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

by Gerry A. Saunders

  The Crillon commander was shocked. He looked sick, and his face contorted in disgust.

  “I didn’t know Captain. We believed it was an item he had left behind when you helped Tripicac back to Crilla. I can assure you that we will not help him. Do what you will with him.”

  “So, why didn’t you give your ship’s ID at the gate? That was the agreement with Commander Tripicac?”

  “Cazer said it wasn’t necessary anymore. He is a high-ranking officer in our science world, and we know he must never be questioned.”

  “Well, Commander, it’s difficult to believe that a scientist can take precedence over the commander of his own ship,” Hector replied. Then added, “Tripicac will be here soon, so you’d better get your story straight.”

  “That may be fun for you Captain. But not for me.”

  Down on the planet, Captain Thomas Reece, or T-Rex as he was more commonly known, was ready with his Marines.

  They had decided that the closest place to the mother’s home that Cazer could land his shuttle was in a small park two kilometres away. So, that was where he had decided to put his Marines.

  Thomas had virtually powered his two force-craft down but left them ready to move quickly if Cazer decided to land somewhere else.

  The mother’s home location was marked on Thomas’s wrist-worn screen, along with the location of Drone 23 which he noted was close by him.

  He could almost sense the drone’s presence, but he still found it strange knowing it was there but not being able to see it.

  Suddenly, Thomas’s wrist-worn screen vibrated with a contact alert, and he looked up to see the shuttle coming down. With the shuttle, looking more like a small dot right now.

  He tensed and signalled his men to stay hidden.

  Then he heard Frank’s voice in his implant, the words coming via the drone.

  ‘Thomas, be careful. He’s tricky. Don’t hesitate. If you have to, kill him.’

  He didn’t have to answer but was glad of the confirmation that Jenny’s killer was coming to him.

  Frank watched the action on his screen, as it unfolded below him.

  He sent a quick, ‘watch your boys,’ warning to Hector.

  He knew that Thomas and his Marines all had Crillon translator devices. Thomas also had an eye controlled targeting system for drone 23.

  Which, along with thought control via his implant, made him a force to be reckoned with. However, Frank had faith in the marine captain’s ability to end this tragic episode.

  Cazer’s shuttle slowly touched down just where Thomas had hoped and only thirty metres away from them.

  The shuttle was quite small with room for only four people. It had stubby wings and slightly old fashioned over-sized force field emitters for lift.

  Thomas watched and waited for the shuttle’s door to open. Eventually, it did, and Cazer came out.

  Cazer, dressed in his special battle armour, smiled from within the protection of the suit, as the marines came out of their hiding places and pointed their high-powered weapons at him.

  Thomas, looking carefully at Cazer, thought his battle armour was larger than it needed to be. Then realised that it was probably large enough for two people and that the blue haze around it was a force-field.

  It was obvious to Thomas that Cazer intended to use the brute force of his suit to collect his son, and leave.

  “Try and stop me if you can. You’re all dead anyway,” Cazer rasped.

  Thomas, the Marine captain, knew how this would all end. Cazer would die.

  He sent the ‘fire’ code to his Marines’ implants, and they responded with a hail of fire that should have destroyed Cazer’s suit.

  Instead, the suit appeared to boil, as it absorbed and reflected most of the power of the Marines’ onslaught. The boiling sphere of fire protecting Cazer inside.

  Then the Marines stopped their onslaught of weapons fire, and Cazer beamed with pride.

  Thomas knew Cazer had used this demonstration to satisfy his own inflated ego. But he was pleased that they had stopped Cazer’s armoured suit from wiping out all his Marines.

  He also knew that Cazer had been foolhardy, he hadn’t done the logical thing.

  Cazer was jubilant. He would have the last laugh; the Humans would die in the end.

  “Your puny weapons can’t touch me. No-one can.”

  Thomas looked at the smug Crillon before him. “I’m sorry to disappoint you Cazer. But I know something that can.”

  “Rubbish,” he snarled.

  ‘Now or never,’ Thomas thought as he stepped to one side, and using his transceiver implant, ordered drone 23 to show itself.

  Then Cazer saw the drone as it shimmered and became visible.

  “You won’t use that here,” he said. “A nuke would destroy this city.”

  “That’s correct,”

  ‘Just keep talking Cazer,’ he thought as his Marines moved way back, and Drone 23’s force field enclosed around him. Now Thomas felt safe.

  “This drone has something different.”

  “No, I’ve seen these before, it has two nukes.”

  “Well, you’re wrong Cazer. By the way, did you know that Jenny, who you effectively murdered, was my best friend?”

  “So what,” Cazer said, growing in confidence. “I can have whoever I please, and you can’t stop me.”

  “That notion, Cazer, is misplaced. Look at the two tubes on the drone. What do you see?”

  ‘Stay focused on us, a little longer Cazer,’ he prayed.

  Cazer saw the nuke in the first tube. Then realised that what he was looking at in the second one, was different. It had a coil, a beam director.

  He cursed realising that his ego had made him wait too long.

