The Definitive SpaceFed Trilogy (SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy).: A thrilling, action-packed Sci-fi space adventure. (SpaceFed StarShips Series Book 8)

by Gerry A. Saunders

  Arans saw Tripicac's sideways glance at him, followed by a surreptitious wink. That made him feel a hundred percent better.

  All the senators sat, stunned, and watching Tripicac.

  “Shall we get onto the important part, which transcends both the Senate and us?”

  He placed a small box on the table. Tapped the top, and the human's video recording began to play on their screen.

  After a few minutes. When they had absorbed the horror of the images, and, Frank's words were still ringing in their ears. Tripicac continued.

  “Bronico. You are relieved as chairman.”

  Bronico said nothing, but got up, and stormed out of the Senate chamber, only to be met by Tripicac's guards.

  “The rest of you have got five minutes to produce a successor to Bronico. Pick someone now, someone that we can trust and work with.”

  Four minutes later. The group of six, now mainly broken senators stopped talking, and one stepped forward.

  Taking his hat off, he flung it on the floor and stepped closer to them. “I am Kasosko,” he announced.

  “What do you need Commander?” He asked. Kasosko was a little taller than Tripicac, and probably the youngest of the Senators. He certainly showed a better understanding of the dangers ahead.

  “Sir,” Tripicac quietly said. “This is not a coup. We don't want to take over the council. We just need to get our shipyards and development facilities working again. We are losing too many ships and their crews.

  We need more ships and new types of weapons, to have any chance of defeating these Solverons and their deadly globes. We need everything, including the Humans,” he finished.

  “Then, you will have it all, Commander Tripicac,” Kasosko declared. “All three of you can supervise the re-start now. You have my word.”

  “That's good enough for me, sir,” Tripicac replied.

  Arans and Tarcan stood up and joined Tripicac. With each, in turn, clasping their arms around Kasosko in the usual Crillon gesture of mutual respect.

  Chapter 2

  I'm Jenny.

  “Hi, I'm Jenny, Jenny Moore, some people just call me Jen, but I prefer Jenny.”

  Oh, wait a moment, we have to make a recording about ourselves, but this useless recorder’s not working. Ah, turning it on would be good. Right, back to me.

  “I'm not a bad looker, and boy I love standing in front of my bedroom mirror. My top and bottom being covered, of course, I’m not that sort of girl. But watching my oiled muscles ripple and bulge with every movement of my dumbbells, well it’s almost hypnotic you know. It seems kinky to most people, perhaps a little erotic.

  But it's my profession; muscles and stamina mean everything if I'm to stay alive.”

  I stop the recorder and check the time. Get a move on Jen, only six hours left to get to my ship. Oh yes, and I’d better book a cab to the spaceport. Oops, must turn the bronzing lamps off.

  I start putting my dumbbells away, and that recorder thing floats around after me. I hope it’s not going to follow me into the ISO shower, I might have to teach it a lesson. But then again perhaps I'd better be nice to this creepy recorder.

  Now I'm in the shower, and looking in another mirror. You've guessed it; I'm crazy about mirrors.

  Talking about being crazy, well, my bosom buddy T-Rex, he’s crazier than me. T-Rex is also a brilliant pilot. He’s not a better pilot than me; he just takes more risks.

  Now, for the recorder, more about me. “I'm twenty-six, blue-grey eyes, blonde hair, and full lips, naturally luscious, by the way. I’m stacked just fine for me, with a bronzed body and muscles to die for. A gender tattoo at the top of my neck matches my suit's gender crest.

  When I was eleven years old, my father taught me to take note of my surroundings, quickly and accurately. He told me that when my grandfather was 38 years old, he made the mistake of assuming the railway line was clear before crossing. He didn't take that extra moment to look. A moment that would have saved his life. Instead, he became just a splash of red matter on the front of a passing Mag-train.

  My mother and father were killed when I was fifteen. One of the old Monorail cars came off the track. Just bad luck, I guess.

