The Planet Builders

By Danny Ball

★★★★★ "An absolutely insane SCI FI novel. Never will you find a more cutting satirical 'take-down' of the genre than this!" -Carlos Pratt

Join our hero, Captain Dirk White, as he endeavors to build the perfect planet, against all odds! They said it could never be done, and he’s out to prove them wrong, and just maybe find true love along the way; in this thrilling new sci-fi novel with more twists and turns than the inside of a black hole!

Meet an eccentric cast of characters such as Skyblue the beautiful scientist girl; Clowny, a troubled helljuice addict with a checkered past; and Finford, a dolphin accountant who may be more than meets the eye!

“You will certainly feel the “pull” of gravity in this heart-pounding new action-packed novel, as our hero battles forces both external and internal. “

A hair-raising romp through the far-flung future of 5052 where galactic civilization has perfected a perfect libertarian society where planets are custom designed to achieve individual freedom and harmony! But a threat looms! Can our hero find the evil source of bureaucratic "red-tape" that is strangling our Utopian universe? Or will he be too late and the flame of liberty be "snuffed out"?

“Disaster strikes! Construction is behind schedule and the utopian planet’s molten core has gone ‘haywire’. Will true love and a dedication to libertarian ideals be enough to save our heros? Will Dirk build the prefect libertarian planet? Or will the hordes of regulatory agents send him into an ‘eccentric orbit’ of doom?”

Read more to find out in this new, humorous science fiction universe by acclaimed author Danny Ball. It’s funny, it’s poignant, and it just might make you think.

★★★★★ “Excellent and fun read and worth every cent and probably even $3.00 more even! Look forward to seeing more from the author” -Ryan Choder

★★★★★ “I really must admit the fact that it was a phenomenal book with a unique story-line and it was definitely a page turner” -Utkarsh Umang

★★★★★ “This book is just as the description describes it.” -Noel Mohamed

★☆☆☆☆ “DO NOT BUY, Book is racists against dolphins AND accountants.” -Crazy Reader

• Language: English
• Publisher: Danny Ball
• Release date: Oct 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370824724

Danny Ball

Danny “Kershaw” Ball is a professional freelance futurist and lifelong open-source software advocate. He has written over a dozen speculative fiction novels and has authored thousands of edits to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. He currently resides in Florida with three very opinionated cats.

Book preview

Table of Contents

1 – IN THE BEGINNING

2 – A HIDDEN MENACE

3 – TROUBLE IN PARADISE

4 – 5TH ANNUAL MARY LUE 5K RUN FOR LIFE

5 – CRISIS AMID THE STARS

6 - AFTERMATH

7 – A SENSUOUS MASSAGE

8 – TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

9 – THE SABER’S RATTLE

10 – MURMURING IN THE RANKS!

11 – SUSPICIONS AMOK

12 – STRANGER THAN FICTION

13 – AWASH IN FEAR

14 – DIRK’S DISMAY!

15 – ONE BAD APPLE

16 – A RISKY GAMBIT

17 – THE WINDS OF FATE

18 – DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN

19 – COUNTDOWN TO DESTINY

20 – RIDE THE LIGHTNING

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Planet Builders

By Danny ‘Kershaw’ Ball

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2017 Danny ‘Kershaw’ Ball

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 or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

WWW.DANNYKBALL/WORDPRESS.COM

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1 – IN THE BEGINNING

"You can embrace a new perspective; a fresh look at the future and all the wonderful possibilities it holds."

-Early 21st century computer pioneer Linus Tovalds

* * *

The year is 5057. Following the devastating techno-wars of the 31st century, the bloated governments of old Earth have been swept away. From the ashes of civilization, a new Anarcho-Capitalist society was created. Unshackled from the restrictive bonds of oppressive government oversight, gleaming mega corporations have ushered in a new era of prosperity and freedom, rebuilding civilization overnight and improving it beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Unlocking the secrets of clean coal has provided mankind with unlimited free energy, and the discovery of the Mega-Drive has made travel between planets as easy as hopping on an airplane. Humanity has become so numerous and prosperous that new planets must be created all the time to hold the constantly growing population. New planets are built by Planetary Constructors; massive ships the size of very large towns. The leaders of these behemoths are called...

