Journey to the Stars

By Philip R Benge

An alien pirate ship crashed into the ocean off the coast of Scotland, its survivors escaped and hijacked the first ever Ion drive ship built by Earth, the Jupiter Express, however, their plans do not go as planned. Mark Blazer and his crew retake the ship and begin a new episode in their lives that takes them to the stars in the starship Galaxy Express using alien technology taken from a second pirate starship that they defeat in their first ever space battle. Their new mission is to find help amongst the stars, in their battle against the alien space pirates.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Philip R Benge
• Release date: Jul 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463078976

Philip R Benge

Like most of the world, I had to work hard to pay my mortgage and all the other bills, which meant that I only had the time and the energy to write some short stories. I finally found the time and the energy to write some full length Science Fiction stories.

Book preview

Journey to the Stars

A Story By

Philip R Benge

Smashwords Edition

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Published by

Philip R Benge on Smashwords

Journey to the Stars

Copyright Philip R Benge 2018

Cover photo by Steve Jurvetson 2018

Thank you for downloading this eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form, except for quotes used in reviews.

Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author`s imagination and used fictitiously.

Contents

Chapter One: Alien Presence

Chapter Two: Jupiter

Chapter Three: Europa

Chapter Four: Ganymede

Chapter Five: Proxima Centauri

Chapter Six: In Search of the Argolians

Chapter Seven: Marguerite

Other Books by the Author

Chapter One

Alien Presence

It was the year 2084 and approaching the outer atmosphere of Earth was a small alien starship, the mission of the crew was twofold. Firstly, to report on the ability of the inhabitants to repel the raids that would soon be made by their Brotherhood, making a detailed map of the military bases, their weapons, and their attack and defensive capabilities. Secondly, to make a detailed note of all items that would be of interest to the Brotherhood, and their exact location, because they were raiders, space pirates and more.

The all-male crew comprised of; Captain August Tarsier, First Officer Roge Turk, Engineer Tulles Quadra, Helmsman Maric Baryon, and finally Communications officer Baric Tulsan, who doubled as the security officer. Accompanying the crew were two female scientists, a biologist, Nandi Marcia and who doubled as the medical orderly, and an anthropologist, Petra Nyman.

With their vessel operating in full chameleon stealth mode, one that made the starship almost impossible to detect, they felt secure, even though they were passing nearby to many of the planet`s satellites and space stations. Captain Tarsier looked at his crew, apart from Turk they were all new, his original crew having been injured on their last mission. These were drawn from all over the galaxy, and the only thing that they had in common was that they spoke English. As for the language spoken by Tarsier and Turk, the others did speak it, but in various dialects, all of which were foreign to him. Tarsier smiled, and as it was time to begin their mission, he called across to his helmsman.

Baryon, take us in to a geostationary orbit, 25000 miles above the land mass known to the locals as Europe.

Taking the ship in to a geostationary orbit above Europe, Captain, at a height of 25000 miles above the planet. Baryon replied as he manoeuvred the small starship in to the specified orbit.

As Baryon manoeuvred the ship, it shuddered and emitted a giant groan that momentarily paralysed the crew with fear, and then, from the rear of the starship, they heard and felt a terrific explosion. Momentarily startled by the explosion, Tarsier rose from his command chair and made for the door at the rear of the bridge. It was just as the starship pitched violently to starboard and a terrible whining noise came from the engineering department, it grew until it filled the bridge with a sound resembling the shriek of an Argolian banshee, one on heat. The starship shuddered again as the engine momentarily came back to life and sent the starship hurtling down through the planet`s outer atmosphere, before finally dying in one great, and final, scream of twisting metal. Tarsier normal calm face took on the look of a terrified man as he grabbed a hold of the main computer to stop himself from being flung across the bridge, shaken, but with his fear back under control, for he was no rookie astronaut experiencing his first encounter with danger. They were in trouble; however, they were not dead, not yet, he turned to Turk at the moment that smoke began to come from the vents of the computer, the one that he had used to steady himself, this was followed by a loud bang. Tarsier pulled the computer from the wall and wrenched the power leads from it, to save it, if possible, for future use. Then feeling calmer he screamed above the growing noise.

