Starship Hunters: Starship Hunters, #3

By Michael Burns

STARSHIP HUNTERS (BOOK THREE): The Regulus heads for its final destination, Kepler 13-C. Knowing there will be a confrontation with the Gorgon, Captain Luke Webb intensifies the women's training in infantry tactics. The women are becoming stronger, faster, and more intelligent. Nick Dekker and Luke Webb compete for control. Their sometimes intense dislike for one another is becoming apparent to all. Trying to survive on unusually dangerous planets, and knowing they will have one last fight with the Gorgon, the women of the Los Angeles Hawks wonder if they will ever get back to Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Burns
• Release date: Jul 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223873648

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

Valerie Fox, team captain for the Los Angeles Hawks and their star forward, now Private Fox, soldier in the Deep Space Infantry, carried her photon-pulse rifle as if her life depended on it, and in reality it did. She was walking point, Sergeant Scott and the rest of her squad behind her. The landscape around her was utterly prehistoric, unlike anything she had ever seen before, plants and trees that appeared to have jumped out of a scene from the Jurassic Period on Earth, the land dotted with evergreen conifers, upright trees that resembled palm trees, ferns and broad-leafed shrubs, some of them blooming with strange-looking drooping flowers, mostly white, some yellow or pink. She felt like she was walking in a primeval forest.

She looked to her left, looked to her right, and then looked straight ahead, scanning the terrain just ahead of her. On the planet Banis, danger seemed to lurk everywhere and as she moved down the hill and into the valley below she felt like she was walking into the Valley of the Dinosaurs.

At least, she knew, her rifle could kill them, unlike the giant behemoths they had encountered on Rostok. That thought gave her confidence, and moreover, gave her confidence in her weapon, and an infantry soldier needed to have confidence in her rifle. Her senses keenly alert, she moved cautiously, yet quickly, knowing Sergeant Scott was about ten meters behind her.

They were on a recon mission, a combat patrol ordered by Captain Webb, and they had already killed four of the reptilian creatures that closely resembled some of Earth’s most vicious dinosaurs. Knowing there were probably more of them, she walked with her finger on the trigger, alert for any movement.

There were four martial robots on the patrol with them. Two. Four. Six. And Ten. The robots were out there somewhere on their flanks, and occasionally she caught a glimpse of them, but for the most part, she couldn’t see them, the forest becoming more dense as she got closer to the valley floor.

She moved to her left to work her way around several large ferns, and suddenly she saw a large snake slithering on the ground, disappearing beneath the bottoms of the ferns. She stopped, making sure the snake didn’t pose an immediate threat, then she gave the ferns a wide berth, continuing her trek down the hill.

After moving another fifty meters, the terrain bottomed out. She heard Ten’s voice in her helmet. Sir, Ten reported to Scott, I am reading seven life forms directly ahead.

Everyone halt in place, Scott ordered. Prepare to engage. Ten, what do you see?

The life forms are very large, about ten meters tall with a large mass. They are moving from left to right about fifty meters to our front. Wait one. Ten paused, then said, The life forms have stopped moving and are now stationary directly to my front.

Scott accessed Ten’s data on the heads-up display built into his helmet’s visor, but all he saw were infrared images. Ten apparently did not have visual contact. Valerie, do you see them?

Negative. I don’t see anything.

Scott moved up to her side, peering ahead. Okay, he said, I’ll take point. Stay right behind me. Everyone else move up. Single file. Keep your eyes peeled.

Behind them, Amanda, Cassidy, Holly, and Ruby stealthily advanced. Wearing their camouflaged battle suits, they blended in nicely with the foliage all around them, making them difficult to see, but by now, having been on three other planets teeming with alien life, they knew that animals always seemed to sense when humans were present. And so all of them had become apprehensive when they heard Ten’s report that seven large life forms were somewhere to their front. As professional world-class athletes, the five women liked a challenge, but since the sudden death of their team trainer only hours earlier, followed by the attack by four reptilian creatures that could only be described as dinosaurs, all five of them were on edge, wondering what might happen next. Overhead, Banis’ G-type sun burned brightly, rays of sunlight filtering through the trees, making an otherworldly scene even more surreal.

Scott slowly advanced through a cluster of tall fern plants, and reaching the edge of a clearing, he saw the animals Ten had detected. He signaled for Valerie to move up and take a look. In front of them, seven gigantic, elephant-like creatures were using their trunks to reach for foliage, tearing the leaves away from the branches and thrusting them into their mouths.

