Space freighter captain, Matt McGregor, and his fiancée, Tracy Warren, must rescue her mother, held prisoner by Marinas Christiansen Sorenson, a charismatic faith healer and leader of a religious commune, on a private planet called Eden. They enlist help from Matt’s brother, Marc, and sister, Maddie, along with Jake Stevens, a Federation Detective. Can this unlikely group invade a foreign, possibly hostile, planet, defeat Sorenson’s army, and bring Tracy’s mother to safety?
Space freighter captain, Matt McGregor, and his fiancée, Tracy Warren, must rescue her mother, held prisoner by Marinas Christiansen Sorenson, a charismatic faith healer and leader of a religious commune, on a private planet called Eden. They enlist help from Matt’s brother, Marc, and sister, Maddie, along with Jake Stevens, a Federation Detective. Can this unlikely group invade a foreign, possibly hostile, planet, defeat Sorenson’s army, and bring Tracy’s mother to safety?
Excerpt
“Everyone belted in? We’re coming up on the final speed dump in ten seconds,” I announce from the pilot’s seat.
Matt looks over from the navigation seat and smiles. “Good timing, Tracy. Looks like we’ll be right on schedule to meet my family at Swain-3.”
“On my mark…Three…Two…One…Mark.” I advance the throttles to fifty-percent. The roar from the McGregor-15’s engines grows louder, and the ship’s superstructure begins to creak in protest as the superluminal drives begin to slow the craft. I’m pushed farther into the yielding cushion of the pilot’s seat, as we drop tail first toward the rendezvous point.
I sense Jane’s mental excitement even before she speaks in my mind. “Tracy, you should listen to this.”
“Not now, Jane. I’m busy.” If I mess up our rendezvous at Lagrange Point L4, between the planet Swain-3 and its moon, neither Matt nor Mike will ever let me near the controls again.
Instruments show our deceleration rate approaching six Gs. My arm feels like lead as I reach for the controls on the main console.
“Jane, can you give me a boost?” I feel a surge of strength from shoulder to wrist and can easily reach to adjust throttle position to slow our re-entry. Sometimes having a nanomedical robot living inside you is a definite advantage. “Thanks, Jane.”
“No problem. I’m sorry I disturbed your concentration. My news can wait till we’re safely parked.”
I promised Mike I’d keep deceleration under six Gs as his wife, Fiona, is expecting a baby. For protection, he’s placed her in cold sleep. Mike and his brother, Matt, co-own this ship, the McGregor-15, a small Halon Class VII interstellar freighter hauling cargo between planets.
I met Matt last year when pirates kidnapped Mike. Together, with the help of two self–replicating sentient nanomedical robot strains injected into Matt, we rescued his brother and escaped from the pirates’ space station. Along the way, Matt and I fell in love. Later we found out the medbots, as they’re called, are outlawed by the Federation military. We’ve had to hide them from the authorities. Jane is inside me, and Dick is in Matt’s body. Fiona and Mike also host medbots.
I pull back on the throttles, as the ship eases into position. “Okay, we’re here.”
In the rear viewscreen, I can see Matt’s father’s ship floating about five leagues away. The big intergalactic is twenty times the size of our little craft and carries a crew of a hundred twenty, all of them from the McGregor clan or related to one. I’d love to become a part of Matt’s family. Someday I will.
Mike unbuckles from the engineering station. “I’ll check on Fiona.” He heads up the ring corridor toward the cold sleep chambers. I’m glad to see Mike’s concern for his wife and coming child. Marriage to Fiona has been good for him. It’s going to be the first grandchild for Latham and Madeline McGregor, a new generation for their dynasty.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Matt moves to the small galley adjacent to the bridge. Our crew of four, soon to be five, makes up the entire population of the McGregor-15.
The com-unit crackles to life. “McGregor-7 to McGregor-15. Good, you got the message we left at your last port. The captain and security chief have called a family meeting. Everyone’s invited. Marc will be over in the shuttle to pick you up in half an hour.”
I transmit back. “Thanks McGregor-7. We’ll be ready.”
Matt’s father is the captain of the McGregor-7. The intergalactic cruiser is the flagship of the McGregor clan’s merchant fleet. Matt’s mother, Madeline, is third officer and head of security. Must be an important meeting to call us all in.
Matt extracts a second cup from the automeal and calls from the galley. “I’d better let Mike know. Fiona will want a shower and fresh clothes before we leave. Say, that’d be a good idea for all of us, if there’s time.” He presses the intercom to inform Mike.
Professional Reviews
I enjoyed the first book you wrote and enjoyed the second ...
I enjoyed the first book you wrote and enjoyed the second one as much or more than the first, Hope the next book will be coming soon.
The twenty-five novellas presented in The Psychic Dimension (560 pages) are works of pure fiction. The stories’ themes deal with paranormal and psychic experiences. Any character resemblance to any living person on planet Earth in this work is purely
Pieces of Eight, Part III is a collection of eight novellas to complement the eight in Pieces of Eight, Pieces of Eight, Part II and Pieces of Eight, Part IV.
This chair is not your grandmother's rocking chair! In fact, you wouldn't want your grandmother or any loved one near it! So find a well lit room and enjoy an intense read of this Sci-Fi thriller.
