The Galactic Mercenary

By Gary G. Gilbert

Clint is on an ordinary mining expedition to the Icarus Asteroid. Gold is on his mind, but he and his crew get caught up in a war to save the trees. This romping adventure begins at Icarus and continues all the way to the Andromeda Galaxy. Clint finds himself adopted as a mercenary who is on the run from the dreaded Garlucks. The chase takes him and his companions on a ride through Andromeda in a war that leaves one wondering about our own trees back on Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638748434

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The Galactic Mercenary

Gary G. Gilbert

Copyright © 2021 by Gary G. Gilbert

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

On the Way Out

Near the Center of Andromeda

Asteroid!

Discovery

Prisoners!

The Rescue

Broken Ships

Nadine

Comet Temple 1

Murphy Modifications

Test Flight

Planet Kipe

Destruction of C582

The Way Station

New Alien

The Kilapzions

Jumping around Andromeda

Broken Again

The Takedown

The Way Back

The Fix Is In

The Final Leg Home

Chapter 1

On the Way Out

Clint was floating outside on a tether halfway between the crew quarters and the cargo bays of the Murphy. He could see off in the distance what looked like a small odd-shaped moon. It was really an asteroid called Icarus which was his destination for a mining operation. Looking back, he could just make out the earth and its moon. They were small dots that looked just like the other stars, but Clint was an excellent navigator and could pick out the earth at a glance with its moon so close there was no mistaking its identity. The Milky Way was so impressive to look at especially out here in deep space; Clint could spend hours in solitary observation. He returned to the work at hand and began to argue with his technology bot named Ziggie. Ziggie was telling him which tool and sequence of steps he should take in making the repair. That last meteor strike managed to make a hole in hull. Clint said, No time, I want to skip the surface preparation and get back inside as soon as possible. Al, how much time do we have before we fire the engines?

Al replied, One hour, thirteen minutes. Al was the ship’s main computer.

Ziggie ignored Clint and went on reciting steps 18 and 19.

Clint demanded, Ziggie, just tell me the next tool in step 20 and skip the garbage about surface preparation.

Ziggie retorted, Clint, you do know that when you don’t prep the surface, you will be back out there in two months with the same issue. I am just saying it.

Clint, who was very worried, said, Stuff it! Just give me the next tool and step.

Ziggie said, Okay, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Just then, a stray asteroid about the size of a car flashed buy.

Clint caught a flash of movement just outside his peripheral vision and said, What was that?

Al stated, As a matter of fact, I have confirmed that that was a stray asteroid, and I suggest you return to the safety of the ship as soon as possible. Many more may exist the closer we get to Icarus. After all, we are entering that asteroid’s orbit.

Clint, moving with excited urgency, grabbed the adhesive applicator and began applying glue as fast as he could. Just then, another one went streaking by just missing the ship. He watched in horror, as it cut his tether, setting him free from the ship. Clint shouted, Ziggie, get on the mining arm, and grab me before I drift too far.

On it, Cap, said Ziggie. She was watching as the events unfolded from the mining ops observation window. She was already moving the articulating arm when Clint called for it.

Clint shouted, Must move faster. Come on, Ziggie, I think there might be more rocks coming in!

Al came on and said, That is affirmative. I am picking up many more on radar, and they are all coming in very fast. Clint, you are in grave danger, said Al in a very worried voice. Clint, you really need to move faster. Come on, you got to get out of there!

Clint said, Yea, Al, I know, I know. But the arm is moving too slowly. Something is not right. All our prospecting analysis and survey don’t show all this debris. Where is it coming from?

Al replied, It looks like something has impacted with Icarus. This can be the only explanation. I am sorry, but that is the extent of my analysis, no other theory seems to apply to these phenomena.

Clint, reaching for the boom, said, Gee, thanks for the precise in-depth analysis, Al! Ziggie, get me out of here!

Ziggie was humming that tune from The Barber of Seville (something she always did when stressful situations came up). After all, it was a part of her programming for psych situations. She even giggled as the arm moved ever so slowly.

