by Drew Wagar
EMANATION
Book One of the Shadeward Saga
by Drew Wagar
EMANATION
Book One of the Shadeward Saga
by Drew Wagar
FIRST EDITION
First published by Fantastic Books Publishing 2015
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-909163-77-5
ISBN (print): 978-1-909163-78-2
Drew Wagar © 2015
All Rights Reserved
The right of Drew Wagar to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher or unless such copying is done under a current Copyright Licensing Agency license. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Dedicated to my wife, Anita, without whom my dreams would never have been realised.
Contents
Thanks to:
Author’s Note
Lacaille
Prologue
Chapter One: The Forests of Daine, Capital of Drayden
Chapter Two: Off the coast of Amar
Chapter Three: Serenia, Coastal town in Scallia
Chapter Four: Daine, Capital of Drayden
Chapter Five: Off the coast of Amar
Chapter Six: Serenia, Coastal town in Scallia
Chapter Seven: Daine, Capital of Drayden
Chapter Eight: The Scattered Isles
Chapter Nine: The Coastal Forests of Scallia
Chapter Ten: Daine, Capital of Drayden
Chapter Eleven: The Scattered Isles
Chapter Twelve: The Coastal Forests of Serenia and Varda, on the border with Drayden
Chapter Thirteen: Daine, Capital of Drayden
Chapter Fourteen: The Scattered Isles
Chapter Fifteen: Viresia, Capital of Scallia
Chapter Sixteen: Daine, Capital of Drayden
Chapter Seventeen: Off the Coast of Scallia
Chapter Eighteen: Viresia, Capital of Scallia
Chapter Nineteen: Varda, a town in Scallia, on the Shadeward Borders of Drayden
Chapter Twenty: The Coast of Scallia, Shadeward of Dynesia
Epilogue
Appendix
About the Author
Thanks to:
Thanks go to my wonderful wife Anita, and my two sons, Mark and Joshua, who have allowed me time to finish another book. Without their help and support none of this would have been possible. Anita also acts as a proof-reader and story critic; you can thank her that one particularly horrendous plot-hole was eradicated late in the day!
Jason Hall, fellow astronomer, provided a thorough proofread and checked the science to ensure that the story both hung together well and was as scientifically accurate as possible. The story is more firmly grounded due to his input.
Steph Weyth, a fellow traveller from the worlds of Elite, also proofread the story. Many contributions were brought in as a result.
Dan Grubb of Fantastic Books Publishing. He remains an amazing supporter of these types of creative projects. This is not your typical SF story. It’s a bit of a risk for a publisher to be honest, but he has faith in what I write, so here goes!
Mae, my editor, for turning and shaping the manuscript into something half decent, along with the occasional “Are you sure this is what you mean?”
For all the astronomers out there. Amateur or professional, you gaze into the sky full of wonder and raise our collective thoughts and aspirations.
For all those fans of my other stories who wanted more. That you find enjoyment in my writing is the greatest pleasure of all.
Author’s Note
You may have come across this book due to my Elite book, ‘Reclamation’. I hope you enjoyed the adventure amidst the worlds of the Frontier. Some of you may be hoping for another Elite book from me. I’d love to write one, but the door is closed at the moment.
This is not Elite, but it is SF. Whilst this story is fiction, it isn’t fantasy. I’ve taken great pains to ensure that everything you read in this story is (at the very least) plausible, based on our current understanding of physics and astronomy.
You’ll find no hyperdrives or warp drives here, no strange ways of avoiding Newton’s laws, no mystical ‘force’ or magic-wand waving. Some things may appear to be inexplicable, but you’ll have to figure it out or wait for the explanation. The setting is not that far away from here, a few lightyears, something humanity may be able to conquer within the next few centuries.
Writing for Elite was a great experience, but it was very limiting too. Many rules were set in stone and there was nothing to do but comply. Here, freed from those shackles, an entire world, culture and backstory was mine to create, curate and govern. This story allowed complete creative freedom.
That brought its own challenges. There was literally nothing to start with. I tried to find a few other works where an SF author had taken a world like the one I proposed, tidally locked with everlasting sunlight or darkness. There wasn’t much. It’s quite a tough assignment. Lots of standard tropes had to be chucked in the bin and new ones sought. You’d not believe how difficult it is to stamp out references to ‘day’ and ‘night’ – they’re so ingrained in our language and thinking.
I had to do a lot of research. Weeks were spent reading any and all scientific literature on the conditions and even survivability of life on a red dwarf planet. Having established it might be possible, lots of other problems had to be solved; radiation, atmospheric erosion, orbital stability, weather, navigation and timekeeping to name just a few. I’ve learnt a lot about exoplanets in the process and can confirm that the universe truly is not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we can imagine.
Then I had to write a backstory. Characters don’t just appear, they have to have a reason to be somewhere, and that ‘somewhere’ needs a context. Suffice to say there is scope for a series of sequels and prequels!
