Chronicles of Navigator: The Homecoming

By CE Stewart

This work chronicles of flights of the starship Navigator and the life and times of the alien’s adopted human, Lt. Ben Johnson. A World War II pilot, Johnson is intercepted by a starship in 1945 while he is was flying over the north Pacific.

After a short introduction to the alien society, Johnson opts to remain with Navigator’s crew. Eventually he is trained and travels through time and the universe with his new friends. He even finds love and starts a family.

The adventures found in this book might challenge people to think beyond their every-day lives. This book has its evil characters, but in the end, good triumphs. Be sure to read the second in this series, “Earth Again.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: CE Stewart
• Release date: Dec 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781604145144

CE Stewart

CE Stewart was born in 1925. Upon retirement, he and his wife traveled in a fifth wheel trailer for five years. It was here that he began to write.His first novel was “Terrorist Within.” He followed with two science fiction titles: “Chronicles of Navigator-The Homecoming” and, “Chronicles of Navigator- Earth Again.” He has just completed “The Clock.” He loves science fiction and life.

Book preview

CHRONICLES OF NAVIGATOR

The Homcoming

CE Stewart

Smashwords ebook edition published by Fideli Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2011, C E Stewart

All rights reserved

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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ISBN: 978-1-60414-514-4

The Prelude:

A young aviator, Lt. Ben Johnson, in World War II is saved by an alien space ship in the North Atlantic, after his plane had developed a fuel leak. His story is of an adventure that the author would like to experience.

I dedicate this book to the unselfish devotion of people who try to help the Earth survive our careless handling of her resources. Let’s look into the mirror of our souls and act before its too late! I remain C E Stewart, the author.

Data

The planet Zirus is the largest of the 12 planets in the Zen Galaxy, which is several light years from Earth. The planet is 50 percent larger than Earth and rotates on a 36-hour basis. The other planets in the galazy are smaller, some the size of Earth and others smaller. They have a sun that’s twice the size of Earth’s. It seems to be stable and of the same composition as other suns. This is the home planet of the crew of the scarcruiser Navigator.

Specifications for Navigator: Displacement is five miles in diameter, one mile high, with sixteen decks. It has a 6500 personnel crew, is capable of warp speed, has cloaking devices and weapons on all decks, protective shields, heavy weapons and is capable of five-year voyages. It is the largest ship in the star fleet of planet Zirus. All ships are star cruisers, though Navigator is the largest and is the command ship of the fleet. The star cruisers carry 25-50 scout ships, which are smaller and are used for planet exploration. Huge space docks are used to service the star cruisers when they’re home.

Mariah 2, the number-two ship in the fleet, is twice the size of the scout ships. It has a shape of a half circle with the flat side as the bottom of the craft. It has been updated twice since its creation. It has great power and speed. Its outer skin can withstand extreme heat and shock, and it is capable of six months self-sustaining flight if necessary.

A Time Lab controls the time trips by made by the Ziruian ships. Its location is on at the landing zone on Zirus. This lab has a large magnetic power generator that’s used to penetrate time warps. Time flights are dangerous.

If this novel receives the attention that the author hopes, there will follow many more science-fiction adventures. I remain the dreamer of good in people and in time. Sincerely, the author, C E Stewart, now on with the story:

Chapter 1

As Lt. Ben Johnson stood on the observation deck of the cosmic space ship, he felt he was coming home. He had been gone since 1945 and it was now 1995. It had been quite an experience in those elapsed years. He had been on patrol from the aircraft carrier Enterprise in the north Pacific when it happened. He was flying at 10,000 feet, when he entered a rather dense cloud cover.

After about 15 minutes, he broke radio silence to call the carrier. All he received was static and he tried several bands with no answer. Still in the dense cloud cover, a blinding green light suddenly enveloped his cockpit. He couldn’t see his instruments, but felt the aircraft rising slowly, even though his engine had stopped running. In a short time, the green light went off and he felt no motion.

He slid his canopy back and stood up, removing his goggles. He saw that he was in a large area that resembled a hangar, with strange equipment around the perimeter. There were several saucer-shaped craft standing in a row on the far side of the hangar. They appeared to be the size of a B-29, but were of a saucer profile. There were several human figures in bright orange suits working in the area. They paid no attention to Ben.

