Colony (Terran Chronicles Book 3) Read online

  Book Three: COLONY

  By James Jackson

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2013 James Jackson.

  Also in the Terran Chronicles Series

  My Amazon author page

  eBook Novels

  First Contact

  Discovery

  eBook Short Stories

  Johnny’s Jaunt

  Pythos

  Jie’s World

  Joe’s Notes: Gamin Technology

  Emma’s Legacy

  www.terranchronicles.com

  Dedication

  For my wife, Jairis. She is my love, and my life.

  Thank you for listening to my ramblings as the Terran Chronicles Universe continues to come to life.

  Acknowledgements

  To Doug, Leonard, Jeff, and the many others who have followed the development of this series, I thank you all for your constant support.

  A special thank you goes to Shannon, who reviewed, then edited this story. I greatly appreciate the vast amount of time, energy, and effort, she puts into this series.

  Another person I must thank is my longtime friend, Jason. His website design work and dedication is greatly appreciated.

  To Kayla, who has drafted various pieces of artwork, I offer my deepest gratitude.

  I also thank JoDee, the CEO of Show Style Brands, for her product placement efforts.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents, are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  In memory of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Gene Roddenberry, visionaries all.

  SECRET CODE

  The end of each novel of the Initiation Series has a special code.

  Go to www.terranchronicles.com.

  Under the relevant book enter the code exactly as it appears to unlock bonus material.

  Editor Notes

  Working on this project has been an honor. Watching James bring these characters to life with his writing has been an enjoyable experience. His imagination and dedication amazes me daily. I hope everyone enjoys reading this as much as I have enjoyed working on it. - Shannon

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Introduction

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - Two Years Earlier

  Chapter 2 - Terran Returns

  Chapter 3 - Separate Ways

  Chapter 4 - Pursuit

  Chapter 5 - Test of Wills

  Chapter 6 - Power Shift

  Chapter 7 - New Earth

  Chapter 8 - Arrival

  Chapter 9 - Seasons Come and Go

  Chapter 10 - Ramparts, Near and Far

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Preface

  Thought lost, the spacecraft Terran and her crew are finally home. The adventure continues as humanity attempts to use the new found technologies to establish a presence on other worlds.

  “Our future is as always an uncertainty, as new challenges present themselves." - James Jackson

  “Since, in the long run, every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become space faring. Not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.” - Carl Sagan

  "It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety". - Salvor Hardin epigram - Isaac Asimov

  “Burn the ships.” - Hernando Cortez

  I hereby welcome you all to Colony, book three of the Terran Chronicles Universe.

  This is a work of fiction, or is this our ultimate destiny?

  I hope you, the reader, enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

  James Jackson

  Introduction

  An epic shower of asteroids and meteors completely destroyed every satellite orbiting Earth. Many of the remaining projectiles struck the ground. Fortunately, only two cities were hit. Most of the targets were either military in nature, or radio telescope facilities. A fleet of alien spacecraft followed behind this bombardment. They made Earth their home for a few months while they repaired their damaged ships. Their leader, Regent Voknor, made overtures of peace by building housing facilities for the survivors of the Manhattan and St. Petersburg impacts, claiming these impacts were unintentional. The Gamin, the invading aliens, are a very strange looking race of beings. They are taller than humans, with motley green leathery skin, and short crocodilian snouts filled with teeth. Yellow eyes with vertical iris give rise to a reptilian ancestry, as do their clawed ‘hands’.

  As suddenly as they came, the Gamin departed. Soon afterward, an abandoned spacecraft was found resting inside a huge construction dock deep in the Australian Outback. This technological marvel was massive. Its main storage area occupied approximately one quarter of the ship, and would be able to hold ten Nimitz class aircraft carriers, parked side by side. From the outside, the spacecraft appeared almost complete, but once inside it became clear why the Gamin left it behind. Without internal power, and with many decks completely missing, this craft was far from space worthy. A closer inspection further revealed that many external hull plates were missing as well, particularly gravity plating which we discover is required for takeoff.

  Completing this spacecraft required the combined efforts of a consortium of nations. Earth’s first spaceship was dubbed the ‘Terran’ in a naming ceremony involving many world leaders. Its launch into space was earlier than planned, and almost disastrous. The spacecraft was severely underpowered and though everything seemed to function, this lack of energy added to the crew’s problems. However, these limitations did not stop the mission to explore nearby worlds from being a phenomenal success. As the crew flew home, an act of sabotage sent the Terran hurtling more than twenty thousand light years away, toward the Galactic core.

