Our Journey To The Stars

By C. A. Correll

As a dreamer as many are, this dream is about humans marching off into space amid opposition and conflict. Young adults discover a crashed alien spaceship. Distrusting their government, they decide to operate the ship on their own, thus developing an insightful dispute with the government.

James Jones, an ex-marine, is an independent-minded person. With his sister, Mary; girlfriend, Sue; and best friend, John, they establish a crew for the ship and head off into space. Searching for life in the solar system, they build a space station on Mars and begin to explore the solar system, where they encounter alien species both friendly and not so friendly. Full funding of their adventures eventually sends them to a planet among the star system Alpha Centauri.

Along the way, they join alien allies and face enemies who want to destroy them. With the assistance from these alien allies, they receive energy sources and develop speeds for their ships faster than the speed of light. Earth's Space Force receives at last the support of Earth's governments. It is a long journey for acceptance as some distrust remains. Will they endure or end up disappointed and left out? What conflicts remain for our brave young adults?

Surprises lay ahead for the interested science fiction hobbyist or reader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684982561

Book preview

1

FIRST CONTACT

Dreams Come True

I was watching the end of the latest trilogy of Star Wars. All my thoughts at this point were on Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo with Princess Leia and their latest victory over the Empire.

I began fancifully frilled dreaming how awesome it would be to experience such an electric scientific event, even so terror rising and hair raising an adventure to scare one to sudden death.

It was now past midnight, and my eyes were getting heavy with sleep. As I disconnected the television, my bedroom took on the look of black-and-white old-school picture shows. Gray shadows around the room gave an observation of profound unrelenting anguish and forlorn.

Ever since my earliest years of life, I had a feeling of complete loneliness overtaking me at these moments before sleep. As a teenager, I had a severe gash on my left leg caused by a bicycle accident. The bicycle had a pedal missing, and only a rod was left to paddle with. Trying to race down a hill in front of our house, my foot slipped off, and the rod tore through my calf muscle, throwing me flat on top of it. I had to flip it over to not go down the next hill that was steeper. This would be a classic understatement to make like this action had any appearance of a wise decision.

I ended up spending the whole summer that year in exasperation with my leg elevated to reduce pain and stuck in the house. Every night was spent watching the moon and stars continue traveling across the top of trees in our backyard. I was enchanted with the consideration of the beauty of creation.

This night was no different as I lay upon my bed looking out my window as the branches of the trees swayed and the leaves flickered from moving of the wind upon them. Suddenly everything changed. My head started to throb as if a severe headache was about to overtake my body. My hands and feet are numbing to the night air, with my heart pounding inside my chest at the sight flashing in front of my startled eyes.

A fireball appeared to be falling from the sky. A dramatic nightmare was the only explanation my mind could conclude. But this was happening! It was real as I pinched myself to make sure I was awake. I was not dreaming. I was fully alert, whispering to myself as the fireball turned to a glowing sphere. Just as suddenly, it started slowing down unexpectedly to an almost complete stop. Immediately I realized it was not free-falling but was under some type of control. Somehow it was cloaked, for I could plainly see through the object.

A blast engulfed and obliterated a portion of the forest on our back lot. The craft, if it was, sat down; and a cold chill fell from my head to feet.

I blinked, croaking, Good Lord, have mercy.

I had a hesitation in moving, having been shocked at this sight. I was recognizing this being quite a big deal.

My sister was down the hall fast asleep. I believe she could sleep through a five-hundred-pound bomb exploding next door to our small farmhouse. She had moved in earlier the month before after separating herself from an abusive relationship with an overly possessive young man named Tom Dunn. He was often referred to by his nickname, the Judge. Many knew him to be a disgruntled and noticeably irritated individual with the government, even to the point of an explosive anger. I, for one, never understood what she saw in this violent, inflated, and ruthless person.

Upon entering her room, I shouted, Mary, wake up and look out the window toward the wooded area!

She just rolled over and promptly went back to her dreams. I rushed over and began shaking her to wake her up and see this breathtaking event.

James Jones Jr., what are you up too? Mary responded.

Just look out the window! I answered.

The craft was no longer cloaked.

She exclaimed, What in Sam Hill is that?

Well, I said, I don’t know, but I have a good idea what it is. Hurry up and get dressed. We will go together and check it out.

She said quietly, Talking about getting dressed, you had better look at yourself!

