Ambitious Profit

By Stephen Brandon

Observers Log 2016-EA:
Ships and planets occupied by a single species are the usual entertainment, especially when they make contact with a new species. The ship seldom went where our projections indicated. Then they crossed paths with 2018F.
Tagging their ship only helped track them for a period of time. Then it would disappear. The ship and crew would reappear on a different spacecraft with the same name. It seemed that they were drawn to, and usually involved in some conflict.
Not even the upheavals in the Engineers Alliance could account for their actions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Brandon
• Release date: Apr 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463975701

Stephen Brandon

I've loved westerns and science fiction since I picked up my first book at the public library. I've been writing on my computer for years. I never planned on any of my stories being published, just to be read by myself, family, and friends. The base journal is on forty spreadsheets with links to about a thousand files of short one day paragraphs plus other stories. {My claim to fame, written by someone else. Thanks.} "As an earthbound retiree, Stephen writes mostly science fiction and short stories. He is a voracious reader and has written for a few years, publishing his stories on Smashwords."

Book preview

Ambitious Profit

Published by Stephen Brandon at Smashwords

Copyright 2020 Stephen Brandon

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This E-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This E-book 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 your favorite E-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Author's Note

This book is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, incidents, and dialogue are from the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or other persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Real and fictional locations are used for background only.

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Table of Contents ~ (ToC) ~# # #

Chapter 1 Shore leave

Chapter 2 Gathering a crew

Chapter 3 Briefing

Chapter 4 The Station

Chapter 5 Alpine Empire

Chapter 6 The Federation Battle

Chapter 7 The Traders

Chapter 8 Captain Fifth

Chapter 9 Apprentice

Chapter 10 Homeward bound

Chapter 11 Locked up

Chapter 12 Almost Home

Chapter 13 Home

Chapter 14 Headed Back

Chapter 15 Broken, but

Chapter 16 Wow!

Chapter 17 Help

Chapter 18 Spit Fire

Chapter 19 Rescue

Chapter 20 Homeward bound again

Acknowledgments

About Stephen Brandon

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Chapter 1 Shore leave

Captain, have a seat. You’ve made many trips to local stars. Now the Admiralty has a request. Understand first, this request carries the death penalty if any of the details are revealed to those with no clearance. That includes you. We’ll see you in seven days after half of your shore leave.

On the way back down to the planet, John thought, "What could be so sensitive that the Admiralty would put a member to death. Life imprisonment in isolation should be enough to keep someone silent."

That evening John pulled one of his fathers history books. He’d seen his great-grandsons, and just felt like comparing them. His great-grandsons had the facts that they colonies second target star was Tau Ceti after they found the first unsuitable. It brushed over the fact that meteor strike had changed the ships direction leaving the Tau Ceti system, and by time the repairs had been completed they were lost. The third yellow-white star had six planets. One was suitable, so they landed.

However, his fathers history book mentioned a shipboard mutiny that damaged the navigation system.

Both explained why they didn’t know where the fabled Earth was. Eight hundred years of one-minded exploration and single-minded expansion had brought the colony to over two million citizens and sub-colonies at two nearby stars with space stations at six more where mining was profitable.

As he dozed off he wondered, "What the hell had the Admiralty found that was so important?"

A week of shore leave had never passed so slow. He’d been gone for thirty years and his granddaughter still carried his picture. He was embarrassed every time she told her children how he was a hero and explorer. He gave each a souvenir from the last star system he’d visited and told them they’d be grown before he got back.

His grandson had five children before he died. His widow was a stuck-up bitch that only thought about what she could get. For his grandson’s children he did the same, and heard one crying before he was off the porch, because she’d taken their souvenirs away.

He visited his wife’s grave. She’d died so young and he remembered how her mother had asked for the babies, because he’d lost it. Leaving more flowers, he headed for the spaceport.

Sitting across the table were three middle aged members of the Admiralty. Looking up one simply stated, What goes on here today will be put in the archives under a two hundred year classification. Captain Durham, do you dare ask for more information knowing the penalty?

May I speak freely without consequence?

Yes Captain, free speech does not carry the death penalty.

Sir, I’ve heard whispers of rumors since before I joined the space force a hundred and eighty years ago. None of them have passed my lips to anyone else. No shore leave has passed as slowly as this past week. Putting everyone of those rumors together, I came to the conclusion that someone found something dealing with our history, and the faster than light drive has been improved.

Very good Captain. Now put those conclusions together with what I said a minute ago and tell me what you now conclude.

Oh shit! Sorry Admiral. Could it be possible that someone has finally found Earth?

No Captain Durham. We haven’t found Earth. Are you in or out, silence and duty, or leave now.

Admiral, I’ve already said goodbye to my great-grandchildren and told them they’d be grown before I came back. Count me in for the long jump.

Very well said John. Most of the crew on this list you’ve worked with. After checking with them and the others, we want your approval before you see your ship. You’ve got a week. Mission briefing will be after you launch. You may tell them what you now know.

Yes Sirs.

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Chapter 2 Gathering a crew

Of the dozen names on his list were five of his crew. On his way back down he decided he needed a drink, and no one better to drink with was his chief engineer.

Punching in the code on his phone he stated, Chief, I need a drink, where can we meet?

John, I thought I was the first junior told. I’m buying. See you at Belinda’s in an hour.

Belinda's brought back memories. She was his first girlfriend. Then he met his wife. Belinda got her father to buy a building and lot, and she opened a bar. It didn’t stay just a bar. She ended up marrying the son of the restaurant owner next door and expanded. When he returned from his first jump, her daughter had purchased the lot behind the restaurant and opened a hotel. She inherited everything and her daughters that contributed to the business inherited. Looking at the bar front brought back memories, because it still looked as rundown and faded as the original. Stepping through the airlock entrance he glanced around. The front room still looked like a cargo ship mess, only larger. Walking past the bar he stopped at the Authorized Personnel Only sign and waited.

Hey stranger, are you old enough to drink, asked the bar maid. and that entrance sign says it all.

Yes ma’am, and my name is John.

Well John, the recognition software doesn’t recognize you, so grab a seat. I’ll call Belinda. First thought I need your papers.

Here, and I’ll take a grog.

A what?

Grog, it’s a drink that young ladies like you should never drink.

And who do you think you are, a crusty old dinosaur.

No, I rode dinosaurs before you were a twinkle in your mothers eye.

JOHN!

I turned just in time to avoid being carried to the ground by the middle aged woman that wrapped her arms around my neck and slammed us into the end of the bar.

Mother, act your age. I was just about to ban this reprobate from the bar. Who is he?

Belinda, this is your great-great-grandfather. Hell, I’d have to check to see how many greats to add to that. Looking at the shocked expression on my face she backed off and said, She never told you? None of us knew you didn’t know. Didn’t you think it was funny that her dad sent her away for a year at boarding school? It’s in her diary how she was broken up when she came back and you had met Nancy, and got married. It is part of our required family reading.

I never knew.

"Well stand in front of the mirror and state your name. You’ll have A2 clearance. A2’s get automatically updated.

Will you be here long?

No Belinda, I’ll be going back out in a week.

No problem, you will be here tomorrow night, or I arrange to get you shanghaied. Understand.

Yea, I understand. I have to put together a classified crew, can I get a secure room?

Yes John, I’ll arrange it. Now come in and have a drink with me.

First thing I saw when exiting the airlock was the twin of the barmaid and two of my crew with their glasses in the air. Oh shit!

"Belinda, please tell me that isn’t what