Stowaway To The Stars

By Graham Keeler

Larry is a citizen of the Galactic Union, a Federation of advanced planets. He works as an undercover agent for the Interstellar Exploration Program, and on a routine mission he stumbles on a covert operation by Zilon, a ruthless member planet of the Union. In the process, a fellow agent is killed. He seeks to expose the operation and obtain retribution for his dead colleague, but the Ziloni frame him and he becomes a fugitive from the Union.

Larry flees to present-day Earth, where the existence of the Union is unknown. Karen is an Earthgirl seeking the man responsible for her sister’s death. But one simple case of mistaken identity and a reckless decision suddenly sees her life in turmoil. She mistakes Larry for the killer, and unwittingly stows away on his spaceship.

Her future is now irrevocably linked to his. Unable to return to Earth because Ziloni ships are waiting for him, Larry’s only chance is to infiltrate a Ziloni military base and obtain evidence to clear his name. Karen has no choice but to accompany Larry on his dangerous mission, and she is thrown into the strange environment of the Galactic Union.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Graham Keeler
• Release date: Apr 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463394250

Graham Keeler

Graham Keeler was born in Hertfordshire and grew up in neighbouring Essex. He studied Physics at Queen Mary College, London, and graduated in 1965 with First Class Honours, continuing to a PhD in 1969. He lectured in Physics at Salford University from 1970, developing an interest in the computational side of the subject. He retired from full-time teaching in 2002, but continued to work part-time at the University until 2012.He is British, married with three grown-up daughters and five grandchildren.His interests include badminton and tennis, which he still plays on a regular basis, representing local clubs in league matches. He also enjoys playing bridge, and flying. He has a private pilot’s licence and has toured in the UK and abroad, making his longest journey in 2002, to Marrakesh. He is fascinated by anything to do with astrophysics and space travel, and applied to be a British candidate for the first American Spacelab mission.He has written, co-authored and edited seven books on various aspects of microcomputers and the development of physics software simulations. Stowaway to the Stars is his first science fiction novel.

Book preview

Larry is an undercover agent for the Interstellar Exploration Program, when he stumbles on a covert operation by Zilon, a ruthless member of the Galactic Union. He finds himself framed by the Ziloni and a fugitive from the Union.

Karen is seeking the man responsible for the death of her sister. But one simple case of mistaken identity and a reckless decision suddenly sees her life in turmoil. She discovers that she is a stowaway on Larry’s spacecraft and her future is now irrevocably linked to his.

But Larry’s future looks bleak. His only chance of finding evidence that will clear his name entails a near-suicidal invasion of a Ziloni military base. Karen has no choice but to accompany Larry on his mission, where she is thrown into the strange environment of the Union. Together they face the ultimate test as they battle with the collective might of the Ziloni and the Galactic Union.

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http://www.stowawaytothestars.co.uk

Stowaway To The Stars

Graham Keeler

Smashwords edition: 2020

Published by Graham Keeler at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Graham Keeler

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Epilogue

About Graham Keeler

Connect with Graham Keeler

CHAPTER 1

The wail of a siren warned Larry that he’d been detected.

Oh shit – he’d stayed too long. Either the Ziloni had spotted him from below, in spite of his care, or there were hidden intrusion detectors he hadn’t seen. He was in deep trouble. The Ziloni had carefully concealed their illicit operation deep underground on this remote, frozen planet, and damn fool that he was, he’d stumbled across it.

Of all the planets in the Galactic Union, Zilon had the most hard-line regime. Not the best group to tangle with if they were planning something illegal on this scale.

Like an overturned anthill, the cavern far below became a flurry of activity. Four vehicles began driving purposefully toward the start of the slope leading up to his hiding place in the mouth of the tunnel.

Time to beat a rapid retreat. He jumped up from the shadowy recesses of the rock crevice and fled back up the tunnel. The low gravity enabled him to bound up the slope in long leaps, despite the encumbrance of his bulky spacesuit. As he climbed, the light from the cavern faded.

He’d been an idiot to ignore Annek’s worries, and climb down this fissure alone to try and find the source of the anomalous gas discharge, even though he’d never dreamt that it was manmade.