In my flustered state of mind, I rushed on impulse without any consideration of clothing. She looked startled, frowning at my appearance. My face tightened as I nodded to apologize for my lack of manners.

After being properly clothed, we started through the deepening shadows of the trees like two lurking deer evidently afraid of the hunters. Although frightened, we invariably decided we would see this through. We had, though, taken some extra preparations by carrying along my .38 Special firearm.

The craft, being clearly visible, was two to three stories high. It looked to be as long as a huge tree. It was quite a spectacle to see. Mary was squeezing my hand, and I swallowed hard, trembling with every step.

I just recently received an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps. I had spent some time in Iraq and knew of the dangers of battle. In a night firefight, tracer rounds fired at you looked as if each one was going to hit you. Then you realized after that every three other rounds were not tracers. At those moments, you needed a backbone and to fire back. You did that because you were trained, and by instinct, you let loose.

At this moment, we needed that same instinct to press on to accomplish what we started.

I said, Mary, we need to check for who or whatever flew this craft here.

She reluctantly shook her head in agreement, and we proceeded to investigate the craft.

The front of the craft had a sharp point; and back from that, about ten feet, an opening was visible. Dawn was starting to brighten visibility, and it was easier to navigate over and under all of the debris scattered all around. We stood in front of the opening and stared with profound curiosity in wonder at what would await inside.

Well, we’ve come this far, sis. We might as well take the next step, I assumed.

Oh, brother, sometimes I think you are crazy. But I must be also ’cause I keep following your lead, she said.

I gestured for her to follow me and took the step of destiny. The fear disappeared. It was replaced with a thrilling fascination of entering the unknown of a distant planet. Quite suddenly, this all changed, for it was clear something was wrong. I could see what looked like bodies possibly swollen in death lying around in a haphazardly heap of aliens.

What the hell? Mary asked, startled at the sight.

Looks like some kind of fight has taken place, I responded.

I stopped to try and separate some of the bodies. I was shocked to see how brutalized they all appeared. There was the smell of burned flesh, and flashes of distant battles long buried deep in my mind surfaced once more.

That looks like some kind of weapon, I touted. Pick it up. I have .38. You will have some kind of a defensive weapon.

We began searching farther along till seeing what looked like to us some kind of an elevator. We stepped inside, and it automatically began rising to the next level. Upon our arrival, the door opened to a scene of a complete spectacle of waste and death.

I looked at Mary and said, We are going to need a lot of help. Go back to the house and call Sue, Liz, and John to come to our aid. Tell them as little or as much needed upon the request. Inform John to bring his AR-16 with several loaded magazines, also for Liz to bring nursing supplies she will need.

She quickly left. I think she was glad to leave this vision of obliteration. I surrendered to the discomfort of searching through this haunted ship. A door straight across from the elevator opened to a room. My thoughts were that this room must be like the control room for all systems of the ship.

On the far wall behind what looked like some kind of console was an alien still moving. His hand was moving on top of the console in a way that seemed to want my help. So I moved toward him while examining further indications of his intentions whether they were offensive or not. His skin was a deep red. His eyes were catlike with a pug nose and no hair discernible. His hand raised on a diamond-shaped yellow-colored button. His actions made it clear he wanted my help in pressing the button.

Hold on, dude. I have no idea what that is, I said.

His eyes were bulging. He made a groping throat noise, then it looked like he smiled. He moved his hand as if to assure me it was necessary to push the button.

So I said to myself, What the hell, took my forefinger, and pushed the button down.

A high-pitched noise sounded, then it subsided. Nothing else happened that I could discern.

As I looked into his face, he blinked and spoke, Umqure, and jerked violently, giving up the ghost, and died. He must have been the last alien standing. I was confident there was more than one species involved in this encounter between enemies.

As I left the room and went down the corridor of the second level, there was an entranceway on the left side. Entering, I determined this must have been where the food was dispensed. Tables were securely attached to the floor with padded stools conveniently placed with drink dispensers along the wall. Noticeable was a separate space for food preparation of meals. There were two large freezer doors that I decided needed to be searched for available space.

The alien bodies would decompose without some way of preserving and protecting their physical corpses. If one of the freezers could be emptied to allow room for this procedure to take place, preservation of all alien remains would be possible. After entering and observing the rooms, I determined this was absolutely the way to proceed.

