Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    FLIPSPACE: Branching Out
    FLIPSPACE: Branching Out
    FLIPSPACE: Branching Out
    Ebook101 pages42 minutes

    FLIPSPACE: Branching Out

    By John Steiner

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The ISS Mockingbird is ordered to Kepler 22 to check up on a research outpost set up by the Astraeus. Colonel Ramachandra and her crew discover on the planet, Kepler 22B a form of life that doesn't need ships to travel through space. Also present is a base established by Remote Space Conglomerated Industries. Their operations put profit before the concerns of the indigenous life. An unauthorized distress call originates from the RSCI base. Colonel Rama must risk breaching their air defenses to comply with international conventions and save lives.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMelange Books, LLC
    Release dateFeb 24, 2014
    ISBN9781612358253
    FLIPSPACE: Branching Out
    Author

    John Steiner

    John Steiner earned his Associate of Biology at Salt Lake Community College, where he is currently working as a tutor in math and chemistry. He exercises an avid interest in history, science, philosophy, mythology, martial arts as well as military tactics and technology.

    Read more from John Steiner

    Related to FLIPSPACE

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Life on ‘Mars’

      Feb 25, 2022

      Life on ‘Mars’
      5 min read

    • Article

      Grave New World

      Apr 21, 2022

      Grave New World
      15 min read

    • Article

      The World Of Raised By Wolves

      Feb 9, 2021

      The World Of Raised By Wolves
      16 min read

    • Article

      A Space Menagerie

      Feb 17, 2022

      A Space Menagerie
      9 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      May 18, 2023

      CONTACT US BY POST: PO BOX 1200, WHITSTABLE CT1 9RH, OR E-MAIL SIEVEKING@FORTEANTIMES.COM PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS With reference to his article on Nazi UFOs [FT430:44-49], I would be curious to know what evidence SDTucker has for s

      12 min read

    • Article

      Extraterrestrial

      Dec 1, 2019

      Extraterrestrial
      7 min read

    • Article

      Revisiting The Mysterious World Of Arthur C Clarke

      Sep 9, 2021

      Over the course of 13 short episodes first broadcast in 1980, The Mysterious World of Arthur C Clarke took teatime viewers of ITV through the case files of the celebrated science fiction writer – also solemnly identified as the “inventor of the commu

      13 min read

    • Article

      Mars

      Sep 26, 2016

      Mars
      5 min read

    • Article

      Too Much Space

      Mar 17, 2021

      Too Much Space
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Secrets Of Apollo 11

      Jul 18, 2019

      The Secrets Of Apollo 11
      8 min read

    • Article

      Just A Little PERSEVERANCE

      Jun 2, 2021

      Just A Little PERSEVERANCE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Muse News

      Apr 1, 2024

      Muse News
      3 min read

    • Article

      Houston, We Have a Dragon

      Mar 3, 2019

      Houston, We Have a Dragon
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for FLIPSPACE

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      FLIPSPACE - John Steiner

      FLIPSPACE:

      Branching Out

      by John Steiner

      Published by

      Melange Books, LLC

      White Bear Lake, MN 55110

      www.melange-books.com

      Branching Out, Copyright 2014 by John Steiner

      ISBN: 978-1-61235-825-3

      Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

      Published in the United States of America.

      Cover Design by Becca Barnes

      BRANCHING OUT

      by John Steiner

      The ISS Mockingbird is ordered to Kepler 22 to check up on a research outpost set up by the Astraeus. Colonel Ramachandra and her crew discover on the planet, Kepler 22B a form of life that doesn’t need ships to travel through space. Also present is a base established by Remote Space Conglomerated Industries. Their operations put profit before the concerns of the indigenous life. An unauthorized distress call originates from the RSCI base. Colonel Rama must risk breaching their air defenses to comply with international conventions and save lives.