  The crew met new races, new dangers, and even succeeded in making a few friends along the way. One of these were the short furry Kord, a quiet race with enormous space stations. The crew rescued survivors from one of these massive constructs after it came under attack from yet another race. The attackers, the Atlans, had been at war with the reptilian Gamin for many centuries, and attacked the Kord for merely trading with them.

  The trek home was as perilous as it was arduous, and many paid the ultimate price. Finally, with assistance from both the Kord and the Gamin, the crew made it back to Earth’s solar system.

  Prologue

  The starship Terran, though still far out in the solar system, edges closer to Earth at just under half the speed of light. Captain John Thompson plots a course up and over the distant asteroid belt. He loves the high ground when he can take it, a legacy of his days as a space shuttle pilot.

  Andrew’s smile turns to a frown as he reviews fresh data coming in. “Ah, hang on a sec.” His Australian accent seems to exaggerate the tone of his uneasiness.

  Cindy leans forward, as if being any closer will grant her a better view, her blond hair falls in front of her face. She flicks it away in annoyance.

  Andrew taps his console and adjusts the main screen. The image zooms in, bringing the object of his curiosity closer. He suddenly exclaims loudly at the sight.

  “What t
he heck is that?” Andrew’s finger points like a dagger at the distant object.

  Orbiting Earth, high above the Gamin made satellites, is a massive structure. Easily large enough to encompass the Terran, it looks like a massive space-dock with huge claw like appendages hanging downward.

  Cindy’s eyes narrow warily. With all that has happened this last few months, she is taking nothing for granted. “Andrew, plot us an escape trajectory and feed it into John’s terminal, just in case.”

  They all wonder if the Gamin have returned. But, as there are no ships in orbit, it does not look like it. Tensions mount as the excitement of returning home is replaced with apprehension.

  Cindy sits back, and as she often does, considers her options carefully before making a decision. “Joe, can we discreetly contact the Aussie facility from this distance?”

  Joe considers the request for a moment, and then shakes his head while responding. “We would still need to use the Gamin satellite grid, anyone could pick up the signal. We would have to be practically in orbit for our own communications equipment to work.”

  Cindy scowls, disappointedly. “Very well. John, you so much as even think you see another spaceship, punch it.”

  John nods, though having just shut the main drive down means that reinitializing the field could be risky and very draining on their limited energy reserves. Their recent adventure has been as harrowing as it has been exhilarating, giving everyone a renewed sense of caution when something feels out of place.

  Cindy bites nervously at her lower lip for a few seconds, then issues her orders. “Joe, open up a channel to the launch site, we have to find out what’s going on.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Joe replies formally as he taps a symbol on his terminal. He has come to trust her instincts during this arduous trek. “Your console has access now.”

  Cindy stares at her chair’s controls, takes a deep breath, then taps the symbol for external communications and says, “Ground control, this is the starship Terran, come in.”

  As the seconds tick by, tensions mount even more. She is just about to resend the message when the bridge speakers come to life.

  “WOW! You guys made it.” The young man’s voice is filled with excitement, and does not sound very professional at all. “Hold on a sec. Let me get someone.” Silence follows.

  Cindy glances around the bridge bewildered, curiosity building as she waits. The others shrug their shoulders or shake their heads. This is very bizarre, indeed, she ponders.

  “Starship Terran, this is General Walker of ground control. Welcome back.” The strong American accent resounds through the bridge speakers.

  Joe and Andrew both turn to each other in surprise. An American in charge of the Australian facility, now that’s very strange.

  Cindy is curious as all hell as she wonders what the old NORAD commander is doing there. “General, what’s going on? Where’s General Hayes?”

  “Well folks, you have been missing for quite a long time, we thought you were lost, or worse.” Walker’s voice is tinged with surprise. “That last transmission we received from you kicked off the largest, and most expensive, space-race in history. It was almost world war three down here for while. A lot has changed while you were gone, that’s for sure.”

  Cindy continues, “How did that space station get built so fast?” Cindy is not liking that her questions are being ignored.

  “Fast!” The General replies quizzically, “It took us over two years to build that monstrosity.”

  The bridge crew is stunned into silence. The hairs on the back of Cindy’s neck raise up in alarm. As far as she and the crew is concerned, they have only been gone for about six months, not years.

  General Walker’s voice fills the quiet void. “You must be close, dock inside Space Station Unity, then come down with your command crew. We have a lot to discuss.”

  Cindy feels some frustration building up. “General, just how long have we been gone?”

  Surprised at the question, General Walker continues hesitantly. “Ah, you have been missing for almost three years.” He quickly adds, “But Lisa wouldn’t let us give up hope. That’s why Space Station Unity was originally built.”