Clint was not at all amused, as he said, Ziggie, cut it out and hurry up with the capture! The arm was within several feet from Clint, when suddenly, another rock hit the arm and splintered off into several pieces, one of which hit Clint’s visor. Clint was left looking in great fear and amazement through his cracked visor and at the arm where the rock had hit. As Clint began to assess the damage, he noticed that the impact had deposited a yellow-colored material on the actuator arm. He instantly forgot about the current situation and was very excited as he thought, I knew it! I just knew it. He ignored his cracked visor and began wiping at the yellow-coated spot on the arm as it came within reach. His glove turned yellow as the material was disturbed. Ziggie, did you just see that!

Laughing, Ziggie said, Affirmative, Cap, and continued humming the tune.

Al even chimed in saying, I’ll get you, you little wabbit.

Frustrated and worried, Clint said, Cut the chat. I think my suit has been compromised. He was looking at his suit data panel located on his arm. Holy flying cows. I am loosing pressure fast. That rock cracked my visor. Hurry up, Ziggie! Just then, Clint was able to grab onto the arm and hook himself to it by placing his feet firmly on the gimbals.

Al declared, Incoming! Clint had just enough time to move behind the arm using it as a shield. The manipulator arm began to move again; this time, it was returning to the cargo bay. He was hoping all the while that there would be no more impacts. Ziggie retracted the arm into the open ore bay and safely docked it while the main cargo doors began to close. Clint grabbed onto the handholds and said, Ziggie, pressurize! She was still singing.

Later, after Clint extracted himself from his suit, he handed the glove to Ziggie as he went through the door. He asked, Are you done singing? Before she could answer, he said pointing to the material on the glove, Have this analyzed, and get this helmet repaired while you’re at it.

Taking the glove, Ziggie focused on the yellow colorization and said, Is that what I think it is?

Clint replied, I certainly hope so. I think it may have come from Icarus. Just then, another crashing noise was heard as another rock hit the hull. Al, what’s ETA status? Are we far enough out to make a course change?

Al quipped, A course change is not possible. However, I have repositioned the ship to minimize damage from the impacts.

On his way to the flight deck, Clint asked Al, Are there any big ones that may cause a problem?

Al answered, Most are too small to detect, and I do not see any that will present a problem for us at this time.

Clint was trying to synchronize a timeline in his head blurting out, Time until rendezvous?

Al replied, Two hours, thirty-four minutes, fifteen seconds.

Clint then announced, Good job, everyone. He often gave his crew compliments, knowing they didn’t need it given they were not human. Still he was letting events begin to sink in. It’s going to be a hot landing, he said as he climbed into the pilot’s seat.

The temperature was still cool, and the humidity hung in the air like a mountain cloud. The rotunda was the largest open space on board the Murphy that largely comprised of the crew quarters. Circular in shape, the rotunda had a main passageway down the middle of its circumference. The Murphy also had a miner’s bay, cargo bay, and propulsion unit. The rotation of the rotunda was set at a rate to simulate one-third the earth’s gravity to minimize muscle atrophy. The climate control unit had only been online a few hours since the last repair. It was like running in the fall on Earth with a misty fog coming off a lake. Clint was just building up a sweat jogging along the passageway. He had to run twice a day in order to keep in shape. The runway had cushioned floor tiles that changed color in alternating programmed views of scenery as they came into view overhead giving the illusion of running through a preselected scene from Earth. Clint really liked the Bear Lake Trail taken from the Rocky Mountain National Park. The crew’s quarters included a kitchen, sleeping area, entertainment, and an engineering area. All were arranged on both sides of the passageway. There is two miner’s observation decks located at opposite points across the diameter of the rotunda. The other miner’s command center was located at the front of the ship. The rotunda had to be stopped when mining operations were underway. This allowed for observation from just about any angle. The flight deck had access at the centerline of the crew’s quarters, and one had to climb up a set of steps between the sleeping and engineering areas or take a personal lift near the kitchen to reach it. That centerline passageway was always weightless, and Clint often enjoyed his downtime there. Clint was just settling into a steady rhythm as his thoughts wandered off to solve the attitude control problem which continued to affect navigation. The Murphy, affectingly named for Murphy’s Law, was very old. Clint had to continually make repairs just to keep her going. He was an engineer at heart and loved to solve what seemed to be an ongoing multitude of issues. Clint was running through all the most pressing of these issues and trying to prioritize them in order to avoid mission ending events. His priority list continued to be rearranged as things broke. Clint was already working out his next repair in his head as he ran. He was evaluating issues with the gyro control actuator which was central to having attitude control of the Murphy. Its last repair is starting to show signs of fatigue, and the glue patch won’t last long. He needed it to work at least until he arrived at Icarus. Each time Clint passed one of the rotunda hatch’s to the miner’s deck, he could see the view out the miner’s windows straight toward Icarus. It seemed that Icarus got a little bit bigger as the windows passed into view. Icarus had an elliptical orbit that approached closer to the sun at one foci point of its orbit and should, if theory worked out, just about be completely refined through the repeated heating and cooling process. The glove may hold the truth. He prayed that it would be the mother lode. At any rate, he was going to find out for sure soon. He had long planned this trip and did a lot of research and analysis over several years. All the minerals should be isolated or crystallized together, and gold was his big hope. Hopefully, Ziggie’s analysis would prove him right.

