Tempered, p.14
Tempered, page 14
part #1 of Space Chef Series
“Ships are no known configuration. Sensors indicate…” Lt. Jones grabbed his console in front of him, hitting several buttons. “Sir, new contacts! Eighteen more unidentified ships have just cleared the shadow of the planet. I think they’ve been there all along.”
“I need weapons and I need them now. Navigation, bring the ship around perpendicular to the planet and the emerging fleet. Lock us in as tight as you can,” Vaslov ordered. He might be a mutineer, but his life was spent as a captain. Good training shows.
“Sir, the weapons system isn’t responding,” Lt. Jones replied.
“Then you better get it online, Lieutenant, or we’re all dead! Status of the enemy?” Vaslov roared out.
“Still in formation, still closing. They will be in estimated firing position in three minutes. The smaller craft have moved away from the ship,” helmsman Orlando reported.
“Watson, get your ass over to weapons and figure out the problem. I need a firing solution and I need it right fucking now!” Vaslov ordered.
“Captain Vaslov?” a soft voice asked suddenly from the doorway.
“What now?” Vaslov turned to stare at Sergeant Bolton. He was in full dress mess uniform. “Bolton! Get off my bridge! I’ve got a battle to fight, here.”
Bolton shook his head. “No. No you don’t. Not if you still want to get paid, you don’t. Those ships out there, that is the Brotherhood. They’ve come with your payment.”
“Stand the ship down. Payment? Is it in platinum as I asked?” Captain Vaslov almost drooled.
Bolton bowed his head as if in prayer. “It is. Everything that you’ve wished for now comes true. Will you allow my people on board?”
Seeing dollar signs, Vaslov gave the order, “We have a few rogue elements loose on the ship. Tell them they should come armed.”
“Captain Vaslov? Sir,” MST Draven asked, raising himself up from behind the weapons station. “Did you see their ships?”
“What now? What about the ships?” Vaslov asked.
“They look familiar,” Draven answered, pointing at the main screen.
The captain frowned at the marine master sergeant and looked up at the screen. The approaching ships did have a familiar look about them. Fiddling with his chair controls, he enhanced the images. “Computer, compare those ships with library samples.”
Up on the screen, multiple images flashed as the limited intelligence ran the approaching ships through a matching program. One result was highlighted.
“Terran Navy. That’s impossible. They were completely destroyed when Old Earth was. It’s some kind of trick,” Vaslov explained. “It’s been a thousand years. Everything’s gone from that period in history.”
Bolton smiled. “With God all things are possible.” Taking a step backward, the navy steward was equidistance between both the bridge guards. “For You have girded me with strength for battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. I must prove myself to regain the touch of heaven. Only the prophets know the truth, that the believers are truly one with God.” With lightning speed, Bolton’s arms came up, sticking both guards with some sort of injector. Taking a sidearm from one of the now stricken men, Bolton rose up. His eyes wide and mouth open, he began firing at the crew. “He trained my hands for battle. Once you are in His hands you shall be forgiven, but only if you renounce your heresy.”
Only Draven was armed, and he was the first to die, with a laser shot to the head and back. Bolton cried out in ecstasy with every death or maiming. In his eyes, his was the righteous path to glory.
“We had a deal! Why kill us now?” Vaslov cried out. “I’m giving you this ship.”
“How the mighty have fallen, for this is a day of war and battle. You and those with you are unbelievers. The light and the glory of God will cleanse you of evil thoughts and actions.” Taking aim, Bolton blew Vaslov’s head right off in a spray of gore. Taking out the lesser officers was far easier after that.
Standing on the bridge, dripping with blood, Agent Bolton pulled out his communicator. “Glory be to His Holiness the Pope of Worlds. The unbelievers on the bridge have been cleansed of their guilt and are awaiting redemption.”
“Status,” Prelate Yakov asked him.
“Engineering is under guard along with the technical staff. Unbelievers and possibly Confederation operatives are still scattered amongst what few crew remains. Captain Vaslov and his group of fornicators are awaiting the procession to glory. Their lights will shine upon the faithful forever,” Bolton reported.
“Glory be to God for he has prepared the way,” Yakov announced before closing off communications.
Neither I nor any of the cooks with me paid a damn bit of attention to the Washington once we cleared her laser range. Sarah did us all a huge favor, hacking into the weapons system and shutting it down. We’d have been dust on the wind without her.
While I claimed to know how to pilot a shuttle, the only one I’d ever managed was the colonial one my parents owned. Three hundred years old at least, that hunk of junk could barely make orbit without losing parts. Achieving half-light speed like this new shuttle was an impossibility with that antique. Like I’d told Chef Johnson, I could fly them, just not fight them. Getting us down to the planet was my only goal now.
“Did they follow us?” Chef Johnson asked me. He’d managed to squeeze his way forward, sticking his head onto the bridge.
Looking away from my gauges, I glanced in his direction. “No idea. You could check for me, if you like. The sensors are over there.” I pointed to the co-pilot position.