  He swore again at his own stupidity, as the bluish-purple particle beam hit him, spreading his body across the park, in a million particles.

  Thomas put his hand on drone echo 23. “Thanks, old buddy,” he said, knowing Jenny’s death had been avenged.

  He tapped the comm's pad on his wrist. “We’re finished gents.”

  “Thank you, Thomas,” Frank said via drone 23. “Jenny can rest in peace now.”

  “Yes, sir. Vengeance is sweet.”

  “I assume there’s nothing left of Cazer?”

  “Not even a molecule sir.”

  “Good, return to the Argonaut.”

  “And his shuttle sir?”

  “Thomas, the Pavonisiens can have it. Just bring yourselves back to your ship.”

  “And his target?”

  “Thomas, it’s over. Just return to your ship, please.”

  “Thank you, Frank, you must feel the loss as I do?”

  “Yes, and Susanna and I both agree that justice has been done.”

  The next day. Frank, Thomas and Susanna took Jenny’s body down to DPav4 to be buried, as arranged with Bren and Acarea.

  A simple service, just outside City Marca closed the chapter on Jenny. No celebration or wake. Just respect for a fallen colleague.

  Tripicac had arrived just after Jenny’s body had been taken down to the planet. He was upset at what someone of Cazer’s standing had inflicted and waited for Frank and his party to return.

  “Hello Frank, I’m sorry I was too late to stop him.”

  “That’s all right Tripicac. Shall we just say it was destiny? After all, you came here risking your life and your ship, so it can’t all be bad.”

  “It’s still not how I expected our next meeting to be.”

  “Tripicac don’t worry. Take your battleship home,” he urged, adding. “It’s not really their fault you know. Commander Chunvic believed he was just doing a job for Cazer. So, don’t be too hard on him. Chunvic acted correctly when he found out he’d been tricked into coming here.”

  “There’ll be no punishment. The lesson has been learned I guess,” Tripicac said, sighing.

  “I’m sure it has,” Frank dryly replied.

  “We’ll be leaving in a while, Commander. I’m s
ure we’ll see each other again soon.”

  “I sure of it Commander.”

  Tripicac’s image disappeared and Commander Chunvic’s image replaced it.

  “Thank you, Captain, for your understanding.”

  “Commander Chunvic. Go home, and embrace the future.”

  “I will, sir,” he replied, then said. “Good bye sir,” and was gone.

  By the time everyone was back on their own ships, both Tripicac’s and Chunvic’s ships had left.

  Frank tapped Hector’s Icon.

  “Yes, Frank?” Hector asked as his image appeared on Frank’s screen.

  “Hector. A good day, after all, don’t you think?”

  “I do indeed.”

  “Thank your Marines for me. Well, I think I’m actually going to go to bed now.”

  “You’ve already told my Marines, Frank. Oh, and make sure you know who you’re going to bed with,” he jokingly said.

  “Yeah-yeah. Talk to you tomorrow,” Frank replied. Then tapped Hector’s icon off. Thinking. ‘I must speak to Bren and Acarea tomorrow,’ as he left for Susanna’s cabin.

  A month had passed since the four StarShips had departed for Earth to replenish stocks, and for the crews to take a well-earned rest.

  Twice during the past month, both he and Susanna had woken up feeling drained. And, each time with sore arms.

  The other thing that they had felt was strange, was that both had experienced the same dream. Two attractive girls holding something against Frank and Susanna’s arms.

  Looking back, they both remembered that this had happened before. Prior to the major meeting that had been held before leaving for Delta Pavonis.

  As he remembered, it was exactly the same, even down to the two girls. But, they had not taken very much notice of it at the time. It was just a strange dream, apart from the sore arms.

  They were now more concerned. But, seeing as there were still no rational answers, the subject had been shelved for now.

  Andromeda had studied the design and specifications for the coming generation of StarShips, which Hector had provided to Frank. It had left her feeling inadequate.

  “Frank, what will become of me when we return to Earth?”

  “Off to the scrap heap,” Frank flippantly replied.

  Then wished he had kept his mouth shut as he felt her sadness and despair seeping into his mind.

  Suddenly, he realised that he didn’t know what was going to happen to her.

  ‘Surely, they wouldn’t scrap her,’ he thought. ‘No. make her a museum piece maybe?’

  A gasp came from Andromeda.

  Frank knew she was listening to his every word and thought. ‘He could, of course, force the mind-link transceiver off. But she would still be able to hear him anyway, as, even though, his and Susanna’s mental-link had reduced. The link still hadn’t gone completely.’

  Then he realised that meant a Solveron ship was still around, somewhere.

  “Perhaps I could become a tourist ship?” Andromeda asked him, almost pleading.

  “That’s possible.”

  “Then you and Susanna and little Alex could take me for a trip, I think is the expression, yes?”

  “We could indeed. But you know I haven’t the authority to sanction any of this.”

  “Frank! You underestimate your importance to the Federation.”

  “Why?”

