Exploits to Regal

By Karl Thorn

The ISA is attacked by Czarian forces at Meira, crippling the Baseship Horizon and her support fleet. On a desperate rescue mission, Brytestar and Garrette learn that their shattered flotilla is the only remnants of a once proud fleet. They must flee the Czarian Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karl Thorn
• Release date: Jan 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311766625

Karl Thorn

Technical Support Engineer Two degrees in electronics

Book preview

Exploits to Regal

By Karl Thorn

Published by Karl Thorn at Smashwords

Copywrite 2015 Karl Thorn

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

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Exploits to Regal

Chapter One

Sir, this is the envelope I was ordered to personally hand to you. Commander Ronald Garrette said after saluting Admiral Harrington. He extended his hand toward the Admiral. Ron had baby blue eyes, a round face with straight brown hair that he combed to the side. He wore the standard blue uniform of the International Space Alliance.

Harrington returned the salute. He stood in front of a picture window with a view of the turquoise planet Miera below. He reached across his desk and took the sealed envelope. His white beard and balding forehead gave him the look of a captain from the nineteenth century. Mr. Bruggeham, the ISA Chairman, gave this to you? Harrington growled. Normally all communications were done through encoded electronic packets, transferred ship to ship. This was highly unusual.

Yes sir, Ron answered. He actually came aboard my A.C.E. right before we lifted from Earth. He wanted me to personally hand it to you.

Harrington raised a bushy brow. Is something unusual happening back home?

Ron thought of his family, but that wasn’t what Harrington asked. I can’t really say, a lot of new faces though. We were only at Earth for six months. Ron explained, Most of our time was spent refitting the Odyssey. They had just returned from a long exploration cruise with nothing to show for it, meaning they didn’t find any planets that could support life.

Admiral Harrington personally knew Ron’s father, Mark Garrette. Mark had discovered the field effect drive and had been aboard the Reagan after it was converted from an ocean going vessel during the first space war. Harrington had been its captain at the time. How are your parents doing these days? Harrington asked. It had been a long time since he had seen them.

I did not get to see them, Sir. Ron didn’t feel comfortable explaining personal things to his superior. He had taken Sue with him to their mansion in the Ozark Mountains to introduce her to his family. The maid said they had left on a sightseeing cruise of the solar system. The last email she had received indicated they were having a good trip. She didn’t know when they would be back. Ron sent his own emails, but never got a response. Only after he filed a missing persons report did he get a vague email stating they would be in the Saturn system until ship repairs were completed.

The letter didn’t sound like them. They would have asked about his first exploration adventure. His mom would have asked about Sue too, knowing they were close. The Odyssey’s scheduled departure came before he heard word back.

Harrington raised his brow. He knew how close the Garrette family was. Really, I would have thought your family would have been waiting at your docking cradle when you landed.

Well, I ended up filing a missing persons report. Ron finally admitted. Only then did I get an email stating they were in the Saturn system.

Harrington didn’t like the sound of that. Was that email was from them?

It had their email address. Ron hesitated, wondering if he should say anything further. But it didn’t sound like them.

Did you check with ISA on their whereabouts?

Yes sir. I contacted them. They had no information and promised to look into it, but I never heard back before I had to leave.

Harrington grunted and looked at the envelope. He was getting concerned now, for the ISA not to know where one of their top scientists was, seemed unlikely. The fact they sounded unconcerned was even more disturbing. Not to pry, his voice softened, but isn’t that unusual for your family not to contact you?

Yes sir.

Harrington looked between Ron and the envelope for a moment, perhaps the answer was in there. Very well, He finally said. I do hope things are well with your family, carry on.

Thank you sir, Ron saluted and left for his Armed Celestial Explorer at docking port four. Harrington immediately opened the sealed envelope. It was a hand written letter. After he finished it, he put the S.A.B.R.E. on general quarters.

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A.C.E. 01, Odyssey, Ron’s exploration ship, had arrived in the Miera system with the Reagan and a transport vessel from Earth. The Reagan had stayed on the other side of the system staging for training maneuvers. It was full of cadets straight out of the Smithsonian Space Academy. The transport and the Odyssey continued to Miera orbit. Both had docked with the Horizon, commanded by Admiral Harrington.

The Horizon was considered a S.A.B.R.E. class ship, acronym for Scientific Astronomical Base Research Explorer. It was essentially a giant base ship to support the research going on down on the planet Miera. It was the only S.A.B.R.E. made. A second had been started, but Ron didn’t know when its completion date would be. He had heard funding for it had gone down, but expected that would change if a potentially habitable planet was found.

Miera barely fit the criteria. It was the closest thing they had found so far. The planet was named after the discoverer’s wife, Miera. It was turquoise in color and had a unique plant life that thrived in a carbon dioxide and methane atmosphere. It was the only known planet aside from Earth to contain life. That life consisted of only varieties of mold like plants. Scientists were deciding the best way to use the poisonous planet or if they could even terraform it. If that was possible, they had to satisfy groups back on Earth that it would not kill the native life and explain how it would impact that life.

Ron stepped through the Horizon’s docking port and onto his ship. He passed through engineering without speaking to anyone then briefly stopped in his quarters before going on up to the control deck. They had to rendezvous with the Reagan.

He checked in the mirror. His tight fitting uniform was designed so a pressure suit could be slipped over it quickly. It also showed his wiry form well. Ron washed his face hoping to wash away any dread that may show on his face regarding his family. He then combed his brown hair and adjusted the two gold stars on the black collar of his tight fitting shirt. Ron took a deep breath and opened the hatch to his small cabin. Only the Commander had private quarters on an Armed Celestial Explorer.

The Skipper's cabin door opened into the narrow hall between the control deck and the crew quarters. The A.C.E. carried a crew of eight. Four people were on