What would happen if the Ziloni caught him? Would they find Annek as well, before she gave up waiting for him and went for help? Worse still, what if she ignored his instructions and left the ship to come after him? She was still a trainee agent and might not understand the need to follow the Interstellar Exploration Program protocols. In desperation he tried calling her on his comm. earpiece, but it brought no reply. It wasn’t surprising, the rock would be shielding the signal.

He paused for a moment to glance back. The men pursuing him had reached the tunnel entrance. Their vehicles slowed on the rough, sloping rock, but they were still gaining on him.

His helmet lamp cut a bright, circular hole in the inky blackness, as near panic drove his exhausted muscles. Light beams flashed around him from below, seeking him out. The way grew steeper and the sound of the vehicles stopped. But now he could see the Ziloni troops were chasing him on foot, and they would be fresher than him.

The narrow beam from his lamp bobbed furiously about with his exertions, making it difficult to see the uneven terrain. Twice he slipped, and barely managed to grab a rock to avoid falling backward. He had to slow down, in spite of the danger. He could only hope his pursuers were having the same problem.

The first glimmer of light filtered down from the planet surface above. Up here in the top section of the fissure, the slope was much steeper, and it was no longer possible to run. Sweat poured down the inside of his suit as he gasped for breath, progressing in a succession of leaps. Occasional glances told him the men behind were closer each time. Now and again, the beams of their lights caught him. When that happened, he leapt sideways to try and lose them, praying his reaching hands would find something to hold onto.

At last he could see the mouth of the fissure above him. Blood pounded in his ears as his heart hammered. His breath came in great, wheezing gasps. A burst from a laser rifle hit the tunnel wall just above him, making him jump. A cascade of ice fragments showered him and a large puff of steam burst from the hard-frozen ice that formed the rock on this iceball of a planet.

A sudden chill ran through him in spite of his efforts. They weren’t just trying to capture him, they wanted to kill him! His suit had a regulation laser pistol, but it might as well have been a water pistol against a large group armed with rifles. No point in bothering with it, and anyway he needed both hands for his precipitous climb. He called to Annek again on his comm. earpiece. Damn it, still no reply.

More laser bursts followed. None were close yet, but the daylight above, though dim, made him more visible. When he reached the top, he would be a silhouette against the sky.

Thank goodness they hadn’t sent up flyers. Maybe trying to navigate the tunnel in the darkness and the turbulent wind was too risky for them. But there could be a welcome party lying in wait for him at the top.

As he reached the rim, the laser fire came with renewed fury. Long bursts raked around his position, trying to cut him down.

He kept bent double and leaped diagonally over the edge. He emerged onto the surface unscathed, to a brief respite from the shooting. His gaze scoured the surroundings for signs of an ambush. Nothing. Thank the saints, they hadn’t had time to set one up.

He bounded up the long incline toward his ship, dodging amongst the rocky prominences that littered the landscape. Why did I land the ship so far away? Stupid question – it was the nearest level ground beyond these same rocky prominences that were giving him cover.

As he ran, using big hops in the low gravity, he struggled to find the breath to call his partner.

Annek, we’re in big trouble. Open the ship’s door. Quick.

Larry, what’s the matter? I’m not in the ship. I’m up on the ridge to the north. You said it was safe so I climbed up to practice operating in a heavy-duty spacesuit.

What the hell is she doing up there? Surely he’d made it clear to her that she shouldn’t leave the ship until he got back. Maybe not – he’d been so certain it was safe. Who would have imagined a secret Ziloni operation on this deserted planet? He looked up to the north and saw her outlined on the ridge against the sky.

Oh dear God, Annek. Get back to the ship, RUN!

Okay, but what’s going on?

Larry saw her start to move downhill as she spoke.

His followers crested the fissure and the laser bursts started again. Annek was still clearly visible on the ridge, running toward the ship.

Annek, GET DOWN! He had no time – or breath – to shout more. A long laser burst drew a zigzag line of fire up the ridge. It clipped the moving figure just before she reached the protection of a large rock.