He had to remind himself to get back to the issues at hand, solving the adhesive repair. Distracted once again, Clint, instead, began to daydream about his last aerobatic competition in his highly modified Pitts S1C. It had bugged him that he missed the last turn of the spin bringing him out too low and breaking the box perimeter ending in disqualification. It also resulted in a win for Ramstad. His run had been flawless, and it was a dumb mistake costing him the trophy. He continually ran through the maneuver in his head focusing on the sky earth and clouds counting the turns while fighting the g forces. Most space pilots compete in aerobatics to stay sharp and improve their piloting skills, and Ramstad was the best.

Clint continued to let his mind wander on. Then there was the over-empowered space mining administration enforcement officer, Nadine. She had warned him to get his ship certified before he left for Icarus. She was very good looking and in another life would be top on Clint’s list. She was beautiful, but Clint thought of her as overbearing and impossible to please. Clint still liked her even though she had issued a warrant for his arrest once when the Murphy did not meet space travel certification. Now he was destined to repeat history. Clint had the paperwork and certification fees ready, knowing full well that the Murphy simply was not space worthy. He had to leave in a hurry, given the time limit on the mining rights and the first come first serve aspect of those rights. If someone else arrived and attached to the asteroid before Clint, he would have to relinquish his rights. Clint knew Ramstad would also be departing in his ship for the same asteroid as well. He was in competition with him once again, and Ramstad’s ship was much more advanced than his. The race was on. No time was left for ship repair and recertification. Icarus was on its way out from the sun. The asteroid’s elliptical orbit meant that timing was very critical for a successful rendezvous. Clint decided to just leave the fee, certification, and application on the clerk’s desk. He reassured himself, Surely, Nadine would not object.

Chapter 2

Near the Center of Andromeda

Meanwhile, very near the center of the Andromeda Galaxy, a war was raging. Here space had a constant bright yellow glow emanating from millions of tightly packed stars. In this region, two alien civilizations, the Hydrocells and the Garlucks, were locked in battle.

GB2281 was a Hydrocell. GB stood for green bottom, and the number was the specific sequence of his DNA-2281. GB, for short, was in the middle of a battle in which all his flight had been eliminated. He was all alone now, and for just a moment, he was distracted by the beauty of interior galactic flight, a fluorescent almost violet glow that lit the cockpit of his small tactical fighter. He could feel that warm feeling rising within himself, a feeling he so long missed. The beautiful hue was just like the sky back home, and he could feel his cells begin to kick in as they converted light to energy. Millions of stars hung suspended as if part of a cloud peppered with diamonds arrayed by some artistic hand.

C582, the onboard navigation computer, interrupted his thought with, Are you sure you don’t mind if we take evasive action?

Instantly, he snapped out of his daydream just as laser fire flashed across his ship. Reacting quickly, he turned his sleek green spacecraft around, shooting in and around the enemy ships with more speed than reasonable. Firing indiscriminately, he flashed between the enemy ships like a shooting star. The enemy had large bulky ships that had reflective shields for protection. His tiny ship fired a bright green laser, and just before it would hit the target, the bulky ship would glow in a bright orange halo, which would reflect the laser back to or at another target. It was only when the larger ships tried to fire their weapons that they would be vulnerable and GB was maneuvering and waiting for his chance.

The laser fire was so intense that reflective aiming was becoming impossible. The ability to maintain the reflective shield was limited to the main power source, and GB had to turn soon or be caught in a hail of reflective fire. He had six enemy fighters behind him, and they were closing fast. While making quick turns, GB was trying to set a course for escape by jumping into star flight. It was taking too long, and the navigation computer was in error mode. The calculation for the correct course back