Strong characterisation has always been my hallmark as an author, with description taking something more of a backseat. Certainly I try to write memorable characters. With the Shadeward Saga I’m not limited to a single book so you’ll see the characters change dramatically over the course of time – something that wasn’t possible before. They will, as ever, be nuanced and complex individuals with their own traits and perspectives. Some I hope you’ll love, some I hope you’ll love to hate! You’ll be able to relate to all of them.
And the other aspect is a twisty satisfying plot. So many books and films over-egg the CGI at the cost of a decent tale nowadays. Either they’re too obvious, or the writers make the characters act oddly to give the impression of complexity. I dislike both extremes. I aim for a plot which makes sense, but keeps the reader guessing at every the turn of every page (or button click). You’ll have to judge if I’ve succeeded.
If you’re reading this after Reclamation I hope you enjoy it as much if not more. It’s a bigger story, with even more strongly developed characters. This is not a Space Opera, but it’s an adventure in the grand tradition. Here is a new amazing and wonderful world for you to explore. Everything is fresh and new.
I hope you enjoy it.
Drew Wagar,
May 2015.
“Turn your face to the sun,
And the shadows fall behind you.”
Maori Proverb
Lacaille
The Lacaille system, officially ‘Lacaille 9352, R
ed Dwarf Class M2V’ in the stellar catalogue, was not a primary colonisation target. Red dwarf stars were considered generally poor candidates and the system was relegated to the lower end of the league table. The only reason it was considered at all was that, at a distance of just over ten light years, it was within range of ships powered by the new atomic pulse engines, a factor that eventually became critical.
It had been known for some time that there were several planets in the system. Esurio, along with four unremarkable gas giants and a series of rocky dwarf-worlds, had already been catalogued and studied in some detail by Sol-based orbiting telescopes and, more recently, by high speed atomic space-probes. The returning data was greeted with initial enthusiasm.
Esurio lay just within the outer boundary of Lacaille’s ‘goldilocks zone’, close enough to support liquid water and far enough out to prevent it evaporating away. It maintained a thin oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere with sufficient greenhouse gases to raise the ambient temperature above freezing. Around a more familiar star the planet would have been considered the ideal target, a close parallel of the home-world. A red dwarf would naturally mean that metals would be in short supply, but that could be countered by technology. It might support a simple agrarian culture.
Further analysis quickly dashed those hopes.
Lacaille’s peculiar properties made the colonisation of Esurio problematic for many reasons. The star was extremely faint and cool, with the planet in an alarmingly close orbit. Conditions on the surface ranged from the extreme to the astonishing. Tidally locked to its parent star, one side of the planet always faced the glow of ruddy sunlight; the other was shrouded in eternal night.
An everlasting hurricane raged on the sub-stellar pole, fed by ferocious evaporation from the surface due to the intense heat. At the terminator, kilometre high cliffs of eternal ice and glaciers that dwarfed anything ever seen before marked the transition on to the dark side. Images showed a temperate zone between the two extremes. High wind speeds due to enormous convection between the hot and cold sides were noted in a number of places, coerced by significant mountain ranges.
The atmospheric pressure was too low to support humans unassisted. Either some significant terraforming would need to be undertaken or genetic modifications would need to be made for any prospective colonists.
Lacaille’s brightness dropped precipitately as sun spots periodically blotched its surface, far bigger than the tiny motes that affected the star humans called ‘the Sun’, causing dramatic temperature drops. Fortunately, it appeared that Lacaille did not suffer from the dangerous flares that so often plagued such stars.
There was no evidence of any intelligent life, yet there was something there; sensors confirmed the tell-tale presence of methane in the atmosphere and there was evidence of widespread vegetation. None of the probes had the resolution to peer down to the surface during their brief encounters as they flashed through the system on a one way journey. The planet’s magnetic field was detected, weak as expected, the planet slowly losing its atmosphere under the fierce assault of Lacaille.
With long term viability uncertain and the rigours to be endured by any prospective colonists considered insurmountable, Esurio was marked as ‘non-viable’ and overlooked in favour of more conventional spheres by the committees of the home-world.
That was, until those same committees were awakened to the knowledge that before long they would have no home-world.
The resultant programme was rushed, with provisions and equipment pared to the absolute minimum. The timescales allowed no other outcome. The known issues were immense and intractable, but they were overcome, though often by controversial and experimental means.
After much sacrifice and difficulty, Esurio was colonised.
Only the brave and hardy survived.
Prologue
Round 2287, Ninth Pass
Rain cascaded in sheets, cold dark and heavy despite the eternal sun, whipped into frenzy by a fierce and fickle wind. It blew one way and then another, battering the slate grey rocks that formed the steep flank of the mountain. Lightning flickered in the grey gloom, giving a brief view of stark and craggy outcrops and terrifying drops into shadowed chasms. Thunder rolled not far behind, hammering the rocks and echoing around the unseen valleys. Smaller debris was dislodged, tumbling down and scattering across a muddy and treacherous narrow track that cut through the landscape like a thin sinuous snake. On one side a steep rocky bluff, on the other a drop into the valley far below.