A single scream rang out over his earpiece and he saw Annek fall. Please the saints, let her just have tripped. But he could hear no further sounds over his own labored panting. An icy hand clutched his heart. He veered toward her, yelling her name over the comm. There was no response.

Laser bursts lashed the rocks around him. He only avoided being hit by dodging from one rocky outcrop to the next. It was agony to be pinned down when all he wanted to do was get to Annek. He pulled his own laser pistol from the suit holster and returned fire over his shoulder – a token gesture, to try and distract the shooters.

This is useless. He would never make it to Annek and back to the ship in time. He could no longer even see the rock she’d fallen behind.

Has she survived? He was desperate to go and find her, but the pursuers were hard on his heels. Logic said he’d just get them both killed – if she wasn’t dead already.

With a scream of frustration, he switched direction back toward the ship. There he had proper weapons to fight the bastards off. Then he could go back to her.

The few seconds it took to reach the ship dragged by as if he was running in slow motion. After a seeming eternity he arrived, slapped the door release pad and suffered an agonizing wait as it swung sedately down. He scrambled through the half-open door and banged the interior closure pad. Before it had finished closing, he was squeezing his bulky spacesuit between the seats to reach the controls. Attack missiles – they were his best chance.

Without taking the time to switch on the gravity compensator, he jerked his power stick up for vertical thrust and lifted the ship ten meters. Thank goodness the gravity-wave drive was on permanent standby. He tipped the nose down and located his pursuers, who were closing fast. Laser beams flared against the canopy, but the automatic shielding flicked on each time, absorbing the energy. He ripped off the outer glove of his suit and stabbed the buttons on his weapon control panel to launch an attack missile at the enemy.

It exploded against the ground near the men outside. The blast and shock wave created mayhem. The canopy shield turned opaque against the flash, and the ship bucked from the backlash, smashing him against the controls. Maybe he’d been reckless there, exploding a powerful missile so close. But he needed to finish this fast and get back to Annek.

When the canopy cleared, no one close by the ship was left alive, but in the distance men were running in big leaps back to the fissure. For a moment Larry was sickened by the sight of the broken bodies scattered about, but then the rage over what they had done to Annek took over. Hopefully the murdering bastard who had needlessly gunned her down was among the dead. Now at last he could go to her aid.

He lifted the ship higher and tracked it up the ridge to where Annek had fallen, setting it down on the slope at a precarious angle. Not stopping to put on his outer glove, he rushed out of the ship again. The bitter cold quickly ate into his hand but he didn’t care. He needed to find Annek fast.

After a short but agonizing search in the rocks, Larry found her lying half-hidden behind a rocky outcrop. Air hissed steadily from the fist-sized hole that the laser had burnt in her spacesuit, just above the knee. Her lips were tinged with blue and crystals of ice covered part of the inside of her helmet. He couldn’t make out whether she was still breathing.

By all the saints, this is not good. It looked horribly likely that Annek might be dead, but he couldn’t tell for certain. Surely there had to be a chance she had survived.

He picked up her slim body, lighter than normal in the low gravity in spite of the heavy spacesuit, and rushed her back into the ship. He desperately wanted to get her out of the suit and try to resuscitate her, but he fought down the temptation. The best chance was the stasis unit. That would keep her in suspended animation until he could get expert medical attention and equipment.

He threw all their provisions out of the stasis unit and lowered her body inside. Now he had to get her home fast.

He stopped only long enough to close the ship’s door, before cramming himself into the control seat and ripping off the left outer glove of his spacesuit to handle the controls. His unprotected right hand had the beginnings of frostbite, but he cared nothing for the mixture of numbness and burning. Without waiting to re-establish the ship’s air supply, he switched on the gravity compensator, pointed the nose upward and rammed the thrust stick forward. The ship quickly went supersonic and the howl of the shock wave rose to a banshee wail that suited his mood.

Now established in the climb out of the atmosphere, he had time to take stock. First priority was to get the suffocating atmosphere pumped out of the ship and the air supply restored. Then he struggled out of the cumbersome spacesuit. As he did so he thought bitterly what a fool he’d been to get himself into this mess. Why the hell hadn’t he resisted the urge to investigate that damned anomaly and left it to a proper investigation unit like Annek had suggested. Instead, the girl he was responsible for was paying the price of his recklessness.

