Starship Magic 1: Broken Read online

  Broken

  Foremid Saga

  Mark Brandon Powell

  Guardian Bear Publishing

  Contents

  Copyright

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  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Acknowledgments

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  Copyright

  A Guardian Bear Publishing Book

  Copyright © 2016 Mark Brandon Powell

  All rights reserved.

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  Don’t miss out on this exclusive free story not sold anywhere. Find out what happens to get Katrice where she is at the start of her tale.

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  About the Author

  My whole life I’ve had a large imagination. When I played, with my Legos or running around outside with my friends, it wasn’t just playing. I was in a different place, I was making worlds. I would dream up stories and settings, where I would normally be the lead, or at least be looking through their eyes. Playing video games was a normalcy for the escape into some uncharted and untold world where adventure awaited, which help to fuel my own creations.

  Insomnia started to become a problem for me. This was another area that I was able to fill the space with waking dreams, praying that I would be able to get to sleep. It wasn't till I met my wife in July 2011 that I really started to contemplate what I wanted to do with my life. She was able to show me how happy I could be, just by coming into my life. So I figured that I could, and should, do that for my professional life.

  I started to read more books. I had been a visual entertainment consumer for much of my life, even though most of my gaming consisted of role playing games, of a heavily text base nature. Not having the visual feedback was a different feel. I liked it.

  It wasn’t until after reading a few self-help books and watching ‘Sister Act 2’ (the part about what you want to be) that I started contemplating what made me happy and how I might be able to turn that into a career. In August of 2012 I had a long conversation with my wife, who was supportive of the idea, and I started to write.

  My first book was finished and self-published in 2012. From there it’s all history.

  Want to find out even more about me?

  Go to my website: MarkBrandonPowell.com

  1

  Katrice jumps out of her seat. With the last Earth Empire checkpoint behind her she's now back in Conglomerate space. Home is that much closer, not to mention her sweet darling lover Mallory. She always refers to him by his last name; he didn't like her to call him or think of him by his first. She loves his quirks. Two years is far too long since seeing his face. Holding him close as her skin mixes with his. Two years of searching for this ship she is in and a box with an artificial intelligence inside. Mallory wanted it and ordered his best to go get it. She was his best. Ex-military, well-trained, and compelled to get whatever Mallory wanted.

  The ship she is on, the Crucible, has a virtual assistant named Jeeves, which took over the controls while she went to the captain's quarters to freshen up—wanting to be sure she was presentable when she see's Mallory. She brought over a few things, her duffle bag and her pills, from the other ship where her crew is. Now all she needs to do is take a shower and make herself presentable. Which is something the rest of the crew should be doing on the ship right behind her.

  Halfway through her shower Jeeves gives her a ten-minutes warning before they arrive. Kat finishes, turning off the water, watching the last bit of water go down the drain, to be recycled into more shower water. Sonic and low-water showers clean the same but she liked to soak herself in nearly skin-blistering hot water. The experience isn't the same. One more thing to be happy about when she gets home.

  Wiping the steam away from the mirror she checks her light olive-colored face for any blemishes. Mallory hates anything less than perfection. A small yet noticeable pimple is under her strong jaw line on the right and her blue eyes are a little puffy. Two years is a long time to have sleep not a top priority. Breaking into an unmarked facility near the Guild and the Empire's border. Practically on top of the star for the galaxy. Three days of no sleep watching, waiting in the ventilation, tracking the guards and scientists. Making sure she acquired the right goods.

  While grabbing her duffel bag her feet nearly freeze off. The metal floor claws into her feet like standing on ice. Radiating cold straight to her core. Recalling how hot the lab was where she stole the ship, the floor could almost be refreshing. She grabs her makeup bag, brush, curling iron, her depression pill, and perfume. Most of the steam was out of the bathroom now. Kat gets some water in her right hand and takes her pill. She never felt depressed, but the company doctor said she was and Mallory compelled her to follow the doctor's instructions.

  Curling her straight black hair isn't her norm, but Mallory likes curly hair. Then the perfume Mallory gave goes on every time she takes her pill. Something to remember him by while she's away. Honey and sunflowers, just like Mallory. The last step to make everything complete, she puts on her face. Not too much because she wasn't a whore. His words, not hers. A little around the eyes, cover up, and hot red lipstick. Another of Mallory's favorites. Being a tomboy most of her life left her ill-suited for situations like this. Mallory trained her for years and she still can’t get things perfect.

  Jeeves tells her they’ve arrived. Kat holds back a squeal. Two years was far too much time. Being back now and with everything he asked for will make the trip worth the cost. The look on his face will be something she won't forget. The ship rocks back and forth and she almost runs out of the room naked. There is a dress she picked up a few months back would be the perfect “I'm home” statement. A form-fitting black dress with a provocative neckline. Not leaving much to the imagination, showing off her breasts from top to bottom. Something she would never normally wear. But Mallory likes her buxom.