“I’m a cook first and foremost. I’d probably blow us all up if I used that equipment. Is that a Sylph city over there?” Johnson asked, pointing out the viewscreen.
“Not a clue. I’m not an archeologist.” There were ruins as far as the eye could see. I didn’t care about ruins as much as I cared about an open spot where I could land this thing. “Tell everyone to hold on back there. This is going to be rough.”
Shuttlecrafts were nothing but hunks of armored steel surrounded by anti-gravity systems and thrusters. Light on the throttle was what was called for, but this was an armored shuttle and I was in a hurry.
Wham! Shivering with damage, the assault shuttle crashed into a small forest, grinding itself to a stop.
“We’re down!” I exclaimed. “Now we need to inform the fleet and fly away, again. Here’s to hoping that we don’t get eaten. By the way, I’m up for the fun way, if anyone’s interested. Once I shower, of course.”
Chef Lewis and her brigade of cooks will return in Whipped. Look for it, Summer of 2020.
Author Notes
Thanks for reading the first Space Chef book!
It’s been almost two full years since I’ve even thought about writing science fiction again. Paranormal adventures just sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. Agatha, Fergus, and all the gang over in the Federal Witch Universe had kept me extremely busy. And it’s been a rough couple of years of late.
Deaths in the family slowed me down. The Paul side of my family has always been small and losing half of it, in the space of a couple of months threw me for a loop. I’m better now. Things are on track.
So, crazy space chef. Almost a decade ago I attended culinary school. L’Ecole Culinaire (in French it means cooking school) in St Louis, Missouri. Two years of food, fun, and a few friends. But I barely used the degree. It did enhance my love of cooking though. I’d been kicking around the idea of a space mercenary styled book for a while. Something that is not like the Athena Lee series. Athena is fun but is a whole lot tamer than what I wanted. For inspiration I watched some movies and read some books.
Under Siege. A classic if you like actor Steven Segal, before he got a plastic face. My thought was do a spinoff of that but make it mine and make it a chick. Per my usual writing style if you look deep, you’ll see some Easter eggs and my usual puns. But remember that Casey isn’t Athena or Agatha. She’s something new. Something raunchy. This story isn’t for the kiddos.
The Sylph. I have yet to write about aliens. Zombies yes, but not aliens. Check out Dead in Space if you like space walking dead. And they aren’t even in this first book. But they are coming, and not in a fun way. I’ve got three books planned so it should be a fun ride.
For the future. 2020 is going to be an intense year for me. I’m back on track with a huge list of things to do. Two more Agatha books are in the works, not counting Death Awaits. That one is my current project. Be sure to check out the Origins of Honor charity book that I’m in as well. That project is making me write in a Post Apocalypse Science Fiction series. The prequel is my story in the set. Look for more Athena Lee too. And new stuff. A lot of that and much more. So much fun is on the way this year.
As usual you can find me on Facebook in either the Fans of the Federal Witch group or my page, Author TS Paul. Look for links below. Keep it magical and stay safe. Thanks. Scott
Website: https://www.tspaulbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForgottenEngineer/
Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/363520877425449/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreatGodPanStore
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Also By T S Paul
Federal Witch
Conjuring Quantico - Now Available in Audio!
Magical Probi - Now Available in Audio!
Special Agent in Charge - Now Available in Audio!
Witness Enchantment
Path to Otherwhere
Night of the Unicorn
Invisible Elder
Blood on the Moon
Child of Darkness
Child of Darkness - The Extra Chapter
A Draft of Dragons
Cat’s Night Out, Tails from the Federal Witch - Audio Available
Serpent Con
Darkness Revealed
Monster Hunter
Jack Dalton Book 1
Jack Dalton Book 2
Jack Dalton Book 3
Jack Dalton Book 4
Jack Dalton Book 5
Jack Dalton Book 6
Jack Dalton Book 7
Jack Dalton Book 8
Jack Dalton Book 9
Athena Lee Chronicles
The Forgotten Engineer
Engineering Murder
Ghost Ships of Terra
Revolutionary
Insurrection
Imperial Subversion
The Martian Inheritance - Audio Now Available
Infiltration
Prelude to War
War to the Knife
Ghosts of Noodlemass Past
Athena Lee Universe
Space Cadets - Coming Soon
Smuggle Life
Double Cross
Politics Equals Death
Cut and Run
A Grand Affair
Short Story Collections
Wilson’s War
A Colony of CATT
Borscht is Boring
Box Sets
The Federal Witch: The Collected Works, Book 1
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 1-3
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 4-6
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 7-9 plus the prequel
Athena Lee Chronicles (10 Book Series)
Camilla: The Collected Works
New Beginnings
Standalones or Tie-Ins
The Lost Pilot
Uncommon Life
Kutherian Gambit
Alpha Class. The Etheric Academy book 1
Alpha Class - Engineering. The Etheric Academy Book 2
The Etheric Academy (2 Book Series)
Nonfiction
Get That Sh@t Off Your Cover!: The So-Called Miracle Man Speaks Out
Study Guide and Timeline: The Athena Lee Chronicles
T S Paul, Tempered
