***
Captain Riker was signing off for all of the safety checks with a young Starfleet officer and the Phantom 500’s docking station. He finished signing and then handed the tablet back to the young man.
“You’re James Riker, right?” said the young man.
“Yes, that’s me,” said Captain Riker.
“Wow, it’s an honor to meet you, sir, my name is Jacob. You were a legend in the Mars Wars,” said Jacob.
“Yeah, thanks, Jacob. Nice to meet you too,” said Riker.
“So, you’re working the merchant trade now?” said Jacob.
“Yeah,” replied Riker.
“Wow, must be difficult working such a quiet job after being involved in the war?” said Jacob.
“There’s enough excitement to keep me happy,” replied Riker. Kakura and Aurora came trotting up to Riker and Jacob.
“Sorry we’re late, Captain. It proved much more difficult to find Aurora than I thought,” said Kakura.
“Hey, I was just spending a bit of time with a cute Lieutenant,” said Aurora.
“You were in his quarters,” said Kakura.
“Hey, no need to go and tell everyone,” said Aurora.
“The Captain’s daughter is at risk and all you can think about is procreating,” said Kakura.
“What? I wasn’t procreating anything,” said Aurora.
“Look, stop. Both of you. Aurora, just get on the ship and get is started. We’re leaving,” said Riker.
Suddenly, a huge explosion caused the International Space Station to shake violently. The lights went out and were replaced by circling red lights and emergency alarm bells. Riker ran to a window and saw fire and bits of debris flying out into space.
“The explosion has come from the West Wing. It’s Doctor Mahal’s laboratory,” said Kakura.
“All personnel must move now to an evacuation exit,” said a voice over a loud speaker. Jacob turned and ran off, following other Starfleet officers.
“Quickly, get on the Phantom 500 before we’re made to go with Starfleet,” said Riker. Aurora nodded and the three of them ran through to their ship, shut the door and headed up to the cockpit.
“Okay, guys here we go,” said Aurora as she began flicking switches and then grabbed the steering wheel. The Phantom 500 turned and swooped away from the International Space Station.
“The damage is excessive. I fear that Doctor Mahal has not survived,” said Kakura. They were now able to see the damage to the space station and the hole the explosion had caused.
“What did I miss, Captain? What’s going on?” said Aurora. Captain Riker didn’t respond. He was staring at the damage to the space station with a stern look. “Captain?”
“Set a course for Jupiter,” said Riker, who turned away and walked out of the cockpit to his personal quarters. Aurora shrugged and then turned back to her control panel.
“Aye, aye, Captain,” said Aurora.
Phantom 500 – Episode 4
Phantom 500
Episode 4
By Alex C. McDonald
Phantom 500 – Episode 4
By Alex C. McDonald
Copyright 2015 Alex C. McDonald
Thank you for purchasing Phantom 500 Episode 4. If you leave a review at your favorite retailer, please e-mail the author at [email protected] and you will receive the next episode in the series for FREE.
Phantom 500 - Episode 4
The gigantic gaseous planet of Jupiter loomed in the sky of its most valuable moon, Europa. It was here on Europa where Earth’s most sought-after and most lucrative resource was mined. The frozen water of this moon could be melted down and drunk and had proven healing properties. Prolonged use of the water led to the regeneration of human cells, or as it was better known on Earth, anti-aging properties. It was a moon that was a frozen fountain of youth.
Here the Europa Mining Corporation (EMC) had set up the first ever mining colony on the moon and had a monopoly over the sought-after resource. The EMC was still in its early days, but was able to use private cargo ships, like the Phantom 500, to help ship Europa’s water back to Earth.
The atmosphere of Europa was thin enough for the Phantom 500 to pass through and land. Unlike Earth, the Phantom 500 would be able to launch out of it. Captain James Riker and his two crew members, Aurora and Kakura, had docked the Phantom 500 and were now walking through the small metal, pod-structure that served as the mining colony’s home.