  Rummaging around in her bag she pulls out her nice black flats. Mallory is about her size, five-foot eight, and if she wears heels she's taller than him. Something he doesn't like, so she doesn't do. Slipping them on and grabbing the AI box, she runs out of the captain's quarters, down the hallway past the common area, down the next hallway, stopping at the cargo hold. She checks to see if her dress is still in place, not wanting to give someone other than Mallory a show. That is reserved for him and him alone.

  The cargo hold is already open. She readjusts herself making sure everything is in place, and walks confidently out of the rear hallway. No one is waiting for her. Which is ok, Mallory is a busy man being the CEO of the entire multi-planet governmental force know as the Conglomerate. Maybe he’d forgot or had other responsibilities.

  Taking a few steps
out of the ship she sees the blue sky above her and feels the solid ground beneath her feet. Two years is too long since she's stood on a planet. The warmth of the sun like a warm blanket on a cold night.

  In the distance she catches sight of the man she's been waiting for. Her lover. Mallory.

  2

  Starring toward her ship, the one with her crew, Mallory is standing on the ramp. Waving his arms at them, shooing them back inside. He glances over to her with a blank expression before turning back, watching them retreat back into the ship. Once inside, he walks over to a stack of wooden crates between the ships and waves Kat over.

  She can't hold back her emotions any longer, squealing and jumping while waving her arms in the air, running in his direction. He stays still, his expression never wavering. She didn't care, she is about to be back in his arms in a few seconds, nothing else mattered.

  Once Kat gets close enough she yells, "Mallory!"

  A wolfish grin slides on his face but only for a second before fading back to his neutral gaze. She goes in for a hug and stops just short as he raises his hand. He takes his hand down her plunging neckline, over her exposed left breast, and tugs the dress back in place.

  He takes a composing breath, "Have you been wearing the perfume and taking the pills?"

  "Well of course. You told me too."

  "Excellent. This is the AI, I assume?" Pointing toward the box in her hand.

  "It is. The ship behind me is the Crucible, with another AI or VA inside. Not sure which. Its name is Jeeves."

  "Another one. Interesting."

  "Why did the crew need to go back on the ship? I know they are looking forward to going home."

  "You don't need to know that. Don't ask again."

  "Ok, I won't." Even though she really really wanted to press him about the issue, she couldn't force herself to do anything other than comply to what he told her to do.

  He continues, "Are you sure that no one was following you?"

  "I'm sure. Just like you said, kill any and all threats to getting back with the experiments. I destroyed the whole asteroid, sending it into the sun. I took out the communications before that, so the ones that were left alive didn't last long."

  She hated herself for doing that. There was no reason for her to kill them, but she couldn't stop herself. Like she was possessed. She was able to sneak through the whole place, hide the AI cube, and board the ship without alerting anyone. Jeeves just thought she was the new captain and took her at her word. Those scientists and guards had families, some had wives, husbands, and children. She knew because of the paper and digital photos all over their workstations. The time they spent with video chats. It's hard for her to think about every one of them she killed and the broken families left in that wake of destruction.

  A haze clouded her thoughts the whole time, she tried to resist her actions, but could only watch everything though a tunnel. Not able to control the actions of her own body. She is going to talk with Malloy about it too. This feeling is happening more and more over the last four years. Shortly after she met Mallory as his new chief of security.

  The first time she encountered the fog was a gnawing thought about something she was supposed to be doing, or watching and keeping track of it. She just couldn't remember. Her mind wouldn't let her. So instead she tracked everything. Everything she did and came in contact with. Any and every deal that Mallory did that she was witness to, whether he was there or ordered it. The whole thing is on her personal computer in her room back on planet Mal-Tech, Mallory's planet and home of the Conglomerate HQ.

  Mallory asks, "Have you still been keeping track of everything you do?"

  Kat hesitates for only a moment before answering, "I have been."

  "I see, have you reported anything to General Ajax?"

  That is a familiar name and on the tip of her mind is recognition but can't connect it. "Name sounds familiar, but no I haven't. Was I supposed to?" Disappointing him would be terrible, and Kat always aims to please.

  "No, you weren't. You have been a good girl, haven't you?"

  "I have. I've been so excited to finally get back to you."

  Another smirk quickly passes his lips before fading back to a blank expression. "Excellent. Wait here." He turns around and a soldier runs up to him. "Take the Crucible to the lab with the AI cube here. Once I'm clear, blow up the other ship."

