Starship Magic 4: Extraction

by Mark Brandon Powell

  Extraction

  Foremid Saga

  Mark Brandon Powell

  Guardian Bear Publishing

  Contents

  About the Author

  Free Story

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  23. Mark One

  24. Mark Two

  Chapter 25

  26. Graven One

  Chapter 27

  28. Mark Three

  Chapter 29

  30. Graven Two

  Chapter 31

  32. Graven Three

  33. Graven Four

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Free Story

  Thanks for Reading!

  A Guardian Bear Publishing Book

  Copyright © 2016, 2017 Mark Brandon Powell

  All rights reserved.

  About the Author

  My whole life I’ve had a large imagination. When I played, with my Legos or running around outside with my friends, it wasn’t just playing. I was in a different place, I was making worlds. I would dream up stories and settings, where I would normally be the lead, or at least be looking through their eyes. Playing video games was a normalcy for the escape into some uncharted and untold world where adventure awaited, which help to fuel my own creations.

  Insomnia started to become a problem for me. This was another area that I was able to fill the space with waking dreams, praying that I would be able to get to sleep. It wasn't till I met my wife in July 2011 that I really started to contemplate what I wanted to do with my life. She was able to show me how happy I could be, just by coming into my life. So I figured that I could, and should, do that for my professional life.

  I started to read more books. I had been a visual entertainment consumer for much of my life, even though most of my gaming consisted of role playing games, of a heavily text base nature. Not having the visual feedback was a different feel. I liked it.

  It wasn’t until after reading a few self-help books and watching - of all things -‘Sister Act 2’ (the part about what you want to be) that I started contemplating what made me happy and how I might be able to turn that into a career. In August of 2012 I had a long conversation with my wife, who was supportive of the idea, and I started to write.

  My first book was finished and self-published in 2012. From there it’s all history.

  Want to find out even more about me?

  @Mbrandonpowell

  Markbrandonpowell

  www.Markbrandonpowell.com

  mark@Markbrandonpowell.com

  Don’t miss out on this exclusive free story not sold anywhere. Find out what happens to get Katrice where she is at the start of her tale. Click below or copy and paste to find out more on how to get this story for free!

  signups.markbrandonpowell.com/starshipmagic-signup

  1

  "If you're not angry, why'd the room drop twenty degrees?"

  Kat is sitting on top of the bed cross-legged giving a cold stare to Graven. One year, two days, and ten hours - give or take a few minutes - had past since they left Etchten and arrived back at the Illusion space station. Not that she was keeping track. She can't believe they are having this conversation.

  In an effort to keep in control of her frustration, she replies slowly enunciating each word, "I'm... fine..."

  Graven shifts his stance, crosses his arms and gestures with his head toward her, "The ice forming on the wall behind our bed tells me differently."

  There are times her newly found magic powers didn't improve her life. This is one of them. She is still learning to control them. Times like this, when her emotions bubble over, she emanates cold. Like a reflex she couldn't stop. The whole wearing her emotions on her sleeve isn't her thing. Sure, she might be easy to read sometimes but this is getting ridiculous.

  Her frustration comes from him being irresponsible with their money. Two jobs ago, they were finished. With Gizmo about to be paid back in full. Meaning freedom. She needed that. Desperately. She wanted to be back out on their own again, without a boss. But no, they had to do another job because money went missing. Kat might be relieved now, but she's angry at him for not talking with her about their money. As in both of theirs, not only his.

  What she would like to do is freeze him in place, encasing him in ice up to his neck for a few minutes. Long enough for the idea to form that she might not let him out.

  Instead, Kat holds herself back. "If you don't know why I'm upset, I'm not telling you."

  "Darlin, it's been a long year and a lot has happened. But were done. Lets celebrate."

  "Celebrate how?"

  "Well I got this bottle of wine a few stops back. Pricy but vintage. From a vineyard on Earth, made in the 2200's. The place was called Texas. Their selections of wines from two hundred years or older only had two choices. Which surprised me. Wine takes at least two hundred years to truly blossom in flavor, so I choose the fruity one. I know how much you like a good bottle of fruity wine and we needed something to toast with."

  True, she did like a good bottle of wine, and understands what the missing money went to. She could see Jinx's thoughts blending in with his. If he told her before she could have said no, gotten something cheaper. Sure it was a romantic gesture, but they talked about one topic for the last six months. Being free. Having to do one last job was torture to her. Why doesn't he get that.

  Kat slides off the bed, "Yes, that's wonderful, but ugh... I wish you would understand." She starts heading to the door.

  "Wait, Tink." Graven shakes his head and growls, "I mean Kat. Hold on for a second." He grabs her arm.

  "What!" She says as daggers are thrown from her eyes. Hoping real ice daggers don't come out. Well maybe one or two would be ok.