“We’re here to pick-up our shipment,” said Captain Riker to Raheem Sterling, the Control Officer at the supply desk.
“Yes, Captain, we’ve been expecting you. Didn’t take you long to return,” said Raheem as he keyed a few commands into his computer.
“Just a big demand on Earth,” said Riker.
“I heard otherwise. I have an apartment near Santa Monica Beach. I hope it’s going to be the way I left it when I return,” said Raheem.
“Don’t worry Raheem, all will be just to your liking,” said Riker.
“I hope so. Anyway, you can rest in the cafeteria. We’ll fill your ship and make an announcement when its ready,” said Raheem.
“Thank you,” said Riker.
He and his crew moved to the supposed cafeteria. It wasn’t much of a comfortable place to wait. The chairs were surprisingly old and there wasn’t much on offer.
“Want anything to eat?” said Aurora as she looked at the unappetizing selection of food.
“No thanks. Do you have any whisky?” said Riker to the attendant.
“No, all out. We have some beer though,” said the attendant.
“That sounds good,” said Riker.
“Make that two,” said Aurora.
“Three,” said Kakura. Riker and Aurora looked at Kakura surprised, he rarely drank while they were working. The attendant passed them three bottles of a cheap-brand of beer and the three companions found a box to use as a table and three rickety-chairs to sit on.
The home of the EMC headquarters on Europa was nothing less than messy. There were walls that were unfinished and it looked cheaply made. There were tons of water filled jars that lined makeshift shelves filled with micro-organisms that had been found by scientists in the oceans of Europa. Kakura tapped a couple of the jars.
“What do you think they think of us?” said Kakura.
“I doubt they think much at all,” said Aurora.
“That’s what the Lycan’s thought of my home planet,” said Kakura. Captain Riker saw a miner rush over to Raheem and a heated conversation began to take place. The two tried to keep their voices quiet, but it echoed around the dome.
“What’s going on over there?” said Aurora.
“You go and tell them over there,” said Raheem much louder. The miner turned around and saw Captain Riker, Aurora and Kakura sitting drinking their beers. He cleared his throat and then strode over to them.
“Hello, are you Captain Riker?” the miner said to Aurora.
“No, he is,” said Aurora.
“Hi,” said Riker.
“Hi, Captain Riker, my name is John and I am the Head of Mining Operations. My apologies, but your return to Earth will be slightly delayed,” said John.
“Delayed? For how long?” said Riker.
“Approximately two days,” said John.
“Two days? Why?” said Riker standing up in anger.
“Well, you see, erm, when I was loading the water onto your ship, I may have broken the ship’s cargo hatch,” said John.
“You broke my ship?” said Riker.
“Yes, I’m very sorry, but don’t worry I already took the liberty of ordering the spare parts to repair your ship,” said John.
“And it’s going to take two days?” said Kakura.
“Yes,” said John.
“Well, what do we do in the meantime?” said Aurora.
“Well, I guess, make yourself at home,” said John, who turned around and walked away.
“Oh great, just great,” said Aurora. “I
think I’ll get myself something to eat after all. Hey buddy, can I get something to eat?”
“Sure, I can make you a ham sandwich,” said the attendant.
“A ham sandwich?” said Aurora annoyed.
“Er, no, actually we’re all out of ham and it looks like I have no butter or margarine left to butter your bread,” said the attendant.
“So, you’re just offering me bread then?” said Aurora.
“Yep, I guess,” said the attendant. Riker shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“Fine, three slices of bread thanks and keep the beers coming,” said Aurora who then picked up her beer and drank it all in only a few seconds.
***
Riker woke up early and rubbed his sore head. He had found himself a little nook in the wall to fall asleep in. The other workers were only just beginning to wake up themselves and looked much more comfortable sleeping on their blankets across the floor of the dome structure. He got up and walked over to the control desk where Raheem was already sitting and beginning his work for the day.
“Good morning, Captain,” said Raheem.
