The Lost Space Station

By Ted Stetson

Andy's father is drafted and the truancy police are after him. Andy must find a way off this world and back to his mother on a different planet. He lucks into a job on a space freighter, only to discover there was a reason there was a sudden jog opening. When the ships gets attacked by pirates Andy gets trapped in an Escape Pod. The escape pod gets ejected from the freighter and Andy finds himself in more trouble. In the distance he sees a space station, but as Andy's father might have said, he went from the frying pan into the fire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ted Stetson
• Release date: Dec 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310283376

Ted Stetson

Ted Stetson is a member of SFWA. He was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island and went to Seton Hall and Hofstra. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas. He was awarded First Place by the Florida Literary Arts Council and First Place in the Lucy B. McIntire contest of the Poetry Society of Georgia. His short fiction has appeared in Twisted Tongue, MysteryAuthors.com, Future Orbits, State Street Review, and the anthologies; One Evening a Year, Mota: Truth, Ruins Extraterrestrial Terra, Ruins Terra and Barren Worlds. His books include: Night Beasts, The Computer Song Book.

Book preview

The Lost Space Station

by T. W. Stetson

Published by Three Door Publishing

Copyright © 2015 Ted Stetson

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Cover art by David Cowan and Thad Zajdowicz

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For Gail.

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Contents

Chapter 1- Drafted

Chapter 2 - On the Run

Chapter 3 – Blue Lady

Chapter 4 - Job

Chapter 5 – Redoubt

Chapter 6 – Guns

Chapter 7 – Rabbit

Chapter 8 – Failsafe

Chapter 9 – Pirates

Chapter 10 – A.I.

Chapter 11 – Calculations

Chapter 12 – Wagon Wheel

Chapter 13 – Antenna

Chapter 14 – Round Hallway

Chapter 15 – Mummified

Chapter 16 – They’re Coming

Chapter 17 – Columns

Chapter 18 – Trapped

Chapter 19 – Vent

Chapter 20 – Locked

Chapter 21 – The Professor

Chapter 22 – Chased

Chapter 23 – Fire

Chapter 24 – The Hub

Chapter 25 – Lockup

Chapter 26 – Lasers

Chapter 27 – Little Things

About the Author

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Chapter 1 – Drafted

Andy Johnson walked into his apartment and the phone started ringing. He dropped his backpack on the floor and ran to the wall and loudly said, Hello! His phone module had a bug and had to be shouted at.

Hello! he shouted again.

Andy, this is Dad.

Hey Dad, when you coming home?

Can't. I've been drafted.

WHAT?! Is this a joke like Kenny played on his father?

Out the sliding glass patio doors the small yellow sun was setting behind the jagged red mountains. Phern's three gray moons hung in the blue sky like a painting. Gray clouds like cannon balls drifted across the horizon. A storm was coming across the Emerald Sea.

Listen, I haven't got much time. The shore patrol will only allow me one quick call.

Shore patrol, what's the matter?

Stop interrupting so I can explain. Space Fleet told the Phern Government they had to contribute more people to the fleet to stay in the charter. They're having trouble with space pirates in this sector. Since we're new arrivals they drafted me.

Drafted you? You're too old.

I'm not that old.

Why don't they take me too? I'm—

You're too young. I wouldn't let them take you if they tried.

Dad, this isn't funny.

Listen to me. It's not a joke. I'm calling from the transport, only got a minute.

Andy's whole world had been snatched from under him. A hollow feeling filled his gut. His mother and sister were light years away in another solar system and it was only him and his dad on this planet. He didn't feel so good.

Don't worry; I've taken care of everything. The bank will give you money to buy a ticket to Tara.

Back to mom? Wasn't Mom supposed to come here as soon as we could pay the fare?

I sent her a message that you're coming. She says to have a good trip.

Mom already knows about it?

I tried to reach you at school. They couldn't find you.

School? Andy shook his head. Boy, did he want to tell his dad about the school. Things were different here. These kids were so . . . different.

First thing tomorrow, go to the bank and get the credit slip and buy a ticket on the first spaceship out. You can't go luxury, but you can have your own cabin. I know you've never done anything like this and it's quite a big step, but I have faith in you.

Who should I speak to at the bank?

Mrs. Smerlick, the blue-skinned Phern woman who always smiles at us.

