Space Refugees - Star Warriors

riors

  Space Refugees

  Book Three

  By Mikey Robert Simpson

  Follow Star Warriors on Facebook and Twitter

  Other novels by this author:

  New Age Man

  Gangstertopia

  Copyright 2013 Mikey Robert Simpson

  Space Refugees

  Mars had the strangest feeling. He was light and floating with his feet off the floor, he was being carried along in someone’s arms. He felt uncertain but content. He felt safe and secure, and recognised his surroundings. The familiar, sweet smell of pine tree’s drifted on the air. They made their way along a sheltered path through a small clump of trees. He could see patches of sunlight dancing on the dusty dirt floor. A few more steps and the shade of the trees was replaced with a wave of warmth as the sun pounded down on them from a cloudless sky.

  In front of him Mars could see gigantic boulders scattered amongst the hills, he could see a panoramic view below him, which looked across a landscape that had a mountain range and in the distance a tropical rainforest.

  Mars recognised the pebble like boulders, and as they approached along a winding path, he entered a place of happiness where he had memories of playing in maize of rooms, days out in the forest and swimming in nearby lakes. He had memories of people protecting him and safeguarding the exact land he was walking through. It was a place he knew well, a world of familiar phrases and customs a place he could feel at home.

  It was his first vivid memory from his past; it was a glimpse of his childhood of which he knew remarkably little about. Just as the boy began to understand his thoughts, the dreams began to fade until he regained consciousness.

  Mars woke with a dizzy head. He felt sick and had a cold sweat on the brow of his forehead. He looked around but could not get his bearings; the objects in front of him appeared fuzzy. He rubbed his eyes and his vision improved slightly to reveal the grey and white interior of the space ship. Everything looked familiar, the feel of the seat the smell of the cabin and the sound of the engines powering the craft through space. He realised he had a strong connection to his surroundings, the familiarities brought flashback’s of the day Wolfe had found him clinging onto life in this very compartment. He sighed and thought how lucky he was to be alive. He felt at his scar above his left eye, and ran his index finger along it. Tears formed in his eyes. Why did he struggle to remember his life before those fateful moments?

  He had recovered physically from his wounds and time had helped him to forget the feelings of loneliness, through bonds with his adopted family the Magellan's, but could he ever make a full emotional recovery so that he would remember his true past? He sat and composed himself and noticed over the noise of the engines a beeping from the cockpit. He looked over to Cappella, and his mother who were still unconscious as was Sheriff Marshall who lay by their feet, his bleeding leg had stopped.

  The beeping continued in the background and Mars now feeling rather inquisitive sat up in his seat, quickly unlocked his belt and walked slowly toward the cockpit to look inside. Wolfe was slumped forward held in his seat by straps. Mars could not tell if it were exhaustion or the shock of the crafts acceleration that had put Wolfe into such an uncomfortable position.

  Mars saw the illuminated controls; he looked for the speed, direction and energy reserve gauges hidden between points of data, all were greyed out. He noticed there was also a small compact laptop with a blank screen lodged in between two monitors. The boy wondered what it could be for? Should it be switched off? He dare not touch it. The craft seemed to be flying all right so he knelt down at the side of Wolfe to marvel the delightful view of space in front of them. Stars were zipping by, and the colours were of an every changing spectrum of black shades. To his left he could see a cluster of stars in an orange outburst. To his right he could see patches of vivid cyan, and in front of the craft he could see an object way off in the distance that shone the brightest of them all. It was a sun, which outshone any other space object around it. Rays streamed toward and then past the cockpit like an optic cable lighting the way into the future. Mars was excited he had never seen anything like this before! ‘He could not remembered being in space, and he certainly had not travelled at this speed before or had he?’