“Good morning. Hey, thanks for sharing your rations with us last night,” said Riker.
“No problem. You all had quite a few beers by that point and I figured your pilot could do with some food to stop her from singing,” said Raheem, who barely lifted his head from the computer.
“Yeah, well it’s a small price you all paid for breaking my ship,” said Riker. “Hey, do you have any coffee?” Raheem lifted up a mug near him and put it in front of Riker.
“You can have mine. Now if you don’t mind I am going through my morning checks to ensure the site is safe before I wake my workers for the day,” said Raheem.
“Sure, thanks for the coffee,” said Riker. He walked over to a window and stared out to the black sky as he sipped on the coffee. He noticed an object in the sky approaching, he couldn’t quite make it out, but it seemed to be a Starfleet ship. “You got a Starfleet ship approaching, Raheem.”
“They were just here the other day doing their normal checks,” said Raheem, who continued on with his work.
“Well, I can’t quite confirm as it’s not close enough for me to see yet, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a cargo ship,” said Riker.
“We’re not expecting any ships at all today, Captain. The next one is tomorrow and it will be bringing the part for your ship so that we can repair it,” said Raheem.
“Well, I think you better take a look then,” said Riker. Raheem sighed and then looked up to the window and his expression changed. He then quickly went back to his computer and began frantically keying in commands to bring up the radar.
“That’s no Starfleet ship, it’s a Lycan Destroyer,” said Raheem, who then quickly pressed the alarm button. The workers quickly woke.
“Raheem, you’ve got to send a message to Starfleet,” said Riker.
“You don’t think that was the first thing I tried? Our communications have been blocked,” said Raheem. John, the Head of Mining Operations, came jogging up.
“What’s going on?” said John.
“Lycans,” replied Raheem. “Get to your battlestations!”
“Battlestations? What battlestations?” said John.
“The one in the manual,” replied Raheem.
“What?”
“Look,” said Raheem, who pulled out a printed copy of the colonies manual.
“Have you guys actually done a drill or practiced this yet?” said Riker. The two miners looked at Riker with a blank face. “Oh great.”
“Captain, what is happening?” said Kakura.
“Lycans,” said Riker.
“I’ll get my gun,” said Kakura. Riker grabbed the manual off Raheem.
“I’m taking over,” said Riker, Raheem nodded. Riker then turned around to the rest of the miners. “Listen everyone. We’ve got a Lycan Destroyer enroute to us, they’ve blocked our communication to Starfleet, so we’ve got a fight on our hands.”
“I thought the war was over?” said a miner.
“So did I, but it hasn’t stopped a lot of Lycan activity recently. Why? I don’t know? But one thing I do know is they are a ruthless species who will kill all of us if we don’t fight,” said Riker. “Did anyone fight in the Mars Wars?”
“I did,” said a miner.
“Me too,” said another, a few other miners stepped forward.
“Good, because we’re going to need your experience now,” said Riker. “Raheem here is going to put up the force field, now.”
“Oh, yes,” said Raheem who quickly began keying in commands on his computer. A blue electrical force field then covered the small mining colony’s home.
“Now it says here that there are four anti-aircraft weapons set up around the colony. Who knows how to use these?” said Riker. A couple of miners put their hands up. “Good, you’ll come with me. Raheem, keep trying that mayday call.”
“Captain?” said Aurora running up to Riker. “What would you like me to do?” Riker grabbed Aurora by the wrist and took her to one side and spoke in a whisper to her.
“I want you to go to a find a blow-torch and weld the cargo hatch shut on the Phantom 500, hook yourself up to the communication link on the Phantom and I’ll be in touch to see how you’re going,” said Captain Riker.
“But, Captain? Won’t it be difficult to unlock the cargo hold when we get back to the International Space Station?” said Aurora.
“We’ll figure that out when we get there,” said Riker.
“Wait a minute. Captain, are we planning on running?” said Aurora.