As his ship ploughed up through the atmosphere, traces on his viewscreen warned that his troubles were far from over. Showing up weakly through the attenuating effect of the atmosphere were the traces of three ships that had just taken off. Even for this low gravity planet the hyperspace boundary was about a hundred and twenty thousand kilometers out. He couldn’t make a jump to safety until he got to the boundary and there was no way he could reach it before they launched a missile attack.

CHAPTER 2

Karen’s hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream when the attendant drew back the sheet. Her sister’s face was pale and lifeless, almost like alabaster. Karen hadn’t wanted to believe it, but it was true – her sister was dead. Instinctively she looked away, then dragged her gaze back and nodded to the policewoman.

Yes, that’s Rachel. She had to force the words out, as if saying them made it true. The bare walls and cold lighting of the morgue reinforced her grief.

Her world had fallen apart early that morning, when the police officers knocked on her door. Karen had tried to convince herself it was an awful mistake. She refused to accept what they told her until she saw it for herself. Now she knew.

She was barely aware of following the officer out of the morgue to the waiting police car. As she sat in the back seat she felt numb. Rachel dead! Her dear sister and best friend – they did nearly everything together. When Karen had last seen her, two days ago, she’d proudly shown Karen the lovely diamond earrings from the new man in her life. Now her sister was gone.

She came out of her daze to find herself sitting in the policewoman’s office. It was a crowded room, filled with filing cabinets and a large, old-fashioned wooden desk. The desk was piled high with case notes, along with pens and pencils scattered everywhere, a battered telephone, and a Mackintosh Powerbook computer that looked out of place in these homely surroundings. A framed photo of a little boy stood on the corner of the desk, and a small name plaque announced her as Rose Jenkins.

Karen hadn’t wanted to know any details when they spoke to her at home that morning, but now she needed to hear. I don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense. How could this happen?

Jenkins leaned back in her chair, a short, stocky woman, middle-aged, hair showing tinges of gray at the temples. She spoke as if she’d seen it all many times before. The hotel manager called it in. When the room wasn’t vacated two hours after check-out time, he used his master key to get in and found your sister lying on the bed. She was still breathing when the ambulance got there, but they pronounced her dead on arrival at the hospital.

But why? What happened? And what was she doing in the hotel room?

The room was booked in her name, but the desk clerk can’t remember if anyone was with her, and the hotel had no security cameras. Jenkins paused, took a deep breath and stared into Karen’s eyes intently. We think she died of a heroin overdose. We found an empty syringe in the room.

Karen leapt to her feet. She wanted to beat her fists on the other woman’s chest. That’s crazy! Rachel never touched drugs.

Jenkins crossed her arms as if to ward off Karen’s temper, but her voice was calm. Not that you knew of, perhaps.

No, she was my sister. We’ve always been close. I’d have known if she’d started doing drugs.

When did you last see her?

Two days ago. And I’m telling you, she was exactly the same as always.

Jenkins paused and reached for a file from the stack on her desk. She flipped through the pages. Well, it’s true we didn’t find any signs of regular drug use. But I’m sure the autopsy will confirm that was the cause of death. Had she met any new friends recently?

Karen thought for a moment, then sat back down. Oh shit, the boyfriend.

Jenkins leaned forward and cocked her head on one side. Go on.

Karen chewed her lip and thought back to what little she knew. Six weeks ago she met this guy at a concert. Something was odd about it because Rachel wouldn’t give me any details, and we’ve always shared secrets.

She shifted on the hard wooden chair, trying to get comfortable. Was that why Rachel wouldn’t tell her anything? Could he have dragged her into dabbling with drugs? No, but perhaps he’d been trying to, and that was why Rachel wouldn’t say anything.

Rachel hated the idea of drugs. She wouldn’t have taken them for anyone, let alone a guy she hadn’t known long.

What was the name of her boyfriend, and where can we find him?

Karen paused. Was there anything Rachel had said that might help? Well, that’s the thing. I only know his first name – Grant. I don’t know where he lives or what he does.

