Starship Hunters: Starship Hunters, #1

By Michael Burns

STARSHIP HUNTERS (BOOK ONE): In the year 2266, a professional women's soccer team goes on safari to the outer planetary systems of the galaxy looking for thrills and excitement, but when they land on the planet Kessler 26-E and are drafted into the Deep Space Infantry (Federation Law, Title VI, Military Obligations of Federation Citizens, Section Three A, Subsection D), they get more than they bargained for. What begins as a team-building quest soon turns into a battle for survival when they encounter creatures that want to eat them, forbidding environments, and a savage alien army determined to kill them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Burns
• Release date: Jul 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223242871

Michael Burns

I live in southern Arizona with Christine, Chewie, and Auggie. Listed in the order in which they were published, these are my books: FICTION: HOT PLANET SUMMER OF THE BEAST THE FIRST MIRACLE THE HORN (Book One The Nemesis Series) NORTHWOODS AND OTHER SHORT STORIES POLICE STATE SANCTUM SANCTORUM THE SPACEMEN STARSHIP HUNTERS (Book One) STARSHIP HUNTERS (Book Two) STARSHIP HUNTERS (Book Three) THE PENINSULA (Book Two The Nemesis Series) BUILDING 7 THE AMAZON (Book Three The Nemesis Series) THE GARDENS OF MARS THE ISLAND (Book Four The Nemesis Series) RETURN OF THE BEAST LIPSTICK NON-FICTION: LUSH DROUGHT RESISTANT LANDSCAPE THE TRUTH ABOUT AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE THE SARS-CoV-2 VACCINE: To Take it Or Not As you can see, my interests are eclectic. I don't write in just one genre. When I imagine a story has potential, I write the story in that particular genre, whether it be science fiction, mystery, spiritual, action thriller, horror, or romance. I'd like to thank my friends for their help in proofreading and editing: Andrea, Christine, Jean, and Norma, and I also want to thank Cheryl and Thomas for some fantastic artwork. And many thanks to everyone who took the time to write a review.

Book preview

ONE

SAFARI TOURS TO THE OUTER SYSTEMS OF THE GALAXY

The words ran across the top of Dekker’s screen in bright, red letters. Below the headline was a full-color illustration depicting savage-looking animals on exotic planets and below that was the ad’s text:

Travel on a starship to the outer planets. STARSHIP SAFARIS promises an exciting adventure. Experience the danger and excitement of the hunt, and not just any ordinary hunt. Animals like you’ve never seen. The biggest, baddest game in the galaxy. Strange creatures from other worlds.  Track them down and hunt them in their native habitat, and our videographers will be there to record every minute. Several tours to choose from with highly qualified guides and trackers to ensure your safari will be the thrill of a lifetime.

Our starships utilize the new Hesselbarth drives, reaching speeds hundreds of times the speed of light. Your ship will reach its destination in weeks, not years. Good food and drink. First class accommodations. Visit planets that others can only dream about. Call for more information to discover which tour package is best for your needs. Don’t wait! Call now! 1-840-210676.

Dekker set his tablet on his lap and sipped his beer, the ice-cold Corona tasting delightfully good, going down smoothly, and as he drank from the bottle he gazed wistfully at the ocean to his front where Britt was splashing in the water up to her neck, her body hidden from view.

He raised his tablet up and read the text of the ad several more times, also studying the artwork. He suddenly noticed his heart was beating faster and he felt a slight adrenaline rush.

A safari to the outer systems of the galaxy? He realized he wanted to know more. On impulse, he picked up his comm unit. Synced to his biometric, the comm unit instantly scanned and recognized him.

One eight four zero two one zero six seven six. He spoke the words in rapid fire. A second went by.

Starship Safaris. This is Lisa. May I help you? Her silky, feminine voice was as smooth as his Corona.

I wanted to inquire about going on a safari.

Sir, we operate by appointment only. But first, we’ll need to see your financials. It’s part of our application form. You’ll find the application form on our site. You will need to fill that out. It takes about five minutes. After we review it, we’ll call you back for an appointment.