  Five months later I won a place at the Special Forces training centre in Florida. That's where I first met T-Rex or Thomas Henry Reece. How he got his 'nickname,' I don't know. T-Rex was a fanatical bodybuilder and well into martial arts, and at that time, his muscles were just beginning to show.

  T-Rex was always there to protect me during my training, most of the time protecting me from the unwelcome sexual advances of several other trainees in our class.

  As the year went on, and the training intensified. I became determined to be as good, if not better than the boys.

  I was quickly able to hold my own but came second in most things, with T-Rex always beating me, but I didn't mind that.

  I really enjoyed the bodybuilding part of my course, which is when my fetish for looking in mirrors must have started.

  Although I was fondled a couple of times, I never had sex with anyone, not even T-Rex.

  T-Rex is tall with dark hair and brown eyes, and I have to say he’s pretty neat looking. It’s a little disappointing to have to admit that he has never made any advances on me”.

  A beep outside startles me. I check the chronometer and see that it’s 10 o'clock already.

  “Pause recording,” I snap at the floating recorder.

  The Mag cab’s waiting outside. I’m not ready, and I’m supposed to be boarding at 11 o'clock.

  I quickly put the rest of my things in the case that’s been supplied to me. I close the top and jump with surprise as the case appears to hiss at me as it closes and seals.

  I check that I’ve locked my front door behind me. Then step out, and onto the first track of the moving walkway, then cross over each track until I’m on the outside track.

  By the time I step onto the ground again, I’m in the MAG cab parking area. It’s real easy using the walkways when you've done it so many times.

  The MAG cab's sliding door opens. “London Space Port, area 24, gate 7,” I direct the cab, as I sit in the back with my container. The door slides shut. Then I realize something’s missing.

  “Open door,” I snap.

  The door slides open again, and the recorder floats in and onto my lap. “Clear, go.”

  The cab door shuts again and a restraining belt rolls down over my shoulder, crosses over my body and anchors itself to the floor while pushing my legs apart.

  “Whoever designed this retaining system should be shot,” I yell at the cab controller as I slacken the restraining belt to move it off my breasts.

  I watch the lights on the front panel flip between red and green. Then the lights stop on Green and a destination map lights up reading, Transit time 14 minutes.

  The cab moves away and follows the underground guide rail. With the city’s computers automatically juggling the traffic to allow the cab a safe and swift passage.

  I turn my attention back to the recorder and seeing that time is getting short I think for a moment then order the recorder to continue.

  “By the end of the second year of intensive training, my class of nine had mastered the art of flying their force suits at different levels of hardship and skills.

  By the way; a force-suit is just a circular platform with an inbuilt force-field generator. The platforms are about a metre in diameter and ten centimetres thick. By ordering, ‘Suit Activate,’ a spherically shaped force-field is formed, with the yellowish coloured force-field, surrounding the platform and operator. You then direct the force-suit, simply by tilting your head in the right direction.

  Our force-suits give us protection against all known small arms weapons and provide full protection when we’re in space, or in an alien environment while being a fun thing to use.

  Both T. Rex and I were given top honours for our operating skills with the force suits.”

  I stop recording for a moment and
see that we’re getting closer to the City of London where the old Induction powered monorail system is still widely used to connect the suburbs to the centre.

  Something flashes overhead as we pass under a thin metal bridge, and I realize it’s a high-speed Mag-Lev train.

  I think of my grandfather, and wonder what he would have made of all the changes in transport since he was alive. Apart from the changes in space travel, nowadays magnetically levitating trains connect the main Cities with Central London and run on a single rail at a speed of about 400km per hour.

  There are also very few vehicles on city roads now, as the Mag-cabs and multitrack moving walkways serve the pedestrians. While the updated underground metro system caters for delivery of all food and merchandise.

  I continue with my recording while the Mag cab speeds on towards London Spaceport. The spaceport is a considerable addition to Stansted Airport, which has also been modernised and enlarged enormously over many years.

