Dalida: A Scifi Space Opera Adventure

by G. P. Eliot

  Hank shared a look with Lory, Can we trust him? it asked. The Captain saw the Agent shrug her shoulders. She clearly had no idea about all this either.

  “In the early days of the Union, the memory of Old Earth was still alive,” August explained as they walked. The path twisted and turned through the jungle, and Hank saw the flash of iridescent birds in the undergrowth and saw large blooms of delicate flowers. This place really did look like a paradise…

  “The SSET was founded on those ancient principles of exploration, optimism, and hope,” August continued.

  “SSET?” Steed asked from further back in the line.

  “Secret Space Exploration Team,” August replied. “My great-grandfather was the first pilot for it. It was given Union backing, but it was really a bunch of crazy scientists and engineers, hoping to provide humanity with a future…”

  Hank thought about the Union’s war that was ripping apart entire systems back home right now. “We could sure do with a future right now,” he muttered.

  “That is why we sent the Message!” August sounded excited. “We wanted the rest of humanity to know what we had achieved here!”

  The tree line opened up, and Hank and the others gasped at what they saw. They had actually landed on a sort of highland, and below them was a vast lowland area between another green-forested plateau. Drifts of birds moved lazily over the blue skies, and waterfalls cascaded over the cliff edges of the plateaus.

  But in the lowlands, the jungles had been tamed and Hank saw long pastures of crops surrounded by the small rivulets of irrigation streams. There were domed-white tunnels and geodesic domes that Hank knew must hold more crops and agriculture.

  But the most impressive sight were the habitats; white geodesic domes of all shapes and sizes, some larger than stadiums, and others surrounded by small gardens and parklands that were clearly more discrete dwellings.

  “It’s beautiful…” Lory breathed.

  “This is only Colony 1,” August grinned, pointing down the path to where there was a gleaming silver construction like an egg in front of them. It was a monorail, anchored at the top and Hank could see the glittering line of silver sweeping down to the center of the Colony.

  “This entire continent is filled with gorges and canyons like this, as well as lakes and rivers, mountains, highlands and lowlands…” the man said. “We’ve got colonies all over the planet, but the population is so sparse that we prefer to stay together. There are three more continents with only seed groups on them, as well as hundreds of thousands of miles of space…”

  It was clear to everyone what the man was saying. “Enough room to start re-homing people from the Union,” Professor Serrano said.

  “Precisely. And then there’s Aphrodite,” August looked up into the clear blue skies, but Hank and the others couldn’t see anything.

  “Aphrodite?” Lory asked.

  “Our sister planet. I suppose you could say it is to this system what Mars or Venus would be to Old Earth–only it’s another M-Class world, a little bit hotter than here, but with a trio of moons that help to keep the atmosphere in. We haven’t even begun to colonize up there yet…”

  “Two whole new worlds,” Lory said with a grin on her face. “Do you know how rare an M-Class planet with breathable air and vegetation is?”

  “Actually,” August laughed. “I do. That is what the SSET was all about. Charting the future. We were sent to the far side of the galaxy–which is still 99.9% completely unexplored but we crash-landed here when the FTL drives gave out. We had to rebuild, and because we had no other demands on our time; no politics; no prejudices–we have been able to devote the best of humanity to the task…”

  “And with a near limitless amount of resources…” Hank pointed out, earning an agreeing nod from August.

  “It took us nearly three hundred years, but when we thought we were ready–we decided to send back our results in the Message, back to the place where we had come from.”

  Hank stood for a moment as the others walked ahead towards the monorail. He looked at the habitats, at the paradise laid out below him.

  This was it, he thought, and he felt like a weight had fallen from his shoulders. He and his fellow crewmates of the Dalida had done it. He knew deep down in his very bones that this was the start of a new era for humanity, a hopeful era.

  The End?

  Extended Epilogue

  Eager to read about a strange, funny thing that happened on planet Class-M?

  Then enjoy this free Extended Epilogue featuring our kick-ass Lordstar Squad!

  Simply TAP HERE to read it now for FREE! Or use this link: http://gpeliot.com/ljfy directly in your browser.

  I guarantee, you won’t be disappointed!

  But before you go, turn the page for an extra sweet treat from me…

  More awesome science fiction

  Turn on to the next page to read the first chapters of Lordstar, book 0.5 of my super cool Emancipation series!

  Lordstar

  About the book

  Earth has been abandoned. It is time for humans to look for a new planet-refuge. Can a cab driver hold the key to survival?

  As mankind suffers from famine and impoverishment, former Union Marine - turned cab driver -Hank Snider is sickened by extreme boredom. After he manages to save Professor Alan Serrano from certain death, he is let in on one of the Union's biggest secrets.

  An unknown origin message has arrived at the Union's centre.

  He now has to make a choice. He either has to ignore the truth and continue with his comfortable life or... go on a humanity-saving mission.

