Jonathon Fletcher's Blog: Captain's Blog - Posts Tagged "space"
Free sample: prologue from Warrior of the Space Navy
image: 
Unity Book One
Warrior of the Space Navy
Prologue
“A Clear Message”
Deep within the asteroid belt that lies in orbit between Mars and Jupiter a desperate struggle had begun. A huge cargo hauler was engaged in a deathly dance through the void. Sitting on its back was an ugly black lump of a ship, a mongrel that was constructed out of the salvaged parts of the unfortunate space vessels that it had defeated and torn apart. The black ship had the unmistakable markings of the Martian pirates painted across her prow, a helmeted skull and crossed rifles. Just underneath the grisly image, painted in blood red, was the name of the vessel; the S.S. Satanskin.
The Satanskin was clinging onto the back of the cargo hauler using claw-like docking clamps that bit fiercely into the metal hull of its prey like a lion’s claws biting into the back of a gazelle. Docking tubes protruded from the underbelly of the black beast to meet deep wounds that had been cut into the skin of the crippled cargo hauler. Through each tube a steady stream of heavily armoured pirates now marched. Each pirate wore an armoured E.V.A. spacesuit and carried a deadly weapon. Every pirate had a fearsome design boldly painted across the visor of their suit, a skull, a demon, a snarling tiger shark or other bestial images intended to intimidate and terrify their victims. They poured into the cargo hauler like an army of ants, intent on stripping the ship clean and killing every living soul on board.
Inside the bridge of the cargo vessel the Captain stood firm with his officers beside him. He knew that he was about to die. Pirates didn’t take prisoners. They left no-one alive who could identify them. The men and women around him were shaking with terror. They held their puny looking pistols in sweating hands and stared fixedly at the hatch to the bridge as if they expected the devil himself to burst through on wings of fire. As it turned out, they were not far wrong.
With a shower of sparks the metal hatch fell inwards and landed on the deck with a clang that reverberated throughout the ship like the mournful toll of a funeral bell. Two of the officers began to fire their pistols at the incoming hoard and were instantly mown down by automatic rifle fire. The remaining crew immediately dropped their weapons and raised their hands in terror, falling to their knees as the armoured pirates surrounded them.
The Captain was a proud man, never one to cower. He stood tall with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, awaiting the death that he knew was coming for him with as much bravado as he could muster. Death came through the hatch in the shape of a huge man who was wearing an E.V.A. spacesuit that was painted with vivid black and red diamond patterns. When the Captain saw the suited figure even his stiff upper lip began to tremble.
‘Harlequin!’ he hissed through teeth that were clenched tightly in an attempt to stop them chattering.
‘I see that my reputation precedes me?’ said the helmeted figure as he came to a halt directly in front of the defiant Captain.
Harlequin’s voice sounded metallic, electronic and weirdly distorted as it came through the communication system of the Extra Vehicular Activity spacesuit. The towering figure stared calmly down at the Captain. He was a clear foot taller than the Captain. In his gloved hands he carried a coil of hemp rope which he continually twisted and pulled.
‘It precedes you like a bad smell!’ hissed the Captain as hatred burned in his eyes. ‘You’re surrounded by the foul stench of death and decay. You will burn for an eternity in the fires of hell for the crimes that you have committed!’
Harlequin began to chuckle, a sound that seemed detached from the death and destruction that surrounded him. The Captain couldn’t tear his eyes away from the rope that Harlequin continually wrought in his hands.
‘I don’t believe in hell Sir,’ said Harlequin, ‘at least not in the sense of an afterlife. There is hell enough before death for men like you and me. I give you a choice brave Captain, one choice for you and your gallant crew. Live or die. Join my crew; pledge your allegiance to me and my ship and you will live. Refuse and you die, here and now.’
There was absolute silence. Then the Captain snarled, ‘I’ll never join filthy, murderous scum like you.’
A moment passed and then a young man to the Captain’s left stepped forwards and spoke in a quavering voice. ‘I’ll join you,’ he said hoarsely.