The magnificent-looking animals had four legs, rough, dark gray skin, and big, floppy ears, but their most striking feature was their tusks. Each animal had four very large curved tusks, two on either side of their heads. Judging by their size, they posed a formidable threat, their tusks an impressive display of powerful lethality.

On the valley floor, there was little wind, and so Scott wasn’t worried about the animals detecting them, but he decided not to venture beyond the bushes they now hid behind, not wanting to chance a confrontation with the elephant-like creatures. The animals were so big he wasn’t sure their rifles would easily bring them down.

Amanda and the others moved up to their position, all gazing at the massive creatures feeding across the clearing. Wow! Amanda said. Would you look at that?

Maintain comm discipline, Scott admonished her. No talking unless absolutely necessary.

One of the animals suddenly looked in their direction. Had it heard them talking? All six of them hunkered down, crouching behind the bushes. The animal continued to stare, but after a moment went back to eating, apparently unable to see the humans in their camouflaged battle suits.

Several minutes went by and then all seven animals abruptly stopped eating, alerting to something coming from the trees on the far side of the clearing. As one, the animals darted out into the middle of the clearing and formed a semicircle, their tusks facing outward, evidently preparing for some kind of encounter. Several of the animals began stomping their front feet, causing the ground to vibrate, and it was obvious to the humans now watching that something was about to happen. They didn’t have to wait too long.

They all heard it at the same time. A huge roar followed by several more, a deep bellowing scream, and then a large dinosaur jaunted out of the trees moving upright on two legs. It roared again, revealing a mouthful of huge, ugly-looking teeth. It was soon joined by four more of the beasts, also screaming, and it looked like all five of them were preparing to charge forward. In response, the elephants reacted by lowering their heads, projecting their tusks forward, waiting for the attack.

TWO

Sitting under the giant prehistoric-looking trees where they had established their campsite, Nick Dekker, Britt Jewel, and Ron Montana looked about the camp. The two shuttles were parked some distance away, all the pilots evidently inside their spacecraft. Robin Stone’s squad was positioned around the perimeter of the camp along with eight martial robots, two other martial robots standing near the shore of the lake about forty meters apart, watching, given strict orders to kill anything that came out of the water. Sergeant Reed stood behind the two robots with his rifle, also watching the lakeshore.

Above them, the trees were filled with birds, singing out in a chorus of chirps, calls, and tweets, the birds high up in the branches, their songs and chirps giving this part of the planet a tropical atmosphere, abundantly full of the sounds of wildlife.

Some distance away, Captain Webb was conferring with Lieutenant Harley, and across the camp, Dr. Finch was still checking on Russell and Gavin, both now undressed out of their battle suits and sitting in camp chairs as Finch ran his medical tests on them. Minutes later, the two safari guides walked to their tent and disappeared inside. Russell was still limping, and Gavin needed assistance to walk, two blue service robots helping him over to his tent.

Dekker watched with interest as Finch set his medical kit aside and walked directly toward him. How are they doing? Dekker asked as Finch approached.

Finch sat down in a vacant camp chair on the other side of Britt. Colin has a badly bruised knee, and Todd has a very serious concussion. They both need lots of rest. Based on what they told me, they’re lucky to be alive.

Britt’s jaw dropped and she looked at Dekker with an expression of horror on her face. What happened out there? she asked.

Dekker shrugged. We were jumped by some ugly looking reptiles. No big deal.

No big deal? After what happened to Shannon? No big deal? I’ll talk to you later. Her face showing anger, she got up from her camp chair and marched toward McGuire’s shuttle, treading up the landing ramp and going inside. Dekker knew that Tina and Alan Hardy were still in the shuttle, neither willing to venture outside.

He looked over at Montana. You ready to go out? he asked.

Are you sure this is a good idea? Montana seemed anxious.

Finch looked surprised. Go out? Where?

I want to go after Valerie’s squad. I don’t like the idea of them being out there alone, not with all these big reptiles roaming the countryside.

Finch frowned. They’re not alone. They went with Scott and four martial robots. You need to stay in camp. It’s too dangerous out there.

You’re beginning to sound like Webb, Dekker said, a wry half-smile on his face.

Nick, what do you hope to accomplish, other than getting yourself killed? You don’t know what’s living on this planet.

He’s right, boss, Montana said. Maybe the girls are better off without us.

What do you mean by that, Ron?

They’re world-class athletes. We’re not. If we find them and then we get into some kind of trouble, we might be in the way. They might have to save us.

Dekker realized that Montana had a point, but he wasn’t going to change his mind. My inner voice tells me we need to go find them. You can stay behind if you want. Dekker was feeling rebellious, and he wanted to defy Webb who had earlier told him he needed permission to leave the camp.

