Galaxy Diaries

By Rod Spurgeon

This exciting collection of 12 short stories is perfect for active individuals with limited reading time. From beginning to end, these bite-sized tales pack the robust wonders of the Starcruiser Galaxy’s journeys into fun, enjoyable reading snippets that fit into anyone’s busy lifestyle.

Indulge your imagination in the following ship’s logs recorded by the Starcruiser Galaxy’s valiant crew, including:

Trip to Proteus – When a crewmember forms a lively bond with strangers on a space station, his new friends bring a few unwelcome surprises back to the Galaxy.
No Access – A security system mishap locks the crew out of their own ship, and suspicious “clients” attempt to neutralize the objects of their paranoid skepticism.
Racing Libido – The overactive libido of a crewmember forces the Galaxy to employ a unique strategy while participating in the famous Grali’k Nebulae Race.
Hit and Run – When the crew is framed for a crime they didn’t commit, they must find a way to overcome ambitious law enforcement officers and clear their names.
Captive Sentience – Sentient androids are enslaved by a ruthless cartel, and it’s up to the crew of the Galaxy to free them without sacrificing the potential profits from a lucrative mission.
Explosive Fanaticism – The crew is forced to choose between a healthy payday or rescuing a miner under attack by their overzealous employer.
Backstabbing Doppelganger – A seemingly humble merchant uses Captain Mintax’s DNA for purposes other than payment account verification.
Double Date – A night out on the town for two crewmembers turns into an opportunity for their dates to enjoy much more than their pleasant company.
Hot Girl – Attracting someone special at a club proves to be a monumental challenge for a crewmember when an aggressive competitor has a significant advantage.
Hack Off – The infamous HACKERS group invites a crewmember to participate in an annual Cyber Intrusion Contest with potentially deadly consequences.
Slimeball Merchant – The lustful desires of a corrupt merchant threatens to transform a leisurely shopping trip for one crewmember into her last.
Stack Master – Captain Mintax faces a potentially crushing defeat by a cleverly ruthless competitor in an annual weightlifting championship event.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rod Spurgeon
• Release date: May 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463273661

Rod Spurgeon

Rod Spurgeon is a full-time writer with a passion for testing the limits of the improbable. His desire to explore the unknown is born from a love of science fiction that began when he was but a mere seedling on another plane of existence. Whether that consists of transcendence or daydreaming behind a desk is still a matter of heated debate. Beyond a strong appetite for writing fiction, Rod also operates the fraud defense website ownyourdefense.net, blogs for several websites, and enjoys testing the tensile strength of gym equipment. When the construction of fantastic universes with his nifty Razor mechanical keyboard won’t satiate his burning desire to create, a heavy set of dumbbells or learning a new fraud prevention technique will do. “The universe is what you make of it... ...just be sure to bring enough StimCap with you for the journey home.” – Rod Spurgeon Visit starcruisergalaxy.com for the latest information on the Adventures of the Starcruiser Galaxy. Visit ownyourdefense.net for the latest tips on staying safe and secure against fraudsters.

Book preview

OWN THE ENTIRE STARCRUISER GALAXY COLLECTION

BY

ROD J. SPURGEON

_________

Who Blew Up My Ship?

The Wereghost Menace

A Very Goober Christmas

The Vampire Clones of Clegz

Galaxy Chronicles

Galaxy Diaries

Brakka’s Zombie Armada

GALAXY DIARIES

By Rod Spurgeon

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2014 Rod J. Spurgeon

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner without the prior written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles.

A Tioran Publishing release.

http://www.starcruisergalaxy.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRIP TO PROTEUS

NO ACCESS

RACING LIBIDO

HIT AND RUN

CAPTIVE SENTIENCE

EXPLOSIVE FANATICISM

BACKSTABBING DOPPELGANGER

DOUBLE DATE

HOT GIRL

HACK OFF

SLIMEBALL MERCHANT

STACK MASTER

EXCERPT FROM GALAXY CHRONICLES VOL. 1

ABOUT ROD SPURGEON

TRIP TO PROTEUS

FEATURING CAPTAIN MINTAX

Ship’s log.

The only time I seem to make these things is when Goober does something like this, so unfortunately, I have a lot of them.

So, there we were on course to Proteus IV with a load of blasters when the Galaxy’s warp drive went out—again. The Proteans intended to declare war on whatever group it was that insulted them this time, and they paid extra for fast delivery. They tend to threaten one star system or another so often without backing up their words with actions that the rest of the galaxy pretty much ignores their ranting. Don’t tell them I said that though or they might stop buying weapons from me.

Anyway, we didn’t have the part we needed aboard ship to fix the drive, so I sent Goober in a shuttle to get a new one. I know what you’re thinking, and no, I couldn’t send Hitch or Steve instead. Hitch was working on repairing what she could on the drive without the part, and I needed Steve here just in case we were too tempting a stationary target for pirates to ignore. I could have gone myself, but there was no freaking way I was going to leave a million credits worth of handguns just sitting around in my cargo hold without me around to watch them. Yeah, go ahead. Call me a micromanager, but let’s see how protective you get when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere in a galaxy full of pirates. I bet you’d stay close to your valuables too.

I considered sending Jonn, but he had to program a new startup sequence for the warp drive. It seems the core initialization program was damaged when the thing went out. That left Goober. It was either send him or use our sub-light engines to limp around space for the next year trying to get to the nearest spaceport.

So, off he went to get a new Apex wave modulation servo. It sounds like a simple task, doesn’t it? Trek down to the local supply station, pick up a used part, and head back to the ship. The entire trip should have taken—what—two days, at most? Well, he didn’t get back for almost five. I still haven’t figured out if he just flat out ignored my multiple attempts to contact him after missing the scheduled rendezvous. He claimed that communications must have been jammed and never got the call, but I have my doubts.

When he finally did get back, he was thoughtful enough to bring a few surprises along with him—three pirate ships. Apparently, he was overly forthcoming about why he was there and the cargo we were carrying with a couple of attractive girls that seemed very interested in what he had to say about egg cuisine. That should have been his first clue that something wasn’t right with the situation.

Goober was wearing his favorite orange and yellow flower half-shorts and a green t-shirt with the words Made in Uranus emblazoned in bright yellow letters across his chest. Sounds like a great, eye-catching outfit that screams date me. Right? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. As it turned out, the girls were members of a small pirate faction that happened to be looking for their next conquest. Guess who they honored with that designation.

So, there we were, surrounded by three Evvo class destroyers and we couldn’t warp out of the area to avoid a fight. Did I mention that the weapons in the hold had a very volatile power supply? If those