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    Alien Ally
    Alien Ally
    Alien Ally
    Ebook83 pages57 minutes

    Alien Ally

    By Michael A. Susko

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    About this ebook

    Two lone survivors of a destroyed battle fleet, Mark and Judith, use their "madness" to survive. Befriending and understanding an alien, whose skin and mood are liquid crystalline, becomes the key to their long-term survival, as they encounter more remote aliens who are disembodied. To save their galactic system, they must merge with these aliens and remember their own world, something no others have done.This is the start of an Odysseus-like tale, in which the survivors meet aliens in ever more exotic forms.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAllrOneofUs Publishing
    Release dateAug 30, 2020
    ISBN9781393258582
    Alien Ally
    Author

    Michael A. Susko

    The author, having degrees in philosophy and psychology, has taught a variety of classes, from dream interpretation to Indigenous studies. He has also helped to found and taught in a progressive charter school that used arts integration, in which two disciplines were intertwined. In his own research, he has embraced and published in a variety of topics. In this biographic series he hopes to share his life through sayings that has helped to guide his life. 

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      Book preview

      Alien Ally - Michael A. Susko

      Chapter I

      Some Madness to Survive

      Cast off from a fleet , I was a lone survivor of a medium battle-class ship. The rest of the crew left by escape pods. It was a clever ruse by the enemy, hacking our systems, making the captain believe that the ship’s destruction was imminent. Now the enemy has their pickings of defenseless pods while the warship would await empty, ready to be converted to enemy use.

      They did not count on me, though, one who wasn’t taken in. I’d been an expert in gaming before going on a real warship, and I could tell that the patterning, while close to actuality, had a whiff of the artificial, a gamesters’ flair. My observation didn’t make it to the Captain, for the first officer asked for my evidence. I had none. We can’t operate on a hunch, the first officer said. Find your escape pod if you value your life.

      Check first with the other ships, I begged. See if there’s the same pattern.

      No time, said the officer, signing off. So I stayed on board and survived. Space became filled with the crew pods destroyed by precise enemy fire.

      On inactive status, in a special chamber which insulated my life readings, I played dead. It would take some time before they checked this ship, as it was on the fleet’s periphery. Before then, I would have to make a run for it.

      One person operating and defending a ship was a near impossibility. I could steer the ship to try to escape, sure enough, but I couldn’t also handle weapons. Or I could man the weapons and not operate the ship. My demise was just delayed, but at least this would be one ship the enemy wouldn’t get.

      The question was when to make the move. Systems were all operable. The hyper-drive was ready. The ship could almost disappear, but it would leave traces and would be followed and found. A single ship wasn’t worth much, but I was aware of their ruse.

      A second problem occurred to me. Far from my home planetary system, the ship depended on refueling from another ship or planetary source. I would have to stop in unknown sectors for help. A warship with a single life form would be suspected as a suicide mission, disease ridden, or even a planet destroyer. Any reasonable planetary defense system would destroy the ship first, then ask questions. We had a state-of-the art, computerized translator that could decode languages, but it would take too much time.

      Perhaps it would be better to drift into space and enjoy what time I had left. I considered what to do for the next few moments and decided to de-stress for a while. In the 360 surround holotype with wrap-around visuals, sound, and smells sent by the winder, I put the setting on relaxation, and found myself floating among clouds.

      I was only an hour in deep mode when a sound startled me, and I knew I had miscalculated. The ship had been boarded. They could have worked as well from the outside in ... I debated whether I should resist or just enjoy the rest of the digital trip. Perhaps I would be overlooked. The enemy would be thorough, no doubt, so I decided to go out and meet my fate.

      When I opened the holotype door, I met a shielded entity pointing a gun at me. I didn’t make a move, surprised to see a single person, its expression emotionless, reading death. I thought to myself, Goodbye. Then the expression relaxed, and I recognized the uniform was from our side.

      How did you get on board? I asked.

      She lowered her gun. A space pod doesn’t have much maneuverability. But I figured it out before I hit eject. I managed with small bursts to direct myself to the emergency hatch. It took some time.

      You’re lucky I didn’t have the shields up.

      I suppose I am.

      I’m glad you’ve come aboard. I need a gunner.

      What’s your rank? she challenged.

      By chance, we had the same rank.

      How many years of service? she asked.

      She beat me by a single year, but regulations only gave it a preference.

      I was the second flight officer on my previous ship for a time, I informed.

      Noted.

      What are your specialties? I queried.

      Survivability, bionic plants and communications.

      Great. Have you ever fired a ship’s weapons?

      No, but I pick up things quickly.

      I studied her for a moment. There was confidence I could work with. In any case, it would have to do.

      I had my work cut out, as I had only two rotations in ship weaponry. I was surprised that she picked up concepts and instrumentation quick enough. Her reflexes, however, lagged.

      "Did you

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