Jenkins looked skeptical. I thought you said the two of you were close? Did you never meet him?

We are close. I mean we were. She could hardly continue for the lump in her throat. But whenever I asked Rachel about meeting her new man, she avoided the question.

That doesn’t give us much to go on. Is there nothing else at all you know about him? What type of concerts did she go to?

Oh, classical music mostly. You know, Mozart, Beethoven, they were her favorites. Occasionally she’d try the more modern composers.

Do you know which concert she met the boyfriend at? That would be a help.

Karen shook her head miserably. The questions continued and she answered them in a daze, wishing it would stop. Jenkins wanted to contact her parents, who were away for the weekend, but Karen begged to be allowed to break the news first. When at last they allowed her to go, she couldn’t wait to get out of the police station.

When she got home she slumped down in her kitchen, her head buried in her arms on the table. How could she break this to Mom and Dad? It didn’t bear thinking about, and she began to wish she hadn’t insisted on being the one to tell them.

Eventually she came to a decision. Rachel, I promise I will track down that bastard of a boyfriend and find out what happened.

****

As Larry stared in horror at the traces on his viewscreen of the three Ziloni ships, a sparkle of extra traces appeared. Shit, now they’d launched a wave of attack missiles.

In his black mood, Larry’s first instinct was to launch a suicidal head-on counter attack against the overwhelming superiority of the pursuers. But there was still a chance Annek might survive. He owed it to her not to waste the possibility if he could help it. They were going to get a fight they’d remember.

What were the possibilities? They had to be spaceships, the Ziloni wouldn’t have expected to need atmospheric fighters on this remote iceball. With any luck they would be armed with space missiles not designed for attacks in the atmosphere. Out in space he had no chance. He had the standard small-ship complement of forty-eight defense missiles. That would be no match against the superior number of attack missiles the enemy was bound to have. But if he took the fight back down into the atmosphere he might be able to turn the conditions to his advantage.

He flipped his viewscreen to positional mode. Before he went back down into the atmosphere he wanted to take this fight away from the area of the enemy cavern, and also into the daylight – such as it was out here so far from the sun. His display showed he was close to the ecliptic, about thirty degrees round from the midday position. He tipped his ship over to skirt the top of the atmosphere and headed in the direction of the area with maximum light. He would need all he could get for what he had in mind. He also wanted to put part of the planet between him and whatever base they had. That would break the radio communication between his pursuers and their control.

The missiles angled toward him, but they were on a diagonal track that meant they had to fight through the viscous drag of the atmosphere all the way. He was out of its retarding effect and could travel much faster. This was the benefit of fighting against space missiles in this environment. They weren’t programmed to take the quickest route, only the shortest, even if that meant they were slowed down by atmospheric drag all the way. It gave him time to put a lot of distance between him and the enemy cavern before they caught up with him. He didn’t bother to deploy guard missiles. Where he would shortly be taking the fight, down into the atmosphere, it was unlikely that they would be able to follow along behind him.

When he could see that the missiles were catching up, he angled back down, aiming straight at the ground. At first it was obscured by the photo-chemical haze layer and he had to rely on his sensors to tell him where the ground was. He burst through the haze, and after that he could see the ground visually and judge his maneuver better. He slowed until the missiles were close behind him, then accelerated again. Come on you mindless bastards, follow me down. The ground is waiting for you.

He judged the moment carefully to slam on reverse thrust, round out his descent just clear of the surface and skim along close to the ground.

The missiles came pouring down out of the sky above him, following smooth arcs that would bring them intersecting his course from below. He’d guessed right, they weren’t programmed for terrain avoidance. Over the howl of the airflow came the sound of the explosions as they crashed into the ground where it interrupted their planned routes.

Only three laggards among the missiles avoided the encounter with the ground. He could spare enough interceptors to take them out. At least it was usually a one-sided contest between an interceptor in single-minded pursuit and an attacker that had conflicting requirements – to shake off its pursuer, while at the same time maintaining its primary purpose of attacking its target.