Turk, Quadra, you are with me, Baryon, do what you can to level the ship off.

It`s no use Captain, we are losing too much height, and at too great a rate. Baryon cried out fearfully as anything electrical began to send out painful sparks at Baryon, to his credit he ignored them, for the most part.

Baryon though was scared, and he looked to his captain to tell him what to do. Tarsier looked at the altitude gauge on the helmsman`s console, and he saw that it showed that the ground was indeed coming up too fast for them to be able to repair whatever it was that had gone wrong with the starship`s engine. Ensuring that his rising fear did not show in his voice, he cried out above the terrible noise that now filled the bridge and made speech almost impossible.

He`s right, everyone, strap yourself in, we are going in hard, there is not enough time to do anything about it except pray to the ancient gods.

Turk looked across at Marcia and smiled at her, he noticed that Quadra was smiling at Nyman, both men were attempting to bolster the spirits of the two women, both scientists and neither of them trained for this sort of emergency. However, both women merely smiled back, they knew that to panic would be to endanger the ship and the lives of those within it.

It was mid-winter upon the small Scottish island of Marduh, the witching hour had just past, and a fireball plunged towards it, across a storm filled ocean.

Captain, we are not going to make it, we are going to crash in to the ocean! Baryon cried out in distress.

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Miles from the plunging starship, and on the same frozen Scottish island, the inhabitants had been frightened by a massive explosion in the sky followed by a sound, that according to some of them, sounded as if something mechanical was screaming out in pain. Rushing from their house, after hastily donning coats and boots, and in to a snow-covered landscape, they looked up at the fireball approaching their small island. The wind was blowing the still falling snow from behind them, pushing them on, their eyes straining to make out anything other than the flames through the wall of white ahead of them.

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Back in his command chair, Tarsier slid a panel across that was inset in to his chair; his action exposed a keypad and a button.

We must separate from the main section of the ship, we will never survive otherwise, everyone prepare yourself for whatever fate has in store for us. Tarsier screamed above the terrible noise.

He entered a six-number code in to the keypad and the button popped up.

How far is it to the island ahead of us? Tarsier screamed out.

One-mile Captain, Baryon replied shakily. But we will not make it.

Separation now everyone. Tarsier said pressing the raised button and hearing the locks beneath the bridge operating.

The bridge area that made up the lifeboat shot upwards, away from the flaming starship, small powerful thrusters kept it up as its speed decreased. What remained of the starship plunged down towards the Atlantic Ocean, an ocean that raged below the rapidly slowing lifeboat that somehow glided onwards towards the island.

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On the island a group of frozen humans watched the unfolding drama.

From the size of it, it must be a passenger jet, Doctor Prentiss. Margaret Matthews declared fearfully, and it was then that the main bulk of the starship hit the ocean. My god they have crashed in to the ocean, they have all died! She cried out as tears ran down her pale frozen face, watching as the flames were extinguished by the cold waters of the ocean.

Margaret was a young laboratory technician, one of two, the other being Alice Barnard who doubled as the group`s medical orderly, she was older and more capable of controlling her emotions, as she demonstrated now by going to Margaret`s side to comfort her.

There is nothing that we can do. Doctor Donaldson cried out. What with the phones being out, we may as well return to the house before we all catch pneumonia.

The recent snow falls on the island and the nearby mainland had cut their links to the mainland, thankfully, however, their generator was still working, so they had electricity.

No everyone, listen, I can hear the sound of an engine of some sort, and it is coming this way. Margaret cried out quizzically.

How, she wondered, had anything managed to survive the explosions and the terrible twisting and tearing of metal to battle on? What she expected to see, even she did not know, however, it was certainly not an alien lifeboat from a crashed starship.

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Tarsier sighed with relief as they crossed the high cliffs on the Atlantic side of the island.

Lower the landing legs Baryon. He ordered.

From beneath them they heard the legs slot in to place. Their speed practically down to zero, the only power left was in their vertical boosters.

Take us down Baryon. He ordered.

Baryon adjusted the power feeding the boosters and the lifeboat slowly settled down until it was standing on its short stubby landing legs. All was quiet within the lifeboat, except the low hum coming from the small generator, outside, the storm raged across the island, heading straight for the lifeboat and covering it in cold snow. The surface temperature of the vessel had quickly dropped to that of the freezing storm, even inside the lifeboat the temperature was falling steadily.

