Today I'd like to welcome another talented author providing great adventure and entertainment for some younger readers!
Thanks to Steven Donahue for the glimpse into his book!
Astronaut and the Flight for Freedom page: http://amytheastronaut.yolasite.com/
Get your copy at http://www.amazon.com/Astronaut-Flight-Freedom-Steven-Donahue/dp/0615931952/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394907212&sr=1-1&keywords=amy+the+astronaut
In this scene, Amy and her robot friend, Madison, steal a spaceship called the Liberty Bell in an attempt to rescue her father from alien captors called the Crownaxians.
The duo boarded the craft and hurried to the bridge. The layout of the bridge matched the simulator program that Amy hadn’t quite mastered. They began the prelaunch sequence together before Madison exited to find the terminal that operated the hangar doors. Amy watched the robot locate the terminal and set a timer to open the doors in two minutes. Madison ran back aboard and sat in the co-pilot’s chair. While the engines warmed up, Amy opened a supply locker door and found a helmet and flight suit. “Turn around for a minute,” she said to Madison. The robot did and Amy quickly put on the suit, which was a little too big for her. She put on the helmet and saw that the engines were ready.
Red lights inside the hangar flashed as an alarm screeched. Amy took a deep breath then grabbed hold of the yoke. She stepped on the accelerator and steered the ship through the doors and out into the darkness. As the ship sped up, she saw the Union soldiers aiming their weapons at the craft. “Turn on the shields!” she yelled. The robot typed in a command on the keyboard in front of it just before the soldiers opened fire. The laser blasts ricocheted off the shields and landed harmlessly on the ground.
Amy flipped the switch for the thrusters and the ship began to lift off of the ground. She saw some soldiers hurrying toward the smaller, fighter ships. “C’mon, C’mon,” she said, tapping the console in front of her. Amy then caught of glimpse of Yale’s angry face as the Liberty Bell rose higher and she felt some regret for having to do this to her friend.
The Liberty Bell roared through the night sky toward the planet’s atmosphere. Six small Union fighter crafts pursued the ship, firing their laser cannons. Amy held tightly onto the yoke as the shields took a pounding. She steered the ship into a controlled roll to avoid as many laser blasts as she could. She read the shield gauge and realized that the rear deflectors wouldn’t stand too many more direct hits. Taking a chance, she fired the reverse thrusters and the ship came to a jarring halt, sending Madison crashing into the console in front of the robot. “Sorry,” said Amy, shrugging.
The other ships flew past them and the Liberty Bell fell in behind them. “Target their weapons systems,” ordered Amy. Madison nodded, and then fired laser shots at the ships, hitting two of them. The damage was minimal but enough to send them back to the planet. However, the four remaining crafts turned around and began firing again. Amy banked hard to her left and tried to fly under the laserfire. The side shields absorbed three hits but Amy was able to put some distance between her and the others.
Amy scanned the radar screen and found something interesting. “There’s a nebula about 120,000 miles ahead,” she reported. “We’re going in.” She steered toward the space cloud as the other four ships continued to follow her. She pushed on the accelerator and the ship began to shake as the engines strained to keep up. Within seconds they reached the edge of the nebula. Their pursuers fired a few last shots that never reached the ship.
Once inside the nebula, Amy steered the Liberty Bell toward the thickest patch of the cloud. Radiation from the nebula scrambled her radar screen. “They’re as blind as we are in here,” she said. “Let’s hope we don’t bump into them.” A half-hour passed before the Liberty Bell’s inertia caused the ship to drift out of the nebula. Amy checked the radar and saw no signs of the other ships. She plotted a course toward the Crownaxian homeworld and hit the accelerator. Then she took a deep breath and looked at her friend. “Here we go,” she said. “God help us.”
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