by E. D. Cask
Contents
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE Wanderer
CHAPTER TWO Contact
CHAPTER THREE Frozen
CHAPTER FOUR Aliens?
CHAPTER FIVE Ducks
CHAPTER SIX Ku
CHAPTER SEVEN A-team
CHAPTER EIGHT Sergei
CHAPTER NINE Master Du
CHAPTER TEN Retraining
CHAPTER ELEVEN Natix
CHAPTER TWELVE Finals
CHAPTER THIRTEEN First Battle
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Ku returns
CHAPTER FIFTEEN New trust
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Torture
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Confrontation
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Real Deal
CHAPTER NINETEEN Regrets
CHAPTER TWENTY Galaknovo
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Truce
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Freedom Fighters
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Arena
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Clash
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Rage
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Finish
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Shock
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Awe
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE After
CHAPTER THIRTY Gamify
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Motive
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO Svarmo
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Timebomb
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR Diplomacy
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE Team
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX Finale
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN Loss
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT Mop up
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE Final Frontier
Afterword
To Dad, who showed me how.
CHAPTER ONE
Wanderer
“Son, you better get in the car.”
“No thanks.”
“Not a request, boy, get in the car.”
“I’m just walking down this sidewalk, not hurting anyone. What law am I breaking?”
“You’re breaking the law of annoying me. Do I need to make you dance?”
“This is illegal search and seizure. Man, I only want to leave of town. Is that okay?”
“You’re testing my patience here.”
“I still haven’t heard what law you think I was breaking.”
“This is your last chance.”
“You can’t make me do what—“
His body started jerking from the 1200 volts coursing through it—
*****
He opened his eyes and scrabbled back from the hand.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Hey sorry, kid. Just trying to wake you up. This is where I stop. You okay?”
Josh jerked his head. “Uh, thanks, man.” He glanced up. “Where are we again?”
“Colter Village, Wyoming. Do you want to know what day it is, too?” the old man laughed.
“Thanks for the lift.” Josh shouldered his pack and jumped out of the truck. Still groggy from his recurring nightmare, he looked around. Colter Village was a tiny town in the Tetons with beautiful views of the mountains and a lake. He wandered over to a park on the lake. The day was clear and warm and the lake smelled fishy, but clean. A great day to be outside, he thought. He had always wanted to visit Wyoming, but it didn’t seem as western as he had expected.
Josh put down his pack and stretched. He was haunted with that dream almost every day since it had happened three weeks ago. The shock of being stun-gunned still running through his mind. He had been moving fast ever since. Maybe he would not be so stubborn about a simple police request next time, but it still made him angry. The policeman never apologized, but did explain to the judge that he was looking for a suspect and wanted to check Josh’s ID. When Josh started giving him lip, the officer decided to stun him for safety. Josh shuddered.
It was late morning and he wondered if he should keep going or stick here for a bit. He looked around. There was a young kid under a nearby tree sobbing. He had his face in his arms, but Josh could hear him crying. He looked around for a parent and walked over, curious.
“Hey, kid. You okay?”
The kid looked up and wiped his eyes hopefully. Then he looked around. “I’m not s’posed to talk to strangers and I never seen you afore.”
Josh smiled and backed away, “Safe philosophy, kid.”
The kid scrunched up his face and started crying again.
Josh frowned and looked around again. Still no parents. Was the kid lost? He studied him more closely. He looked clean, other than the grass stains. He saw a spool of string in the kid’s hand. His eyes followed the line around on the ground and he saw that it meandered up into the tree the kid was leaning against.
“You know, I feel like climbing a tree right now. That would make my day.” He sauntered over to the tree and grabbed a branch and pulled himself up. He was pretty good at it, because he had needed to escape a few stray dogs in his last year of traveling. He saw the kite, but it was a little higher than it looked safe to climb.
“Hey, kid. Can’t you pull on the string? It might come down on its own.”
“I tried. It won’t come down.”
Josh sighed. He carefully inched his way out on the branch and reached out his fingers. The kid was watching in awe from below.
“Back away from the tree. I don’t want this to hit you.” The kid dutifully backed up.
The branch cracked and Josh slipped. His hand hit the kite, which fell. But he also fell, trying to grab onto another branch as he passed by. All it did was slow his progress. As he fell to the ground a sharp pain shot up his leg.
“Are you okay, mister?” said the kid, holding onto his kite.
