Anna 7 spoke to the rookie galactic marshal Russert, “Besides, I am supposed to rendezvous with Mac at the Blue Sun, by late tomorrow. And I have got to get a good look at the messages on this communicator before then and put it in evidence. I know this is important. It’s got to do something with the bombings in Lillion. I know it does. “Anna 7 turned away, jogging up the hill toward her ship. But not before she put the device in an evidence bag, in a small back pack, as she placed it on her back. “I can’t wait to examine this.”

“I am so hungry, “Anna 7 said to herself, walking up the hill, just below her ship. Finally, reaching the crest of the hill, Anna checked her communicator device for messages. Nothing from Mac. Earlier, she decided that a message from Mac would be her highest priority. She did not feel like talking to anyone else. But she had to. It was her job to communicate to her subordinates, contemporaries and superiors. Moving along stepping over the grasses, various types of wild flowers, small trees and all the little animals trying to live their lives in their environment, Anna kept feeling real emotional. About anything and everything. These feelings grabbed her in her gut. “I have to stop and eat right now.”

Anna gently placed her hand in the pocket, on the back side of her waist belt, examining the grasses before her with the beautiful little bulbs at the end of each blade of yellowish blue tinted grass. There was a little soil still on some of the grass locate down by the bulb ends, so she just munched on the upper greens to satisfy her hunger. “This is soooo gooood,”as Anna continued to eat the stalks until at last she crunched down on the first delicious bulb of the wild onion. Anna moved steadily up the top of the hill - grinning.

From her new vantage point, Anna observed Heas’ pirate vessel rising up through the cloudless sky, probably heading to the impound station at the Marshall headquarters to be thoroughly searched. The rest of the team, which included the marshals, deputy marshall’s and prisoner transport staff finished the work required to properly close out a crime scene. Deep down inside Anna wished she had enough time to further cultivate her relationship with Heas, but she had to move on. She crushed the last tender bulb in her mouth, tasting the still outrageous sweetness of the grass. Anna needed to get a drink from her ship, just a few paces in front of her, as a wave of elation welled through her. Anna sighed happily.

Anna reached out, embracing the smoothness of her ship, like a lover returned from years of separation. It was the color of champagne, with bold yellow and black highlights, which began at mid-body ending at the rounded contours of the back. Its looks did not change much over the last seventy-three years but its subtle improvements during this time period made all the difference. She called her ship, “ VIGOR “.

Vigor is an unusual hybrid space ship, custom manufactured for Anna by the Consortium’s Imperial Forces, financed and fabricated by their industrial military complex’s weapons division - as a one person ’support vehicle gunship’. The origin of this machine rose from the legendary vehicles known as, ‘ star racers’. The star racers began as speedy space craft running small loads of very expensive black market goods from one end of a star system to another. Trying to out run any and all types of authorities and rogue pirates seeking their goods, the drivers improved the performance of these racers throughout the years. These wide open blockade runners rose to become known as “folk heroes” to the locals and other residence who benefited from revenues generated by these criminals. .

With value established in the populous of many, many star systems, legitimization slowly prospered toward the participants in this very dangerous occupation. At first it started out as local racing from one planet to another, then from one star system to another. Then the introduction of major gambling entered the equation, along with a rule that these “organized” races, would only be conventional racing only - no parsec jumping allowed. These extraordinary races infused the emotional senses of all kinds of interplanetary residents, crossing all socio-economic stratifications including off-world species fans. These interplanetary residents witnessed and followed the races by whatever low or high tech underground devices allowed to them while enraged, howling announcers, called the racing action throughout each contest, on bogus and illegal pirate broadcasting systems.

As the enthusiasm continued to grow from the working class to the idle rich, a racing circuit rose. Whether these people who propelled this underground source of excitement, did so because they were opportunistic, bright-eyed idealist or greedy, overzealous business people, they all soth the means to make the races happen and expand to other star systems. The romantic and sometimes tragic exploits of the individuals who drove the racers, finally garnered the support of lawmakers pedaling their influence in the courts of each star system. Besides, the money involved in this race phenomenon, over took everyone and everything where the race occurred, resulted in the “sport” exploding into fruition. Then there was the celebrity of the race drivers themselves. Everyone wanted to see or be seen with them, collect items from the racers’ and drive cars similar to their favorite types of racers. Soon there existed collectors who owned and maintained a racer or two, if they had enough credits.

Anna’s hybrid vehicle was produced by the famous and well respected Pierce Company Unlimited, the 913 series. The 913 descended from earlier models of the 900 series. The CT Imperial Forces engineers chose the Arerrac S series design for Anna 7 to pilot, but most aficionados simply called it, the Pierce 913. Anna 7’s hybridized design, though considerably larger, still turned heads. This model shaping and design of the Pierce 913, inspired the C T engineers to create their own version. Their war machine emerged as an interceptor gunship, with limited bomber capability.

With a top speed of 188 vph ( vectors per hour ), the top line Arerrac S series, is said to take as little as 3.1 seconds to flash from 0 to 80 vph. The secret is the 913’s new oval 24 – Engorger engine. Its fuel is liquidized, enriched gel tablets of finely ground Gex jewels, which when ignited by argon masers, along with the light mass elements of the attractant dark matter particles. All these ingredients ignite also when rammed through the firing chamber, producing under sub light propulsion output. But these engine proponents represented only half of the drive system. The other portion of the drive system incorporated the improved heavy mass injector converters, featuring new and fewer internal engine enrichment components.

The celebrated racing heritage of the Pierce Company, did not advance without paying the sobering price of death. The space racing drivers, tried to reach the outer limits of their machines. The 900 robust engine design, outpaced the technology of the cockpit instrumentation, driver restraint safety systems and the physical limitations of the drivers’ bodies. The Pierce 905 J series, made the now infamous Sholgaenta Intergalactic Run, setting three racing records, during the race. The Pierce 905 racing team utilized the racing association’s sanctioned six drivers, one at each exchange station and the four authorized Thelby engines attached to quadmount frames.

The quadmount frames are simply, four mounted Thelby deep space racing engines mounted on solid state frames. The race pilot drives the racer inside the quadmount frame, initiating electron bonded auto-lock mechanisms. Simultaneously from above the race drivers exchange places in the cockpit, safely lock down and the Thelby engines fire. According to racing regulations, the last portion of the race is completed without the aid of Thelby deep space engines. The racers fight it out. Slashing into the void, to the finish line at the end of a star system - coming in hot.

”When am I going to eat regular again?” asked a starving Anna 7.
“Why did I eat those bulbs without washing them? I have got to stop that. I’m gonna get caught.”

Read Chapter Seven