‘Good lad!’ said Harlequin and then motioned to two of his men.
As they led the young man away back towards the Satanskin, he averted his eyes from the accusatory stare of the Captain. Then Harlequin rounded on the Captain and the remains of his crew.
‘Anyone else?’
Nobody moved or spoke.
‘Fine,’ said Harlequin and pointed with his gloved hand to the crew standing either side of the Captain.
Immediately the automatic rifles of the surrounding pirates mowed down the remaining bridge crew. A hail of bullets and chilling screams surrounded the Captain. After a second he was the only one left standing amidst a pile of twitching corpses.
Harlequin eyeballed the man through his painted visor. The Captain was still standing resolutely on the spot with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. Blood now spattered his face from his fallen crewmembers, but the man had not even flinched.
‘My, you are a tough son of a bitch!’ goaded Harlequin. ‘You should have joined us. I could have used a stalwart man like you. Now it’s going to be worse for you mate.’
The Captain finally began to shake, his resolve crumbled, anger and fear taking control. ‘Go to hell! Get it over with. Just kill me you bastard!’
‘Oh I will kill you, to be sure, but it won’t be quick,’ said Harlequin darkly. ‘I have a message to deliver.’
Then Harlequin turned to his men. ‘String him up!’ he ordered.
Several of the other pirates quickly took the rope from Harlequin’s hands and used it to tie the Captain to an overhead girder. The quaking man was hung by his outstretched arms in a crucifixion position and then hauled up until his feet were hanging a clear foot above the deck. Harlequin walked towards the Captain and looked up into his face. By now the man was utterly terrified.
‘What are you going to do?’ the Captain asked in the quiet voice of a broken man.
‘I told you,’ said Harlequin. ‘I’m going to send a message.’
Harlequin turned to a pirate who was standing next to him and nodded. The man brought a small holographic camera up, focussed it on Harlequin and the Captain and began to record. Harlequin bowed dramatically to the camera and then straightened up.
‘This message is for the Admirals of the United Worlds Space Navy’s High Command and President Smith’s government. It is from my new allies in the Insurgent organisation. They are very unhappy with how you have treated their people on the outer worlds. Your heavy-handed approach is uncalled for, barbaric and brutal. So as an object lesson they have asked me to make an example.’
Harlequin moved aside slightly to let the camera see the strung up Captain more clearly.
‘This cargo hauler was on its way to your naval base on Cairn carrying supplies. Nothing vital I’ll admit, but you will be on short rations for a while. More to the point is that this ship was under your employ. It was subcontracted to the Space Navy. Cairn is from where you launch your attacks. Cairn is your safe haven. Therefore it is Cairn that will suffer! In retaliation for your attacks and subjugation of the free people, we make this promise. We will attack any civilian ship that attempts to bring supplies to the naval base on Cairn. I repeat, all supply ships that attempt to reach Cairn will be destroyed and their crews slaughtered. Cairn will be cut off and your enlisted troops will slowly starve!’
Harlequin stepped closer towards the Captain.
‘…and just so you believe that our resolve is firm…’
Harlequin turned towards the Captain. He slowly drew a knife from a sheath on his belt and held it up so that it glinted in the light. Harlequin leaned in closely towards the Captain and whispered softly.
‘I’m sorry mate, but this is going to hurt you more than it hurts me.’
Then Harlequin began to cut.
With every slice, with every deft cleave, the Captain’s blood-curdling screams could be heard echoing throughout the entirety of the doomed vessel. When he had finished Harlequin turned towards the camera, still holding the bloody knife. Blood covered his visor and dripped down his spacesuit to pool on the deck. Behind Harlequin what remained of the Captain swung to and fro like meat on a hook in a butcher’s window.
‘That ends today’s object lesson. You can be sure that there will be others. Farewell and adieu.’
Unity Book One: Warrior of the Space Navy, is available now from Amazon...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Warrior-Space...
http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Space-N...