Inside, Dekker was still seething. Webb and Dekker were like two prizefighters, feeling each other out, throwing punches, backing off, throwing more punches. Dekker resented the fact that Webb had the full authority of the Federation behind him. As the owner and chief executive officer of Dekker Minerals, he was used to giving orders, not taking them, especially from someone as full of himself as Webb was.

And he was genuinely concerned about his girls. Valerie, Amanda, Cassidy, Holly, and Ruby were out there somewhere, and he sensed they might be in danger. The reptiles on Banis were predators and they were big and fast, and after what had happened to Russell and Gavin, he knew they could cause serious injury, even to someone wearing a battle suit.

He looked up through the trees. The day was getting hotter and more humid, the sun blazing down on an unforgiving planet. Fortunately, the trees he was sitting under were giants, and they cast shade all around the camp. It was then that he noticed the birds up in the trees had stopped singing and it had become noticeably quiet. Dekker looked all around the camp, wondering if some predator had wandered in, but he saw nothing unusual, though the sudden quiet seemed ominous.

Suddenly the ground started to shake. Dekker, Montana, and Finch looked at one another, all three of them freezing in place, unable to move. The temblor hit with a jolt and proceeded to get worse, the shaking lasting for an interminable time, increasing in intensity. Then it ended as quickly as it came.

Son of a bitch! Montana swore. As if we don’t have anything else to worry about. Now, we’ve got to contend with earthquakes.

Except we’re not on Earth, Dekker quipped. He started to get up out of his chair, but in the distance there was a huge explosion, the blast ringing through Banis’ atmosphere as if it came from some gigantic cannon. Far across the lake, in the center of the mountain range that stretched along the horizon, a plume of dark smoke and ash rose into the atmosphere. The volcano was no longer visible, instead replaced by a giant cloud of pyroclastic flows traveling at high speed over the surface of Banis, the hot gases and volcanic matter killing anything that stood in its path.

For nearly a minute, they watched in fascination as a giant cloud of black ash rose high into the air and rocks began hitting the ground all around them. Some of the rocks were very big. There was another blast, quickly followed by yet another, the explosions carrying through the atmosphere, the detonations so loud it seemed as if the planet was coming apart.

Finch jumped out of his chair. The damn thing erupted and is showering us with volcanic material. That mountain must have exploded. We’d better get inside the shuttles. No sooner had he spoken than a large rock hit the ground to their front, showering them with dirt. The crater it created was smoking, as if on fire.

Needing no further prompting, Dekker and Montana rose up from their chairs and sprinted toward the nearest shuttle. As they ran, red-hot rocks trailing smoke and fire began raining down over the entire campsite, streaming through the giant trees, breaking branches, tearing through some of the tents.

The two injured guides, Russell and Gavin, ran out of their tent dressed only in their underwear, both of them hobbling toward the nearest spacecraft. Nearby, a glowing-red rock hit a blue service robot squarely in its chest, instantly destroying it, the sound of the impact reverberating throughout the camp, the robot now a crumpled, smoking pile of metal.

As everyone realized the danger they were in, Webb gave the order to take shelter inside the shuttles. All robots take cover inside the shuttles. On the double! Lieutenant Harley, get your people under cover. Everyone get inside the shuttles. Sergeant Reed, take cover. And then, as he ran toward the nearest shuttle, a large rock grazed his helmet, knocking him to the ground. Dekker saw it happen, saw that Webb lay helplessly as even more rocks rained down on the campsite. He immediately changed direction and ran toward the figure now lying on the ground, volcanic rocks striking the area all around him as he ran.

THREE

The five large dinosaurs ignored the quake and the eruption of the volcano, their fury focused on the seven elephant-like animals now facing them. Fascinated by the scene playing out before them, Valerie and the members of her squad watched from their hiding place as the two opposing groups squared off, the dinosaurs roaring furiously, the elephants standing their ground, waiting for their charge.

Suddenly, as rocks began to plummet from the sky, one of the dinosaurs leapt forward in a head-on charge for one of the elephants. Without hesitation, the elephant lunged at the beast, its tusks goring the reptile in its lower abdomen, knocking it sideways. Then the other four dinosaurs charged and the fight was on, a chaotic battle of giant beast against giant beast.

Valerie watched as several large rocks landed with a heavy thud very close to where they were hiding. Sergeant, she said, I think we need to find cover.

There is no cover, he said, looking all around their position. We’ll have to take our chances here.