Soon a door opened and an individual in a black flight suit and helmet approached Ben’s aircraft. It raised its right hand in a greeting gesture and Ben responded automatically, as he was awed by what he was seeing. The spaceman signaled Ben to approach and when he was about ten feet from the spaceman, it raised the visor and Ben was shocked to see that it was a human face with blond hair and blue eyes, with a big grin on its face. At this Ben said, Where am I? Once again, Ben was shocked, when the space person answered in perfect English without a trace of an accent.

"I’m Commander Ra of the space ship, Navigator, from the planet Zirus, which is far beyond this solar system. We’ve been visiting your planet for many centuries of Earth time. Please follow me and be our guest. Leave all weapons in your aircraft, as you can’t enter the airlock sensors with a weapon of any kind. You’ll be denied entrance and detained. We’ren’t a hostile people, but can defend ourselves if necessary. Ra gestured toward the airlock and they entered. Ben felt a slight tingling sensation all over, but it ceased as soon as they cleared the airlock. Ra laughed and said, You passed the test, now we can proceed.

Once inside, Ben was amazed to see islands of strange plants and trees. In the clearings, there were living quarters with streets and parks. There were clouds, sun and a blue-sky overhead. People were resting around pools and outdoor tables. There were games being played by children and young adults. Good sportsmanship and courtesy were quite evident. Ra took Ben’s arm, "Let’s go to your quarters and you can rest for a time. Then we’ll go for a tour of this ship called Navigator. They got into a machine that resembled a golf cart, but made no sound as it moved. Ra pushed some buttons, then leaned back, with no hands on the controls. He explained, It is controlled by thought and a computer. We’re highly advanced in mind control and other sciences."

Soon they arrived at what appeared to be an apartment building. The cart stopped and Ra followed by Ben went to the door. Ra handed Ben a coin shaped device, That’s your key. Just give a thought command and the door will open. Always wear it as it controls many things that you’ll use. Ben did as he was told and the door opened. Inside was a large three-room apartment that had strange looking furniture that looked homey and comfortable. Ben stood in amazement, as Ra showed him a wardrobe that had uniforms and other apparel that were his exact size.

Ben asked, How did you know my size and stock this closet so quickly?

Ra answered, We stocked this apartment and your sizes were recorded as we went through the airlock. We were also decontaminated at the same time. We must maintain a disease free environment in all areas. Rest now and I’ll contact you in three hours and we’ll dine. Ra turned and left, leaving Ben to marvel at what he had seen and heard in this brief encounter.

Ben began to explore his new quarters. He showered and was pleasantly surprised. The temperature was totally automatic and perfect. The water had a different feel. It seemed to be heavy, but felt gentle on the skin. He dried by a fan that made no noise and was hidden from sight. He went to the bed and looked at the single blanket. It was made of a strange material that he had never seen. As he lay down, the bed and blanket had warmed to his body temperature before he had touched them. Soft strange music seemed to be all over the room. He fell asleep at once, not thinking about the day’s events.

A gentle alarm woke him three hours later. He was completely rested and felt full of pep. He chose a uniform and was again impressed that it fit so perfect. It was silver in color and had a sensor on the breast. At this time, Ra’s voice came over the communicator asking if Ben was ready. Ben replied, Come in and the door opened.

Ra laughed, I didn’t have a key, but your thought opened the door, otherwise I couldn’t have entered.

Ben said, Is that the way the shower works, too?

Ra replied with his innocent smile, All the appliances are controlled by mental command. The water has been treated to be heavier and totally pure. We revere water, as it’s the key to life. We’ve observed the way that water is treated on Earth and how it’s abused. The people of Earth will regret their action in the near future. When water is gone, so is life, as we know it. You must stop fighting among yourselves, overcome greed, and respect everybody and everything. Enough for now, let’s go dine.

They entered the cart and Ra eased it out on the road and activated the computer. They went a short distance and stopped in front of a building that had no windows and just an airlock door. Ben inquired as to why there were no windows. Ra replied, "If We’d an emergency for any reason, these buildings would protect the people, as they’re self contained. This includes all buildings. We can survive for a year if Navigator loses power. All power plants have three back-up systems. In that time frame we would have repaired the problem or been rescued by another starship. Let’s go inside and dine. I’m hungry."