You need to see my financials? I’m Nick ...

I’m sure you will understand, sir, she interrupted. We receive many inquiries every day, but most cannot afford the price. Our tours are very expensive.

Look, I’m president and chief executive officer ...

Before you send us the application form, she interrupted him again, you might want to read our privacy notice. And please see our disclaimer. I’m very sorry, but I’m sure you can understand. We have to be quite discerning.

I see, Dekker said, deciding there was no use arguing with her. It takes five minutes?

It will be well worth it, sir, that is, if you qualify.

If I qualify?

Fuck, he muttered to himself. She apparently hadn’t heard of him. Okay, then. I’ll send it to you shortly.

Thank you. Have a great day. And the sexy, feminine voice was gone.

He decided she must be very young, and not well informed. Dekker picked up his tablet and accessed the Starship Safari site. He filled out the application, punching the keyboard way too hard, read it over and submitted it, then turned off his tablet, setting it aside on the table next to his lounger.

He lay back, relaxed, and sipped his beer, taking in the view. Beyond the white sand beach was clear blue water, the crests of the incoming waves bright white with sea foam. In the distance, large white, fluffy clouds billowed up over the horizon of the ocean, their edges tinted with hues of yellow and orange.

He and Britt were on the island of St. Thomas. A vacation in a tropical paradise. Around him, palm trees swayed in the breeze. The air was warm on the skin. Wonderfully comfortable. Looking through dark sunglasses, he scanned the beach. They had been here for only two days, and he was already bored.

I should be grateful for the change of scenery.

His face was a studied contrast; tanned skin, dark blonde hair, light blue eyes. Strong chin and neck line. Good posture. Dressed in a business suit, whenever he walked into a room he owned it. People stared at him. Heads turned.

There’s Nick Dekker.

Dekker owned the Los Angeles Hawks, the World Football League’s women’s soccer champions for the past two years. They had just beaten the Mexico City Eagles for the world title, and the year before they had been victorious over the London Strikers. The team’s motto said it all: WE STRIKE FROM OUT OF NOWHERE

Dekker idly picked up his tablet again, its 32K resolution providing the most life-like video images technically possible. He opened it to a video of the Hawks in action, and for the next ten minutes he played highlights from their past season, reliving them, highlights he had already seen several times. Looking at the high-resolution screen was almost like watching a live performance, the human eye unable to tell the difference.

He watched as the Hawks’ forwards worked miracles, their passing so accurate and so poised that when they moved the ball to attack, defenders couldn’t react quickly enough. Amanda Perry, Cassidy Jones, and Valerie Fox adeptly placed their passes anywhere they wanted, whether kicking high-velocity rockets or soft-touch lobs. And they could all run with the ball. Fast. When they scored, which was frequently, the balls were often cannon shots, propelled by forceful kicks that sent them soaring past helpless defending goalies.

Midfielders Andrea Blair, Jackie Davis, Ruby Carrillo, and sweeper Holly Parker held the team’s center, and when the situation warranted, Holly, the fourth leading scorer on the team, dashed forward to shoot. Watching a particular highlight and seeing her take a shot, Dekker smiled. Sometimes Holly seemingly did come out of nowhere.

And their defense was rock solid, consistently ranked as the toughest in the world. Fullbacks Shari Rogers, Angela Holland, and Elena Zapata didn’t give ground willingly, always fighting tooth and claw to keep opponents from scoring. The Hawks’ goalie, Robin Stone, was the team’s foundation. She’d earned the nickname The Rock of Los Angeles, allowing the fewest goals of any goalie in the league for the past four years running.

He switched to a video of Robin in the championship game against Mexico City. Near the end of the second half, Carlotta Sanchez, the Eagles’ star forward, was running down the center of the field when she took a pass from her left and broke free of the Hawks’ defense, sprinting toward Robin with no one else to stop her.

