed. You would think UGC has better things to do than monitor the necessity of every phone call, thought Josh. But I know intergalactic calls, especially video ones, are expensive. Still, it was one more time consuming task; and lately, Josh’s time was occupied by a series of mundane activities comprising of reports on damaged or missing uniforms; details on weapons unaccounted for; explanations on who and why the U.S.S. Gladiator was carrying an abundance of guests; updated medical information on the personnel injured or sick, including what could have been done to prevent the injuries or sickness; an all-inclusive description of the ship’s malfunctions and repairs, especially regarding the IGPS; and lastly a comprehensive account of the Gladiator’s location every hour for the past two weeks.
“Bureaucracy at its best!” sighed Josh out loud to the empty room. As he reached for his satellite phone there was a scratching noise outside his office. Josh opened the door, and a long-haired grey cat raced through the opening. The cat jumped onto the chair, hopped upon the desk, and made itself comfortable.
“Good morning, Penelope.” Josh lightly scratched behind the feline’s ears, and she purred loudly. “I was just going to call your owner. Instead, why don’t we just give her a visit?”
With Penelope tagging along behind him, Captain Stoner arrived shortly at Sick Bay. He greeted the two nurses, Amanda Rugan and Jill Mann. Both were quite busy these past several days as the Sick Bay was almost filled to capacity. Before leaving Brisula, a group of very ill former slaves and a few of the Populace were transported to the Gladiator. They needed more intensive care then the medical facilities on Brisula could provide.
Josh observed the medical personnel making their morning rounds. Dr. Tobias Carter, donning a white robe, was strolling about monitoring all the activity.
“I am looking for Dr. Berg,” said Josh approaching the tall African American doctor.
“She is with Dr. Loring. They are examining the two drowning victims,” responded Dr. Carter. He glanced down at Penelope. “That cat should not be in the Sick Bay. Please remove her immediately.”
Josh, who was surprised at Dr. Carter’s attitude, answered sternly, “I have been ensured by Dr. Berg that Penelope is a certified therapy cat. She has been properly trained and is fully vaccinated. Therapy animals such as Penelope, aid the recovery process for many patients. By having Pe
nelope visit them, it assists with reducing pain, stress, depression, and fatigue. Any patients who should not have Penelope in their presence due to contamination, infection, allergies etc. are identified by signs posted outside their rooms and with identification bracelets.”
“I don’t care what Dr. Berg says, a medical facility is not the proper place for a furry varmint. That cat should be banned from Sick Bay.”
“Duly noted, doctor. I will discuss your concerns with Dr. Berg. However, I am confident that Penelope will continue to have access to Sick Bay.”
* * *
Want to read more? Then watch for the release of this exciting sequel coming out soon!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maureen was born and raised in Bronx, New York. She graduated from Hunter College in New York City with a BA in psychology. Shortly after, Maureen and her sister, Luba, moved to Minnesota so that Maureen could attend graduate school at Mankato State University (now known as Minnesota State University, Mankato). Maureen received her MS degree in rehabilitation counseling. She married her soulmate, Dennis, and they had a very happy marriage until Dennis died in 2013. Presently, Maureen lives in Mankato with her three cats. She has one son, Flint and two step-children, Brenda and Bob. Maureen has had a long career working as a rehabilitation counselor in the field of blindness. In her spare time she enjoys collecting “stuff”, reading, crocheting, and writing stories.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Flint grew up in Mankato, Minnesota. He obtained BS and MS degrees in Computer Science and Information Technology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Since he was a teenager Flint has worked as an advocate and instructor for blind people, teaching technology skills and researching methods of improving accessibility to technology for people with visual impairments. Some of the software tools used in the publication of this novel were written by Flint and were adapted from his research in improving accessibility of books for blind readers. Flint is currently working towards obtaining his Ph.D. in computer science with a focus on human-computer interaction for accessibility. Along with his academic pursuits Flint enjoys collecting and refurbishing electronics and computers. He is also a talented pianist and has performed at many local events and functions.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PREFACE
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE: June 17
CHAPTER TWO: June 18
CHAPTER THREE: June 19 - June 22
CHAPTER FOUR: June 23, 0500 Hours
CHAPTER FIVE: June 23, 1200 Hours
CHAPTER SIX: June 23, 1600 Hours
CHAPTER SEVEN: June 23, 1900 Hours
CHAPTER EIGHT: June 23, 2100 Hours
CHAPTER NINE: June 24, 0100 Hours
CHAPTER TEN: June 24, 0700 Hours
CHAPTER ELEVEN: June 24, 1100 Hours
CHAPTER TWELVE: June 24, 1500 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: June 24, 2200 Hours
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: June 25, 0530 Hours
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: June 25, 0700 Hours
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: June 25, 1200 Hours
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: June 25, 1430 Hours
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: June 25, 2030 Hours
CHAPTER NINETEEN: June 25, 2300 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY: June 26 0100, Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: June 26, 0400 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: June 26, 0630 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: June 26, 1700 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: June 26, 2100 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: June 27, 0000 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: June 27, 0800 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: June 27, 1330 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: June 27, 1500 Hours
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: June 27, 1515 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY: June 27, 1545 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: June 27, 1900 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: June 27, 2200 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: June 28, 0000 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: June 28, 0300 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: June 28, 0400 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: June 28, 0800 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: June 28, 1200 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: June 28, 1900 Hours
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: June 29
CHAPTER FORTY: June 30
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: July 1
EPILOGUE
POSTSCRIPT
CHARACTER LIST
PREVIEW OF ADVENTURE 3: REDEMPTION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE EDITOR
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