Captains.

* * *

Dirk White, Captain of Planetary Constructor PC-160, affectionately dubbed the Mary Lue, flexed the powerful tendons and muscles of his hands which were resting on the captain chair armrests. It was important to stay fit in space because it was dangerous work and Dirk had a lot of responsibility. He used moments like these to perform subtle yet effective exercises which strengthened his entire body.

The Mary Lue was the lead ship of the biggest planet building company in the universe: PlanetCorp. It was the best and most successful company because it allowed its captains to operate mostly free from restrictive bureaucracy and use their judgment to run a tight ship and get the job done. Dirk was their best captain and he’d never been late to build a planet and he wasn’t going to start today!

Full speed ahead! Dirk shouted to the crew of his ship and slammed a muscular forearm down onto a control panel. A nanorobotic arm extended out of his the armrest and picked up a cup of cyffee, that was sitting on the small table next to the captain’s sofa. It lifted the mug to his lips and he took a hearty quaff. The taste was like old style coffee but much more complex.

Time to get down to the Juicy Goosey, thought Dirk. He didn’t mention where he was going aloud because he had a secret reason for going and didn’t want to be followed by the many members of his crew who would love to have a drink with him. A pouch full of space rubies was hidden in his pocket. He wasn’t proud of what he would have to do next but he was proud that doing it would mean his crew could finally do its job!

* * *

Finford the dolphin accountant was waiting for Dirk when he stepped out of the command center. Hard as it may be for people in the present to believe by the time the future rolls around scientists have invented a special kind of juice which makes dolphins capable of human speech. They also invented hovering water spacesuits which allowed dolphins to breathe on land and float through the space as if they were swimming in it. They didn’t have to invent anything to make dolphins as smart as humans because it turns out they were already almost but not quite as smart as the average human; making them ideal for contractor work.

Finford was a human being who exclusively represented the space dolphins working on the ship in matters of accounting; making him a dolphin accountant, another way to put it would be to say an accountant to dolphins. He was also a nerdy dweeb and Dirk did not like him much.

Dirk rolled his eyes. This was probably about the space-rubies he’d skimmed off the top of the dolphin daycare fund.

Excuse me sir, said Dirk in a professional tone of voice as he looked at Finford the Dolphin Accountant with his steely blue eyes. The blue eyes of Dirk, not the blue eyes of Finford. Steely was a term that people often used to describe Dirk, not just his eyes, but also his constitution. Because he was tough as steel. Which was somewhat of an anachronism because steel had fallen out of use many many years ago because now in the future instead of steel, people use nano-steel.

Dirk, said Finford in his combination nasally and electronically augmented pitch. I would like to discuss with you the, as it were--

Dirk didn’t hear the rest of what he had to say, because he was already ducking into one of the emergency tubes located all over his ship. They provided easy access to anywhere in the craft should the power be compromised or the annoying bureaucrat’s bitch-boys were standing guard inside the regular Esca-elevators. With nimble footwork and the aid of some anti-grav fields, Dirk quickly made his way down to the commercial deck; handily avoiding Finford’s cronies who would never be able to find him once he reached the crowded shopping zone.

A shopping zone, on board a spacecraft? you might ask, incredulously. Yes. A shopping zone inside a spacecraft. Dirk’s spaceship helps build planets which necessitates it being very big to carry all the planet building gear and raw materials. It had a commercial zone and a residential zone and an industrial zone.

The Mary Lue was a cylinder shape, three miles long and a mile in diameter. The front end was covered in giant arms and cranes and shovels for putting planets together, the back end had rockets on it. The middle parts were where everyone lived. There was a tower on top where the command center was. There was a pin-up girl space-brushed on the side under the front viewport of the Command Center with the words Mary Lue in cartoony cursive beneath it.