With the first wave of missiles beaten off he expanded his viewscreen to find out what had happened to the enemy ships. They were far away still, the curvature of the small planet making them barely visible above the horizon. Doubtless they had expected their large wave of missiles to do the trick and were just following along at a distance to check on their success. Thank the saints these weren’t atmospheric fighters. He wouldn’t stand a prayer against the kit they would have available. Against deep space fighters he could use unusual tactics they weren’t geared up for.

His next move was to lie in wait. Larry lowered the ship to the ground and powered down his motor to standby mode to kill his trace on their screens. He watched his own viewscreen until the ships swept overhead hunting for his trace, then he painted the three traces and launched three of his precious attack missiles.

He scored one direct hit on the closest ship – the other two managed to deploy interceptors in time. One down, two to go, but with the missile he had launched earlier at the ground troops, his original meager supply of twelve attack missiles was down to eight. He couldn’t afford to waste any.

Larry powered up the motors again as the remaining ships slowed and turned to launch a second wave of missiles. He managed to get airborne before the missiles arrived. Not as many as the first time, but still more than his remaining interceptors, and anyway he needed to keep some in reserve.

His first attempt was to use the same defense as before, but it was much less effective so close to the ground. He arced briefly upward to draw them up behind him, then dived toward the ground. He flattened out again at the last moment. Some of the closest missiles slammed into the ground behind him, but the remainder were too close for the trick to work a second time. He needed a new tactic fast.

He could just make out, in the dim light filtering through the photo-chemical haze above, that the ground in his vicinity was a mass of rocky prominences, cut by narrow, winding valleys. He dived straight amongst the rocks, slowing hard as he went, until he was deep in the valleys, weaving frantically and flying only as fast as he dared. Missile after missile impacted the rocks and valley walls he placed between himself and them. Some were close enough to light up the rocks ahead with the glare of their explosions.

Only seconds passed before the last red trace disappeared from his viewscreen. He could slow down and relax for a few moments while, for the second time, he hunted for the traces of the enemy ships. They were well behind and high, and their position convinced him they had no appetite for close combat. They must want to stand off and overwhelm him from a distance. Well, that was about to change. He swung his ship around and headed back in their direction, hugging low to the ground. They launched more missiles, but singly rather than in waves. He kept close to the ground, still weaving as the missiles came in, and they all succumbed to his trap and overshot into the rocks.

As soon as he was directly underneath the enemy ships he wrenched his ship upward and accelerated toward them. Let’s see which of us blinks first. He had to use some of his interceptors against their attack missiles, but they were still firing singly – he’d given them no time to program another wave. He was closing fast and he only used up six interceptors before they broke course and veered away. He could sense from their flying that they were rattled. He painted each ship again, but followed one in particular and waited until he was on top of it. He used two more interceptors in the process, before launching two more of his attack missiles. Another direct hit on the closest ship, with the other deploying an interceptor successfully. One to go, with six attack missiles left!

However, the other ship was in retreat, heading for the horizon. Larry stared in amazement. Had the guy chickened out? It could be. He had used up a lot of missiles, a third of the first wave, half the second wave and some of the individual missiles as well. Moreover, Larry was fighting for his life whereas his opponent had expected an easy victory, which he sure as hell wasn’t going to get. Instead he had already lost his two companion ships. It looked as if he would take no further risks and report back to his Ziloni base.

Larry still suspected a trap. As the trace disappeared over the horizon he lifted his ship higher until he picked up the trace again. No, it was all right, the Ziloni was still keeping low and going flat out for home. Larry breathed a deep sigh of relief and realized he was shaking from the adrenaline that had kept him going. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and considered what to do next.

The enemy ship had a long way to go, and had to force his way through the atmosphere because he seemed to be too scared to lift up into space. Until he got far enough around the planet to achieve radio contact with base, no one else would know what had happened. The time had come to make a break for the hyperspace boundary before the enemy launched a further attack. He angled steeply upward until clear of the atmosphere again. Once clear, he tracked round the planet until he was on the other side from the enemy cavern. Only at that point did he ram his control stick forward and head at a flat out fifty gee acceleration for the boundary. The bulk of Inferior shielded him from detection until the enemy got a ship way out into space to see around the planet.

He watched his screen anxiously, but no enemy traces appeared. The hyperspace boundary arrived sooner than