Space freighter co-captain, Matt McGregor, is worried. His father’s ship, the McGregor-7, has not returned from the Triangulum Galaxy. A cryptic message from the Federation Battle Cruiser Majestic warns of an attack and an alien virus. Matt, his bride, Tracy, along with older brother, Marc, sister, Maddie, and Federation Investigator, Jake Stevens, push their modified freighter to its limit to reach the far galaxy. Once there, they discover political intrigue, ghost ships with dead crews, a seemingly unstoppable epidemic, and an intelligent alien species. Are the aliens responsible for the virus? Can the outlawed nanomedical robots in the bodies of Matt’s crew save them? And what is the fate of his parents and their ship?
Excerpt
“Attention crew, we’ll begin deceleration to the Vida-7 space platform in ten minutes. Make sure any loose items are properly stowed. Everyone, be on the bridge in five.”
“Matt, maybe Marc should make the final speed dump and approach to dock at the Vida-7 space platform.” Tracy, my wife of six months, leans back in the navigation chair, crosses her arms, and grins. “Remember, I witnessed your last docking attempt here, and Commander Miller may not be too happy to see the McGregor-15 back again with you at the helm.” Then she laughs.
Dick’s voice speaks in my head. “Is she referring to our almost running into the station at seventy-five percent light speed on our last visit?”
I sigh. “Yes Dick, I’m afraid she is. Remember how we discussed the concept of ironic humor?”
“I do. Is this an example?”
I hear Tracy snicker.
I’m thinking, I’ll bet Jane is relaying Dick’s side of the conversation. Sometimes having a hundred thousand nanorobotic doctors living inside you can be a pain in the butt. Sure, they protect against foreign microbes and can quickly repair injuries, but they’re nosy critters. Through computer networks, they can share everything with each other. Fortunately, Dick can’t read my mind, so my thoughts are safe, but I’ve learned to be careful about what I say aloud.
I hear more laughter as Jake and my older sister, Maddie, enter from the small galley adjacent to the bridge. Their medbots must have relayed the story. I shake my head. “There’s no privacy on this ship.”
“You could say that, Matt.” Jake motions Maddie to take the nearest chair. He sits in the one next to her. “Your medbots have been sending play-by-play descriptions of your off-hours activities. Since your wedding, Kate and Pete have faithfully repeated every exciting moment to Maddie and me.”
I see Tracy’s cheeks redden and feel warmth rising in my neck.
Maddie pokes his shoulder. “Jake, we weren’t going to tell.”
“Oh, yeah. Guess I forgot.”
Professional Reviews
Hard SciFi McGregor Chronicles entertain and inform
The third book in this scifi series delivers, just like the first two. I appreciated the continuing story lines and character arcs of characters introduced in earlier books, and the new characters in this book add a rich dimension to the story.
I prefer hard scifi (think The Martian or The Red Mars series) because I like to think of what the future might be like. Collins' futuristic gizmos, gadgets, and thingamajigs stimulate readers who like some plausible science with their fiction. Chapters open with a quote of scientific information or an explanation of the author's creation of the science behind the locomotion.
The idea of traveling interstellar space is fascinating to humans on the blue marble.
Book 2 of The Commander and the Chief series finds the Chief "on the warpath" and "counting coup" with her enemies on both sides of the ocean. Meanwhile, she fights an indictment and risks losing her latest love, the Commander, as well as unleashing
