Captain Dex Corrigan

by Frank Carey

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  COPYRIGHT

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Captain Dex Corrigan

  Adventures of the League Space Patrol Book 3

  By Frank Carey

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2018 by Frank Carey

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  League Tale #59

  CHAPTER ONE

  Dex laid on the ground in a crumpled heap as his assailant stood over him and gloated. "See, guys, humans break too easily, don't you Dex?"

  Dex squinted up at the biggest Goranthi male currently attending Barkesville High School. It dawned on Dex that picking a fight with this guy was a big mistake as evidenced by several broken ribs and dozens of contusions. "Memphis, you're a damn brute."

  "Still don't get it, do you Dex? We run this school, and we are tired of your refusal to admit that."

  Through a haze of pain, Dex wondered how someone who looked so much like a Neanderthal could be so damn articulate. "Why aren't you breathing hard?"

  "Why should I? Beating humans to a pulp is easier than hunting Tralaskans. Now, when you heal, you will be working for me. Your skills are valuable to an organization such as mine. Think about it." Waving to his compatriots, Memphis walked out of the gym, leaving Dex to bleed.

  ###

  "Sorry about this, but the medbed is swamped," the ER doctor said when Dex winced as she tightened the bandages around his broken ribs. "How's that?"

  "Wouldn't it just save time to kill me now?"

  "It looks like someone already tried."

  "I fell. I'm just such a klutz."

  "You fell into the fists of one or more angry Goranthi. You are a klutz."

  "One should excel at least at one thing in life."

  The door opened and a petite woman wearing an Elf Marine Expeditionary Force uniform and general's stripes walked in. The doctor, a captain, went to attention and saluted while Dex hung his head and stared at the floor. The general returned the salute. "At ease, Doctor. Give us the room, please."

  "Of course, General McMurphy," the captain said before saluting, then exiting the room.

  Dex looked up and smiled. Hey, Aunt Marta, what brings you to this part of town?"

  "It seems my crazy nephew said no to a Goranthi gang leader."

  "What Goranthi? I fell..."

  "Save it. The blood sample they took from your hand is a match to one Memphis, son of Tesslac, the head of one of the most vicious Goranthi gangs on Earth."

  "What blood sample?"

  "The one I authorized as your guardian while you parents are off-world. Since you are my nephew, this falls under military jurisdiction."

  "You do know that I am now dead," Dex said.

  "No, not really. Your Uncle Lucien contacted Tesslac and crafted a deal where Memphis enters the Space Marine Corps in lieu of a prison sentence."

  "Why would Tesslac make a deal with Uncle Lucien?"

  "Remember that book your Uncle Royce wrote about the crazy elf who saved his elfling daughter from a gangster?"

  "Yeah...?"

  "That wasn't a story. A number of seedy types, including Tesslac, are scared shitless of Lucien and with good reason."

  "Wait, what about those other books? I thought they were fiction."

  "Fiction based on fact."

  "Wow," Dex slowly got off the table.

  "Where are you going?"

  "Home. I have a physics final to study for..."

  "Stop!" Marta said as Dex nearly fell over. She caught him, then lowered him into a chair. "You just got the shit kicked out of you and you want to go study? I talked to your instructors, and they said you earned enough credits to graduate a year ago. What gives?"

  Dex closed his eyes and sighed. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself after graduation. My cousins are ship's captains, they run sports teams, hell they have kids, yet here I am, rudderless and prone to insulting Goranthi."

  "I may have an answer for you, but it will have to wait until I can get you into a medbed."

  "Unless you have one laying around, that may take a while."

  "Stay there while I make a call," she said while stepping out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with a wheelchair. "Come along, young man, our ride awaits."

  She wheeled him to a bank of elevators. Once inside a lift, she pressed the button labeled "R" for roof. Upon arrival they found a sleek, jet black transport waiting for them. On the vertical stabilizer was the Irithyl family crest while standing next to the ramp was his Aunt Jewel, a Logash.

  "Hey, Aunt Jewel," he said as Marta wheeled him into the ship.

  "Hey yourself, Dex," Jewel said as she followed them inside. Marta wheeled him aft to a room containing a medbed. Dex got inside and waited as the lid closed. Moments later he was out as the bed did its work.

  When the bed was finished with him, and after some goodbyes, Marta whisked him out of the transport and across the roof where an atmospheric shuttle sporting Cube Research Center insignia waited. A short ride later found them on the roof of a building which also sported Cube insignia.

  "This is one of several Cube facilities established on Earth," Marta explained as they rode a lift down to a basement sub-level. Waiting for them was a petite human woman with a gymnast build. "Dexter Corrigan, I would like you to meet Ciara Devlin, former Director of the Cube."

  Dex was awestruck. She was literally one of the founders of the League. "It is an honor to meet you, ma'am."

  "Likewise. Follow me to the testing facility."

  "Testing facility?" Dex asked. "My parents already had me tested. The docs said I was normal."

  "Not that kind of test," Marta said. "We're just going to test your reflexes."