  "I'm getting better. Sifting through what are my memories and what were hers. I know it's been hard. Like me calling you Tink, Jinx's... I'm guessing you figured that out." Kat nods, and he continues, "I have these impulses, urges, reactions, and responses I still don't fully understand. I don't see how this is going to keep working." He gestures with his hand between the two of them. "I'm not the Graven you married. I'm different and you shouldn't force yourself to be with me."

  Kat pulls her arm free of his light grip, "Of course I still want you. You are my husband. For better for worse and all that. This is all about you not taking into consideration my feelings. Not our marriage."

  He crosses his arms, "Then why are you still holding Mark's coin?"

  That was a low blow. Calling back to another conversation they've already had a thousand times. Every time ending with them both agreeing Mark is too much of an unknown. And, is the only reason she still has the stupid coin. Mark's feelings for Kat were instant the moment she had the coin in her hand. A moment she doesn't remember personally but Mark recanted a few hundred times over the last year. He seems to care about her the in the way old Graven used to. New horned Graven tells her he loves her but the spark is missing. She misses the old Graven. The way he held her, kissed her, comforted her, and made her heart flutter.

  Kat lets out a sigh, "We've talked about this at length a few times alre
ady. I'm going for a walk around the ship. I need to clear my mind off all of this." As she waves her hands around in the air.

  "To him."

  The floor around Kat's feet freezes over and crawls up the wall, making a small layer of ice form on the bottom of the door as she gives Graven a stern glare. Hitting the open door button, she hears the crunch of ice stop the door. She rolls her head with her eyes letting out an audible grunt. The ice only allows the door to open a crack, but enough for her fingers to fit. She easily forces the door open breaking through the ice. Once again she was happy she had the extra strength from the cybernetics.

  Kat steps out into the hall and turns back to face Graven. His face is scrunched into a sad frown but the new horns on his head still make him appear dishonest. Another great new addition since his merger.

  ”No I didn't have any plans to go to Mark. Everyone should be asleep right now anyway, or at least in their own quarters. I want to be alone for a minute or two to cool off or warm up. You know what, to just get un-angry." She throws her hands up in the air and back to her sides. "Quit drilling me about this. I'm going for a walk."

  She watches Graven's blueish green eyes soften and turn away before she breaks eye contact. King, the Eydulan whom she inherited her powers from, never told her about the deep emotional connection with her magic that would form. If he did, he left out the part about magic filled emotional outbursts. She wishes she could talk to him. So many questions run through her mind he could answer. Like how does she control this? What can she do about Graven and Jinx now being one? If she should keep looking for that light at the end of the tunnel.

  She asks herself how did everything get to this point. Before she had to go rescue Jack and Hanna her life was starting to look up. Now, with them on the verge of being debt free, everything is about to fall apart. Again.

  Kat walks onto the bridge and Whisper says, "Took you long enough. Did you get lost on the way here? I wouldn't be surprised if you did, there is still meat between your ears you call a brain."

  Kat rolls her eyes. She can't deal with this right now. Whisper is her usual salty self but Kat doesn't have the energy for it. She remembers vaguely telling Whisper she would head to the bridge to help dock at Illusion space station. Graven had a different plan.

  Still having to deal with Whisper, Kat fills her words with as much sarcasm as she can muster, "Yes, I took time to get here. I'm dealing with a load of personal issues. Sorry for the inconvenience."

  "Well. Yes. How are things between you and the ape?"

  "Is the install still paused?"

  "Avoiding the conversation I see. Yes, but it is still creeping up every day since we got hit from that EMP on Etchten. Its at 98% and I can't stop it anymore."

  "It's from one of the black boxes right?"

  "Yes it is. Now stop avoiding my question and tell me how things are between you and Graven."

  Kat snaps back, "You know how they are."

  "I do. I don't, however, have the ability to know what you are feeling. Want to talk about it?"

  "Thanks Whisper, but no. Let me get us docked and then I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

  "You'll want to put that on hold, because you won't believe what I'm about to tell you."

  Kat is already slumped into her cockpit chair in the center of the bridge. A twinge runs through her whole spine then radiates over her whole body. Whatever Whisper is about to tell her isn't going to be good. She already knows it.

  Kat takes in a deep breath and prepares herself before asking, "What is it?"

  "Bob is calling."

  "Bob! That rat bastard. He's calling me now. Eight months. Eight months of trying to get ahold of that slippery little..." Kat sits up in the chair before saying, "Put him on."

  2

  A disheveled man, in what once was a white bathrobe, is now on the screen. His brown hair comes to his shoulders without being combed or brushed and his sharp brown eyes linger on all of Katrice's private areas. A look she has been subjected to on many an occasion.

  Bob finally speaks, "Katrice. How I've missed you. You my dear are as lovely as ever. Have you been taking better care of yourself? Your skin and hair are more radiant than I remember."

  Kat could feel the shiver she always gets when he starts to talk run up and down her spine. Like little mouse feet. He did make an interesting point that didn't get by her. Over the last year her hair has more volume and vibrance. Her skin softer. Even some old scars are almost gone. One of the few old scars left has nearly vanished.