Josh grimaced, “I don’t know. Give me a minute.”
“Anthony!” came a voice from a nearby shop. Startled, the boy looked up. A big, irate woman was striding toward them. “Haven’t I told you?” She grabbed Anthony’s arm as he started to protest and marched him off, giving Josh a glare over her shoulder.
Josh smiled weakly, “Oh, thanks, lady. I’m fine. I don’t think I broke my ankle helping your kid, but thanks for your concern.”
He carefully rolled the foot around. No grinding noises. Walk it off, buttercup, he thought, hopping over to his pack. Crutches would be helpful right now. He looked around and laughed. A branch that had broken his fall was just the right size for a staff. He pulled out his big knife and started stripping it.
After whacking the branches and twigs off, Josh used it and was pleased. Limping over to the shops, he found a convenience store that looked decent. He had enough cash to treat himself before heading into the hills. After looking around, he left the staff and pack outside. There was hardly anyone around and he knew from experience that small towns were pretty safe.
In the front of the store, there was a large rack of postcards with Western and other picturesque scenes. His hand hovered over a nice picture of the lake with the mountains in the background. He saw the clerk watching him. Her stringy white and black hair was in a ponytail and she was eying him over her reading glasses. He scowled and hobbled over to the fresh fruits, picked up two apples and looked around for beef jerky and nuts. That was his usual fare.
“Can I help you, honey?” the clerk asked.
“Looking for…Never mind, I found it,” Josh limped over to the snack section.
“Are you hurt? We have first aid supplies over here.”
“No, thanks.”
“Are you sure, honey? You look like you had a fall.” She tilted her head. “Listen, if it’s a money problem, I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Josh sighed, “No, ma’am. I’m fine. Sprained my ankle. Happens all the time.” He reached into his pocket. “How much is the tax h
ere?”
“Don’t you worry about it, dear. You just take that on the house.”
Josh’s face reddened. “Listen. I’m not homeless. I’m hiking, okay? Now, can you add up the tax or not? Here…” He shoved a ten dollar bill onto the counter.
“Okay, honey. Just trying to help.” She rang it up and returned the change. “There’s a doctor three doors down that way—”
“Thanks,” he muttered. Grabbing the snacks, he exited the store as fast as he could.
“Don’t hike Owl Canyon, there are haunts there.” She had followed him outside, but Josh ignored her.
Picking up his pack and the staff, he started hiking out of town. Why was everyone such a busybody? His goal was to be fiercely independent, but it was hard since so many people liked to help. He had had enough of that at home. He was walking too fast and almost stepped in front of another pickup truck heading out toward the highway. By the time he stuck his thumb out, it had roared off.
Josh made it out to the highway and started heading north. There had to be a trail into the mountains around here, but if he could get a lift it might work out better. He had no plans; made every decision on a whim. That had been one of his rules when he took off; live free or die. After a mile of walking, his ankle was looser but still aching. A faint deer trail started off the west side of the highway, so he crossed over and started into the woods. He saw a little trickle of water by the path and stooped down to test it. Tasted okay. He filled his water bottle with it. This was his dream—after reading Thoreau in high school—to live simply. Like that guy in the “Into the Wild” book, but without the dying part.
His decision-making had not been without its ups and downs. A couple of times, he had made bad choices in who to trust, but he had survived. The day he spent in jail had been an education! But he had made some good choices, too. There was the great afternoon with the church group of high schoolers who were having a picnic and playing volleyball. It had been like returning home for a short while, until a leader started in on him about honoring his parents. It reminded him why he had left home. All of the lecturing and shaping had gotten too pushy for him.
By late afternoon, he had eaten one of his apples and his other snacks. He was getting tired. He sat down and pulled out the other apple. Summer was finally in full swing here and it was getting warm. For some reason, the memory of the lady in the shop was still bothering him. He had been hoping to find a job in that town. He needed some money to celebrate his 19th birthday. It had almost been a year since he left home and started wandering. His mom’s pestering him about college and getting a good job had pushed him away. She meant well, but he wanted to figure things out in his own time and his own way.
Josh took a bite of the last apple. It was warm, but glorious after a hard hike. The distant sound of a jet made him look up and find the contrail. This was the kind of simple life he wanted. Not having to go to an office job, like his dad. Or working at the library, like his mom. He missed his parents from time to time, but the needs of life were constantly distracting him from that. He hardly even missed playing his hours of playing video games.