One against one. Star forward against star goalie.

Robin ran out from the net, launching herself high into the air just as Carlotta shot a rocket, knocking the ball away at the last split second, but as Robin’s momentum carried her forward, there was a vicious collision and both players crumpled to the ground.

Carlotta had to be carried off the field on a stretcher, but Robin had miraculously escaped unscathed. Dekker watched as Ruby helped pull her up from the ground, the two players hugging, soon joined by four more Hawks’ players, all embracing one another.

Robin’s heroic effort had prevented a goal that would have tied the game. Two minutes later, the game ended: Hawks 3, Eagles 2.

In the year 2266, soccer was the most popular sport on the planet. The Hawks’ stadium in Los Angeles held 178,512 seats, and the games almost always sold out. The team was a real money-maker and the one thing in Dekker’s life that kept him from becoming totally bored with his life, and when you knew you were going to live to be one hundred fifty, now the average human life span, the last thing Dekker wanted was to become bored with a daily routine.

He turned off the tablet and set it aside, and looked out upon the water as another question entered his thoughts.

Why can’t I be like everyone else?

The answer came to him a millisecond later.

Because I’ll never be like anyone else.

Fate had already decided that.

Success builds upon success. One good thing leads to another. Chance favors the prepared mind. These were all things Dekker had heard before. But in his case were they all true.

His soccer team wasn’t where he made his real money. He was the sole owner of Dekker Minerals, a privately held company he inherited from his father, Arthur Dekker, now dead twenty-one years. The elder Dekker had established the company nearly a century before.

Traveling to a distant planet where he thought he might find minerals, the elder Dekker hit it big. Starting out with just one starship and a small crew of miners and robots, his sole geologist on the trip discovered a huge deposit of platinum just at a time when giant mining corporations had depleted all the platinum deposits on Earth. Arthur Dekker filed a claim with the Federation and almost overnight, Dekker became a very rich man.

With the discovery of platinum, Dekker Minerals was in business, rapidly expanding, hiring more geologists and miners, buying hundreds of robots and robotic heavy construction machines, and eventually finding precious ores on other distant planets.

When Arthur Dekker died, Dekker Minerals had platinum, gold, silver, copper, lithium, diamond, and titanium mines on seven planets and sixteen moons, the farthest planet two hundred light years from Earth, but this was not a problem. The company had a fleet of giant, cargo starships, eight to be exact, to transport the precious commodities back to Earth.

And now Dekker Minerals belonged to him. Like all rich men’s sons, he wondered if he deserved it. His father had taken big risks, risked his life, risked his employees’ lives, risked his time and money, had worked hard, and he, Nick Dekker, had reaped the fruit of his labor.

But it hadn’t all been straightforward. He could have easily taken a wrong turn; become a drunk, or a drug addict, or a criminal. Or, worse, a playboy with no moral compass, life just one big dinner party, never accomplishing anything important, drifting from one beautiful woman to another. At that thought, he smiled. Yes, that had almost happened to him. But then he’d met Britt.

Although Nick Dekker was one of the richest men on Earth because he had inherited a mining company and all its assets, it was his soccer team that was his pride and joy. Watching the women perform heroically game after game was the thing that made his life exciting.

And he loved the thrill of the game, listening to the crowds, the applause, the cheering, the chants, the rumbling of the stadium whenever they stomped their feet, the booing whenever the referees made a bad call.

He had a sudden, impulsive thought. Why not reward the team with a vacation? But not just some ordinary vacation. A real adventure. Why not take the Los Angeles Hawks on safari?

Dekker relaxed and closed his eyes, visualizing what a safari might be like. A trip to the outer systems and planets with his top players, all of whom were young and in great shape, might just be feasible. They could practice on distant planets as a team. It would be a great team-building experience, bringing them closer together, making them a tight-knit team who might well win a third world championship, something that had never been done in the history of professional soccer, men or women’s.