  Ciara led them to a room containing a flight simulator. He gave Marta a quizzical look.

  "We just want to check your reflexes," Ciara said as a tech opened the cockpit and removed a helmet which he handed to Dex. "Now, sit down inside and put the helmet on. We'll get started as soon as the technician finishes setting you up."

  When the tech finished, he sealed the cockpit and left the room while Marta and Ciara monitored the test in the control room. "Start him out slow, then increase the difficulty level."

  "How far do you want us to go?"

  "All the way."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dex finished an hour later when the system shut down and the cockpit opened. As the tech helped him disconnect, he noticed the smell of burnt insulation. "Was there a problem?"

  The tech said nothing as he looked up at the control room.

  "Dex, up here, now!" Marta said over the intercom. Dex double-timed it up the stairs.

  "Yes, ma'am?"

  "How old are you?" she asked.

  "Seventeen, but you know that. How did I do?"

  "You broke my simulator," Ciara said.

  "I what?"

  "We took the simulator to its maxim
um setting, and you were faster. It tried to keep up, but couldn't, so it had a breakdown."

  "Is that bad?"

  "Not for us. The machine can be fixed. It's you that I'm interested in. Are you familiar with the Cube Security Patrol?"

  "Is it like what Uncle Royce described in his book?"

  "Pretty close, actually. The patrol keeps the Cube safe and helps people who get in trouble when they're in the Cube's sphere of influence. Some of the League's top pilots have worked in the patrol."

  "Sounds cool. What does that have to do with me?"

  "This simulator is the final test for anyone who wants into the patrol. Normally, it takes candidates two years to prepare for the test you just took. Oh, and no one has ever broken the machine."

  "You want me to join the patrol, don't you?”

  The two women nodded. "Do you want to take a few days to think about it?" Marta asked.

  Dex stood up straight and straightened his jacket. "No, no thinking. Where do I sign?"

  ###

  Fifteen years later...

  Captain Dexter "Stargazer" Corrigan sat in the off-base pub and read reports over a plate of fish and chips and a glass of cold Guinness Stout. His comm bleeped. "Go for Stargazer," he said as he put down a fillet.

  "Dex, this is Colonel Mendelsohn. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

  "No, sir. Just eating fish and reading reports."

  "Then I shall keep this brief. You’re being assigned a new LT. Her name is Rayna Meer and you'll meet her tomorrow bright and early at 0600 hours. I'm relaying her jacket to your comm."

  "Rayna Meer. Anything I should know about her?"

  "She's a Necrue, one of the first to join the patrol."

  "Yes, sir. We shall get along swimmingly."

  "Aren't you even going to ask if she's any good?"

  "Sir, she's a Lieutenant in the Space Patrol which makes her good."

  "Dex, you are a walking billboard for the patrol. Mendelsohn out."

  Dex chuckled. The colonel was right, he was a billboard for the patrol. Since leaving the Cube Patrol to help form Space Patrol, Dex had realized that he had finally found his calling. It took fifteen years, but it was worth it. Now he and the other First Team pilots had to fill the ranks with top pilots like Olly Wilson, Bart McSwain, and Quinn Bracken. Oddly, he found breaking in new patrol pilots to be the highlight of his day.

  A disturbance from the other side of the bar caught Dex's attention. He saw a group of individuals surrounding a trio of Goranthi Space Marines. One of the individuals was yelling. "I knew it was you Memphis. Where's my money?" he demanded.

  "What money?" Memphis asked politely.

  "That's not good," Dex said as he stood up and waived at a waitress. "Miss, could you watch my stuff and call security, please?" He then walked over to stand next to Memphis. "Hey, Buddy, it's been awhile."

  "Dex? Shit, Captain, I'd salute, but I got a situation here."

  "I can see that. Sir, may I ask what the problem is?"

  "Stay out of this, flyboy. The Goranthi owes me money."

  "How much?"

  "How much money?"

  The thug reeled off a number.

  Bart whistled. "Memphis, what the hell did you need all that money for."

  "I only borrowed a fraction of that to send to my parents. The rest is interest."

  Dex scowled at the thug, then pulled out his wallet and drew out a wad of bills which he handed to the thug. "That should cover the loan. I added a small tip to help defray costs."

  The thug looked at the wad of money and growled.

  "I can count it out for you if you want."

  The thug roared as he leapt at Dex. Moments later, the floor was littered with bodies as the three Goranthi looked on in shock. Meanwhile. Dex was holding the leader off the ground by his throat. "We'll take it from here, Captain," the security team leader said as they took the thugs into custody. "These guys have been preying on members of the armed forces for the last year."

  "I'll be filing a report with Space Marine Command, and I will make sure to file a copy with you."

  "Very good, sir," the leader said as his team carted the gang off in handcuffs.

  Dex looked over at Memphis who was gaping at him. "What?"

  "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

  "Space Patrol Flight School. How are your parents doing?"

  "They're fine now. Listen, I'll pay you back next payday. You have my word."

  "I know you will. No worries."

  "And Captain?"