  “You are a…, a mediator, let’s say. You have the contacts, and a strong connection between the Earth, Crillons and Solverons, that no other person has.”

  He thought about that, feeling quite pleased.

  ‘Yes, it was true enough that he alone was the bridge, a link between them all. Yes, he would be needed to introduce the Earth’s hierarchy, to the other species. So yes, they would have to listen to him.’

  Then he thought, ‘Andromeda’s memory, could, of course, be copied and added to the ‘new ships’ memory banks.’

  But the combination of his and Andromeda’s working relationship would never be repeated, he realised.

  It seemed just perfect, just like a real human relationship. But without the physical side, obviously.

  A warmth radiated from Andromeda that was pleasing to Frank’s mind.

  Chapter 33

  Something Missed.

  Work was plentiful now on Brendereen and Acarea’s home planet, DPav4, which circled around the Delta Pavonis star, 19.9 light years from Earth.

  Five years earlier, when the big battle with an alien species called the Crillons took place, life had been hard.

  But now, StarShips and trading vessels, from Crilla, Earth and the Solveron’s planet regularly came and went. It was a magical time.

  Cazer’s off-spring was a very intelligent boy, and it was almost impossible to see the signs of his ‘Crillon’ heritage in him.

  He was good looking, 1.8 metres tall, and unlike his Crillon ancestors, he had hair on his head. But none the less, he was, in an almost undefinable way different, and wasn’t liked by his classmates. He had no close friends and spent most of his free time with his mentally disturbed mother.

  Now fourteen years old, he had only a year before he would have to leave school and make his way through life, alone.

  He had never seen his father, and he knew his father had done something wrong, evil even. But he had always hoped that his father would come back home someday, and they would then all be able to live happily together.

  He had always wanted to know more about his father, but whenever he raised the subject with his mother, the very mention of his dad sent her into an uncontrollable rage. The past week had been particularly disturbing for him. His mother had been feeling more fragile than usual and had shouted obscenities about his father, and of the pain, she’d had to endure with him.

  There was also a box in one of his mother’s cupboards that he had seen but wasn’t supposed to know about. He was very curious about the contents of the box but knew that his mother would be furious if she found out that he was aware of its existence.

  Today, however, his mother had gone to the trauma centre in the central part of the city and wouldn’t be back for at least three hours. So, he had decided that this was as good a time as any for him to be brave and finally look inside the box. If its contents told him anything at all about his father, then surely it was his right to know.

  He took the box out of his mother’s cupboard and realised that the box was slightly warm, which made him hesitate for a second. But he had to see what was inside so he carried it into his bedroom and gently moved the binding tape, making sure that he could put it back as it was.

  He carefully lifted the lid and saw two smaller boxes inside. He opened one of the boxes and saw an object covered with a cloth. He sensed the ‘object’ calling to him in his mind and hesitated for a moment.

  Then took a deep breath and cautiously pulled the cloth off exposing a green crystal that was flickering and swirling, seeming to tease his mind.

  Startled, he quickly covered it up again. Next to it he could see a small amount of a jet-black material and sheets of handwritten notes. He carefully picked up the material, which he saw was a dense black and emitted no light whatsoever, it also felt heavy for its size.

  He put it back in the box then picked up the notes. He studied them, and could see they had been written many years ago. The he saw that his father Cazer had signed them. They were his father’s thoughts about the crystal and the jet-black material.

  A passage in his father’s notes stuck in his mind.

  If a warp crystal is found to have an impurity when fully grown, such as a small amount of this new material.

  A material, which, by the way, I think is the basis for Anti-Gravity.

  Might it enable a person to travel back in time?

  Of course, you could only go backwards initially because to go forward in time the crystal would have had to have been somewhere that had already existed.

  I believe that this material will make time trave
l possible. So, during their growth, I have specifically programmed the crystals for a destination point in time that will be critical to the human’s space programme.

  Thus, allowing me to use one of the crystals to go back and alter the human’s course of history. Then, the Crillons will reign supreme.

  As for aging. I believe, contrary to logic, that I will age going back through time. But, hopefully, revert to my original age on return.

  He thought long and hard. Then suddenly, he knew what he was going to do, and where his destiny lay.

  Chapter 34

  The Birth of the Space Navy

  Earth 2305

  A Covert Meeting

  Earth’s Space Navy, which currently consisted of just one Space-Station, three old patrol ships, four tugs and eleven shuttles, had been made virtually redundant ever since the Earth Federation had banned all military organizations from operating in Space. Entrusting the task of exploration and scientific space research instead, to their fully funded Space Federation.

  However, it had now become apparent that the Crillons were not entirely to be trusted yet. While the Solveron’s who were more advanced, had not made their allegiances clear. So, the Earth Federation had been obliged to reverse their decision to restrict their Military’s presence in space. A decision, that had originally been made based on the assumption that the Space Federation would fully cover Earth's security.

  Measures had finally been put into place to implement the decision, and in the process vastly improve the Navy’s power and strategic facilities. These actions included agreement on a Naval system of ranking for all personnel on new ships.