Toiling up this path at a charge were two heavy-set creatures steaming with exertion, yoked to a battered wooden carriage, illuminated by dimly flickering torches which guttered in the screaming wind. Two black feathered arrows were stuck in the wooden frame on the rear of the carriage, the wood splintered around them.
Atop the carriage, two men draped in thick oilskins hung on as the carriage jolted from rock to pothole and back again. One cracked a whip, driving the beasts onwards at a reckless speed. The other turned to look behind them, squinting through the rain.
He chose an unfortunate moment. Arrows whistled out of the gloom. One passed between the two men, the second stuck the second man in the chest, throwing him against his companion. With a screech he fell head first and was crushed under the rear wheel as the carriage plunged ahead. The carriage jolted, the wheel coming down on to the track with an abrupt shock. Spokes splintered, the wheel turned once and then came apart. The carriage canted over, crashing on to its side close to the edge of the path, sliding to a stop above an invisible drop into the darkness.
A baby’s cry came from inside the carriage.
The remaining man, dazed and battered but otherwise uninjured, desperately climbed back to open the side door. The carriage shifted as the panicking beasts, still yoked to the carriage, tried to regain their feet and escape. The carriage was dragged perilously closer to the edge. He pulled out a knife, cut the traces and the beasts roared, fleeing into the rain and disappearing.
He pulled open the door. A woman half clambered out, her face white with fear, but set with determination. For a moment they argued, but then she lifted out a pair of babies, swaddled in fine linen and handed them to the man. He took them in one arm and held the other towards her but she shook her head, pushing him away, gesturing for him to run. Her shouts were swept away by the wind. A brief embrace followed and then he ran. Lightning crackled and the following clap of thunder made him duck instinctively.
He clambered up the rocky slopes adjacent to the crashed carriage, seeking to put as much distance between him and it as possible. Barely audible shouts brought his attention around. He ducked behind a boulder and peered over the top. One of the babies in his arms whimpered and he gently tried to keep it quiet, holding a trembling finger to his lips.
Far below, the woman in the carriage had managed somehow to clamber down. It was clear she had been injured in the crash, her ankle twisted or broken. She had limped a short distance, but was now facing down the path; the direction the carriage had driven.
She stood silent, the wind snatching her sodden dark hair around her face.
Run ….
More of the beasts charged into the flickering light from the torches aboard the upturned carriage. They bore four riders, thin figures dressed in lightweight mail, armed with swords and with bows slung across their backs. Their heads were covered by capes, their faces hidden. They stopped and dismounted, striding forward in a line. One gestured to the woman with a gloved hand. She took a backward step, shaking her head.
The leader’s gesture came again, imperious, demanding, yet the woman’s face was set and determined. She raised her hand and her four pursuers grasped at their heads as if in sudden pain, staggering back.
The leader was the first to recover, holding out one arm in a similar fashion, quickly joined by the others, palms forward. They all wrestled, the conflict invisible but no less violent. The tableaux was flash frozen by a strike of lightning, casting sharp shadows across the muddy pathwa
y. Fingers grasped at things unseen. The woman’s face twisted in pain and determination. Thunder echoed, a counterpoint to the hidden battle.
But she could not prevail against so many. Her guard dropped and she stepped back before crying out plaintively. Defeated, she hobbled towards the carriage, giving it a sharp push. The leader, released from the unseen confrontation, unslung a bow, notched an arrow, drew and fired.
No!
The carriage slipped on the edge, overbalanced and then rolled into the chasm. The shattering crash of it breaking apart on the rocks below reverberated. Lightning flickered and a boom of thunder masked out what little sound was left to hear.
The man was unable to watch, slumping behind the boulder as the woman sank to her knees and fell to one side, an arrow protruding from her chest. He crouched, huddled over his charges, shuddering in despair and grief.
The leader of the warriors strode forward and pulled the woman up by the throat. A brief interrogation followed, the woman defiant even as her life drained away. The leader threw her to the ground in disgust, leaving her convulsing and doubling up before finally lying still. The leader’s cape fell back revealing a strong female face, with blonde hair, shaved on the left side over the ear and grown long on the other. A simple metallic band was set across her forehead. Her face was a mask of frustration.
The concealed man risked a glance and saw they were looking over the edge of the chasm, down into the unseen depths. Lightning flashed again, with a thunderous boom smashing down around them. Dangerously large rocks rumbled past him, one bounced over his head as he ducked low just in time. They fell on to the path, passing perilously close to the warriors.
A brief angry debate amongst the four warriors was quickly brought to a conclusion. They unceremoniously picked up the dead woman’s body and flung it into the chasm before jumping aboard their beasts and turning about, heading back the way they had come, vanishing into the storm.