As they entered, a female approached and greeted them, then escorted them to a table. The soft strange music was playing in the background. It seemed to sense the volume level needed. Ben thought, How nice. Ra smiled as he had read Ben’s thoughts.

The hostess was a beautiful, auburn hair, brown eyes, tall, female. She smiled and said, Your waitress will be here shortly. Please enjoy your visit here.

Ben thought, These look like Earth people.

Ra said, They resemble earthlings, but they’re much older. Our hostess is 2,000 years old in Earth time. Ben expressed awe at that statement and Ra laughed.

At that point, a waitress appeared and asked what they would like to drink. Ben asked Ra to order, as he had no idea what the names on the menu that appeared on the tabletop were. Ra gave the waitress an order and she disappeared to fill it.

Ra said, While she’s gone, let’s study the menu. He pressed a button and another menu appeared.

Ben said, I can’t order. I know nothing about the food here. Ra laughed and pressed another button. This caused an American menu to appear. Ben said, No, I want to try your fare. Please, order for me. So, Ra punched a few keys and concentrated for a moment then settled back in his chair to enjoy the drink that the waitress had brought.

Ben tasted his drink, which was a heavy amber liquid. He was again pleased. Ra pointed out that the water had no alcohol in it, but it did have nutrients that gave instant energy and a sense of wellbeing. Ben tried the liquid again and was surprised at its heavy feel. It was slippery and was the best tasting stuff that Ben had ever had.

Ra had been reading Ben’s thoughts and remarked, As I said before, water is necessary to all planets and life forms. Nothing survives without it.

At this point, the food arrived brought by a robot that was human in its appearance. We’ve refined robotics to an art. However, we are careful that we don’t come to depend on them too much. Ra remarked. "Some societies on other worlds have been destroyed because they were taken over by robot technology. Our Society of Planets had to destroy the robots because they became warlike and threatened other planets. We don’t like violence, but it was necessary in order to stop them.

"Some other things you might like to know about us are that we don’t have a problem with overcrowding of our planets. We’re explorers and are constantly starting civilizations on new worlds. New planets are being born all the time. New galaxies are being formed and planets live and die like people. It just takes longer and we don’t know the bounds of space that are expanding at an accelerated pace.

"Our space ships travel at the speed of light, so we don’t age at that speed. This allows us to travel to distant galaxies and not age much. We’re just getting started with experiments dealing with time warp travel. This form of travel is unlimited, but can be dangerous.

Also, some of my ancestors were involved with Earth’s colonization. There are still traces of them having there. We have a problem with the war mentality of Earth’s people but hope they can solve their problems without our intervention.

And finally, we can live to be 10,000 Earth years old. When we reach that age, our brain’s electrical energy is used on our new infants. This gives them a head start and advances our technology at a faster rate. I’m about 2500 years old Earth time." Ra laughed at that statement and Ben did, too.

The food had arrived, but it didn’t resemble Earth meals. It was attractive, but Ben tried just a small bite and was pleasantly surprised, as it was good. There were several kinds of food on his plate and he tried them all, thoroughly cleaning his plate. The pretty waitress asked if he wanted another helping and he replied in the affirmative. She brought more plates and drinks.

Ra said, Don’t worry about gaining weight. The table will monitor you and adjust the diet to fit your needs. So, enjoy, my friend! When you came through the airlock sensors, they programmed your body’s needs. We have no sickness, unless contaminated by an alien culture. If we get sick, we can be cured in a matter of minutes. We have a superb medical system. Our scientists say that we can’t extend our life span at this time due to the time factors. This ties into the time warp experiments. It may extend our lives in the future. Only time will tell. Ra smiled at his joke.

Chapter 2

They left the restaurant and got into the cart again. They traveled a short distance and came to a building without windows. Ra said, "We’ll use another form of transportation. The cart can’t travel to the other decks fast enough. Navigator is much too large to use the cart. We’ll now use a physical teleporter system. Come and do as I do, as I don’t want to lose contact with you at this point." They entered a framework of glistening metal that housed four round discs and a round probe in the center glowing red. They stood on two of the discs and Ra pressed a button on his tunic Ben felt a strange sensation and the next instant they were standing in a huge control room. There were circular windows all around and several people were at the consoles. He noted with surprise, that about half of them were female. Everyone smiled and said a greeting as Ra and Ben passed by their station. Ben felt a friendly glow that was genuine from the crew. Everyone was relaxed at the duty station.

