Eclipse (Bright Horizons Book 2)

by Wilson Harp

  “Mosar in an area develops a kind of hive mind. It figures out the right level of infection needed and adjusts itself. It will also start working its way into non-organic materials as well.”

  “So exactly what are the dangers of the early stages of mosar?” Kyle asked

  “Decreased levels of fertility among infected life forms. Check with simpler creatures first, that is where it will appear. Some races also exhibit a gradual lengthening of lifespan. I believe the increased lifespan is to mask the loss of fertility.”

  “You make it sound like mosar is alive and intelligent.”

  “It is, Ambassador. It is. And that is why I am so interested in Earth.”

  “Go on.”

  “For some reason, mosar seems to recoil from the life forms on your planet. It took me a long while, almost two hundred years, but I think I know the answer.”

  “And what would that be?” Kyle knew of Williams’ discovery of sunlight having an inhibiting effect. He wondered if a human might have beaten the ancient alien to the conclusion.

  “Your moon,” said Jii.

  “Our moon? Not the sun?”

  “Your sun? No, your sun is the same as any other star.” Jii laughed. “No, I believe that your moon has a particular resonance that is very unusual. As ultra-violet energy from your sun passes through the moon’s energy field, it is modified ever so slightly.”

  “What happens when mosar goes beyond the first stage?”

  “Ah, yes. The Junniji are discovering this right now. We have been feeding them advanced technologies for a few centuries to prepare them for this. Mosar starts to control the minds of certain individuals in power. It forms what look like micro-tumors in the brain and exerts its will.”

  “Mind control?”

  “Yes. A few of our best technologies allows an individual to resist those impulses. But some give in anyway and cause great harm.”

  “I guess that would mean that you have this level of mosar in you?”

  “Yes. The technology we have prevents it from transforming into its final stage.”

  “The blue cylinder on your ship?” Kyle asked

  “That is where I treat myself, yes.”

  “How long can you go between treatments before mosar advances?”

  “A couple of years, I would think. It’s an unpleasant experience, but I generally go through the cleansing once a month.”

  Kyle looked down at his notes. “What is the adult stage?”

  “That is the reason our system is not known. It’s too dangerous to approach.”

  “Dangerous? How?”

  “Mosar has taken our system for itself. It is preparing to attack our galaxy.”

  Jii smiled and leaned in across the table. “Don’t worry, Ambassador. We have at least ten thousand years before it starts moving.”

  Kyle swallowed and allowed his nerves to settle. “Is there anything else you can tell us? I would like some details of what has happened to your system.”

  “That won’t be a problem, Ambassador. At least I hope it won’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Now that I have determined how your system has stayed clear of mosar, I intend to make a trip back to my home planet.”

  Kyle looked over at the mirror on the side of the room. He knew that Kitch and the others were watching, but he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

  “Warlord Jii,” Kyle said with great care. “You are a prisoner of Earth. You don’t get to plan to make trips anywhere.”

  “Of course I do, Ambassador. I allowed myself to be found and captured specifically because I need Earth’s help in reaching my lab.”

  “You need our help?”

  “Yes. Your vessels are free of mosar. As a result, you can approach my home planet without risk.”

  “How would that help?” Kyle asked. “You are still infected with mosar, it would sense you as soon as you left the ship.”

  “That is not a problem. Once on the planet, any lifeform that wasn’t at optimum infection level would be destroyed as a potential enemy.”

  “We would—“ Kyle shook his head. “No, stop influencing me!”

  Kyle realized he was on his feet and shouting at Jii.

  “That is what we are up against, Ambassador. By controlling the mosar in me, I can use it to influence the mosar in you.”

  “Why do you need your lab? Can’t you do your research elsewhere?”

  “No. If I start to do this research, some of the other Otina will know it. The mosar controls them and they will attempt to stop me. Most of what I need has already been set up in my lab. It would only take me a few minutes to set the final data in place and test the procedure.”

  “What procedure?”

  “I will go into the device and attempt to purge the mosar from my body. If that works, I will send the data to A’nacal and work can begin to cleanse the galaxy of mosar.”

  “If you cleanse mosar from yourself, the mosar on your home world will destroy you,” Kyle said.

  “Yes. And if the procedure fails, I will die.”

  “I need to speak with someone, Warlord Jii. I will be back.”

  Kyle left the room and shut the door behind him.

  “Kyle, are you okay?” Kitch said.

  “Yeah, I just need to talk with you about this.”

  “About what? His plan to go to his system?”

  “Yes, I think we should do it,” Kyle said.

  “You are out of your mind. Or he is in yours somehow,” Kitch said. “There is no way I am going to allow him out of custody.”