There were over a million crew on board so in addition to a shopping mall and movie theaters there were also swimming pools, circuses, grocery stores, internet humor message boards and adults only entertainments because half a million construction workers need someplace to get rowdy (the other half were women who statistics have proven are not patrons of adult venues).

Dirk’s favorite bar was the Juicy Goosey. It was kind of seedy, not the place you’d expect a ship’s captain to go, but Dirk wasn’t like other ships’ captains. He liked to think of himself as part of the crew because he was a real down to earth fella as he might have been called in the days before space travel.

The Juicy Goosey was hopping as usual when Dirk got there.

Hello there, Dirk, Dirk’s favorite waitress greeted him when he walked in the door. Your usual table? she winked.

Of course! Dirk answered, eyeballing her cleavage, which was okay because by the year 5057 sexism had been destroyed and everyone knew that when you eyeballed another person’s body it was because you respected them enough to be honest about your attraction.

The waitress eyeballed Dirk’s muscles which were big because in spite of being in management he wasn’t shy about getting his hands dirty and doing real work with the guys.

The waitress took Dirk to his table and winked at him several more times before hover skating off to fetch his drink.

Dirk settled into his booth which was in a secluded corner in the back of the bar. The nano-rubberite upholstery altered its shape to fit his body making it extremely comfortable.

Do you have the space-rubies? asked a gruff voice from the booth behind Dirk.

I do, answered Dirk. He casually dropped a bag of space rubies; each one as precious as a nano-diamond, on the floor next to his seat.

I hope there weren’t any problems with our paperwork at the Board of Galactic Permits and Planning, said Dirk.

The mysterious person behind him casually scooped the rubies off the ground and examined the contents.

No problems at all, said the mysterious person. In fact, your approvals just came through.

The shadowy figure coughed to cover up the sound of a nanochip microcase dropping to the deck. Dirk dropped his fork on purpose so that when he bent down to pick it up, he could also pick up the microcase.

The whole exchange was so casual that anybody watching would have mistaken it for an accident; even if they were using advanced nano-computer algorithms to analyze the movements.

Dirk opened the case and pulled out a nanochip. The chip said construction permits on it.

Dirk sighed. He hated having to embezzle rubies from the Dolphin Daycare fund so that he could use them to bribe crooked members of the Board of Galactic Permits and Planning but it was a sad necessity. The BGPP was notoriously corrupt and planet builder captains that didn’t play ball often found that their forms were lost or tied up in red tape for months or even years.

Dirk knew they couldn’t waste any time doing things by the e-book as the old-timey phrase went. This planet needed to get built and fast because it was going to be the new home for millions of sad orphans. If that meant that a few Dolphin calves had to play with broken toys for a few weeks then it was a choice he was willing to make. He hated how these regulations had crept into the once free and cavalier profession of planet construction.

It made Dirk mad. Things hadn’t been like this when he was starting out as a young and idealistic space captain (Dirk had been the youngest Planetary Constructor captain in history at the age of 18.) The fiery spirit of that young Dirk was still alive; he turned around to give the crooked bureaucrat a piece of his mind but the shadowy figure was already gone!

Here’s your drink! said the chipper waitress, returning to the table with a tall glass of synthoholic beer.

I’m not thirsty, said Dirk, broodingly. He was thinking about how much he didn’t like having to bend the law to do the right thing.

The waitress cocked her head to one side with a curious expression. She didn’t understand the burdens of command. How could she? She sighed and ran her fingertips over the swelling tops of her bosoms because she was a sensual and empowered woman in charge of her own destiny.

Maybe I can change your mind? she murmured to him, knowing that it was okay for her as a woman to express interest in a man. But Dirk just sat there, brooding.

* * *

On the other side of the bar, Clarkson sat enjoying a glass of the ‘ol hair of the dog with his second best friend, Clowny Clurk. The odd-looking pair sat down to eat breakfast before their shift at the Interplanetary Spacelanes ticket counter. The Juicy Goosey was famous for its Hungry Lumberjack breakfast platter and the two friends never missed it.