In the center of the deck was a column that appeared to be glass. Ben could see red vapor rising at a steady rate and disappearing in the dome at the top of the column. It must be circulating Ben thought. Ra said, "Yes, that’s the plasma drive system. We’re cruising at about 100,000 miles per hour. We’ren’t on station at this time. We don’t use miles per hour as a definition of speed. We use 1-100 marks to measure our speed. 100 marks, is the speed of light. We’re at 1 mark right now. Exceeding the speed of light will make time stand still. There are many dangers of this time barrier and we are just starting experiments in that field. We’ll go with care in this field. I’ll not go into an explanation of the plasma drive system at this time as it’s too involved for our time that we have left today.

"We’re also capable of assuming invisible status of our ship. This is good when we enter the air space of another planet. It avoids frightening other civilizations when they see our ship. Our ship is too large to venture into air space around planets, except in an emergency. We’ve used the oceans to hide in as well as the dark side of the moon.

"Due to the size of, Navigator, we use the scout ships to explore the planets most of the time. We’ve startled a few sailing ship captains on Earth when we come up out of the water. The reason we were at 10,000 feet, when we met you was that a scout ship had crashed on an ice floe. We’d just traction beamed it up when we saw that you had problems, so we beamed you up, too. Your ship is repaired and we’ll not detain you if you wish to return to Earth."

Ben replied with fervor, I’d like to travel with you for a while, if you don’t mind.

They waved goodbye to the control deck and entered the teleporter and were transported to deck #2

They stepped out onto the deck that was a plant farm. However there was no soil. Ething was growing in tanks and lit by strange lights. There were several light green uniformed people tending controls and the plants. The plants were all strange to Ben, so he was intrigued by the details. Ra told him, Most of our food is grown on this level. It is processed on the next deck and for the most part, we are self-sustaining. When we are home, we do stock certain items that we can’t produce ourselves. In an emergency, when we are on station, we can restock from the planet we are visiting. Let’s go down to the next level.

As soon as they arrived on level #3, Ben was in awe at the equipment. There were many male and female people in bright blue uniforms at the consoles operating the food processing machines. They seemed to be using ray machines to process food.

Ra explained, "This #3 deck is connected by teleporter to restaurants and living quarter replicators. Nothing is carried or handled by manual labor in the food category. We use teleporter to a high degree. This eliminates traffic congestion. We’d many problems perfecting teleporter and are still improving it. I’ll explain this science in more detail later. We need to hurry along and go to level #4.

This is the manufacturing deck, Ra said, as they stepped off the receptor discs. There were several personnel in light gray uniforms, moving about doing their assigned tasks. There was a low hum of machinery, but no loud noise generally associated with manufacturing. We’re capable of manufacturing anything we use, including scout ships if necessary. Once again, all these decks are self-contained. As we’ve toured a great deal and I have some duties that I must perform, we’ll tour some more tomorrow. You can go back to your quarters and get some rest if you wish. Feel free to revisit any areas that we visited today. Do not visit any areas that we haven’t been to, until I set up clearances for you. Your chest sensor will admit you to areas that we visited today. It will also activate cart controls. Just use your thought control button. Rest and enjoy our hospitality.

They entered the teleporter and Ben soon found himself in his quarters. He decided that he would rest, then go eat at the restaurant that he and Ra had enjoyed so much. He was tired and decided that he wouldn’t go explore on his own. So, he showered and lay down on the bed. The soft music lulled him to sleep at once. After about an hour, he awoke refreshed, then he dressed and went outside.

There was a small park nearby and he strolled over to it. He sat on a bench by a waterfall and admired the flowers and plants. The sun was setting, but a moon came up and supplied soft light. It was beautiful and the flowers gave off a seductive scent. All the plants were strange to Ben, as he had never seen that kind of fauna on Earth. After strolling a bit, he decided that he was hungry, but he didn’t know the way to the restaurant. So, he entered the cart and studied the console.

Suddenly, the console lit up and Ra’s