The Andromeda Effect: Stellar Flash Book Two
by Neil A. Hogan
Chapter 4
The Stellar Flash crew looked expectantly at blank area of the surround screen, where Heartness had been moments ago. She had turned it off to have a private conversation with whoever was in the room with her.
“Is there anything we can do?” asked Tonderai.
“Be patient,” said Puppy. “You’re new to this, but the rest of us have spent quite some time traveling with Admiral Heartness when she was our Captain. Rest assured she’s working hard on this issue, right now.”
Heartness’ image returned to the screen. “Normally, they don’t take high profile people so noticeably.” Her frown had not left her face. “But, taking him would not change the mission. Does anyone have any idea why the Florans might have taken the Captain?”
“If the Captain has been captured,” said Tonderai, “We need to go after him.”
“It’s not that simple,” said Heartness. “If the Florans have him, then we need to find a way to trade him back before they mulch him. Unless they have some other use for him besides extracting knowledge.”
“But, the agreements!” said Tonderai, surprised.
Heartness shook her head, but her look said she couldn’t talk about it. “I’m afraid we have no choice. I just hope this works. Thank you, team. Spiney. Operation Extraction.”
The screen faded to show Saturn again, and everyone turned to the first officer who had remained silent throughout the communication. Spiney continued touching his spikes to his white screen, and absorbing more information.
“Well?” asked Tonderai. Then she edited herself. “I’m sorry, Sir. What I mean is, First Officer Spiney, Sir, what can we do to help Captain Hogart?”
“We’ve been working on something,” said Spiney. He swiped his screen, and moments later a naked and screaming Hogart appeared on the floor next to them.
Hogart was now completely bald, and had no eyebrows or hair anywhere else for that matter. His skin was bright red, as though he’d just been scraped all over with a razor.
Immediately, Amy rushed over. “AI, flash the Captain to Medical. Level three epidermal abrasion. Initiate skin spray. No wait…”
Amy leaped on top of the captain, and surrounded his entire body with her glutinous form, leaving just a little space for his nose and mouth. “Two to flash to medical.”
A glow enveloped them, and they disappeared.
Admiral Heartness appeared on screen again.
“Well done, Spiney. Send me a report when you’re ready. Continue getting ready for the mission. Launch when Captain Hogart has recovered.”
Heartness disappeared again, and the rest of the aliens looked at Spiney, confused.
“What did you just do?” asked Tonderai.
The Andromeda Effect. Stellar Flash Book Two by Neil A. Hogan
Now Available in Digital and Print
Sent back 2.5 million years in time to the Andromeda Galaxy to investigate why there’s a record of them having been there, the Stellar Flash crew encounter a creature so powerful that it has taken control of the entire galaxy by thought alone.
With most of the crew unconscious, Captain Jonathan Hogart is in a race against time to defeat the plant-planet, save the galaxy, and find a way to return to 2133.
But another force is attempting to take control, to use the power of the creature from the past to take over the Milky Way Galaxy in the present. And, for this, Hogart has no defense.
How is the creature controlling an entire galaxy?
Who has the technology to transmit the creature’s power from the past to the present?
And will the Stellar Flash crew and the Space Station team be able to save both galaxies?
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