Smuggler's Luck

by S. W. Gunn

  To learn more about Legenda please visit www.swgunn.com/legenda

  Legenda:

  Smuggler’s Luck

  By S.W. Gunn

  Legenda: Smuggler’s Luck© 2019 by S.W. Gunn

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  For more information contact:

  2668D Columbia Ave

  Tacoma, WA 98433

  www.swgunn.com/greenwhale

  Design by S.W. Gunn

  Cover by Vlad Bolotov and S.W. Gunn

  Print ISBN 978-1-7336988-1-8

  Digital ISBN None

  FIRST EDITION 2019

  For my close friend Antti. Your support throughout my attempts to craft stories greatly helped me in believing in myself.

  Timeline

  2032:Lunar Colony settled.

  2060: Mars Base established.

  2065:Earth struck by a large asteroid.

  2071:Lucas Miramar invents the Humidifying Air Reprocessor.

  2072:Earth (now called Terra) is reclaimed by humankind.

  2081:First contact with the Kalan.

  2082:The first human with the Gift appears.

  2086:A human and Kalan exploration team discovers the Brumkin.

  2097:Galactic Union between humans, Kalan, and Brumkin is formed.

  2101: First contact with Eal’tain is made.

  2106:War with newly discovered Magial barely averted.

  2109: Grokmal war lasts three months after first contact.

  2137:The crew of the Keg hired for a special delivery assignment.

  Prelude

  The year is 2137 and things have drastically changed for humanity. At one time the planet Terra (once called Earth) was ruled by a series of small governments but now it is ruled by one government. Terra itself has been completely changed by a massive asteroid strike in the year 2065. Humanity and Terra’s inhabitants would all have been extinct if not for man’s curious nature. In the year 2032 man had settled on the moon and in 2060 a base was established on Mars. Both of these bases represented the pinnacle of man’s technology and some if its brightest minds. After the asteroid struck, scientists on both bases worked nonstop to find a way to reclaim their home.

  In the end it took just one mind, Lucas Miramar, to find a way to repair the damage of Terra. His invention, the Humidifying Air Reprocessor, acted as both an air cleaning device and a re-humidifier. The planet was saved, although its surface looked little like it once did since the device increased the total water percentage. The reclamation of the planet for humankind was cause for celebration, thus was born Life Day.

  The asteroid strike not only affected the planet, human society was also significantly changed. Humans of all raced united under one government and began the current period of unity and exploration. It was during this time that humanity was contacted by an alien race. This race, known as the Kalan, possessed interstellar space flight and used it to make contact with humans in the year 2081. The Kalan were short study beings with a generally coarse personality. Their culture is renowned for a sense of honor, work, and family. Their men take special pride in their long braided beards, which was a sign of virility and wisdom in their culture. The humans and Kalan quickly became friendly trading partners, exchanging both culture and technology.

  It was after contact with the Kalan that humans began to experience an unusual issue. A small amount of women throughout the galaxy seemed to gain healing powers that were unexplained by science. Some Kalan women already had these abilities so modern scientists tried to explain it as a disease, perhaps a virus, although no physical evidence had yet to be uncovered to prove that theory.

  Within a few years, the combined exploration of humans and Kalan discovered another alien race. This race was known as the Brumkin. They were shorter and less stout than the Kalan, with round bellies and a curious nature about them. With the Kalan and Brumkin, humans moved into its next major phase, the three races decided to unify as one in a large space-faring government. This new government, which took three years of negotiation to make, was formed on November 17th, 2097. Called the Galactic Union, it was formed to defend and explore space in the name of the three races. The military arm of the Galactic Union, called the Galactic Defense Force, discovered dozens of uninhabited planets for its members.

  It has also found other races. The first contact by the Union was a race known as the Eal’tain. Thin and nimble, the Eal’tain were shorter than humans but taller than Kalan. A unique feature they are most known for was their pointed ears. The Eal’tain were willing to exchange knowledge however they were unwilling to trade or otherwise associate with the Galactic Union. They were reclusive and continue to be so to this day. Very few Eal’tain ever leave their planets. One piece of information gained from the Eal’tain was the existence of a race known as the Magial. Blood relatives of the Eal’tain, the Magial separated from the Eal’tain and formed their own society. Unlike the reclusive Eal’tain, the Magial were warriors who use battle as a way to expand their domain.

  The Union made contact with the Magial in 2106. Unfortunately the contact almost resulted in a war, which had forced the Union to practice a tactic of avoidance. The latest contact occurred in 2109. It was this contact with a race known as the Grokmal that sent the Alliance into a brief war. Like the Magial, the Grokmal are a warrior species, however they use little strategy, seeming to enjoy battle itself. They are massive humanoids with skin tones measuring from a dull gray to a bright green color. The war between the Grokmal and the Union lasted for several months, with both sides taking casualties until in late 2109 the Grokmal just stopped invading portions of Union space. Since that time the Union has strengthened the Galactic Defense Force and built defenses for borders.

  Chapter 1

  Heavy blaster fire struck the side of the ship, causing the shields to rattle everything around Jarron violently. He reached up to the comm and pushed the activate button.