“Yes,” replied Riker.
“But what about all the miners here?” said Aurora.
“Look, we’ll only be able to hold off that Lycan Destroyer for a short while. Once they break through and send a landing party, which they will, we’re all going to die. Now, we have a chance of surviving, the miners here will provide the distraction we need to escape,” said Riker.
“But sir, we can’t just leave them here,” said Aurora.
“Look, when the Lycans break through into this structure they will rape you, torture you and then slowly murder you. After that they will also probably eat you,” said Riker. Fear crossed Aurora’s face. “Now, go and weld that cargo hatch shut. I’ve got a daughter back on Earth that needs saving.”
“Ok, sir,” said Aurora. They turned around and saw that Kakura had been standing behind them listening. He was holding his huge rocket-launching Gatling gun. Aurora shook her head and jogged off to the port where the Phantom 500 was docked.
“What are you looking at?” said Captain Riker.
“We’re really going to run?” said Kakura.
“Yes. Now, come with me. We’ve got to go and operate the anti-aircraft weapons and buy Aurora some time,” said Captain Riker. He turned and began walking purposely reading the instructions of where the guns were located. The two miners, who had volunteered to help with the anti-aircraft weapons due to being veterans of the Mars Wars joined Riker and Kakura.
“Captain Riker? My name is Coen and this is Randell, we fought with you during the Lycan landing of Mars,” said Coen.
“Good, you know what to expect then,” said Riker who got to the door that led to the outside. He took a space suit out of a locker and began dressing. Coen and Randell followed his lead and began dressing in a space suit too. Kakura rummaged around for a while until he found a large one big enough for him.
“Captain, we were victorious that day,” said Coen.
“Yes we were, but tens of thousands of men and women died as well,” said Riker. Coen nodded solemnly.
“Yes, my two brothers died during that battle,” said Coen. Captain Riker turned and looked at Coen. He didn’t remember this man nor Randell, there were thousands under his command during the war. Still, though, he felt every loss of life and had attended hundreds of funerals to commemorate fallen soldiers. He remembered the loss of life on that particular day. Neve
r had Mars been redder than when the Lycans reached the surface. The Lycans too lost countless of their people and hundreds of ships. It was the day that changed the course of the war and led to the Earth being victorious. Riker walked over and put his hand on Coen’s shoulder.
“Your brothers will always be remembered by the people of Earth,” said Riker. “Today, though is a different day, Coen. We’ve got one Lycan Destroyer to take down, not hundreds. All we’ve got to do is keep them at bay until Raheem can get his communication with Starfleet operational.”
“Yes, sir, of course,” said Coen.
“Now, but let’s not be unrealistic here, Coen,” said Riker, “before you join us out there I want you to go and tell John, the Head of Mining Operations, to arm his miners with whatever weapons you have or can make. Because if the Lycans break through, none of you want to surrender. You all want to fight to the death. Do you understand me.”
“Yes, sir,” said Coen who looked as if fear had taken his soul. However, he didn’t cry or scream, he simply turned and quickly ran off to John. Riker and Kakura both starred out a small portal window at the approaching Lycan Destroyer.
“What the hell are Lycan Destroyer’s doing in our Solar System, Kakura?” said Riker.
Phantom 500 – Episode 5
Phantom 500
Episode 5
By Alex C. McDonald
Phantom 500 – Episode 5
By Alex C. McDonald
Copyright 2015 Alex C. McDonald
Thank you for purchasing Phantom 500 Episode 5. If you leave a review at your favorite retailer, please e-mail the author at [email protected] and you will receive the next episode in the series for FREE.
Phantom 500 - Episode 5
Communication to Starfleet was down and the Lycans were coming. Captain James Riker, Kakura, Coen and Randell had exited the safety of the force-field covered home of the Mining Colony on Europa though a secret door and were heading in separate directions to man the four large anti-aircraft weapons.
Phantom 500 - Episodes 1 - 5 Page 3