Black Hole Drive by W. Strawn Douglas

Author:W. Strawn Douglas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: scifi, adventure, young adult, space opera, science fiction, socialist, marxist, anarchist, feminist, teen fiction, womens, golden age, coming of age story, new moon, outsider art, rolebending, womyns, art brut
Publisher: W. Strawn Douglas

Chapter 19

The Winona had been ambushed deep inside an asteroid cluster within a nebula cloud. She’d pursued a rebel scout ship into the gloom, and had found a seemingly undefended freighter as parent to the scout. The Winona’s crew had sent surrender demands which had been accepted. Then, when the Winona drew up alongside, the freighter’s cargo doors had opened to reveal industrial rock cutters aimed at her hull. The converted rock cutters were most effective beam cannons at short range.

The Winona’s forward and center turrets cut the freighter trap ship into 12 pieces within two minutes. The boarding launches attacked. The launches had no mother ship to return to. They were on a suicidal course to either take the Winona or die trying. One crashed through the hull after a turret gunner killed the launch pilot. The launch did what it was designed to do. It cut into the skin and depressurized even the inner command core. In doing so, it cut off all the controls to the drives and fusion torches. The Winona was dead in space.

Years later, in 2477, a stellar archeologist discovered her, and in his naiveté took as his porters a group of amateur criminals working as ship-for-hire transport. He’d found records that came from rebel sources about the trap ship and this spot being chosen. He’d checked the Fleet records and found the Winona missing in the same sector. His body became frozen in a space vacuum with the Winona’s crew after the thieves realized the value of the ship. Nebulas held many things. There were many nebulas in which to hide many things. Stars about to nova could sometimes be found. Inside a nebula only 20 light years from the system of Medina Prime was such a star. Not much was known of the stars inside these clouds. Whole planetary systems existed inside that were shrouded with sensor-blocking matter. The nebulas were the hiding places of the smugglers.

At that close nebula to Medina Prime, there was a ship moving. It was a refitted Fleet launch nearly identical to the one owned by Commander Bowman. It was similar because the modifications had been done by the same person. That person was presently the launch’s pilot.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.