Unity Book One
Warrior of the Space Navy
Prologue
“A Clear Message”
Deep within the asteroid belt that lies in orbit between Mars and Jupiter a desperate struggle had begun. A huge cargo hauler was engaged in a deathly dance through the void. Sitting on its back was an ugly black lump of a ship, a mongrel that was constructed out of the salvaged parts of the unfortunate space vessels that it had defeated and torn apart. The black ship had the unmistakable markings of the Martian pirates painted across her prow, a helmeted skull and crossed rifles. Just underneath the grisly image, painted in blood red, was the name of the vessel; the S.S. Satanskin.
The Satanskin was clinging onto the back of the cargo hauler using claw-like docking clamps that bit fiercely into the metal hull of its prey like a lion’s claws biting into the back of a gazelle. Docking tubes protruded from the underbelly of the black beast to meet deep wounds that had been cut into the skin of the crippled cargo hauler. Through each tube a steady stream of heavily armoured pirates now marched. Each pirate wore an armoured E.V.A. spacesuit and carried a deadly weapon. Every pirate had a fearsome design boldly painted across the visor of their suit, a skull, a demon, a snarling tiger shark or other bestial images intended to intimidate and terrify their victims. They poured into the cargo hauler like an army of ants, intent on stripping the ship clean and killing every living soul on board.
Inside the bridge of the cargo vessel the Captain stood firm with his officers beside him. He knew that he was about to die. Pirates didn’t take prisoners. They left no-one alive who could identify them. The men and women around him were shaking with terror. They held their puny looking pistols in sweating hands and stared fixedly at the hatch to the bridge as if they expected the devil himself to burst through on wings of fire. As it turned out, they were not far wrong.
With a shower of sparks the metal hatch fell inwards and landed on the deck with a clang that reverberated throughout the ship like the mournful toll of a funeral bell. Two of the officers began to fire their pistols at the incoming hoard and were instantly mown down by automatic rifle fire. The remaining crew immediately dropped their weapons and raised their hands in terror, falling to their knees as the armoured pirates surrounded them.
The Captain was a proud man, never one to cower. He stood tall with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, awaiting the death that he knew was coming for him with as much bravado as he could muster. Death came through the hatch in the shape of a huge man who was wearing an E.V.A. spacesuit that was painted with vivid black and red diamond patterns. When the Captain saw the suited figure even his stiff upper lip began to tremble.
‘Harlequin!’ he hissed through teeth that were clenched tightly in an attempt to stop them chattering.
‘I see that my reputation precedes me?’ said the helmeted figure as he came to a halt directly in front of the defiant Captain.
Harlequin’s voice sounded metallic, electronic and weirdly distorted as it came through the communication system of the Extra Vehicular Activity spacesuit. The towering figure stared calmly down at the Captain. He was a clear foot taller than the Captain. In his gloved hands he carried a coil of hemp rope which he continually twisted and pulled.
‘It precedes you like a bad smell!’ hissed the Captain as hatred burned in his eyes. ‘You’re surrounded by the foul stench of death and decay. You will burn for an eternity in the fires of hell for the crimes that you have committed!’
Harlequin began to chuckle, a sound that seemed detached from the death and destruction that surrounded him. The Captain couldn’t tear his eyes away from the rope that Harlequin continually wrought in his hands.
‘I don’t believe in hell Sir,’ said Harlequin, ‘at least not in the sense of an afterlife. There is hell enough before death for men like you and me. I give you a choice brave Captain, one choice for you and your gallant crew. Live or die. Join my crew; pledge your allegiance to me and my ship and you will live. Refuse and you die, here and now.’
There was absolute silence. Then the Captain snarled, ‘I’ll never join filthy, murderous scum like you.’
A moment passed and then a young man to the Captain’s left stepped forwards and spoke in a quavering voice. ‘I’ll join you,’ he said hoarsely.
‘Good lad!’ said Harlequin and then motioned to two of his men.
