The Starship Mantis: Angry Galaxy, #3

By Rod Little

The Starship Praihawk meets the Starship Mantis in a battle of three sides.

 

In the 3rd voyage through the Angry Galaxy, Sam, Bohai & Teak, now with Kirin, Tenken and the robot Max, cruise through a deadly galaxy to explore new resources on their journey back to Earth. On the way through a dark corner of the cosmos, they are attacked by multiple sides of a war that has raged in this sector for years. And then a great ship stops them cold. Shaped like a praying mantis, it is crewed by an alien species with technology far beyond anything seen before. The crew of the Praihawk must play two sides against each other and try to rescue a cargo ship to save their own lives.
Until they realize what the cargo ship holds!

 

They are caught in battle once more, this time against a force more advanced than any they have encountered before. To escape, they must land on a storm-ridden planet. This is no accident. They have been steered here from their first entry into the dark galaxy. Something needs them on the cruel planet.

 

Everything rests on the mysterious cargo and the mission to save it.

 

The third voyage through the Angry Galaxy will bring the Starship Praihawk nose to nose with the most advanced society and the most feared ship in the cosmos.

The Starship Mantis
244 pages

• Language: English
• Publisher: Starbase One
• Release date: Jul 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227429483

Book preview

​Chapter 1

The captain gave the order to intercept. A call to battle stations blared through the ship’s corridors. His flagship swung around to face the direction of the unknown vessel. Screens magnified its steady approach. A shift, and two particle clouds now parted to bring the unidentified object fully into view. A warship. It did not look like any vessel in their fleet or any ship from the neighboring empires. Its hull was shaped like a metal bird. Peculiar and unfamiliar.

It was alien.

An armed alien intruder.

The sight put the bridge crew on edge. They were accustomed to battle, used to seeing enemy ships on their bow, but unidentified alien ships were rare, especially alien battleships.

Scan it again, Captain Xeukse ordered. Damn particle clouds keep moving. Where is it? Where is the vessel now?

Six grid-sectors in, at ten by thirty-two, sir, the helmsman said. Too far out of range for an effective confrontation.

Get us closer. Increase speed.

Aye, sir.

It is of unknown class and configuration, the science officer reported. Sir, I believe... hmm, I believe it is not of this galaxy.

Are you sure?

I am not certain, sir. But there is no record of this ship or its design in any database. It is an invader. Analyzing possible origins. The vessel is likely from...

From where?

The science officer worked feverishly at his computer. I don’t know where, sir. There is nothing even close, no near match to cross reference.

The captain gave an umph. He didn’t like it. He was tired and already had enough on his plate today without alien invaders. The war with the Sayans had robbed him of too much sleep lately.

A closer scan showed the moniker. The second helmsman read it aloud. "Praihawk 4-221. I have never heard of this designation before. One moment, sir... I am checking the foreign logs... No, still nothing in the data banks, including those stolen from the Kassani and the Sayans. It is an unknown craft, sir."

The science officer had already said that. His officers were repeating themselves. That meant they were anxious and likely as sleep deprived as their captain. Xeukse was in no mood to coddle them.

Yes, Akkeren said that. Life signs?

Too much interference from the particle clouds, sir. Wait... we are now able to read multiple life signs on board. A small crew... The young officer paused. Sir, three members on board are human. He sucked air through his teeth. Sir, at least one carries Sayan DNA. Maybe two. Scans are weak.

The enemy. I knew it.

The captain’s suspicions were validated, but he felt no satisfaction, only dread.

The officer continued, Sir, there is also unknown alien DNA, unidentifiable to us. I must recommend caution. We know it is a warship. Heavily armed. Unknown intentions. We should proceed with great care.

We are at war. Caution goes without saying.

Still, the captain accepted his tactical officer’s words. He watched for a moment longer. Silence covered the bridge, save for a few beeps from the instrument panels. The science officer scanned further and grunted with each new finding. Other bridge crew members tapped console buttons loudly but said nothing. Finally, the captain gave the order.

Dispatch two destroyers. Stop that ship before it reaches the enemy’s border. Obliterate it.

Sir? We have not yet been able to establish communication. Protocol dictates—

The captain cut him off with an icy glare. Protocol is for times of peace. I have made my decision, Nakra. Dispatch two ships immediately.

Yes, sir.

We are at war, the captain said, as if anyone needed reminding. The last thing we need is an alien invader mixing in. They appear to be heading for Sayan space. A new ally of theirs, perhaps.