  “The following six months were the most enjoyable for me, and, of course, for T-Rex, as we were each introduced to our force-craft. These are oval shaped and multi-faceted platforms, some four metres wide, and six long, with force-field emitters around the edge. At one end, there’s a miniature fusion drive pod which powers the force-field that protects us.

  We learned how to fly, and then to swing force-crafts around with ease and precision. Then, to land rapidly with pin-point accuracy. I suppose you would call it hedge-hopping. But it was fabulous.”

  I can see the Spaceport way ahead in the distance, and I’m starting to feel excited. Just like yesterday, when the call to return to my ship came, and my transceiver implant became active again.

  The time on the cab’s display has changed down, to show five minutes’ travel time, without me noticing. So I hurriedly finish all that I’m going to record.

  “After a course of training including the use of full battle armour, both T-Rex and I joined a brand new StarShip called the Andromeda7 which had just returned from the battles at Zeta Reticuli.” Oh no, I’m running out of time, better cut my story short.

  “On my first voyage serving on the Andromeda, we went to Delta Pavonis and found the old settler starship Acarea. We whacked some Crillons and thoroughly enjoyed the battle apart from the loss of one of our ships. Without any casualties; I might add.

  I have great respect and admiration for Captain Richardson, and all of Andromeda's crew, especially Susanna.” Oh, yes. Better add this. “By the way, I'm a Space Marine and a damn good one at that. I've been promoted to Captain so I can stick my chest out so to speak.

  We've been on leave for the last eleven months while all the StarShips have been updated at the Mars docks. I’m on my way back to my ship and can’t wait to get there.”

  I look out the window and see that the cab’s approaching Space Port's area 24. Well, that's it, buddy. “Stop recording. Park,” I order, and the recorder drops onto my lap and I slip it into my pocket.

  ‘Welcome back Jenny,’ I hear a voice say to me, through my implant, ‘Gate 7, Shuttle 9. We’ll see you shortly, Frank.’

  Wow. Captain Richardson’s greeting me. I can hardly believe it.

  But on reflection, I think. ‘Yes, I can,’ as I remember the time I had dinner with him and Susanna at the end of our last trip.

  I really fancy him, and it’s obvious that he fancies me from the way he looked at me, and couldn’t keep his eyes off my body when Susanna wasn’t looking.

  The cab stops just outside gate 7, and as the door slides open, the cab’s system announces. “Destination Zero. Thank you, miss. No, charge. Have a good day,” as I get out of the cab.

  I go through Gate 7 and look for my shuttle. There are six shuttles ready to go to Mars, and each of them has a number on its side, but I can’t see where shuttle 9 is. Then I spot it, separate from the rest. It looks smaller than the other shuttles, and very different, a bit like a miniature Andromeda in shape.

  The larger and older shuttles have very short stubby wings that can be extended to give maximum lift during take-off and landing. There are two enormous engines at the rear. A single photon drive sits between these. This can only be used when the shuttle is in Space.

  Looking, I see that shuttle 9's airlock is open, and I can see someone waving at me.

  Chapter 3

  Preparation.

  She heard Susanna call her as she entered the shuttle. “Jenny, sit next to us,”

  “Hello Jenny, I'll move and let both of you have a chin-wag,” Frank said, moving across the aisle to sit next to Tim Watson and Alice Cummings. “Not interrupting anything I hope, Tim?”

  “No,” Tim replied, squeezing Alice's hand. “Did you know that we're engaged?”

  “No, that’s marvellous. Congratulations to both of you.”

  Susanna and Jenny hugged each other in greeting then Jenny sat down.

  “You look great, where's the sprog?”

  “Jenny, his name’s Alex, not sprog,” Susanna replied giggling. “And I've dumped him already, well not exactly dumped. You know the system; mum goes back to work and baby gets cared for by relations. It was heartbreaking for both of us, but Uncle Jack and Auntie Martha are looking after him so he’ll be okay.”

