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    U.S.S. Humanity
    U.S.S. Humanity
    U.S.S. Humanity
    Ebook69 pages58 minutes

    U.S.S. Humanity

    By Nathanial Covell

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    About this ebook

    At the turn of the next century, corporations embark on costly endeavors in a land-rush to declare resource-rich planets as their own. Some missions will require 10 years or more. Many of the people who join such missions exist on the fringe of society or are fed up with their earthly existence. One such highly skilled, yet disillusioned crew embarks on a deep-space mission to claim an earth-like planet in the Chi Draconis system for Chaste Holdings. Ostensibly, most of the crew has joined the mission for money, but each carries their own secrets with them into space. The ship, the U.S.S. Humanity, is large and luxurious compared to its tiny crew. In the depths of space, each will end up fighting for personal ideals and survival in the lawlessness of space.

    Humanity is a tightly woven tale in which each character is bound to the other in ways they don’t yet realize. Each one has sacrificed and suffered for that in which they believe, which, when taken together, makes them an uncompromising team. A team the eccentric owner of the ship had reasons to assemble, for the planet to which they are destined is, unbeknownst to the crew, inhabited. A crew that has learned to distrust society and expect nothing from others will fight and learn to trust again. Alone, in the emptiness of space, they will defend an exiled alien race from ruthless corporate and enemy alien fleets.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNathanial Covell
    Release dateApr 14, 2013
    ISBN9781301287048
    U.S.S. Humanity
    Author

    Nathanial Covell

    Nate Covell was employed by the White House Military Office, worked in cyber counterintelligence, was a Japanese interpreter and lived in Japan and Italy. He has a B.A. in Creative Writing and has done graduate work at Harvard. He likes to talk about himself in 3rd person, as evinced here. He is a new writer, but is effervescent and exuberant ... a tingling, soft drink-like experience with which to work. ;)

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      Book preview

      U.S.S. Humanity - Nathanial Covell

      U.S.S. HUMANITY

      By

      Nathanial Covell

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Nathanial Covell on Smashwords

      U.S.S. Humanity

      Copyright © 2012 by Nathanial Covell

      Thank you for downloading this eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form, with the exception of quotes used in reviews.

      Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

      This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

      *****

      AUTHOR’S NOTE: I started this as an episodic adventure that involved limited settings and it just went all kids of cool from there! I think it would work in multiple mediums, but what do I know? Thanks for reading and please leave comments at my website! -n8

      http://www.natecovell.com

      *****

      U.S.S. HUMANITY

      *****

      Episode I

      Dex walks down the metallic corridor of the launch platform, eyes unfocused. At a window, he stops a moment to look down upon the Earth in its glamour-shot-like haze. Hey, I’m Earth. Water sign. Come to this solar system often? Is that a gravitational pull or are you just glad to see me? Dex postulates, smiling, Earth, you slut, I’m leaving you. No, please, I can change … it pleads. The smile leaves his face slowly. Dex turns his head away from Earth and into space. Six years, he thinks, sighing, if the rest of the crew doesn’t bludgeon me first. His eyes drop the datapad in his hand as its screen illuminates: Hawthorne, Aristotle, Homer ... thousands of titles. Out of the window he looks back at Earth and then to the Humanity, the ship that would bare them out of one solar system and into another.

      Weeks earlier, the eccentric owner of Chaste Holdings, Xavier Zimmer tried to quell Dex’s concerns. But why is the ship so big? I mean, what is in these rooms back here?

      Dex, he’d said, I would ride this baby into space.

      Okay, that’s great, but I need to know everything.

      Well, good luck with that! I’m rich and I don’t know everything! Xavier laughed, slapping Dex on the back.

      I don’t see how that relates … oh, whatever. Dex began laughing, infected by Xavier’s crazy goodness.

      Dex jars back to reality when a small sanitation bot bumps into his foot. There’ll be a few hundred of these on the ship. He slides it down the corridor with his sneaker and the bot fails and then finds traction again emitting a perturbed bleep. Dex raises his eyebrows, I think I’ll program all of you to curse. That’ll keep me busy.

      *****

      Hold the door! says Dex, quickening his pace. Xiao was closing the large, steel door, but stops it with some effort. She looks to Nadia, who glancing at her briefly continues on into the ship. Nadia’s short, jet black hair seems as functional as the flight suit that fails to hide her female form. Xiao pulls the door open a bit more. Thanks, nice of you, Dex says and Xiao smiles. Her smile is warm and genuine, one that conveyed interest and intelligence. She is sensibly dressed in black cargo pants and a long-sleeved pink shirt with a black far-eastern print. Her hair is dark brown over hazel-green eyes.

      What else could I do ... for a future neighbor? Dex looks to Nadia down the hallway.

      A simple act can tell you a lot about a person. Right, Captain?

      Nadia turns to look at Xiao and speaks with a slight Russian accent, He’s manipulating us. He didn’t need the door held. He’s testing us ... already.

      Xiao’s eyebrow arches, not unattractively, Is that true? Xiao looks over Dex’s cropped dark hair and blue eyes.

      Ouch, replies Dex, feigning injury. Actually, no, I just wanted the door held open for me. We did learn a few things, though, didn’t we?

      Why would you test us?

      It’s his way. Nadia turns and continues walking away. You’ll be briefed shortly .... Convinced, Xiao lets the door close on Dex and he exhibits some skill scrambling his frame out of its path.

      Xiao walks a few steps and looks over her shoulder at Dex. Be careful you don’t pretend too much ... lest perception becomes reality.

      Dex nods, impressed and reappraising Xiao, Well spoken.

      *****

      Xiao and Dex enter the room together, where Nadia, already sitting, eyes them and looks over the rest of the group. Xiao, Dex, meet your shipmates. Nadia sweeps her hand in the direction of the others. A young man sits in a chair away from the others, while a tall, unshaven man and primly dressed woman sit

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