He loved the sport, loved his team, loved his players. But the thought of going on safari intrigued him. Dekker, sipping his beer, realized that with the season over, life had once again become routine, and the season had only ended three weeks ago.

He had assumed that a vacation on St. Thomas would be a good change, but now that he was here in the Virgin Islands, relaxing on the beach, he recognized he needed something more. He needed some real excitement.

He watched Britt, head coach of the Hawks, and now his partner in life, wading through the water fifty meters from where he lay on his beach lounger, her body glistening in the sun. Three years younger than him, born in Sweden, with natural good looks, her hair long and blonde, her skin supple and bronzed, she seemed a virtual sun goddess.

He wondered how she would feel about going on a safari. Would she go with him?

His comm unit beeped and he held it up, studying the screen. Starship Safaris was calling.

Hello.

Mr. Dekker. Hello. My name is David Mason, executive vice president of Starship Safaris. How nice to speak with you. And congratulations on a wonderful season. How can I be of service today? Mason’s voice was deep and distinguished.

I saw your ad and wanted to inquire about a safari to the outer planets, Dekker said. I’m thinking of buying an entire tour. How many people can you take at one time?

Buying an entire tour would be very expensive, Mr. Dekker. To answer your question, all of our tours are currently sold out, except for one. We’ve just started booking it. That tour has openings for only eighteen people. However, I must forewarn you. At this time, it is our most dangerous safari.

Dangerous?

Yes. You see, this tour will include the planet Kepler 13-C. It’s an uncharted planet. We haven’t been there before and we really don’t know what to expect.

Is there big game there?

We believe there could be, but as I was saying, we haven’t been to this planet. It could turn out to be an extremely hostile environment. We’ve only included it as part of the tour because we will be visiting a nearby planet, Banis 11-D. We’re going to Kepler 13-C because we want to study it to determine if it’s a suitable planet, so as to be part of future tours. I must say, though, going to Kepler 13-C might prove to be very exciting.

What if there’s nothing there?

Kepler 13-C is an Earth-like planet. Based on data a planetary probe sent, it appears to have an atmosphere very similar to Earth’s. And it has water. That may indicate a strong possibility for the presence of life, but we need to study it further to see if there is game fitting for a safari. We think it might be a real winner. There was a long pause. Mr. Dekker, why don’t you come to my office? There’s something I would like you to see. Would three o’clock be all right?

Dekker looked at the digital display of his comm unit. It read 1:30 pm. Where exactly is your office?

New York. Where are you now?

St. Thomas. Virgin Islands. What is it you want to show me?

Something significant. I promise you it is something you will want to see. Mr. Dekker, I can arrange for a hover-jet to pick you up in, shall we say, thirty minutes? Where are you staying?

At the Ritz-Carlton, Dekker said. Knowing the hotel had a landing pad, Dekker thought about his offer. Thirty minutes? A quick trip to New York would break the boredom. Okay, he agreed. Let’s do it.

Very good. And Mr. Dekker, Starship Safaris will gladly pay for the hover-jet. Consider it a small gesture on our part.

Thanks, that’s very thoughtful of you.

I’ll see you shortly, Mr. Dekker.

Dekker set his comm unit next to his tablet. His first thought was to tell Britt. He would have to be tactful. He knew she wouldn’t like the idea of going on a safari and killing animals. He rose from his lounger and walked out to where she was playing in the water. She smiled at him as he approached. He waded through the shallow water until he stood twenty meters away.

Come on, honey, he shouted. We’re going to New York. The words just came out. So much for tact.

New York? Why are we going to New York?

To see something. I’ll surprise you, but we need to be going. We don’t have much time.

She jogged through the water toward him and when she got close to him he took her hand and led her back toward the beach. They walked to their loungers and she picked up a towel to dry herself off. He watched as she tilted her head, getting the water out of her ears, toweling her neck and shoulders.

So you’re not going to tell me? she asked, her expression one of anticipation.