  At the mention of his wife’s name George turns to Cindy, his shocked expression mirrors the faces of those around him. Three years! The bridge crew is staggered by the revelation.

  Joe’s blank gaze wanders the room as his mind shifts into high gear. He puts a hand to his head, concentrating. His voice carries with it a disquieting tone as he conjectures, “The RMC went down when GUS was shot up. Perhaps our loss of time happened because we were travelling faster than light without it? I don’t know. This will keep scientists busy for a long time, that’s for sure.”

  Cindy takes the news stoically, and then taps her console and responds, “We will see you soon General.”

  She cuts the communication and then sits there, quite pensive. Everyone patiently awaits her orders. Her eyes narrow as she gazes around the bridge, and considers their options. The crew has been through a lot these last few months, and have forged strong trusting bonds.

  Cindy issues her orders pensively, “John, take us in slowly. Let the main drive fully charge up, then park us in a high orbit facing away from Earth. We won’t trap ourselves in that dock until we know what’s going on.”

  She was expecting a ‘ticker-tape’ parade for her crew, not this, and certainly not a space-station in orbit. A lot does seem to have happened in their absence.

  It will take four hours for the drive’s capacitors to charge up, thus, John slows down the ship. During this time, Andrew and Joe view sensory data of Earth, as news of their imminent arrival spreads throughout the ship.

  The few hours seem to drag on for an eternity, which allows the bridge crew to take a break. George, in his familiar bodysuit, stays vigilantly connected to a terminal, ready for anything. All their fears seem to be unfounded though. They pass the lunar orbit without as much as a peep from Earth. That in itself, feels peculiar to the bridge crew.

  Cindy waits until John has the ship on station keeping before she finally sends the long awaited message throughout the ship’s internal speakers. “We are home people! Let us never forget those that died, making this day possible.”

  The crew cheers loudly, the noise reverberates everywhere. Cindy wears a thin smile as she gazes at the view of the space-station. She wonders, we have made it home, but is this the home we remember, or something else?

  Chapter One - Two Years Earlier

  Location:

  Nevada Desert

  Nevada

  BOOM!

  The explosion is unimaginable, even beyond anything nuclear. The powerful shock wave radiates in all directions. Clouds are violently whisked away, as if by some invisible force. Mere seconds later, an immense fireball shoots outward. The rising cloud of dust partially conceals a vast crater, which is all that remains of a secret government facility. The energies unleashed create ground waves of soil that roll out across the desert landscape. The nearby hardened runway, designed for the heaviest of aircraft, buckles and breaks as the forces at work seem unstoppable. A massive transport plane, its paint burned off by the initial blast, bounces and dances as the ground beneath it moves like ripples on a pond. Its long wings bend and flex, touching the ground on either side as it violently rocks back and forth. The scorched plane finally comes to rest, and in testimony to its sturdy construction, remains intact, even with its wheels buried deep in the ruined concrete.

  Further out, the perimeter fence which encompasses the entire area lifts up, and then drops back down, as the ground waves expand ever outward. The undulations eventually diminish, yet still topple surviving cacti and rock formations, alike. The rising dust cloud rivals that of Krakatau, while the effects of the blast continue to radiate in all directions, including downward.

  Location:

  Parkfield

  California

  Robert McKnight yawns and rests his butt on the edg
e of the table behind him. He gazes at his feet while he contemplates, these seismologists have the dreariest job in the world. He glances around the tiny shack, his eyes falling on the myriad of equipment that seems to be haphazardly placed.

  He sighs, and then asks listlessly, “So once again. What is it I am looking at?” He does not even try concealing his boredom.

  The bespectacled man before him is short to start with, his being hunched over some obscure apparatus only adds to their height difference. Without so much as an upward glance, he replies. “You wanted to come up here and do a report on Earthquakes, well here you are!”

  Robert rolls his eyes, my boss wanted me to come here, I am so going to… He stops his musings and frowns as movement catches his eyes.

  “Hey, that needle thing just moved!” Robert’s voice is tinged with excitement, maybe I will get to report something after all. His blue eyes sparkle at the idea.

  The short man stands, wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans, and then walks to the machine in question. Robert walks over to it with him, his athletic frame is a stark contrast to the chubby figure next to him. When he was in his twenties, everyone thought he would end up playing baseball, football, or even basketball, but at thirty-five all those dreams have long since faded. What the hell’s this guy’s name? He is almost embarrassed at having forgotten, almost.

  The needle is moving rapidly now, leaving long sweeping marks on the paper as it swings back and forth. The short man looks up at Robert, his eyes blink rapidly behind his thick glasses. He splutters, “The epicenter is all wrong. This isn’t from any fault line I know of.”