On leaving this area, an opening on the opposite side of the dining room led to another corridor. As I turned right, continuing along, there were many doors along on the left wall, which gave an indication of possible living spaces for the crew operating the craft.

Hmm, I whispered, which one would I choose to be an accommodation for my stateroom?

2

THE MAIN CREW

Breaking news, a multitude of reports are flooding in from Flagstaff, Arizona. People are telling stories of giant fireballs to white glowing objects falling from the sky last night. Our reporter on the scene, Jack Jackson, has an interview with one of the locals from Flagstaff, said the nightly newscast by Janet Jones.

Mr. Dunn, will you share your experience with our viewers? asked Jack.

I was driving along US 89 last night around 2:00 a.m., just passing the Flagstaff mall, when I saw a huge fireball on the horizon. It turned to more of a white glow, then vanished before it looked like hitting the ground. A lot of my friends said it was probably aliens from Mars, reported Tom Dunn.

This is Jack Jackson reporting from Flagstaff, Arizona.

I don’t think we need to worry about little green men from Mars. The National Weather Service reported a weather balloon was hit by summer lighting, caught on fire, and fell to Earth. The balloon, being completely burned before hitting the earth, gave the appearance of not hitting the ground, reported Janet Jones.

The phone at the Jones farmhouse was ringing as I entered after leaving the craft as James instructed me.

Hello, I answered.

It was Sue on the phone calling for James. Is James out of bed yet? she asked.

Yes, he is.

There was an interruption by Sue.

Have you seen the news this morning? A huge fireball fell over Flagstaff last night. I didn’t get to see it. You know how I like science fiction stories. Some people said it was Martians. I would love to see a Martian. Just any alien would do! Sue exclaimed.

Well, I said, exhausted, if you will calm down, you just might get to see one.

What? asked Sue. You have a Martian?

No, I said softly. You need to drive over, and I’ll explain it all to you.

I’ll be right over, responded Sue.

I sat down with a fresh cup of coffee at the kitchen table, contemplating on my conversation with Sue Ames. I was definitely sure that she was very excited about the newscast concerning the events of last night. I wondered how Liz and John would respond to a request to participate in this situation.

I picked up the phone and dialed Liz’s phone number. She only lived a couple of miles from here, and I thought she would be here about the same time as Sue would arrive.

Hello, Liz said, Mary, I was just thinking of calling you about all the news happening in our city. I can’t believe Flagstaff is the talk of the whole country and maybe the entire world.

I shuddered briefly at the description of worldwide attention on Flagstaff.

I asked, Liz, if you can, would you come on over so I might be able to discuss the events of last night with you?

Sure, I will be there in a second, she answered.

No sooner than hanging up the phone, a knock on the front door startled me. I was a bit apprehensive about answering, being suspicious of who it might be. A voice at the front door sounded familiar to me.

James, are you up yet?

It was John’s voice that I recognized as soon as I heard it. I got up and hurried to the door, opening and speaking at the same time.

Come on, John, I said. James is out back, but I’ve got some news to share with you.

He followed me to the kitchen, and we both sat down at the table.

I asked, John would you like a fresh cup of coffee? I just made a fresh pot before you came.

He answered, Sure, I have not had a cup this morning yet. Mary, have you heard the news about last night yet this morning?

Yes, everyone seems to be talking about it. Sue and Liz are on their way over here to hear what I have to say to you three on what I have to say about the matter, I said.

I poured John a cup of coffee and sat down in front of him when another knock on the front door occurred. I knew it had to be Sue ’cause she was always coming to the front; Liz always came to the back door. I rushed to the door, opening to see both Sue and Liz together standing and looking at a news truck pulled up in front of the house.

Liz remarked, Are we going to be interviewed for a news broadcast?

Hello, ma’am, my name is Rick Lane from the local news station. We are looking for Tom Dunn. Someone up the road suggested we stop here for information on his whereabouts.

I answered him, I know him. If you go about two more miles straight ahead till you see a mailbox on the right with a swastika painted on it, the drive is beside it, and his house is back about one hundred yards from the road hidden by some trees. You won’t miss it because it has a swastika flag hanging on the front side of his house.

Oh, he said.

Rick was a good-looking young Black man, and I felt his uneasiness about this information.

Thank you, he said, got in the truck, and drove off in the opposite direction.

I didn’t blame him one bit. I would have done the same thing, especially since I knew Tom all too well.