  The first time she stowaway, she got caught. She left Earth on a beat-up and broken ship, with hiding places galore. Her captor, twice her size, stuck a knife in her. A small reminder, at any moment in space can be her last.

  Kat takes a deep breath, "Bob, where the hell have you been?"

  "Come now Katrice. You know Gizmo would have never let me use you while you were still under her beautiful watchful gaze. She and I have been at odds for years."

  "That's news to me. Plus since I contacted you from my ship, this had nothing to do with Gizmo."

  "I can not cross Gizmo. Her connections are as good as mine are, and she can cause me a great deal of stress if I ever did."

  "You are a bastard, you know that right?"

  "If that is what you want to use as my pet name by all means."

  Kat almost threw up a bit in her mouth. Having a pet name for Bob is the last thing she would ever do.

  She regains her composure, "A few jobs from you would have paid Gizmo back faster but I can't change the past. I'm pissed you don't have the balls to stand up to her. So why are you contacting me now, of all times, did you find them on your shelf?"

  Bob smiles, "Gizmo contacted me. Not directly but on your behalf. With our past dealings I was the best choice and she wanted to give you a thank you. As she eloquently put, a job waiting for you so you can line you newly freed pockets with some easy credits."

  "Bob your definition of easy is making a hot drop on a planet surrounded by ships in the middle of a battle."

  "Still sore about that one. A little over a year since then, I thought you would have forgiven me."

  "What's the job? I'm guessing Gizmo picked it."

  "She did. Gizmo has a wonderful eye for these things. A Frontier world in need of general goods. Its only a colony of a few hundred so they have been overlooked with all of the relief efforts going on. The Gluttons have been destroying everything they can."

  Glutton, meaning Foremid. The rise in attacks started to happen shortly after they got back from Etchten. Since she kicked the hornets nest, the universe is paying for her mistake. Of course the Foremid attacking everyone with upgraded magi-tech weapons would be worse. The things Mark has been able to do on the ship to their weapons and shields are near amazing. If an entire fleet of warships with high yield shields and weapons, her last year would be vastly different. A topic she didn't want to think about any further.

  Kat asks, "What planet?"

  "Planet June. Within the goldilocks zone of alpha 353 is a small rock with next to no natural resources. These Frontier settlers not only survived but have been able to live on this barren moon and thrive. At least until the Gluttons started to lay waste to anything human. The Guild, Empire, and Conglomerate are holding them back in their own territories but the Frontier is in bad shape."

  "So we drop off the goods and leave. That does sound pretty simple. I guess I can trust Gizmo's judgment on this."

  Bob raises his hands. "One more requirement."

  Kat slumps, thinking, A catch, always a catch. "What is it?"

  "The requester just so happens to be the most desired stewardess, Mistress Tia, and wants to accompany you."

  Things just went from easy to hell no. Stewardess on the outside are ambassadors. Like a pseudo fourth power and a neutral party. Any conflict they can step in and help bring the two parties to an agreement, they do. Which meant lots of sex. Because what they really are is nothing but a bunch of le
gal hookers peddling their bodies for the sake of humanity. Kat has always hated their holy than thou attitudes while using their bodies as receptacles. She never looked at them as any kind of legitimate force, and has successfully avoided them up until now and would like to keep it that way.

  Kat shakes her head, "Yea I don't want this job. I pass."

  Bob frowns, "It's already yours Kat. Gizmo accepted it for you and you don't want to mess up that S rating of yours. You are the only 100% delivery S class courier, do you?"

  Kat hates Bob. His way with words sometimes put things into perspective. She worked her ass off to get that rating over the last couple of years and would like to keep it.

  She rolls her eyes, "Fine. I guess. So where do I pick the whore and the goods up."

  "Ooo, feisty as ever I see. I'm glad you haven't lost your fire. Mistress Tia will be waiting for you at Illusion with her goods. Do please try some civility. The stewardess hold sway with every power in the universe and having one against you is a very dangerous thing. The same can be said about having one on your side."

  "Thanks for the suggestion Bob but I think I can handle this one myself however I wish. I'm not going to kowtow to some wanna be hooker who plays ambassador."

  "Remember, she doesn't play pretend, she is. Holding the ears of the most powerful people in this universe. It would be good for you to remember your place. You only have six hours till she arrives."

  "Ok Bob, thanks. I will be in contact with you as soon as I ditch the stewardess. And you had better answer this time."

  Kat cuts the connection, sitting back in the cockpit, crossing her arms. She already felt like her marriage is falling apart and now a whore is going to be on her ship. She doesn't know what to do about it. Locking Graven in their room until they finish the job is an option, but not a feasible ones. Neither does leaving him at Illusion. She'll just have to trust him. Not as if he has ever given her any reason not to. Kat doesn't trust any stewardess.