Alien Stone

Bernard Paul Badham's

Quark Books Online

Science Fact & Science Fiction

Science Fiction

TRILOGY BOOK TITLES UNDER THE SERIES

The Khed Seba & The Dark Lords of the Drage Medaal

Publication Details: Edited Manuscript

Any queries then please email me at: djhwty@hotmail.com

SAMPLE TEXT

The Fourth Chronicle 'Alien Stone'

Earth Time: 5895 BC

'Ta Weben, son of Nakhet Mer, Elder of the Great Council of Pa Mua, lay helpless in the darkness as the mists of death fell over his heavy eyes like a smothering fog. The vile stench of burnt flesh from the high energy plasma wound to his belly filled his nostrils and his limp body began to numb as his precious life blood drained away staining his royal white robe a crimson red. He was dying, and the last of his kind, on this once beautiful world, now a dead and forsaken planet. An insatiable sorrow tore his heart as he held his wife's blood stained hand, one last kiss he thought. In her death sleep she looked serine and beautiful, her hair hung in wavelets of gold across her soft pale face and her malachite green eyes still had the same sparkle he remembered when they first met in their youth. Now her life force had gone, but soon he would join her in the afterlife and together once more they would run bare foot upon the silky green grass amidst the scented rain valleys of Pa Mua. The loss of his home world welled up within him like burning hot lava fountains and the tears of sorrow ran down his bloodied face, dripping like a sacred burial ointment upon his wife's still rosy cheeks; he kissed her gently on the lips, then tenderly closed her eyes. Ta Weben defeated and drained of the will to live slumped back heavily against the wall to die. There was one last chance he thought, to secure what little remained, one hope to save the Legacy. With a last desperate attempt he reached out his trembling hand to find the butt of his weapon at his side, he wrapped his fingers around the timing trigger and squeezed until the flashing neon of the charging cylinder illuminated his sweat drenched face. Struggling against the excruciating pain of his fatal injury he pulled his knees towards his frail body and rested the barrel of his high energy plasma rifle between his legs. He aimed it at the entrance doorway, trusting the infra red sensor would discharge the gun should he die before his vile and merciless assailant returned. With the light in his eyes fading and his body as cold as the ice topped purple mountains of Akhan Major, he lay in waiting, comforted only by the distant memories of his ancient home world, and so, with a final breath of defiance he flicked off the safety catch and closed his eyes to sleep.'

CHAPTER 1

A Strange Encounter
In space, a lonely voice calls, and a sleeping stone awakes

‘Every thing’s fine here Mission Control we have locked into parking orbit and will be go for touchdown. This is Mars Red Phoenix-1 out.’ The radio crackled to silence as Commander Verdon E. Taylor flicked off the End Live Transmission toggle switch and stared wide eyed at the beadlets of condensation forming on the Command Module control console, he swivelled gracefully around in his pilot’s seat to his second in command. ‘Bomber, check the Life Support Systems, my instrument panel is as wet as a baby’s diaper.
Co-pilot Martin Bomber Davies scanned his keen eyes across the multitude of digital readouts on his LSS panel.
‘Humidity is rising Commander, it’s now at twenty five percent!’ He said screwing up his face in curiosity.
‘Strange? It was okay when we first parked into orbit.’ Taylor commented while switching the Magnetic Plasma Engine over to LTC, Low Temperature Containment, idling mode. ‘Switch the de-humidifier over to manual, and set it at nominal.’
‘Ay sir, switching to ten percent.’
Commander Verdon E. Taylor grabbed a disposable from the tissue dispenser and wiped the perspiration from his forehead before slipping it into the Zero-G-Waste shoot. ‘It seems to be getting a little warm in here?’ He said rubbing his fingers around the neck of his red flight suit.
‘All other life support parameters are nominal Commander, only the humidity is out. We will need to do a diagnostic.’ Bomber chirped.
‘No time for that now, log it for later.’
‘Ay, ay, sir.’ Bomber Davis reached for his clipboard and recording it as number twenty two on his to do list.
‘It’s just nerves commander, mine are on edge too. I feel as clammy as a bug in a sweat box.’
Verdon gave a wry smile, Bomber his long time friend and fellow astronaut was a reassuring presence at his side.
‘Natalya, what’s the exact ETA for horizon of Valles Marineris Gamma?’ Taylor asked, his eyes screwed tight by the responsibility of his position, he checked the main engine plasma temperature as he waited for Natalya Nikolayev, the Flight Navigations Officer and Electronics Engineer to respond. With her usual efficiency Natalya leaned forward and adjusted the cross-hair display on her navigations computer, which displayed a Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter map of the Martian surface, she adjusted the fine tuning until the cross hairs were directly placed over the northern high plains of the east end of Mars’ great river valley.
‘Valles Marineris will not be in daylight at the eastern horizon for another six point five zero hours sir, at that time we will be go for descent.’
‘Great, that gives us time for a little sight seeing before nailing that sucker.’

Author

Bernard Paul Badham

Email author: djhwty@hotmail.com

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