We can’t be sure, sir.

And we can’t take the chance. I know that ship and I know why it’s here. I want it out of my galaxy. I know its plan. He knew nothing of the sort, but he feared the unknown. Paranoia had gripped him in this long war spanning most of his life. He hated unknowns, and he could smell trouble. This was a Sayan spy. Even if he didn’t know it, he knew it. I want it destroyed and the broken pieces of its hull brought to me to be studied.

Yes, sir.

Under his breath, he mumbled, Foreign spies. Your tricks end here.

Destroyers dispatched, sir.

Send that ship to hell, the Sorellian captain ordered. He wanted no part of this strange intruder.

​Chapter 2

For several days, the Praihawk sailed without event toward a stormy planet, one the robot, Max, told them was able to support life. The destination planet held what he called a life spot, or green spot, on its northern pole. Oxygen, plant life, animal life. There was a good chance of finding food, water and supplies.

What’s its name? Sam asked. It looks dark.

I do not know its common name, Max said. It is designated L-9200 sub 4.  Little of this sector is in my data banks. We are literally in uncharted sectors, so to speak. I believe that is the expression.

Sam said, You mean territory.

Uncharted waters, Bohai corrected them both absently.

Sam scratched his chin. I think it’s uncharted territory, man. Though, I guess it could be uncharted waters.

Bohai wasn’t listening. He was busy adjusting their trajectory to stay within the clouds as much as possible as they moved deeper into this end of the galaxy. Staying hidden seemed prudent. The ship now had a purple haze covering visuals on the main screen. No matter, the navigational sensors would guide the ship.

Not far now, Kirin said. He manned the weapons console and never seemed comfortable. His large Shakari form barely fit on the chairs. He kept one eye on the sensors. It was Max’s job to monitor their approach, but Kirin only trusted his own eyes. He double-checked everything the robot told them. Soon we arrive.

It was a relief to leave the black of space and enter a field of stars again. This lone planet was the only viable rest-stop within reach before they would run out of food and power. It was an incredible find, and just in time. The fact that it seemed able to sustain life was a godsend. At long last, luck was turning in their favor.

Almost, said Kirin.

"What does almost mean?" Tenken asked.

The old Sayan captain paced and never seemed comfortable on their ship, but for reasons different from Kirin. Tenken was used to commanding a large battle cruiser. He’d say it was the Praihawk’s small bridge that made him uneasy—a tenth the size of the bridge on his cruiser back home—but Sam knew it was the lack of control that made him tense. The former captain was used to being in charge. Here he was just a passenger, possibly a crewman, but with no status.

Twenty-seven minutes to outer orbit, Max confirmed. He found that the humans in the crew were comforted by his use of Earth’s days, hours, and minutes for time measurements. After they had informed him of the parameters of the planet Earth, a planet he had never seen, he programmed his data input to make the adjustments. Continue on this course. In twenty-four minutes, we must adjust to begin descent into the atmosphere. Be warned, our landing must be precise. Only the north pole is hospitable. The remainder of the planet is plagued by storms and other inhospitable phenomena.

A beep sounded on the control panel. Sam shut it off. Something is getting close to us. Sensors don’t like it.

Asteroid? Bohai asked. He checked his own screens. He had no idea what to look for with all the purple space clouds blinding them.

The object has made a purposeful change in course, Max said. This cannot be a floating object. It is piloted. This is a ship, a guided means of conveyance. He looked up from his scanner. There are two of them.

Moving in fast, Kirin said.

He was right. Sam tracked their approach. Sensors said they were flying in at great speed, heading directly for the Praihawk. Not an entirely friendly gesture, but no harm so far.

Tenken advised them to raise shields.

Power is low, Max warned.

This is an attack if ever I saw one, Tenken said. Fire weapons as soon as they’re in range.

Calm down, Sam said. We don’t know anything yet.

Max opened communications and sent out a general hail in all the languages of his database, including Sayan, with a clear signal of non-hostile intent. A minute passed. There was no immediate reply. Max tried again with more specifics on their predicament and another plea of amicable intent. Seconds ticked by.

No reply.

Max now had a full image on the main screen. The purple haze parted, and they could see two small objects flying toward them. A quick zoom showed two unremarkable ships, block shaped with stunted wings.

Almost looks like an old F-16, Bohai said. But with shorter... you know, wings.

Still no reply on comm channels.

They don’t like us, Sam said.