He moved closer, and looking straight into her eyes, he took her in his arms. Don’t worry. We’re coming right back. We’re flying on a hover-jet. It will only take a few hours. Will you go with me? He let go of her and stepped back, trying to gauge her reaction.

Sure, she said, giving him a smile that could have lit up a dark night. If it’s that important.

He smiled back at her. You know, he said, that’s why I love you.

Because I’m so easy?

He laughed. I remember a time when you weren’t so easy.

She smiled, her memory of the beginning of their relationship written on her face, revealed in her eyes.

Britt had been his partner for the past three years. It all started when Dekker had first seen a video of her being interviewed by a Los Angeles sports journalist after the Hawks won a stunning victory, and he found himself instantly attracted to her. After quickly finding and studying another video, he realized he was hopelessly in love, as in love at first sight.

After reading everything he could about Britt, he decided to buy the Los Angeles Hawks. Just so he could meet her. At the time, he had paid too much money, and he knew he had paid too much money, but the thought of working with the most interesting, most beautiful woman he had ever seen was worth it.

Do you remember when we first started dating?

Yes, Nick. Of course, I remember.

I wanted you very badly, he said. But I almost gave up. Sometimes I felt like I was chasing a dream.

I’m glad you didn’t.

So am I, he said.

When are we leaving?

It’s picking us up in about twenty-five minutes. We have to hurry.

TWO

The hover-jet landed right on time and Dekker and Britt climbed aboard. The sleek but small aircraft lifted off the pad and zoomed away, its engines turning to the forward position, applying thrust toward the rear of the aircraft.

They sat in the back of the hover-jet in reclining, deep-cushioned leather seats. Dekker looked out the window to his left, and as the aircraft gained altitude, the white caps of the waves became less distinct, the dazzling blue ocean filling most of the window. The coastline of Puerto Rico whizzed by and for a brief moment, he saw the city of San Juan in the distance, but it soon disappeared from view.

The pilot ascended rapidly and the hover-jet reached cruising altitude, twenty thousand meters up, then accelerated to its maximum cruising speed, 3,300 kilometers per hour. Flying about a hundred kilometers off the East Coast, the trip to New York took less than an hour.

As they approached the city, the skyline of New York from the air looked very familiar to Dekker. His team had played there many times. New York, the biggest megalopolis on Earth, had two teams in the World Football League, and both of them were always contenders.

The aircraft descended steeply, and they touched down atop a two-hundred story skyscraper, one of the tallest buildings in the city. The pilot shut down the engines, and Dekker watched as a young woman walked toward the landing pad. Wearing a trim, dark blue business dress that stopped just above her knees, Dekker noticed she had great-looking legs.

The door swung open, and he and Britt waited as robotic stairs drove up to the door, stopping within a fraction of a centimeter from the fuselage. They got out and climbed down the stairs. Gusts of strong wind buffeted them, forcing them to lean into the wind and fight to keep their balance.

The young woman approached and extended her hand. Hi. I’m Jackie.

Nick Dekker. He turned to Britt. And this is Britt Jewel.

It’s a pleasure to meet you. Jackie gestured toward the rooftop entrance. This way, please, and I’ll take you to Mr. Mason’s office.

She led them into the building and to a high-speed elevator that took them to the one hundred twenty-fifth floor. As the elevator doors opened, they walked out into the expansive and elegant lobby of Starship Safaris.

It was tastefully decorated in brown wood paneling, dark green carpeting, and dark brown leather chairs. An attractive receptionist, a brunette with long hair, probably Lisa, sat behind her desk, but something else caught Dekker’s attention—the heads of several exotic animals that hung on the walls throughout the lobby. One of them looked like a cross between a lion and a tyrannosaurus rex, its fifteen centimeter fangs fully exposed in a fierce growl. Dekker moved forward to get a closer look.

Would you look at that? he asked, turning to Britt. Imagine having a run-in with an animal like that.

What is this place? Britt asked.

Just what it says, honey. Starship Safaris. Dekker smiled boyishly. "I was thinking we could use a