What about . . . our stuff? Andy looked around at the white porcelain china from Tara and the redwood lamps from his grandparents on Earth, the gray Brox leather sofa and reclining chair bought here.

I've made arrangements to put in it storage till I'm discharged. The movers are coming tomorrow afternoon, so you have to transport out tomorrow.

Why can't I stay here and wait for you?

Son, his father sounded tired and at his wit's end, you have to go.

I won’t get in trouble.

I didn’t say that, but on this world we're strangers. We haven't had time to make friends, to learn our way around.

Dad?

Yes, son.

Where are you going?

"It's all hush-hush, but the rumor is we're going to be stationed nearby patrolling for pirates.

Maybe you could come home weekends and I wouldn’t have to go.

Son, they find you living alone and they'll put you in foster care. You don't want that.

The kids at school say it worse than jail.

It can’t be that bad.

Real nice, I get thrown in jail and you get to play Clint Eastwood (his father’s favorite movie star, he’d seen all his movies several times) around the galaxy.

I wish. I'm not resourceful like you; I'll probably be on some stupid detail.

Andy didn't know what to say. He plopped down on the sofa. On the shelf above the vid screen was a photo of Mom and his little sister standing on a pink beach on Tara.

Why are the pirates our problem?

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. We don't have any choice in the matter.

Andy had a bad feeling in his stomach, but he could tell how worried his father was and said, Don't worry, I'll be okay.

Be sure to book passage tomorrow, you don't want to be picked up as a vagrant. With me gone, no telling what the police will do. Probably put you in truant school.

That's worse than foster care.

First thing in the morning go to the bank; see the blue woman, Mrs. Smerlick. She'll give you a ticket and money for passage.

Gotcha.

And, Son?

Yeah.

I love you.

Love you too, Dad. Tears welled up in Andy's eyes.

The phone went dead.

Andy stared at the phone module. Dad . . . bye.

Just then someone pressed the doorbell. The doorbell was an annoying buzzer that made him jump.

Security view, Andy said and the phone module vid screen showed two men standing in the hall. He was about to dismiss them as nothing to worry about when he saw the bright yellow juvenile hall patch on their sleeves.

Ut uh.

They only sent J.D. police to you if they were going to put you into juvenile jail. Why would they do that do him? The answer came to mind quickly. He was a juvenile on his own; his parents were not here, not even on this planet.

How could things get so bad so quickly?

Now they knocked on the door as if they were impatient and not in a good mood. They looked like they'd drag him behind their police vehicle all the way down to juvenile hall. If they took him into custody they wouldn't let him get on a ship. They wouldn't go through all that paperwork then turn around and release him the next day. Civics class told him how screwed up the system was.

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Chapter 2 – On the Run

They knocked again. One of them stepped back like he was going to kick the door open. The other one gave him a look; Andy didn't have much time left.

Be right there! Andy called.

He looked around the small apartment. They had just arrived from Tara. The company his father worked for had transferred him to a better-paying job. He was going to send for Andy's mom and his little sister in a few months.

On the shelf were half a dozen models. Andy was very good at making miniature spaceships. Next to them was a small trophy for getting to level ten in the Survivor Game at the arcade on Tara, but this apartment, this strange world, still didn't feel like home.

He grabbed his gym bag from the bottom of his backpack and went to the door. He figured if they weren't for him he'd be cool, but if they were, well, he won't let them get him. He put the gym bag behind the door.

He tried to calm his shaking and opened the door.

They scowled down at him and went to speak, but he held up his hand. He said over his shoulder, Andy two guys here to see you. Then he smiled at them like he didn't have a care in the world.

Andrew Johnson? the big dumb looking one said to him.

Andy motioned down the hall where the bedrooms were.

The smaller one stepped into the apartment and called, Andrew Johnson, we want to speak to you.

Andy smiled at the other one and said, Bye, and stepped past him into the hall. His heart was thumping in his chest, he knew any moment the guy would reach out and grab him, but he made it one step past him, then another step.

Andrew Johnson, the guy that went into the apartment called again.

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The skinny cop looked at his police tablet. On it was the warrant for Andrew Johnson from Earth. They were supposed to apprehend him and take him to an overnight foster home so that tomorrow he could be placed onboard a spaceship for Tara. But there was no