Tenken growled. I’ll say it again, shoot them down. Now.

They may not understand our message, Max pointed out. I am unfamiliar with the make and model of those ships. Their language or dialect may not be in my language base.

We haven’t done anything wrong, Sam said.

Kirin tapped the zoom focus button. Maybe we have.

Bear in mind, Bohai said, we are the intruders. And we are coming in on a battleship.

Sam frowned. Fair enough. I guess if a battleship came close to our home, we’d go into defense mode. Maybe we should slow down.

Curious. Max blinked. Speed does indicate aggression in certain cultures, but more often it is an indicator of escape. Perhaps of guilt. Nonetheless, I agree. We should reduce speed.

You sure? Bohai asked. We’re almost at the planet.

Yeah, let’s slow down, Sam said.

Bohai reduced the ship’s speed by three quarters. They could now see the planet on the viewscreen, but it no longer rose toward them. The two other ships were getting closer by the second.

They have increased velocity, Max reported.

The two alien ships soared into their path and blocked their way. Still no reply to their message. Instead, one ship launched a missile in their direction. Bohai deftly maneuvered the ship to avoid it. The missile missed and flew past them.

That is decidedly unfriendly. Max was great at stating the obvious.

No more talk, Max, Sam said. He targeted his lasers on the ship that had fired.

The second ship launched its own missile. Sam transferred targeting to the incoming missile and destroyed it with a laser. It exploded halfway between the Praihawk and the two ships. He tapped the controls again and hit the first ship with a laser blast and swung its beam to hit the second ship directly after. It was a move he had been practicing on asteroids. A lucky hit on a vulnerable engine. One ship exploded. Debris flew into them and rocked the Praihawk for a few seconds. Shields held with no damage. The second ship was wounded but did not stop. It headed straight for them. Sam destroyed it.

Oops, said Sam. I didn’t really think that would take it out. I only wanted to scare them off. Lasers were at forty percent. Their shields must be crap.

Kirin agreed. Not strong.

These were small ships, Tenken said. I guarantee its mother ship isn’t far away. It will be bad, trust me.

Rarely was he right, but this time, he absolutely was. He would enjoy an ‘I told you so’ a few moments later. For now, new problems were minutes away.

Max examined his scanners for the next few seconds. They could see images of the debris and of the explosions on his screens, including the detonated missile.

Their shields are weaker than expected, Max said. However, their weapons are quite robust. I believe if either of those missiles had hit us, we would have been destroyed.

Sam swiveled in his chair. Are you serious? We came that close to... to being space junk?

Indeed. We should not underestimate this new foe—which they appear to be—and we should avoid their weapons at all costs. Their design has put all efforts into their weapons systems, it seems, and none into shield. These two may have been suicide squads.

You mean like kamikaze planes? Bohai asked.

I do not know what that is. The robot touched his ear node. Explain.

Sam nodded. Yeah, I think he might be right. They don’t look like they care if they get home or not. They came to kill us.

Can you explain—

Later, Max! Sam said. Look. Two more are coming in hot. Fast as hell. And two more are out there further behind them. Crap... is that a...?

A larger ship, Max said. A battleship. It is making a slow approach, sending out smaller craft, which are faster and geared solely for combat.

I’m heading for that planet, Bohai said. Any objections? He didn’t wait for answers. There was no way they could survive the combined incoming attack. Hang on tight.

The Praihawk flew at full speed for the planet’s surface. When they broke into the thermosphere, the ship rocked with turbulence, the hull vibrated. Sam always hated that part. He always wondered why turbulence was still a problem in air travel, even in spaceships.

They broke through into the lower atmosphere, slowed and cruised a mile from the ground. An ominous darkness reigned. Heavy clouds filled the skies, black and gray, and red lightning sparked across the planet’s horizons, revealing stark jagged mountain ranges on all sides.

Holy Halloween, Sam said. We’ve found Frankenstein’s Planet. Creepy as hell.

We are too far from the green zone, Max said. You are landing us too soon.

A lightning bolt hit the ship, sharply knocking it sideways.

Get me on the ground, Sam said. I’m gonna throw up.

We are not in the green zone, Max said again.

We don’t have a choice, Bohai yelled. We’re going down, and we’re going down now.

Can you raise shields? Max asked. I am getting no reaction from controls.

Bohai concentrated on the landing controls and didn’t answer. The ship jerked right, then left. "I’m losing navigation. The winds are too strong. I think there’s... Damn, never felt