  Kat couldn't believe what she just heard. Her Mallory would never command such an order. He is a kind and loving man. Kat's brain screams at her with a sharp pain knowing that isn't right. That he isn't loving or kind but a thought she is forced to believe.

  Kat turns in place, "Wait, Mallory. You can't do that my crew hasn't gotten off the ship yet."

  He gives her an exasperated expression. "Katrice would you kindly not move from that spot, not speak, not hear another word until I give you another order? Do you comply?"

  Kat nods her head. She didn't want to do that, but she's in a haze again. In the tunnel. Her body won't move, but she can still watch Mallory. His lips are moving and she knows her ears worked a second ago but the words coming out of his mouth now are muffled.

  Mallory waves the soldier away turning back to Kat. He gives her a long stare. Walks up to her spreading her dress open, first revealing her breasts then following her curves till the dress falls to the ground. Kat didn't wear any underwear, another of his demands. He steps back shakes his head and shrugs, before walking away, leaving her naked.

  The sun is warm and not hot, which Kat is happy about. It had been a very long time since she tanned. Back on Bexar Omega with Knox and Gale, her pseudo-parents. She wonders if she did something wrong, because if she had she deserves this. Upsetting Mallory is the last thing she wanted to do.

  It had only been five minutes since Mallory left, and she still couldn't move, speak, or hear. Her hair blows across her face, and her back is warm enough to be standing next to a fire.

  She can't turn her body around but she can move her head to look. Her ship with her crew still on it had exploded. The pile of boxes next to her had shielded her from the concussive blast and debris but are now also on fire.

  Still unable to move she follows a large black vehicle as it comes closer. It is a good distance away before rolling to a stop. The window rolls down, and Mallory is looking out the window. He has something in his hand, but Kat can't make out what.

  Her face slams against the ground as her whole body aches,with a new ringing in her ears. She tries to roll over to get back up and in place where Mallory told her to be. She has to be where he told her to be until he says to move but her arms and legs won't listen. She rolls over using her stomach muscles to look down. The crates behind her had exploded and her legs are gone. Panic fills her and her heat tightens as the flames get close enough to set her clothes on fire, but can't feel any of it.

  She wants to scream but can't. She tells her brain to put the fire out, but when she looks her arms are gone. Her body is covered in cuts and wounds, bleeding on the ground, mixing with the fire. Every part of her body starts registering pain. She feels like she just got stabbed with a morning star that was dropped from space.

  Her vision goes away in her left eye as the heat creeps up on the other side of her face. Mallory walks up to her with a smile on his face and her world fades away into a tunnel of darkness. She asks herself why. Why couldn't she move, why couldn't she talk, why would he do this to her? Why?

  Her last thought is of her father. She had not seen him since she was nine years old protecting her mother but she remembered his every detail. His smiling face is in front of hers. It's as if he's there with her, sporting a pair of wings and a halo, lifting her off the ground in a warm loving hug. She nine years old again, safe in his arms, swearing his voice is cutting through the silence. Telling her everything will be ok. She lets herself fall asleep in his arms, wanting nothing more at this moment than to see her parents again.

  3

  Bright white light floods in as Kat lo
oks around. Everything is blurry. She can't feel anything, which is considerably better than the burning and stabbing pains she last remembers. White blobs with skin colored blobs for heads hover about. Mallory's voice echoes in the background. Something she can't quite make out. A woman asks for Mallory to come and look at some blood test results.

  Her eyes open again, this time to the sound of drills and power tools. Everything is still encircled in a haze. A large metal pole is clear enough to make out that it is sticking out of the left side of her face. More people in what she can see now are lab coats huddle close. A man's voice she doesn't recognize says she's coming too and to administer more anesthesia.

  Again she wakes up. The haziness is less, but in return for the clarity is a splitting headache. She's staring at her naked self in a mirror, but it can't be her. Half of her face is shiny metal. Her left eye has a green light where her iris should be. She blinks a few times to confirm it's really her. Then her focus shifts to the rest of her body. Both legs and both arms are now metal replacements.

  When she was nine, a berserk cyborg killed her parents in front of her. Their car was knocked out of the sky and into an alleyway. Her father held it back long enough for her mother to grab her and run but it followed crushing her mother in its arms. Leaving her alone. The single worst moment of her life, watching them both die. Her father and mother were the best parents, always there for her. What followed were the worst seven years of her life. Bouncing around the Earth Empire foster care system.

  As she looks at herself in the mirror she tries to flex her fingers and toes. A few of them moved, but not all of them. The same man's voice she had heard before speaks again. He says she's progressing nicely, and to bring skin tone number 1215. He thinks the shade will be a match for her light olive skin, and to give her another dose since she is awake.