Come on in. John is here in the kitchen, and I will fix you a cup of coffee while you listen to my explanation, I explained.

They sat down around the table sharing pleasantries with each other. I gave a cup of fresh coffee to each and sat down with them.

I started, Well, I really don’t know how to exactly start this fantastic, surreal account of last night. I’m just going to blurt it out. It was a spaceship, and it landed in our back lot.

W-W-W-What? all questioned together.

James is there now. He wanted me to call each one of you for help, I answered.

What can we do? was their answer.

Well, it looks like all the aliens are dead. He wants me to take you to the ship. You will be amazed and awed at the sight of it, I answered them.

Sue said, We get to go aboard.

Yes. There was a doorway open, and we stepped inside. It was a horrid sight, and I was full of sympathy for the pile of dead bodies. But the craft itself is enormously higher in technology and refinement. It is quite beautiful beyond what our imagination could conceive, I said. John, he asked for you to bring your AR-16 with loaded magazines, I remarked.

I have it in my truck. I was going to the shooting range after leaving here. Now I’m going to war with Martians, he concluded, then went and got his rifle.

When he came back, I said, I don’t think it is Martians.

We hit out the back door, and they wanted to run to get to this exciting view of a lifetime. But there was nothing to see. Out on the back lot, trees were broken and lying flat, and there was no spacecraft there. I kept going because James, my brother, was there somewhere. When we arrived, John hit something, and a large knot appeared on his head.

What was that! he exclaimed.

I quickly moved where I thought the entrance was located. There was nothing to see when pop! We fell backward, the girls screaming bloody piercing murder. James appeared out of nothing.

Hey, not so loud. You could wake the dead with that high-pitched screaming. Come on in and see the mess before us, James said.

Why could we not see? each remarked.

There is some kind of cloaking device in this craft, James replied.

As we stepped inside through the open door, we could hear a helicopter approaching overhead. It was a news helicopter, but we could not see it because everything inside changed. We could now see the ship’s interior.

We have a report from our news helicopter flying over the farmland north of the city, blurted the newscaster Janet Jones.

This is your pilot Throm Tipps reporting high over the Jones farm. We have seen nothing on the ground as we circle the area. We see a site where it looks like the Jones are clearing more forest to plant crops. That is all that is different from the last time we traveled to this area. I repeat. There are no little green men from Mars running all over the place. Keep tuning in to our broadcast for any breaking news of last night’s strange sightings.

3

THE ORGANIZATION

I started toward the elevator and said, Follow me to the cafeteria.

This was the name I was giving to call the room where food was served. I could not help observing how they stepped aside the corpses lying in a heap on the floor.

We entered the room and settled together around the first table upon which we agreed.

I began the negotiation by stating, None of us were scientists with the knowledge to operate this vessel. But I’m in no mood to give the government control of it.

John was first to respond. Just what is your idea then?

Sue, Liz, and Mary, in agreement, said, We, too, would like to know your intentions.

Well, I realize we would need a large amount of financial investment. While Mary was gone, I searched some of the ship’s compartments. I was investigating the different spaces and found what I believe were their living quarters. What I found was this. I laid it on top of the table. One kilo gold ingot is worth, according to PAMP Suisse, $64,353.14, US currency. I believe that is a good start, I said.

John replied, I know you! You think there is a lot more here, don’t you?

Yes, I do. Before we make up our minds, we need to empty one of those two freezers in the other room. Of the freezers I checked, I believe one will hold all the frozen food. We need to stack the aliens in the other to preserve their corpses. We need to search them, undress them, find all information we can possibly learn about them. Separate the red skinned from the pale-blue-faced ones. Determine which species this ship belongs to, I pointed out.

They shook their heads in agreement that we indeed needed to preserve the alien corpses. I did not think they had accepted my opinion necessarily that we get financial matters settled.

Sue remarked, The girls should do the females.

John said, There are a lot more males than females. After you girls finish, I hope you will help us.

Liz answered, I guess we will try to help. Where do we put the clothes and other stuff?

We need to separate and document each item. Put clothes here, weapons there, and other items over in the corner. Mary, go to our house and get from my office notebooks and pens, plus my laptop computer, I requested.

Sue said, I have my laptop in my car also.

Yes, we probably will need more than one, I agreed. Go on and get it quickly.

John, Liz, and I began clearing out one of the freezers. We had