The Huge Plasma Accelerator 3

Reality flooded back; he wasn’t going to get revenge. Not against them. Not if half the rumours he had heard in spacer bars were true. There was no hope in hell for him. They had unlimited resources, and he was just one man.

He was fucked.

"I’m going to cut to the chase," said Frantic. "Our organisation wants to take INRA out."

-Book 1, The HPA3 Saga

Description

The escape from rocky fields isn't the end of the story. A battered Azure Sunset must find refuge and repairs, while the fragmented crew of the Norman Mosser have to come to terms with everything they have lost.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, Mack Winston is on a collision course with his past.

Story so far (SPOILERS)

Opening

The Azure Sunset has limped to a drydock run by Frantic's secret organisation. Frantic indicates he wants to destroy INRA once and for all. But to do that, he needs the HPA working.

de Havilland, Veruz and Emu set off for civilised space to find replacement parts, while Norman and Sam go looking for a replacement ship, as damage to the Sunset from its last battle was terminal.

The Next Move

The teams split up:

Norman Mosser and Sam Kemper head for the New Rossyth Shipyards to bid for the decommisioned AJN Ajax and Repulse which are on sale. On the way, they have to make a few stops to cement their fake ID's.

de Havilland and Veruz take Emu back to her home in Beta Hydri before heading back to the now infamous Williamson Base for new parts for the damaged Huge Plasma Accelerator.

The rest of Norman's crew stay behind to repair the ship, but are they with friend or foe?

Mosser's Crew & Major Characters

• Sam Kemper

Norman Mosser's right hand man. The two have been friends for many years and Sam has diligently followed Norman everywhere. After the failure at Fort Donalds, Mosser grew doubts and Sam jettisoned him in an escape capsule to jump start him again. Unfortunately he was captured by Alliance Intelligence before he could reclaim Mosser.

He escaped somehow and managed to meet up with Mosser on a distant planet, after Mosser had returned from Raxxla.

After the events of HPA2, Sam has become withdrawn, shattered by the death of Annalise Berihn.

• Benzedrine Moore

An Engineer and mechanic, Moore suffers from slight space madness and alcoholism. His brain is slowly deteriorating.

He was imprisoned on the Sunset by Kim Stenson. He was killed in the battle of rocky fields.

• Annalise Berihn

A weapon loving lady, Annalise is from Diso and has worked with her aunty Jannah on the Long Haul Outpost. Tall, seductive and dangerous, she has the complete package. Unfortunately, Kim Stenson killed her while fleeing from Norman Mosser.

• Roj Warfturn

This man is worth 250,000C to the Imperials. He survived the battle of rocky fields in good shape. He remains behind on the Sunset while a new ship and HPA parts are found.

• John Anders

He remains behind on the Sunset while a new ship and HPA parts are found.

• 'Lucky' Wal

He remains behind on the Sunset while a new ship and HPA parts are found.

• Frantic

Less a member of Mosser's team than an equal that often works with him. Mosser's and Frantic's friendship goes back many years. Each has their own secrets, but they often have common goals and work together.

Frantic takes command of the Sunset once it arrives in his drydock. He has schemes for the HPA and needs the help of Mosser and his crew.

• de Havilland

Has now discovered who the mysterious enemy are. He know the only place he is safe is with Mosser, until they defeat NERA. To this end, he goes back to inhabited space to source repairs for the HPA.

With Maegil's death, he finds himself drawing closer to Emu, though something inside holds him back, knowing it is wrong.

• Michael Veruz

Is reassesing his career options as his eyes are opened to a new life of running from the law.

• Cmdr Maegil

Flew his ship, the Tenchu in the battle of rocky fields. Lead the Spartacus Brotherhood from near defeat to victory over the Imperials before his ship was destroyed

• Emu

Watches her boyfriend die in the battle of rocky fields. Heartbroken and lonely, she find solace in de Havilland, but she still grieves for her lost man.

• Kim Stenson

After his ambush goes horribly wrong on the Sunset, he decides to escape. This too goes wrong. He loses consciousness as his ship goes out of control. He wakes up a prisoner in some unknown place.

Links

FrontierAstro has Chapter 1 and the beginning of Chapter 2 of HPA3. Keep checking back for the latest instalments...