Author: Jeremy Jones
- a youth sci-fi series
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Prologue: Dubashi’s Last Stand
Captain Dubashi grimaced, as the last Viama fighter icons were replaced with pilot ejection beacons. A violent shutter tossed the captain and crew hard against their safety restraints.
"Personal shield alert!" Dubashi sent an emergency neural link alert to his deck crew, bypassing Shiva Command, just as the ship's outer shield failed.
Training and the neural alert was enough to save most of the crew from the vacuum of space, but decompression cast several who had not acted fast enough to activate their magboots off ship and into the black of space.
On the sealed bridge the monitors never blinked, save for a red light that now pulsed above the climate interface. "Captain, ship compression beyond the Command Deck is offline, recommend personal shields for all crew members." the ship's AI cheerfully suggested from his lapel pin communicator.
Dubashi shook his head, 'Was this really the best the AI team could do?'
"Thank you S.C." Dubashi acknowledged, reaching forward to press the physical comms control. The neural link took its toll on the body and was not for everything. "This is Captain Dubashi, prepare to dispel borders, weapons free, should they breach Command Deck, we shall seek Nirvana."
Chapter 1: Captain Tentalanis
Ever since her father had moved their small family of three to the seaport town of Mahatittha, Purna had dreamed of taking to the seas in one of the sleek ships that raced in and out of port. Leaning forward, Purna rested her elbows against the warm stone of ancient wall that overlooked the bay. Her black hair, held up by an intricate pattern of curls and multicolored beads, tapped lightly, as she rested her face on her palms, while overhead the twin moons Rahu and Ketu chased each other over the sea.
It was a beautiful long golden schooner, sails is full bloom, Purna was watching now, as she daydreamed herself at the helm guiding it through the bay. Her green eyes sparkled in the reflected sunlight, as a sea breeze caught the hem her sundress and ruffled the pink lotus pattern, scattering the dusting of sand from her morning shell gathering.
"Purnaaaaa!" Dhanu's voice crashed through her dreams. He was her extremely annoying little brother. 'What ever it was he wanted it had better be important to interrupt one of the best daydreams she'd had this week,' Purna thought to herself turning to look at him with a look of utter annoyance.
"Oh! Dhanu!" She had trouble suppressing a giggle, and had raised her hand to hide the smile that was trying to break through, since her brother was obviously very upset about the large tentalanis that had attached itself to the left side of his head. They weren't dangerous in the least. Resembling a starfish with extra long arms, they spent most of their short lives hugging the submerged stone docks at the rough end of the beach. How Dhanu had managed to get one too actually move, let alone stick to his head, seemed almost impossible, but he had a way of making the impossible happen.
"Come here you silly bird." Purna turned moving her hands to her hips, striking a stern pose and frowning even harder.
"I'm not a bird. I'm a pirate." Dhanu piped up pulling his ridiculous wooden sword. He was a foot shorter than Purna but had the same blue green eyes; however his face was covered in countless red freckles and round like their father. At the moment his hair, a dirty tangled mess of dirty blond curls, was being pulled into knots by the terrified sea creature.
