The Anzu: The Insurgents

By Mary S. Sheppard

The mission of The Anzu continues to be the exploration of space. The Milky Way is vast and even a trip to the Perseus Arm, the closest spiral in our galaxy, will take time. The Zandu have found a wormhole that will cut that time significantly. They are a highly advanced and logical race intent on teaching the other species much of what they know and most of it is reasonable. It is unfortunate not everyone thinks the same way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary S. Sheppard
• Release date: Feb 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310033575

Mary S. Sheppard

In my new series Samantha Keene, energy analyst extraordinaire, lead a pretty much run of the mill existence. There is always work, family and more work, but when she takes a vacation to the U.K. she is suddenly plunged into a different world, one filled with spies, intrigue, and romance and so the limited series starts.

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The Anzu: The Insurgents

Mary S. Sheppard

Copyright © 2016 Mary S. Sheppard

Smashwords Edition

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

You can also visit my website for more information at http://www.maryssheppard.com

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI.

NASA Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes create a composite photo of the Orion Nebula showing a ultraviolet, infrared and visible light view.

Table of Contents

The Mission and the Aliens

Chapter 1: Interspecies Relationships

Chapter 2: Interspecies Communications

Chapter 3: The Zandus

Chapter 4: Meetings

Chapter 5: Jupiter Space Station

Chapter 6: The voyage continues

Chapter 7: Pieces to the investigation

Chapter 8: Extra work

Chapter 9: The suspects

Chapter 10: Chief

Chapter 11: Too many investigations

Chapter 12: Communicating

Chapter 13: Waiting

Chapter 14: The Attack

Chapter 15: The suspects

Chapter 16: Moving On

About the Author

Other Titles

The Mission and the Aliens

The Zandu Mission Statement:

A multi-species crew will participate in the exploration of space. This includes but is not limited to planets, moons, galaxies, and space anomalies.

The spaceships: The Zandus built all the spaceships and four are configured for human crews. Each ship is divided into seven Sectors: Engineering, CCN, Security, Technical, Medical, Food Services and Science. CCN includes Command, Control, and Navigation. The Food Services Sector is where the food is created but food is dispensed through converters in many places on the ship, including the bar and the lounges. There is also the area where the crew rests and that is referred to as their quarters.

The crew: Beside humans, there are four species currently on board the ships, the Zandus, the Lolas, the Thebes and the Shapers. All are all intelligent, biped, two- armed species that breathe some mixture of air (to be adjusted individually), and can live and work with other species in close proximity.

Zandus - from planet Zolog: usually between 1.2 and 1.5 meters (4 to 5 feet) in height, their bodies are mix of organic material and energy. They are roundish in shape, and their skin is a luminescent white. They have two arms and can attach mechanical implements on the ends of those arms depending on task. They have male, female parts although they can be dominant in one or other.

Nutrition: mineral shakes once per day, can have alcohol

Examples: Chief, the captain, Dr. Nurture

Lolas - from planet Dracon: Larger than most humans, their reptilian skin can be green, blue, or purple (the color does not necessarily mean male or female). They have two large webbed feet, three eyes, two arms and two hands with five digits on each hand. As a species they work hard and usually play even harder. Lolas can be female or male.

Nutrition: eat most anything cold.

Examples: X, Z, CC, TT, DD

Shapers - from planet Forom: Adults range between 1.5 and 1.9 meters. In their natural shape they have two eyes, two arms, and two hands with four digits each. They can change their shape, but there is a limitation on how much they can change. So an additional arm or eye could be formed, but it would not work like the others. On the ship they usually show themselves as a mix of Lola and human. Their species has females and males.

Nutrition: energy pellets twice per day.

Examples: Jamous (Jamez), Denabulus (aka Denab)

Thesbes - from planet Thesbeen: This is an all female species and is usually taller than 1.7 meters (5 foot 8). Their slender bodies have 2 arms and 2 hands with four digits each. Their faces have delicate features, two large round eyes, which come in various colors, and mostly have long wavy hair. They can read the auras of many species, including humans and Lolas, and determine truth from untruth. They need to sleep more than other species on board, preferring ten to twelve hours. All Thesbes are usually the experts in the field they work in. There are seven Thesbes on board the Anzu.

Nutrition: grains and seeds five times per day.

Examples: Hazel, Tania, Rhoda, Kaci

Chapter 1: Interspecies Relationships

Three months had passed since they had left Alumina 2, or Crystallium, as it was now known, and things had returned to the routine that Alec had come to know in his year on board the Anzu. Well, things weren’t quite the same; Cate would be leaving soon and as expected, Jamez was not taking it well.

Come on Jamez, concentrate, said Alec. I’m getting tired of repeating myself. They were trying to balance the engines.

I’m sorry, but too much is happening and I just can’t think of work. Maybe I should go with her, said Jamez.

Go with Cate? That’s not a good idea. She is going to officer training and what are you supposed to do while she takes classes?

Well she probably has an apartment and I can wait for her there. Everyday when she finishes her lessons, I’ll be waiting for her.

It almost sounded like a stalker and Alec wondered how independent Cate would take it. Poor Jamez, who was to know that shape shifters would be so sensitive? Have you even asked her about it?

I did. She said I should stay here.

There you go. You should stay here.

I think she said it because she knows I like it here and she doesn’t want me to quit my job for her.

That’s a very good reason. You don’t want to do something rash and quit your job.

When you’re in love, doing something rash is okay. I read that in some human book.

You have to be careful what you read. I think you should wait for her on the Anzu. This is what she wants and when she finishes her training, she’ll know where to find you. It is only six months, think about that.

You’re right, six months is not that long to wait. We can decide our future then.

Yes, and there will be less pressure on both of you once she’s an officer.

I know she wants that very much.

Alec knew that to be true. Well, I can promise you that if you don’t help me finish this, you will not have a future here.

Jamez laughed. Thanks Alec.

They took the readings and made the minor adjustments to optimize the ten engines. It was an easy task when both of them worked on it.

Alec had seen Jamez up and down emotionally ever since he fell in love with Cate and in his experience, not all Shapers were like that. Denab, his other Shaper friend rarely let his emotions show.

Hey Alec, I was worried about going to Cate’s party but now I think I can handle it. You will be there, right? asked Jamez.

Of course, said Alec.