  A few moments past as he checked on Wolfe who’s hand moved a little before, the man groaned in pain, suddenly Wolfe’s eyes opened slightly as he looked at his son with a weak smile. The man’s head was bruised, his lip swollen. He rubbed his face in a clockwise motion as if to wipe the cobwebs of his sleep away. Tears formed in his eyes. He lay back in the seat and wearily checked the controls, he pointed with his right index finger at the monitors and closed one eye to concentrate on the lack of information it displayed.

  Mars watched Wolfe search through and calculate the results of the instruments three times, each time he shuck his head in disbelief. ‘Something is wrong I had put the ship on autopilot and yet the craft has set a course speed and destination of its own. The craft has been travelling at an unbelievable speed, and with my calculations we are venturing into galaxies not yet charted by MSE.’

  Mars pointed into the distance at the one clear object shining brightly directly in their flight path. ‘I think the sun there, might be our destination,’ he said with conviction.

  Wolfe turned to him. ‘You might be right, one things for sure I’m not in control of the vessel,’ he said pointing at the laptop. ‘The software used to launch the craft from Maverick is not online. The craft seems to be flying itself.’

  Mars felt his hair ruffled as Wolfe stood and moved past him in the cockpit. He jumped directly into the pilot seat and felt for the first time his console rub against his skin. He looked down at its smooth curves to see it bulging through his uniform, he stroked it instinctively with his right hand.

  Through the fabric of his uniform, he could see an orange light flickering on and off at varied speeds. He had only seen signs of functionality once before. He’d never truly understood what it was for. Only that he should always keep it with him at times like these, and somehow it would watch over him. He realised it had always belonged to him.

  Mars reached down with his feet to try and reach the navigation pedals located in the floor of the craft, Wolfe had adapted the craft and fitted conventional steering rudders on the ship because he didn’t fully understand the crafts capabilities. He wanted to check if they would work but couldn’t reach them even with his toes fully outstretched.

  Wolfe shouted to Mars instinctively, ‘Please don’t touch anything!’

  Moments later he was shouted again, ‘Come through, Halley’s waking!’

  Mars thought it best to leave the controls alone, so he jumped up from the pilots seat and entered the passenger area of the craft, he could see Halley gasping for air as she became sick, her eyes were rolling, and she seemed confused as to where she was and who she was with. Mars instinctively walked to the back of the compartment and placed his hand over an orange strip, which ran as a band along the smooth wall. An icon lit and stayed illuminated for a few seconds before it disappeared and then suddenly lines appeared and outlined lots of individual units, a few seconds later the lines defined themselves as clinical units like kitchen cabinets along the full length of the surrounding wall.

  Wolfe stood up and put his hands on his hips. ‘Well I have never seen anything like that before,’ he said with wonder.

  Automatically a tray opened which contained various inoculation guns laid within foam for protection. Mars looked along the line and then placed his hand along the guns one by one, as he approached the third one the tray glowed a light green colour. ‘This must be medication,’ he said. Mars now noticed that both Halle
y and Sheriff were both looking ill and turning a shade of purple, Wolfe was also starting to look ill. He pulled the gun out of its protective foam just in-time, because now he too could see his veins had also changed colour and his heart was beginning to beating faster. He became dizzy and had to steady himself by placing his hand on the wall. He had to act quickly before his vision deteriorated. Confidently he placed his finger on the trigger of the gun brought it level with his neck and fired medication into his artery.

  The shock to his body knocked him to his knees as he gasped for air, and felt an overall cold numbing feeling sweep over his body. It started at his feet before working its way up his spine and engulfed his head with a freshness sensation. As he struggled to his feet his hands shuck and his legs trembled, he had started to overcome his symptoms. The boy could now see that without intervention everyone would perish. Without a moments hesitation, Mars ran over to Wolfe and placed a shot into his neck. He turned to Capella who had just awoke, and shot her before she could argue. Next was Sheriff who lay motionless on the floor, and then finally he approached Halley who lay motionless in her chair and gave her a shot.

  Mars fell to the floor in anguish; he hoped it was not too late to save them. Over the