  Together with Professor Serrano, they obtain both a ship and a crew and start an intergalactic journey of awesomeness. The clock is ticking and they need to know who the real sender of the message is before it is too late.

  How can they decrypt the message that might be their ticket to success against the corrupt government?

  1

  He was walking down the street minding his own business, when he saw five guards jump on an older man. If he had been drunk, as he often was, Hank Snider may have kept on walking. Not only was he sober, but he had been itching for something to do. He hadn’t planned on rescuing some stranger, but he did not hesitate to intervene when faced with injustice.

  His military training kicked in, but it was his individual nature that made him act. An old Earth book had been a favorite and helped shape his Quixotic personality. His romantic, rash, and foolishly impractical idealism was often defeated by common reality. But he still fought.

  Hank slammed his ragged boot into the black-shirted stomach of a Union Guard who groaned and dropped his Trechon.

  He jabbed his fingers into the throat of a second man who could only gag. Hank swiftly grabbed the Trechon on the ground.

  He ducked when the third guard swung his Trechon at him. As it passed over Hank’s head, he flicked his weapon on and stuck it into the assailant’s belly. He doubled up and screamed in agony. When the next one rushed, Hank steadied his feet, then lifted a boot and caught the man under his chin. The blow knocked him up in the air. He came down hard as his wobbly legs couldn’t hold him. They wavered and weaved before he collapsed to the sidewalk.

  The last two guards, although they still outnumbered Hank, went for their laser pistols. But Hank whipped his around first and two bolts of blue light burned into their uniforms.

  Hank waited a second to ensure that he had indeed won this lopsided battle. All five Union guards appeared to be disabled, unconscious, or dead.

  There was no time to consider the consequences of his actions as Hank opened the door to his car, invited the man to follow, then climbed in after him.

  “Ida baby, the mountain cabin. Quickly, please.”

  All the windows closed, and the engine started. The car pulled on the highway and roared forward.

  “All security alerts on. A-1 priority,” Hank gave the voice command.

  “Are we running from the authorities aga
in, Captain?” Ida asked.

  “Have you something better to do?”

  He looked around. He didn’t see another guard or another Union security car.

  “Are the updates in place?” he asked Ida.

  “Yes, as always.”

  The Union’s vast satellite surveillance network could identify every car on the road. Hank’s security software would block it.

  The self-driving car’s giant touchscreen was located, as usual, in the center of the dashboard. Not usual was the instrumentation located on the left-hand side of the panel, the nucleus of Hank’s custom system. His fingers flew across the dashboard, tapping instructions. The car had mini-launch capabilities and he wanted the weapons system to be ready.

  “So, who are you?”

  “My name is Professor Alan Serrano. Why did you help me?”

  Hank turned right and left, saw nothing dangerous. “Don’t quite know myself, Professor. I had the overwhelming notion that you were in the right, and society’s police were in the wrong.”

  Hank stared again at the dashboard, scrolling through a variety of screens, but after thirty seconds seemed to be satisfied.

  “Where are you going?” Serrano asked.

  “Up to a little mountain cabin that I hope the state doesn’t know exists, or at least if the state knows it exists, I hope it doesn’t know where it is. Sit back and relax. It should take about thirty minutes to get there.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Hank Snider.”

  “Why did the computer call you, ‘Captain?’”

  Hank gave a wry smile. “At one time I used to be one. Captain of an FTL, faster than light ship. Was in the military. Killed people. Won some battles. Lost some. Been driving a taxi lately.”

  He glared at the screen again. One sphere indicated a moving car sending out blue lines. No other objects were near.

  “Looks like the police haven’t spotted us yet. Don’t see any Tracking cars. Maybe our friends back there haven’t reported yet that they were unable to capture a distinguished professor.”

  “Please, call me Alan. How do you know I’m distinguished?”

  “Well, Alan, I don’t think the state would bother with an undistinguished, second-rate professor. You must have something they want.” He smiled and turned around to look at his passenger. “Or something they want to keep quiet.”

  Alan nodded. “It’s the latter…. I know the government is lying.”

  Hank sniffed with disdain, as if a bad smell had flowed into the car. “Governments always lie to the public. Nothing new about that. They started lying a million years ago when the first two cavemen decided to form a town council and they’ve been lying ever since.”

  Alan sighed but said nothing.

  “Then again…”

  Hank leaned back in his seat and frowned. Most guards are in two-man squads. And this squad had five? That was odd. Just how badly did the Union want the professor? And what did this professor – Alan – know?

  Hank took a sideways glance at the man behind him. Alan wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. He was average height, slenderer than most, had no distinctive features, no scars or tattoos.

  Of course, it wasn’t his looks that the Union cared about. It was what was in his brain, or…what he had heard while working for the government.

