The Canopus Conundrum
Mind Fusion Book 2
by
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STELLA is the Artificially Intelligent computer aboard Orion, Jerry and Kelvin’s ship. The boys encounter a military fighter while searching for the missing children…
Kelvin kept them at searching velocity as he maneuvered around mountain ridgelines, doing his best to keep the small ship invisible yet moving in the general bearing of their next search grid. He had just turned around a rocky outcrop on the second ridgeline when STELLA broke the quiet.
“There is an unidentified aircraft aft, range 10 kilometers, altitude 1,000 meters above, approaching at a rate of 350 kilometers per hour.”
“Shields!” Kelvin snapped immediately. “Where did he come from?”
“Aircraft appeared from behind the mountain we just circled,” STELLA informed them.
“Isolate his radio frequency,” Jerry ordered.
“Matched.” STELLA responded a few seconds later.
“Unidentified aircraft,” Jerry said, hoping he could keep his voice calm. “This is the Carisian shuttle Orion. We are an authorized flight. Please identify yourself immediately.”
The response was an explosive impact against their aft shielding.
“Missile impact on aft shields,” STELLA reported. “Blast deflected; no damage.”
“Shoot first, ask questions later,” Jerry muttered. “Great.” He fed tactical information to Kelvin both visually and aurally as fast as he could.
Kelvin increased their speed and pulled above the mountain ridges to give Orion more maneuvering room, but was unable to shake the pursuing airplane. Despite heroic efforts drawn from all their training and the materials the fusion had consulted, he couldn’t maneuver into attack position for either weapons or mental force. The other pilot seemed to know how to counter all the loops, twists, corkscrews, barrel rolls, and combinations—all the tactics Kelvin knew how to employ.
“Jerry,” Kelvin said, his voice strained in desperation, “this one’s beyond me. I think we need your video game skills!”
Even as Kelvin spoke the plane behind fired a second missile. Kelvin turned toward a rock outcrop, and jerked Orion away from it at the last second. The missile didn’t have time to compensate and impacted on the spur. Boulders shattered and rocks flew everywhere, but neither craft was struck. Several small objects bounced off Orion’s shields and the pursuing aircraft dodged the debris cloud as it continued its chase.
“He’s bound to have radioed for help,” Kelvin worried. “We have to shake him and get well away before that help arrives!”
“You’re right, we do,” Jerry told Kelvin as his hands swept across the controls. “I have the ship.”
Kelvin lifted his hands away and took up Jerry’s role: providing his mind-brother with tactical data.
“STELLA, engage inertial dampers at full rating and activate safety interlocks. The additional capacity may be needed with what I have in mind.”
“Dampers to full power, interlocks engaged,” STELLA replied.
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About the Book
A nuclear war could ruin your whole day.
A World War is brewing on Canopus V. Six children are missing from the families of world leaders. Their parents are working for world peace. No one can find the children; maybe no one wants to find them. The children come from countries and families utterly opposed to one another. What shape will they be in after four months of captivity?
After nearly a year apart, Jerry Saunders of Earth and Kelvin Merritt of Caris III are given the task of finding the children. Jerry must leave Earth without his parents. Learning to pilot their personal spaceship leads the boys to more excitement than they want! Tensions run high during the mission. Their search is fraught with perils. Little Bo Peep has a cakewalk finding her sheep compared to Jerry and Kelvin! They must succeed before a secret plan destroys the world. Rescuing the missing becomes the least of their problems!
Jerry and Kelvin must apply important lessons from school—or see a world perish. Under the spectacular nightfire of Canopus V, the boys face one no-win situation after another as they work to solve The Canopus Conundrum before time runs out!
About the Author
M. Bradley Davis is a former elementary school teacher who taught fourth grade for thirteen years in the Texas Hill Country. Respect, honesty, truthfulness, and courtesy were taught in his classroom, along with the usual academic subjects. Mr. Davis was listed in Who’s Who Among
Mr. Davis’ former students and other young people inspire his writing. His hobbies include reading, writing, amateur astronomy, and photography. Mr. Davis enjoys spending time with young people.
Mr. Davis has published Tunnel Of Dreams, A Spark of Magic, and The Hand in the Mirror through AuthorHouse.