Clarkson was tall and thin, but his wiry body was deceptively well-toned. He wore a dashing trilby and suspenders. His well-kempt beard was neatly trimmed, and he kept a nanovaping-pipe in his breast pocket for easy access. All in all he was the image of class, something that was sadly lacking in many of his generation.

Clowny sat across from him. The silly-looking little man was so short that his feet didn’t reach the floor, and his stubby arms looked childlike reaching over to manipulate the controls for the electronic menu screen set in the center of the table. He was in this grotesque physical condition because he abused the street drug known as helium pills, which were known to cause dwarfism.

Hey, Clarky, said Clowny, using his friendly nickname for Clarkson, Isn’t that your best friend, Captain Dirk White, over there at the other end of the bar?

Clarkson had to twist in his seat to see because he hadn’t been positioned very well to see the part of the bar where Dirk sat. The nano-rubberite of the seat kept trying to alter its shape to cushion him, but all it ended up doing was making Clarkson stuck.

Boy Clarky, sit much? japed Clowny.

This is no time for your jokes, Clowny, said Clarkson. I’m trying to catch a glimpse of my good friend, Dirk!

Clarkson finally gave up and reached over to the console in the middle of the table where he keyed the deactivation sequence to the nano-rubberite. The cushion behind him went limp and he was finally able to turn around enough to see Dirk.

It is Dirk! said Clarkson, turning back around to face Clowny.

I thought so, said Clowny. Say, how did a regular working guy like you become friends with the captain of this whole spaceship anyway?

Ah, my little friend, that’s a very interesting story- started Clarkson. He stopped in mid sentence when he noticed that a nearby woman had taken a nanotronic-cigarette out of her purse.

Excuse me for a moment! said Clarkson, leaping to his feet. Like magic he produced a remote electronic primer from his pocket and in one fluid motion positioned it beneath the lady’s nanovaping stick the same way a gentleman might have lit a lady’s cigarette in the romantic days of the Twentieth Century before cigarette hysteria all but wiped out the noble pastime once called the sport of kings.

May I? he asked.

* * *

2 – A HIDDEN MENACE

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the quadra-moon, and the truth"

-Ancient Moonalias X proverb

* * *

The shadowy member of the Board of Galactic Permits and Planning (GBPP) slunk away from the Juicy Goosey and out into the darkened commercial zone. It was still artificial nighttime on board the ship, so most of the lights were turned off.

Even though it was dark, he kept the collar on his trench coat turned up high and kept a low profile beneath his wide-brimmed fedora. The rim of his fedora was lined with shadow casters that projected dark shadows on his face. Even in the glare of one of the hovering street-globes his face was still completely hidden.

The crooked GBPP bureaucrat was named Zane. Zane took a nano-GPS mapping unit out of one of his pockets and input the secret location code he’d been given. The nano-GPS queued up a path randomization protocol generating a completely random route to his destination. Following its directions he ducked down an alleyway; taking a left, then a right, then another right and then finally a left. He went up a flight of stairs and crossed a deserted skate park whose only occupants were a clump of cool kids who had gotten up early to use drugs and say swear words. One of the kids, a stupid punk named Laramie Winston, who had a nanocircuit tattoo on his face and an electrostatic nose piercing, called out to the GBPP crook.

Hey dweeblord!

Laramie was crushed when he saw that the shadowy man didn’t pay him any attention, which was really all he craved.

Zane took another right, into a blind alley followed by a succession of three lefts, another right, double back, down two flights of stairs to a lower deck and then through an access hatch. The route to the GBPP agent’s secret meeting place was made complex, to foil any predictive algorithms that might be used to determine its destination. Any computer trying to analyze Zane’s path would burn out its nano-circuitry after only a few minutes analyzing his completely unpredictable movements.

Zane finally reached the secret place where he’d arranged to have a meeting with another mysterious figure. One whom he would shortly find was more dangerous than he ever imagined…

"I’m glad I decided to double-cross the