As they led the young man away back towards the Satanskin, he averted his eyes from the accusatory stare of the Captain. Then Harlequin rounded on the Captain and the remains of his crew.
‘Anyone else?’
Nobody moved or spoke.
‘Fine,’ said Harlequin and pointed with his gloved hand to the crew standing either side of the Captain.
Immediately the automatic rifles of the surrounding pirates mowed down the remaining bridge crew. A hail of bullets and chilling screams surrounded the Captain. After a second he was the only one left standing amidst a pile of twitching corpses.
Harlequin eyeballed the man through his painted visor. The Captain was still standing resolutely on the spot with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. Blood now spattered his face from his fallen crewmembers, but the man had not even flinched.
‘My, you are a tough son of a bitch!’ goaded Harlequin. ‘You should have joined us. I could have used a stalwart man like you. Now it’s going to be worse for you mate.’
The Captain finally began to shake, his resolve crumbled, anger and fear taking control. ‘Go to hell! Get it over with. Just kill me you bastard!’
‘Oh I will kill you, to be sure, but it won’t be quick,’ said Harlequin darkly. ‘I have a message to deliver.’
Then Harlequin turned to his men. ‘String him up!’ he ordered.
Several of the other pirates quickly took the rope from Harlequin’s hands and used it to tie the Captain to an overhead girder. The quaking man was hung by his outstretched arms in a crucifixion position and then hauled up until his feet were hanging a clear foot above the deck. Harlequin walked towards the Captain and looked up into his face. By now the man was utterly terrified.
‘What are you going to do?’ the Captain asked in the quiet voice of a broken man.
‘I told you,’ said Harlequin. ‘I’m going to send a message.’
Harlequin turned to a pirate who was standing next to him and nodded. The man brought a small holographic camera up, focussed it on Harlequin and the Captain and began to record. Harlequin bowed dramatically to the camera and then straightened up.
‘This message is for the Admirals of the United Worlds Space Navy’s High Command and President Smith’s government. It is from my new allies in the Insurgent organisation. They are very unhappy with how you have treated their people on the outer worlds. Your heavy-handed approach is uncalled for, barbaric and brutal. So as an object lesson they have asked me to make an example.’
Harlequin moved aside slightly to let the camera see the strung up Captain more clearly.
‘This cargo hauler was on its way to your naval base on Cairn carrying supplies. Nothing vital I’ll admit, but you will be on short rations for a while. More to the point is that this ship was under your employ. It was subcontracted to the Space Navy. Cairn is from where you launch your attacks. Cairn is your safe haven. Therefore it is Cairn that will suffer! In retaliation for your attacks and subjugation of the free people, we make this promise. We will attack any civilian ship that attempts to bring supplies to the naval base on Cairn. I repeat, all supply ships that attempt to reach Cairn will be destroyed and their crews slaughtered. Cairn will be cut off and your enlisted troops will slowly starve!’
Harlequin stepped closer towards the Captain.
‘…and just so you believe that our resolve is firm…’
Harlequin turned towards the Captain. He slowly drew a knife from a sheath on his belt and held it up so that it glinted in the light. Harlequin leaned in closely towards the Captain and whispered softly.
‘I’m sorry mate, but this is going to hurt you more than it hurts me.’
Then Harlequin began to cut.
With every slice, with every deft cleave, the Captain’s blood-curdling screams could be heard echoing throughout the entirety of the doomed vessel. When he had finished Harlequin turned towards the camera, still holding the bloody knife. Blood covered his visor and dripped down his spacesuit to pool on the deck. Behind Harlequin what remained of the Captain swung to and fro like meat on a hook in a butcher’s window.
‘That ends today’s object lesson. You can be sure that there will be others. Farewell and adieu.’
Unity Book One: Warrior of the Space Navy, is available now from Amazon...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Warrior-Space...
http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Space-N...
Captain's Blog
Random thoughts from a science fiction author...
- Jonathon Fletcher's profile
- 95 followers