      Table of Contents

      FLIPSPACE: Branching Out

      Chapter 1: Hot House

      Chapter 2: Free Parking

      Chapter 3: Walk on the Wild Side

      Chapter 4: Civilization Plan B

      Chapter 5: Tag Team

      Chapter 6: Negative Investment Return

      Chapter 7: The Memory of Trees

      Glossary of Terms

      About the Author

      Previews

      Chapter 1

      Hot House

      For the second time the ISS-454 Mockingbird, a Flip-capable ISV-71 Raven, made a decelerating entry into an exosolar system. The first destination was Kepler 22c, a planet that evaded detection for some eighty years after its larger sibling, Kepler 22b, was discovered. As with the Mockingbird’s first mission, the ship wouldn’t be landing on the planet itself. Instead, the crew’s task was to dock with a space station established by the Astraeus mission seventeen months ago.

      The triangular configured Intra-Solar Vessel’s colors and its attached Flipspace Device frame with four modules were set to the standard blue and white of the Naval Aerospace Treaty Organization. In contrast, the multi-rimmed circular Kepler Twenty-Two Charlie Station, nicknamed Hot House was covered in fluorescent oranges and greens, as if covered with spilled paint, with yellow bands separating them.

      The Hot House was established by a Faster-Than-Light Vessel twenty-two hundred meters long, the station itself still seemed too big to have come from the handiwork of the Astraeus’s two thousand personnel. Around five hundred of the Astraeus crew deployed with their research stations on or near exo-planets. The remaining fifteen hundred former crewmembers disappeared without a trace. The personnel stationed in Kepler 22 didn’t yet know that.

      Attention all stations. Maggie, the ship’s AI, spoke through an air variation, resonance system running throughout the ninety-meter long vessel. Strap in for deceleration and maneuvering. Docking maneuvers in twenty seconds.

      The Mockingbird’s Xenon ion pulse thrusters fired to put it into a closer velocity match with Hot House Station. The gyroscopic motors embedded into the ship’s structure spun within their housings to reorient the vessel without fuel emissions. Smaller XIP thrusters pushed with ever so light a touch the craft toward the station’s hub. The ISV-71’s right side airlock extended out from under the back-folded wing. A soft metallic clamp rang through the ship frame as the Mockingbird completed its connection to the motionless hub of Hot House.

      Within the combat information center, as elsewhere within the Mockingbird, everyone unstrapped themselves and drifted up from their acceleration couches in the free-fall. Colonel Sumitra Ramachandra shook her hair out, buzzed short on the sides and back, and straightened up her Airman Battle Uniform.

      Major Fitch, Chief Anders, Sumitra called out. I’m thinking twenty-four hours of Stat Leave is in order after being cooped up in this bird so long. What say you?

      Chief Anders made a show of looking around in disdain before answering. I suppose these cuckoo birds earned some extra legroom and elbow space. Sure, a day’s foot flapping will do, Ma’am.

      Stat Leave was the Aerospace Defense Response’s equivalent to shore leave, whereas the term Grav Leave referred to going planet-side or moon-side.

      Since I’m needing it, Fitch said, glancing at Chief Anders. I’m guessing the rest of them were due for it a couple weeks ago.

      Alright, the colonel affirmed. "Anders, notify the crew they get until thirteen, thirty hours tomorrow to stretch out, lounge and unwind, but that we do need this rather expensive station to remain intact. Major Fitch, you and I will see what the station administrator needs."

      Roger that, Colonel, Anders affirmed, and called through the AVR system.

      Over the next several minutes, thirty-seven people collected a handful of things each and shuffled toward the right side wing housing and through the airlock shaft. Not under Threatcon status, the crew wasn’t required to don pressure suits to disembark the vessel. Inside one of four cargo bays in Hot House’s hub was as spacious as on the ill-fated Astraeus, but with thinner walls, due to the preliminary quick-build nature of station astrotecture. All the RAVs inside were strictly unmanned and shaped like egg as if squished to be aerodynamic.

      Hey, Cob, one of the crew called out to Anders by his title of Chief of the Bird. These must bring on flashbacks from your childhood. Isn’t that how you were hatched?

      Come on, a grinning Major Fitch answered in the senior-most NCO’s stead. Now you know better ’n that. Chief Anders was put together in a top-secret lab using robot components from the future an’ only the finest Grade-A dead airmen. You do well enough before you go out, and they just might let you have the privilege of being one of Anders’ spare parts.

      Departing their chuckling, the commanding trio entered a different elevator tube than most of

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1