  He frowned again and thought about the omnipresent Union. A totalitarian government, it was really an oligarchy, despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt and selfish purposes. The ministers and workers tended to slide toward paranoia. The Union had been oppressing the populace and was naturally hated, which fed its own paranoia. Because of this, often what the government determined as vital and crucial was actually routine and banal. Hank had experienced such suspicion when he was in the military. He was praised repeatedly by the Union, but he knew his superiors were always suspicious of him, as well.

  He punched a button and a small tray with a cigar slid from the dashboard. He stuck the cigar in his mouth and lit it. He blew out gray smoke and took another glance at the professor. He smiled and held up the cigar.

  “One of the wonderful things about science. Cigars aren’t bad for you anymore,” he said.

  “They’re not good for you, either.”

  Hank checked the displays again. The screen remained clear. The car had just passed the city limits. Soon it would begin ascending into a wooded area. His cabin was about three thousand feet above the city and secluded among tall trees, a dense understory, and thick bushes.

  “You know why they were after you, Alan?”

  The man nodded. “I know. I’m a danger to them. A great danger.”

  What I did was very dumb. I certainly didn’t think it out. But life has been dull for some time now, five years and, inside, I did want a change. Too much ennui. I was slowly dying. Could have picked an easier way of breaking a long dry spell. Also, I don’t like the Union, so, defending a man from Union thugs seemed like an admirable thing to do. Now both the professor and I are on the run.

  Hank had firsthand knowledge of how the Union eliminated their enemies. It was now a matter of life and death.

  So…what would he do now?

  2

  Five minutes later the cigar was a nub. The smoke trailed away due to the ventilation in the car. He thought about lighting another. Sometimes he thought better when he smoked.

  “Alan, you say you worked for the government?”

  “Yes, I worked with them and knew their lies. They liked me until I realized I couldn’t lie for them anymore. What they’re doing is despicable. They’re endangering hundreds of millions of people.”

  The thought crossed Hank’s mind that Alan might be just as paranoid as his employers. Then again, the government really was after him. The attack by the Union Guards proved that.

  “Where did you work?” Hank asked.

  “The huge ISRD about ten miles from the city.”

  Hank nodded. The Interstellar Research Department was very hush-hush and one of the government’s top-secret agencies. With a fence, security lasers and AI robots guarding the facility, it was, without doubt, one of the most highly guarded departments on the planet, in Union space, for that matter. Only very high government officials were allowed in. Only individuals with an IQ at the genius level could work there.

  He lit the next cigar and puffed.

  If…If Alan was telling the truth and did work at the ISRD, then he was smarter than 99.8 percent of the population. As such, he would be working on all the top-secret projects…perhaps he did know something. Whatever technology the Union was building in the ISRD, it certainly wouldn’t be used for good…not that it was any of his business. After attacking five members of the Union Security, he wasn’t going to have a life on this planet anymore. From now on, if he could find a ship, he’d be a rogue pilot.

  The car curved around a hill. He could see the tall trees and leaves moving in the breeze. Brown and green leaves fell to the ground as the car passed.

  A twinge of guilt swept across his mind like the wind across the windshield. He beat it down. He had fought it many times and usually won the struggle. It was never a total victory, though. The enemy was never vanquished, it kept coming back showering him with blood, dead soldiers, and guilt. It was a mistake, a mistake caused by the Union, but he should have known. He should have suspected. Their perfidy and his mistake had cost hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

  Hank had been the captain of a Union Battlecruiser at an early stage of his career in the Navy. At 29 years old he was not the youngest to ever make Captain, but he was quite young. A year and a half into his first commission he had been ordered to quell a revolution on Carpé Uno, a far-flung Union planet, something he had done many times before.

  This assignment had been unusual as he had found that his was the only dispatched Union ship. As they approached the barren planet in the system it became obvious that the “revolution” was simply a handful of miners and a small
colony of forty thousand souls. His orders were to destroy the colony.

  After contacting the chief administrator of Carpé Uno, Hank had decided that they posed no threat to the Union and offered to send them medical supplies and support.

  It is at this point that the whole situation went sideways. Hank had retired to his quarters when he realized that the ship had fired its weapons. His first officer had taken it upon himself to carry out the Union orders himself and completely destroyed the settlement. Hank knew that had he called out his Lieutenant it would have ended his career on the spot.

  Three months later Hank was discharged from the service for the drinking problem that he had developed as a result of the incident at Carpé Uno. His lieutenant took over his command and was presumably still there.

  He had always wanted to pay the Union back for the bloody debacle. For a moment, he wondered if the professor might give him that chance. Depending on what type of project Alan had worked on or what type of knowledge he possessed…the next battle might be a huge defeat for the Union.

  He owed the Union. Owed them big time. Perhaps it was time to pay them back.

  The situation definitely called for a chat with his passenger.

  The car swerved around another steep curve and the cabin came into view: a dark, wood two-story cottage with blue tinted windows and a balcony on the second floor, and chairs outside on the front deck.