Two Days to a Free Ebook
In honor of my birthday on July 15, I am giving you a birthday present, a free ebook of Pegasus Colony the first book of People of Akiane Trilogy. This is the second post on my free ebook, here is the link to the introduction post.
Chapter 1 of Pegasus Colony
It was to be Earth’s greatest achievement, establishing the first galactic colony in the Pegasus Constellation. Using folded space technology, World Space Coalition sent three spaceships, WSC Eagle, WSC Hawk, and WSC Falcon, to transport 2,035 settlers to their new home planet, Akiane.
I named the ships after three majestic raptors birds because I wanted WSC ships to be known for their strength, dominance, and nobility.
Eagle was to be the first to land on Akiane until a friend reminded me of another ship named Eagle that was the first to land on the Moon. I didn’t want to confuse the two, but I didn’t want to change WSC Eagle’s name either therefore, I changed her destiny.
Chapter 1 introduces each ship as it reaches its destination and shows you its fate.
Here is WSC Eagle’s story:
Chapter 1 Part 1Captain Richard Fortner of WSC Eagle Log Entry
Folded space is a success. It only took twelve years to travel twenty-seven light-years to the planet Akiane within the Pegasus Constellation.
We have been in orbit for nine days and are running tests and sending probes to explore the planet and star.
One probe orbits this system’s star and has been recording its activity for the past few days. We have witnessed some astonishing coronal mass ejections, larger than anything Earth’s sun can produce, but then it is also larger than our Sun. Eruptions from the huge star have set off a series of plasma waves 30 million meters high, traveling millions of kilometers across the physical surface of the star in a matter of seconds.
The planet was quiet when we first arrived, but as the giant gas planet approaches, many volcanoes are suddenly active.
Akiane and the gas planet the size of Saturn orbit their star elliptically. Every eleven years their orbits cross. We have arrived in time to study the phenomenon. Those back at WSC Moon Base will be delighted with this new data.
Captain Fortner’s Office
The captain’s office door unceremoniously flew open.
“Captain!” the first mate called.
“Computer, stop and close.” The holographic computer screen disappeared. “Yes, Commander?”
“We’ve lost control.” The commander’s usual calm demeanor had crumbled. She slouched in the doorway, worry lines etched her young face, and her hands trembled.
The captain tensed. “Lost control of what?” he asked.
“All of it, Sir.” Her voice shook. “Everything. We’ve lost the ship.”
Captain Fortner stared at her. “How is that possible?” he asked weakly.
“I . . .” Before she could answer, the ship swayed.
Like an old eighteenth century windjammer, Eagle gently creaked and groaned.
The commander looked up and around for the source of the noise. “A spaceship does not make those kinds of noises,” she said. Tears of fear rolled down her cheeks.
“Commander, control yourself,” the captain said.
The creaks and groans became louder.
She was right. Something was wrong; whatever was happening, it was not normal. Captain Fortner’s head pounded with anxiety. His wife and children were on board.
He should be with them right now to calm their fears, but the ship and crew came first. They always did.
Eagle tilted.
The first mate lost her footing and disappeared behind the wall. Captain Fortner gripped the armrests of his chair.
The ship tilted in the opposite direction. The commander slid past the doorway.
Eagle seemed to twist in awkward angles, then dropped several meters. It happened with such force, Fortner lost his grip and hit the ceiling. When Eagle righted herself, Fortner dropped belly first onto his desk with a “Humph.”
He heard the impenetrable glass in the bridge observatory window crack. The window in his office did the same.
His thoughts turned to his wife and children. There would be no goodbyes. He could not save his ship nor say goodbye to his crew.
In the next instant, everything flipped upside down.
Screams came from the bridge as people were tossed about like rag dolls.
The captain’s shoulder dislocated as he slammed back into the ceiling. Eagle tilted to one side. Fortner slid toward the window in his office. Bits of glass disappeared as they were sucked out. Oxygen whistled as it escaped into space.
The window twisted. Fortner felt his blood start to boil as the vacuum of space invaded his office.
He was not with his family or his crew. It was just him and his ship and she had failed him.
WSC Eagle exploded.