  “Hain get those shields strengthened and watch the engine intake valves.” He yelled out loudly.

  The comm crackled loudly and a voice came through in a gruff tone, “Aye lad, I’m workin’ as hard as I can on ‘em.”

  The comm went silent. Glancing to his right Jarron saw Feligrin feverishly working on the nearby weapons panel. A Brumkin, Feligrin stood a tiny bit over half Jarron’s height. He was a bit chubby, like all of his kind. Sweat beads began to roll down the sides of his round face and into his short sandy blond hair as he worked.

  Jarron scratched the scruffy hairs of his goatee and then said in a faux commanding voice, “Keep extra fire coverage over those right shields near the engine ports, I don’t think they have reinforcement if the shields give out.”

  Speaking with a half grin and more than a little bit of humor in his voice Feligrin replied, “Of course Cap’n, shall I blow ‘em out of space?”

  Jarron turned back to the task of flying the ship while giving out a chuckle. For some reason flying a ship, especially this ship, had always come as second nature to him. Something about Hain’s ship had always just felt right, well once he had the undersized Kalan pilot’s seat removed and replaced by a normal one that a human could sit in comfortably. He flipped his long brown ponytail off his shoulder and behind him so it would be out of his way as he flew. One at a time he pulled on edges of his black gloves, which he wore to keep his hands from slipping while flying. Gently maneuvering the controls, Jarron pushed an arcing circle into an upward spin. Blasts of laser fire whipped by where they once were.

  In a frustrated tone Feligrin asked, “Dang it Jarron with moves like that how am I gonna hit those Grokmal ships?”
>
  Jarron just smiled at his words and with another twist on the controls he sent the ship spiraling again, this time downwards.

  Coolly Jarron responded, “Don’t worry Feligrin, pretty soon the fold computer will be ready and we’ll be outta here. Just need to wait for a little longer.”

  Jarron laughed as he thought to himself that as long as they were not space dust beforehand they would be clear. Dodging one or two ships was easy enough for him but once you get five or six ships it got a lot more challenging, even for him.

  Feligrin mumbled out, “Okay.”

  Before the Grokmal had arrived they had already started the programming to get the navigation plotted for the fold machine. It was now just a matter of waiting for the computer to finish mapping out their route. Throughout the galaxy there are known points that are programmed into navigation computers. These points are known as way points. They are all located outside the gravitational fields of the major planets of most star systems. Most ships have a fold engine that allows a ship to slip into warp space through an overlapping or folded pattern. The engine does this by matching these way points into a connected line. This is what allows faster than light speed travel. When a ship is actively folding space it travels in-between real space. The name scientists gave it was ‘the fold’. A skilled navigator can calculate using a known way point and stop their jump in another spot to allow them to arrive nearby but not at the known way point. It is very dangerous as one tiny error could cause the ship to stop within a gravitational field while still folding. If a ship attempted to fold or was actively folding while within a gravitational field, that ship would be torn apart. Few navigators do anything but follow the known way points.

  The comm crackled loudly once again and Hain’s voice echoed out, “Lad keep those crazy moves up an my poor ship willna need to worry ‘bout repairs.”

  His grumpy attitude had always made Jarron laugh. Even in the most dangerous of situations they always seemed to find something to laugh about.

  Gently pushing the comm button Jarron replied with more than a little sarcasm, “Without those moves your ship would already be space dust.”

  Uttering out a grumble through the comm Hain commented, “All the humans in the galaxy an I gotta git the craziest one to fly my ship.”

  Feligrin cackled loudly. Glancing sideways Jarron gave him a quick grin. Nothing had entertained Feligrin’s mischievous spirit more than harassing poor Hain. Even though he knew that Hain would never admit it, they all knew that he loved it. With a quick jerk Jarron pulled back on the controls, which caused the ship to stutter and then spin downwards. Flashes of light from Grokmal fire whipped overhead, barely missing them.

  Feligrin exclaimed, “Damn Jarron! How the hell do you know when to turn so quickly like that?”

  “I don’t know it’s just wild instinct.” Jarron replied with a shrug.

  He took another glance at Feligrin and saw that he had stopped sweating. His blond hair had settled into dried clumps. Once his hair dried it would return to its normal short wavy state. A beep rose from the fold computer.

  Pushing the comm button Jarron called out, “Hain buckle in, it’s time to get outta here.”

  The comm replied back, “Okay lad. Gimme a second.”

  Jarron nodded at no one in particular.

  Within seconds the comm crackled again, “Ready.”

  Feligrin nodded at him when Jarron took a glance at him to check to see if he was ready to go.

  “Goodbye chumps.” Jarron said quite wickedly.

  Feligrin laughed as the ship lurched forward and the stars around them began to whip by.

  “I’m glad we ditched those goons.” Feligrin stated.

  “Yep, though I’m wondering how they knew that we would be there.”

  A voice came from the entryway behind them, “Most likely someone told ‘em.”