For the first time, Valerie thought Scott was making a bad decision. Her instincts told her it was time to move away. The ground beneath her feet was shaking from the movements of the heavy animals, the falling rocks only adding to the ground’s vibrations. And she clearly saw that some of the rocks struck with such an impact they formed small craters. Valerie looked over at Amanda and shook her head, then turned to watch the fight to their front.

The dinosaurs were ravenous, their strategy to bring down one of the elephants and scare off the rest, but the elephants were determined to fight back, and again and again, they lunged with their tusks, long, deadly weapons that looked as if they could easily penetrate the thick, scaly hides of the reptiles.

Several rocks from the erupting volcano hit the backsides of the elephants, but the red-hot rocks seemed to have no effect. But a large rock struck one of the dinosaurs in the head and it crumpled to the ground, stunned by the force of the blow.

Immediately, one of the elephants lowered its head and lunged at the stricken animal, goring it, ripping the dinosaur’s abdomen wide open. Holding its head down, the elephant pushed its tusks even deeper, pushing the dinosaur along the ground, and as the big reptile rolled over onto its back trying to escape, the elephant turned its head viciously, its tusks tossing the dinosaur’s intestines up into the air, its guts spilling out on both sides of its body.

The fight became disorganized, and the elephants broke ranks, slashing at the dinosaurs as the giant reptiles danced from side to side, trying to fend off the deadly tusks that the elephants wielded so effectively. But the four remaining dinosaurs refused to quit, warily circling around the elephants, trying to find an opening, all the while roaring their ghastly screams.

Suddenly, a rock hit Sergeant Scott in the middle of his back with tremendous force, hurling him forward and out into the open. The breath knocked out of him, Scott writhed on the ground, momentarily helpless, his rifle beside him. One of the dinosaurs, seeing the movement, broke off its attack against the elephants and charged toward Scott.

Without hesitation, Valerie stepped out into the clearing and fired her weapon, hitting the creature high up on its chest. All four robots came out of their concealment and fired at the charging reptile. Amanda and Cassidy jumped forward too, and they began to fire as Holly and Ruby both scrambled forward and picked Scott up by his armpits, attempting to drag him back into the forest.

But the dinosaur was too quick and it leapt toward them, taking Scott in its mouth by his shoulder, lifting him high off the ground. As it turned to run off with its prey, all five women and the four martial robots blasted it with heavy rifle fire, chasing it, firing as they ran. In seconds, the five women and the robots were in the midst of the elephants and the other three dinosaurs, risking being trampled to death, but with Valerie leading the way, they were all determined to rescue Sergeant Scott.

Weaving through the elephants, Valerie ran like the star forward that she was. Finally their combined rifle fire brought the dinosaur down, and as it fell, Scott came tumbling out of its mouth. Valerie and Amanda rushed over and picked him up, trying to drag him to safety. Around them, the giant beasts continued their fight, one of the elephants backing into Ruby and knocking her to the ground. She rolled over and jumped to her feet, and she and the others scampered out of the clearing and back into the forest, Ruby grabbing Scott’s rifle as she dashed into the nearest group of ferns.

Keep going, Valerie told Amanda. Let’s get as far away from them as we can. Scott, dressed in his battle suit, was heavy, and it took all their upper body strength to drag him about thirty meters back into the forest.

All robots report to my position, Valerie said calmly, kneeling down over Scott. She looked up at Cassidy, Holly, and Ruby. Cover us, she said, while we check him over.

When Two, Four, Six, and Ten reported, she ordered them to form a small perimeter around them and to stand guard, the robots immediately disappearing into the forest. Amanda gently removed Scott’s helmet. His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing.

Looking his battle suit over, Valerie saw no signs of a breech from the reptile’s teeth, no blood anywhere. The armored suit had apparently saved his life.

Finally, Scott opened his eyes, coming to. Are you all right? Valerie asked.

Where am I? he asked, his eyes blinking.

You’re safe, Amanda said. We’ve got you.

Scott’s eyes blinked again. Get me to my feet, he ordered, and as they hoisted him off the ground, he looked around and realized his rifle was missing. Where’s my rifle?

I’ve got it, and Ruby stepped over and handed him his rifle.

Scott took his helmet from Amanda and, with her help, put it back into place. Let’s get back to the camp, he said. We’ve had enough excitement for one day. He took two steps forward and promptly fell flat on his face.

Ten, get over here, Valerie commanded, and two seconds later, Ten jumped out of the nearby bushes. Remember how you carried me before?

I remember, the robot said in a serious tone of artificial voice.

Sergeant Scott is seriously injured. I want you to pick him up and carry him back to camp. Can you do that?

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