  “I bet it was hard,” Jenny replied as her seat straps dropped down over her body then down between her legs.

  Susanna blushed.

  “Leaving him behind, I meant, silly.”

  Both chuckled as Susanna opened her legs to allow her straps access to the floor. They looked at each other, looked down and laughed again. Then, seeing Frank looking at them, deliberately pulled the straps tight to emphasize their breasts. He blushed as he got their message. Tim and Alice both grinned at him then chuckled to each other. His own strap went to the floor, in the same way, like the girls.

  'Grief,' he thought, somewhat embarrassed. 'I'm going to have trouble with these two,' realising again how attractive they both were.

  Then his thoughts were interrupted by seeing the last crew member board the shuttle. Most of his crew were already here and were familiar to him, but he didn't know this guy.

  The airlock door slid shut, followed by a long hiss as the cabin’s pressurising test took place. Then armrests automatically rotated locking them securely in their seats. The windows dimmed as the shuttle shot forwards and up forcing the passengers back against their seats. As they headed up towards space, the Earth began to curve away beneath them, and the windows became almost clear again, with only the sun's harmful rays being blocked.

  Frank could just feel the 'Skippa sub-light drive engage. A subtle jerking that you soon forgot was there. He was still amazed that the Skippa drive could bring a ship, even a large vessel, very quickly up to almost point seven of the speed of light. The simplicity of the system made it very easy to operate and it had been very well received by everyone. He was certainly glad to see the back of the sub-light photon drive.

  The cabin’s comms system came live, with Captain Tunstal introducing himself and telling them that the transit time would be one hour, three minutes.

  “I'm going to take a nap,” Frank said, looking across at Susanna and Jenny, who were deep in conversation. “Just ignore me.” Then closed his eyes and slept through the constant murmur filling the air as people talked and joked with each other.

  One hour later, Susanna leaned across the aisle and tapped his shoulder waking him with a start. “We're nearly there darling,” she said. “Come back over here with us.”

  “Ok,” he said as he moved back to the aisle seat next to the two girls. Then, unable to see the view from the window, he gingerly leaned across the girls to watch the orbital part of the Mars starship construction docks as it came into sight.

  “Whoa, look where you're putting your hands sailor,” Susanna said jokingly, as Jenny put her hands up, protecting herself just in case.

  “You two really are pushing your luck,” he muttered.

  Far below on the surface of Mars, the spraw
ling habitation domes and manufacturing and construction complexes could clearly be seen.

  The shuttle then swung in towards the orbital docks which were rapidly swelling in size off to one side. With everyone trying to see the awe-inspiring sight without leaving their seats.

  Of the five dock-cradles, three were empty, the other cradles held the skeletal bones of two more StarShips which were under construction.

  The shuttle carried on past the spacedocks and started moving downwards, towards the surface of Mars. No one had realised they were actually going to go to Mars. But no one was unhappy about that.

  The comms came alive again. “Please make sure your arm rests and straps are tight, and note that you will be unable to unlock them when we land. You may find it a bit bumpy going through the atmosphere, but that's a Mars landing for you. One minute to touch down.”

  The comms beeped every two seconds as the shuttle curved in and around the Mars base in a broad sweep. There was a vast reception dome at the end of the curving descent, with a spider-web type network that coupled to the shuttles when they landed.

  Shuttle nine came to rest amid a little red dust storm that was created as it made contact with the ground. Before the dust had settled, the shuttle had coupled to the disembarkation tube. Then there was a ‘clunk’ sound from the airlock, followed by a hissing sound. Moments later the airlock opened and two security guards, weapons in hand, stepped in and stood by the exit.

  Another person, who was obviously in charge, followed the guards in.

  “May I have your attention,” he said, speaking with an air of authority. “I am Professor Verdick,” the man informed them.

  “Please note that all officers are to attend a special lecture this afternoon, and at twenty-one hundred hours there will be a meal for all of you.

  The directions to the lecture and dining rooms are shown on the walls outside your rooms, so just follow them.