  He looked behind them and saw Hain standing there. Jarron and Feligrin immediately began laughing wildly. Standing about a head taller than Feligrin, Hain was a Kalan. He was covered in oil, which filmed into his thick red hair and long braided beard. His rough face was barely visible with the only distinctly noticeable feature being his bright blue eyes.

  Struggling to hold back his laughter Jarron stated, “That sounds logical but now we need to get this shipment delivered. I was able to pull the next way point from the drop beacon before they attacked us so now we’re on our way there.”

  Hain grumbled loudly, “Aye good work lad. I think I best hit the sonic shower, I went an got a bit o’ oil on me.”

  Feligrin howled in laughter and then choked out, “Yep, just a bit.”

  Hain chuckled at Feligrin before turning around and leaving the cockpit.

  Sitting back into his chair, Jarron patted Feligrin on his shoulder before saying, “You just love messin’ with him don’t you?”

  Cackling out an evil laugh he answered, “Ya and he loves it.”

  “Well, we have an hour before we get to the way point listed on the beacon. I went ahead and moved the input destination so we can sneak up on the way point instead of dropping right there on it.” Jarron declared.

  Feligrin said, “That’s pretty wise.”

  “Well we’ll find out how wise it was when we get there.” Jarron stated.

  The hour passed quickly and they found themselves seated and ready for anything. Hain had finished his sonic shower and was sitting in the seat behind Jarron. A loud beep kicked out of the nav computer.

  Jarron called out, “Okay guys, get ready for anything.”

  Feligrin shifted nervously in his seat and Hain grunted. The grunt was the primary language that Hain spoke in. Kalan were known for their gruff nature and Hain was gruffer than most Kalan. The stars came to a sudden stop and the target location, the planet Lumnar IV, came into sight.

  After scanning the area with their sensors Hain announced, “Its lookin’ like everythin’ is clear. Appears to be a normal planet.”

  Jarron nodded firmly as he stated, “Yup, let’s go ahead and land. We can turn this shipment in and get paid.”

  “I like that plan.” Hain replied.

  Examining the results from the scanner he spotted the main port city. With several swift movements, Jarron set the controls and slowly began to guide the ship down towards the planet. The ship was soon enveloped by the thick atmosphere of the planet as they continued their descent. After a moment of flying almost blind, Jarron guided them through the atmosphere and the rough terrain of the planet came into view.

  The comm loudly crackled, “Unidentified ship, this is Lumnar City flight control, identify yourself.”

  Placing his thumb on the comm, Jarron responded, “Lumnar City flight control, this is the cargo ship ‘Keg’. We’re transporting required cargo and are scheduled to land today.”

  There was a pause before they received a response, “Roger that, land on pad Charlie, dock 22.”

  Feligrin stated, “I really don’t understand the point of this delivery. It seemed as though we just bounced around the galaxy a bunch of times and never delivered anything.”

  Jarron had to admit that he was confused about all of the secrecy of this delivery. They had to bounce through a half dozen different star systems, each time pulling the coordinates from a beacon before flying off to another. The weirdest part, each system seemed to have some sort of hazard. It was all nothing that he could not handle but it was irritating.

  Hain grunted out, “I’d guess it was a test, least that’s how I’d test my shippers if’n I had somethin’ very important to ship.”

  “I guess we passed.” Feligrin said with a chuckle.

  Hain nodded at him. In the distance the Jarron could see Lumnar City closing in on them quickly. He continued to guide the ship as it closed in on the city. The Keg shuttered slightly as it made contact with the planet. Hain led the way as they headed to the hatch, making sure that each of them grabbed their personal weapons of choice. Hain snatched up his maul-rifle, Feligrin
got a small pocket hand blaster, and Jarron wrapped his holster belt around his waist, which held a Multi-level T-87 blaster. While Jarron’s blaster could not match the firepower of Hain’s maul-rifle, it more than held its own in the rare firefight, plus Jarron loved it because it looked cool in the holster on his belt. Most people nowadays owned a Lucascorp weapon but making sure that it looked cool was much more important to him than having a name brand weapon. He had made many lady friends through their wide number of visits to various ports of call, partially because the roguish appearance that he purposely crafted for himself. A black dress shirt, brown spacer’s utility vest, faded gray pants and rough leather boots all came together with his holster and belt. It gave him an appearance of danger. He was young, wild and free, and loving all of it. The smuggler’s life was sometimes lean on food but always full of excitement.

  As they exited the ship Feligrin complained, “It stinks here.”

  Hain chuckled. The port of Lumnar City was a mass cluster of smaller docks lined into a massive landing pad. It smelled like most other ports although the fuel scent was very strong in the air. Dozens of beings moved around, both in small groups and alone, several humans wearing what appeared to be a dark blue security force uniform were pacing around the port. It was very typical of many of the cities that Jarron had visited in the past, even with the strong smell that Feligrin had complained about

  “How will we know where to go?” Feligrin asked nervously.

  “Well,” Hain responded, “I suspect that our employer will find us.”

  Hain walked over to the nearest comp-terminal and punched in a request for directions to any nearby pub.

  Grinning widely he glanced back at them and announced, “I found us a Kalan Pub. I think that we should relax for a while, since we have to wait anyways.”