  “I think he’s telling the truth, Diane. And if he is, then we need this to happen. You said that the only way we can stop the spread is through quarantine. But that was just a theory. If the Otina are the ones who created this plague—“

  “And have spread it to every other race!”

  “—And have spread it to every other race, then they have the best chance of understanding how to stop it.”

  Kitch shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this. Who would we send?”

  “Jii mentioned that anyone who wasn’t fully infected would be killed when they reached the planet. So whoever goes would have to have been on the Hemingway or Fitzgerald.”

  “Well it won’t be you, Mister Ambassador. You will not, I repeat, will not be heading into danger,” Kitch said through clenched teeth.

  Kyle nodded. “Fine. I won’t go. I need to have some talks with A’nacal anyway. I need to find out the truth.”

  “Do you really think this is the right call, Kyle?”

  “I do, Diane. I think we have to take this chance of ridding the galaxy of mosar.”

  “He could be lying.”

  “Then we need to send someone who makes sure he isn’t.”

  Diane nodded. “You go finish the interrogation, I’ll think about what you said.”

  “Thank you,” Kyle said. He took another drink of water and watched Diane walk back into the observation room.

  “Warlord Jii, I believe that we may be able to secure you a trip home.” Kyle walked to the table and sat down in his chair.

  “Good,” Jii said. He looked at the mirror. “I have a list of those who will accompany me. We’ll start with Alex Ramirez and Carl Williams.”

  A Word From the Author

  Thank you for reading Eclipse, Book Two in the Bright Horizons series. I was very happy when I was encouraged to continue the story I started in Bright Horizons, but I was also concerned that I wouldn’t know how to successfully incorporate a sequel. I was quite pleased with the result, and even more pleased it gave me a chance to write for the fans that gave me my start in my writing career.

  In the last several years, I have had encouragement from all over the world as people have discovered my books. I am proud to have entertained you and look forward to giving you hours and hours of more great adventures.

  If you really enjoyed this, I encourage you to leave a review where you got this
book. It will let others know that this is a book

  worth spending a few dollars on and will be of great benefit to me.

  The final page of Eclipse revealed that the story will continue, and in a direction very few would have expected at the beginning of the book. Humanity has been infected by the insidious alien lifeform of mosar, and only their former enemy, Warlord Jii, has an idea of how to stop it. Look for the final book in this series, Mosar, and discover the gripping conclusion of this tale.

  I would also invite you to join my VIP Fan Club. This club is free to join and you will be kept up to date with two e-mails a month concerning new releases, what I am planning in the future, giveaways and promotions. You can head over to my website as well, but the easiest way to stay in touch is through my VIP Fan Club.

  Once again, thank you for sharing this adventure. It was a great joy for me to get to know these people, and I hope you feel the same. Have fun and keep reading!

  Wilson Harp

  Look for Bright Horizons on Audiobook!

  Complete the adventure with the final book in the Bright Horizons series!

  Mosar

  The war with the Otina revealed the bitter truth about mosar. What was believed to be an element missing in humans, is instead an invasive form of life set to consume everything. Earth has joined a mission with their enemy, Warlord Jii, to travel to the world where mosar was first detected eons before. There, Jii intends to purge the galaxy of mosar.

  But the mission is in jeopardy even as it begins. The political situation on Earth has taken a sinister turn, and even if the mission succeeds, Earth will never be the same.

  Betrayed by his own government, and faced with a byzantine maze of secrets laid out by his alien allies, Earth Ambassador Kyle Martin must find a way to save Jii's mission. The very survival of the galaxy is at stake.

  Other Novels by Wilson Harp

  EMP

  In a flash of searing light, the world changed. A massive solar flare has crippled the modern world and brought chaos and destruction. David Hartsman is stuck in the remote farm town of his youth on what was expected to be a short visit to check on his ailing parents. While his wife and his daughter are hundreds of miles away at home in Chicago, David must face the dangers associated with his own survival and the pressures of not being with his family. In a worldwide catastrophe, every struggle is personal.

  EMP is the dramatic story of one man and his struggle for survival in a world that is falling apart.

  The Ghost of Sherwood

  King Richard is dead.

  The theft of his taxes prompts the newly crowned King John to dispatch Sir Guy to Nottingham in order to retrieve his taxes and hang the bandits of Sherwood Forest.

  The Sheriff of Nottingham feels the noose tighten around his own neck as word arrives of King John's orders. The lawman of Nottingham has the king's missing taxes in his lockbox and worse, there are no bandits in the Sherwood. He must survive long enough to escape with the stolen money. The only way he can do that is to play villain in the hunt for the mysterious outlaw, Robin Hood.