Blaze Mason: Star Ranger
In
Ghost Ship

The Martian colonies become self-sufficient in the year 2084. By the year 2108, Mars petitions for self-government. It takes two years before Mars becomes a sovereign world in the year 2110; this is the birth of the Federation of United Worlds.

An Earth sleeper colony ship first enters the Alpha Centauri system in the year 2115. The ship establishes some colonies on the more hospitable planets and moons. The first jump-gate system is set up between the Alpha Centauri system and Earth in the year 2159. The next year Alpha Centauri becomes a sovereign world and joins the Federation.

In 2207 the aggressively insectoid race known as the Grikla attack a Donlani space station on the border of the Grikla Empire and the Federation. The destruction of the space station and the Federation patrol vessel Andassa starts the Grikla wars.

The Grikla sue for a peace treaty in 2215 after their ancestral enemies the Dehdan declare war on the Grikla. The reptilian Dehdan of the Dehdan Confederation will not stop short of sheer annihilation of the Grikla. The Federation is happy to end the bloody eight-year stalemate. The Federation and Grikla establish a neutral territory.

In 2218, the Federation sends emissaries to the Dehdan Confederation with a peace-treaty in mind. They return home with the message that as soon as the Dehdans are through destroying the last Grikla it will then bother with destroying the Federation. The Federation increases border patrols near Dehdan space.

The Federation encounters the Theocracies of Sen in the year 2220. The Theocracies is a religious state formed from many races including a large portion of Earth humans. The Theocracies of Sen not being interested in war, but in galactic harmony sign an alliance with the Federation in 2221.

The ongoing Grikla/Dehdan war spills over into the Theocracies' territory in the year 2230. This starts the Triangle war. The war ends four years later after the Theocracies and Federation forces ambush and destroy all Griklan and Dehdani ships in the Theocracies' space. Both Grikla and Dehdan governments recognize the Theocracies of Sen's and the Federation's borders.

"What the hell?" Blaze asked still stunned from the sudden disappearance of his quarry.

"That was the unfiltered noise," TACAI replied, not knowing that Blaze was speaking to himself.

"Uh, right," Blaze lamely said. The Star Ranger looked around the room. It was obviously set up as someone's quarters. Blaze sat down on chair next to a desk to sort out what was going on.

The more Blaze thought about it the more the hairs stood up on the back of his head. This was not possible. A haunted space ship was something told to scare children.

The monitor on the desk suddenly flickered to life sending more chills up Blaze's spine. An image of the crew preparing for the jump-drive test played out on the screen. Blaze watched in stunned fascination.

The bridge crew went about their business. Blaze fiddled with the volume button, but only silence greeted him. The show on the screen continued and Blaze watched as Captain Rice silently prepared his ship for the first ship-born jump-drive to go into action.

All of sudden the crew started to scramble at their controls. Captain Rice yelled something and then a flash enveloped the screen for a split second. Blaze could see the Serapis' view screen in the background change from the familiar constellations near Earth to another unfamiliar one.

Unfortunately, for the crew as the Serapis exited hyperspace they all began clutching their throats. Standard practice had all crewmembers on launch of an experimental spacecraft tied into their enviro-suit's air supply in case the there was a breach in the hull.

Captain Rice undid his straps and staggered towards the bridge door. Smoke started to fill the interior of the bridge. The captain still clutching his throat rapidly started to punch numbers into the control panel. Blaze could see the numbers clearly, 51773808.

As quickly, as it came to life the monitor suddenly went blank. Blaze stared at the screen. Did he just hallucinate?

"Commander," TACAI's cold scratchy voice reverberated in Blaze's ears. "Your heart rate is up again as is your respiration. The biosensors in your enviro-suit are telling me that you are also experiencing a rise in your adrenaline level. This corresponds with a sudden encounter with fear. Are you alright?"

Blaze took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. "Yes, I am alright. I am at a loss at what is going on here.

"Did you perceive a vid showing the prelaunch preparations of the Serapis?"

"Negative," TACAI responded.

"TACAI, have you been recording the unfiltered noises from my communication unit?"

"Affirmative," the computer replied.

"TACAI, continue to record and instantly play it back so I can hear it," Blaze instructed the Cobra's computer.

"Affirmative," TACAI responded. "Commander, there is another unfiltered noise coming through now."

"Engine room," whispered into Blaze's ears.