  "Yes, Sergeant?"

  "Sorry about beating your ass back in high school."

  Dex laughed. "Sarge, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. I suggest you and your team report what happened here to your commanding officer and tell them I'll be sending a report over ASAP."

  "Yes, sir!" they said as they snapped to attention and saluted. Dex returned the salute before walking back to his table and his pile of reports.

  In all the commotion, he never noticed the four Necrue watching him from a corner.

  "Rayna, get a load of that human," Maddy said.

  "He's cute," Nova commented.

  "Yes, he's handsome for a human," Rayna replied. "Murph, we should have helped him."

  "Exactly when did he need help?" Murphy asked. "The fight was over in less than 30 seconds."

  "I didn't know humans could move that fast," Maddy noted.

  "He's dreamy," Nova countered.

  "We're here to celebrate Rayna's assignment as copilot for one of the founding pilots of the League Space Patrol, so let's get back to celebrating, Murph reminded them.

  "Murph is right, as always," Maddy said.

  The four returned to their celebration while Dex returned to his fish and chips and beer.

  CHAPTER THREE

  EMEF Team Four made their way through the narrow streets of Hoganville with four members against the North wall and four members against the right wall. There objective was to locate and capture the leader of an insurrectionist group who had holed-up inside one of the two buildings they were pressed up against. Leading Team Four was Captain Mikella Brachs, an Erdexi with twenty years of experience as a Space Marine. She looked at her team and saw seven, highly-trained and highly skilled Marines. She signaled a stop with a raised fist. "Conta, where's our rabbit?"

  The team's Canurran member pointed to the North, then up. "Second floor according to the scanner. Rest of the building is empty."

  "Weapons?"

  "No energy signatures," she said. This could mean the bunny was unarmed or not using an energy-based weapon.

  The captain pointed to the doorway, raised two fingers, then splayed them, signaling the team to enter and spread out in pairs. Once inside, they made their way to a pair of stair wells--four meeting at one and four at the other. They entered and headed to the second floor.

  "Hold!" Conta said while staring at the scanner. "Signal's gone."

  "What do you mean, gone?"

  "It disappeared. One minute it was there, the next it was gone."

  "That's impossible. All he has is a knife. He'd need a masker..." Mikella stopped and looked at her wrist gauntlet. "Unless he has one of ours. Shit." She tapped a control. "Squad Two, report!"

  The comm was silent.

  "Mikella scanned the floor just on the other side of the wall but read nothing. "We have to assume Squad Two is toast. Our primary objective is to secure the rabbit. Understood?"

  Three thumbs pointed to the sky appeared. "Aye, ma'am!" they replied quietly.

  Mikella nodded toward the door leading to the second floor. "Conta, point. Move out."

  Conta made her way to the door, opened it, then entered left as the captain covered her. Once she was in place and covering the area, the Captain ran right, took position, and panned her weapon around. Seeing the area clear, she signaled for the next team member to advance. Once they were inside, they cleared the floor starting at the far stairwell which they found sealed from in
side. The captain looked through the small window embedded in the door and saw four bodies and only two pulse rifles. "Our rabbit is now sporting two teeth," she said. When they came to the far end, they found a door. Taking position around it, the team waited for Conta to open it before rushing in to either side.

  "What the hell?" Brachs said as she looked around. The room was empty except for a water-filled barrel surrounded by debris in the middle of the room. The only sound was water dripping into the barrel from above.

  "Ma'am, did we miss him?" Conta asked.

  "I don't..."

  The top of the barrel exploded off as a human emerged firing two pulse rifles. In less than a second, the op was over.

  The sound of clapping filled the room as a petite human woman wearing general's insignia walked in to stand next to the man. "Bravo, Mikella. Your team was neutralized in record time!" she announced while the man stood at easy attention and watched.

  "Attenshuh!" Contra yelled! "General on the deck!"

  The four members of Team Four came to attention as the "dead" members joined them.

  "At ease!" General Marta McMurphy, EMEF retired, barked. "Captain Brachs!"

  "Ma'am!"

  "Take your team to the command tent for debriefing, then do it again!"

  "Yes, ma'am!" Brachs stopped and glared at the man. She noticed he was wearing a flight uniform. "Permission to speak freely, General!"

  "By all means, Captain."

  Brachs turned to face the man. "Just who the hell are you?"

  The man snapped to attention and saluted. "Captain Dex Corrigan, League Space Patrol, ma'am!"

  "Space Patrol?" Conta whispered.

  "Space Patrol?" Brachs demanded. "Where the hell did you learn to take out an EMEF Team, Captain?"

  Dex looked at Marta, who shrugged in reply. "Space Patrol basic training, Captain. A Space Patrol pilot doesn't just expect the unexpected. We prepare for it, ma'am."

  With a final salute, Brachs walked off with her team in tow, leaving Marta and Dex alone.

  "My sister should be proud of her offspring," Marta said as she led Dex out of the room through a rear entrance.

  "You're going to turn my head, General. How are the Ambassador and kids doing?"