Turk, there are some natives running towards us, nine of them, we need to meet and greet them, unpack the Pacifier. Tarsier ordered and then added. Turk, we will need to speak with these primitives first, before we use the Pacifier, we need to learn how many more of them there are on this frozen island. Tarsier ordered.

Turk, who was the first officer, walked swiftly across to the weapons locker, which was positioned between the inner bridge door and the airlock, which normally gave them access to the rest of their downed starship and in normal times was kept open. Tarsier turned to his engineer.

Quadra, ensure that the chameleon stealth mode is left on for the moment.

It will drain what little power is remaining in our batteries Captain. Quadra replied anxiously.

I understand that Quadra, but for the moment we need to hide the ship from the natives, until we find out how many primitives live on this frozen island, and if they are armed or dangerous. Tarsier replied as he turned to the others.

Listen up everyone, we must all go and meet the natives together, collect weapons from the weapons locker, and remember, the primitives are all said to be paranoid on this planet, and so they will be unpredictable and maybe dangerous.

According to the scanners, it is very cold outside. Tulsan said looking down at his lightweight bridge clothing.

We will only be outside for a few minutes Tulsan, there is a building just a few hundred feet way, the primitives probably live there. Tarsier replied testily while thinking that the younger generation were such wimps.

They left the ship by the airlock at the rear of the bridge, walking down the small metal steps that had unfolded automatically when they had touched down. Turk was carrying the Pacifier, a weapon that would make anyone subservient that had felt its energy beam touching them on the head, amenable, that is, to the will of the first person to speak to them and that person would be Tarsier.

**********

Doctor Prentiss walked quickly towards the approaching people, his team only a step behind him, the deep snow crunching under foot leaving foot prints that even now were being filled with fresh snow.

Are any of you hurt, do you require medical attention? Prentiss asked anxiously.

He could see seven people walking towards him, but because the chameleon stealth mode was still in operation, he could not see the aircraft that he had also been looking for. We thought that we saw an aircraft crash in to the ocean, did your aircraft collide with it?

No, you are mistaken, there was no collision, however, our craft was badly damaged, fortunately we escaped without serious injury. Tarsier replied. Tell me, can we contact the local police station? He asked while bowing his head in an attempt to shield his eyes from the storm.

However, even this measure failed to stop the strong wind from hurling icy snowflakes in to his eyes. His English was perfect, although he spoke with an American accent, for they had all learned the language prior to leaving their home base. However, Prentiss did not think that it was worth the bother to ask if they were indeed Americans.

I am afraid not, there isn`t one on the island, and the recent storm has knocked out communications with the mainland. Prentiss replied and then added. Where are the other passengers, surely they are more survivors?

Tarsier wondered why the primitive assumed that there were more of them, however, he replied.

No, we are all there are, what about you, are you alone on this frozen island?

Yes, the original islanders gave up trying to make a living here and now they live on the mainland. It suits us though, the privacy, however, we are not normally cut off from the rest of the world, a small boat comes across once a week, weather permitting, or we can call the boatman, when the phones are working, and he will come over. Prentiss replied and then said quizzically. The snow is so thick that I cannot even see your aircraft. He then added. But you must be freezing with nothing but your uniforms on, quickly come to our house and we will light a fire.

Smiling acquiescence to Prentiss, Tarsier turned to Turk and said in their native language.

Use it now, they are alone here.

Before the scientists could even begin to attempt to understand his words, Turk turned on the Pacifier and using a wide beam, he swung it across the scientists and the servants. A bright beam of icy cold light, accompanied by a low humming sound, initially lit up the heads of Doctors Prentiss and Donaldson. Seeing its eerie light, and fearing the worst, some of the others cried out in terror. Alice even managed to turn and attempt to escape, but within seconds they had all felt its cold, and very evil, touch. This icy cold feeling was followed by one of utter terror, just for a moment, but the terror quickly passed, and they stood there smiling, not even noticing the snowstorm that blasted against their frozen bodies.

Tarsier approached them and said to the locals.

"We landed by