The track that he had taken was heading west, into the more mountainous region. The deer track crossed a hiking trail and he had started on that. Now it was leading into a small canyon. It seemed to be a good time to climb a mountain. There was still snow on the nearby peak, but he wouldn’t be up here long.
As he was pondering life, he noticed a glint in the corner of his eye. He turned and tried to find it again. Another blink of light. It was in a nearby crack in the side of the hill. He grabbed his backpack and headed over to take a peek. As he got closer, he heard a weird pulsing noise. Maybe someone dropped their phone? He peered into the crack. It didn’t seem to be a phone, but it was man-made. He reached in to grab it and a low vibration hummed through his body. Startled, he started to back away, but the humming got louder. Was it a bomb? He turned to run. A blinding light flashed before his eyes—
CHAPTER TWO
Contact
“You called for us, Stelokap Galaknovo?”
“Thank you for answering. I wish to understand your thoughts on our present course. The Lytix have attacked us—”
“Forgive me from interrupting you, Stelokap Galaknovo, but those were only preprogrammed AI bots.”
“Do you wish to challenge me?”
The man bowed. “Of course not, Stelokap. I merely wished to present what others are thinking.”
“Are you being led astray by the wiles of Steloviziisto Teranovo?”
The man bowed even lower. “No, Stelokap.”
Stelokap Galaknovo glared at him and then turned to the others. “This is what happens when we put the future of our race into the hands of a girl. Just because her father was a great leader, doesn’t automatically make her one. I don’t know how she convinced a majority of our people to flee the Svarmo. Have our spies been able to find anything?”
Another man answered, “No, Stelokap. Teranovo is in seclusion at the moment.”
“You mean in hiding, after that disastrous attack.” Galaknovo sneered. “What about the other star captains?”
“There is more grumbling now. I have prepared a list of captains who might be more willing to fight now.”
“Might be?” Galaknovo roared. “Where is the fighting spirit that has burned within us for so many years?”
“They do no want to go against a star gazer, a future seer.”
Galaknovo scoffed, “Showy tricks that mean nothing. She has never even crushed a man’s life out beneath her hands. That is the kind of power that I honor.”
“Stelokap, we are ready for the conference.”
Galaknovo hardened his face into a fierce expression and nodded. He joined a large group of star captains in a virtual room. The star gazer looked on from her seat.
“Thank you for joining us. I have sensed ambivalence from the Urth people. They do not want to fight.”
Galaknovo stood. “We must attack them. They must know that we are the superior. If we go in begging for peace, we might as well cut our own throats.”
“Thank you for your view, Stelokap Galaknovo. But—”
“I agree with Stelokap Galaknovo.”
“And I.”
“I also.”
There were many nods and affirmations of this around the virtual room. Ab Teranovo looked at them impassively, but her eyes flicked over to Galaknovo. “We are most certainly the superior fighters and the most superior force, but we also need their assistance. Does it seem wise to degrade their abilities before asking for assistance?”
Many looked thoughtful and nodded, but Galaknovo twisted his lips and frowned. “Urth is rightfully ours. Our forefathers left on a dream of finding paradise, when Urth was there for the taking. To go in any other manner than fighting is weakness. It would drain the fighting spirit of our people and weaken our fighting blood.”
“It seems that we disagree, Stelokap. The only solution is to vote and steer our course collectively. What is our course of action? Fighting or talking?”
The answer came back immediately. By a slim margin, the vote was to fight.
“Well, Steloviziisto Teranovo, I hope that you will abide by this vote?”
Ab gave a short nod of the head. “Of course, Stelokap Galaknovo. We shall attack Urth to show our dominance.”
CHAPTER THREE
Frozen
Josh waggled his head slowly and picked himself up off of the snow covered ground. Did a bomb explode? He felt like he had just recovered from the flu; his body weak and achy. What—
Snow? He opened his eyes and squinted in the piercing light. The sun reflected off a thick layer of snow. Had he climbed the mountain? The last thing he remembered was being hot after a hike…He looked around. The snow made everything look different. A summer squall? The wind started blowing and he shivered. He dropped his pack and pulled out a thin sweater and jacket. He recently threw away his heavy winter gear, because he was
tired of carrying it around. Fortunately he was still wearing his hiking boots. While he had his pack open, he grabbed his compass. He needed to find his way back to the town.
He opened the case and tried to get his bearings, but got even more confused. The sun looked like it was a late afternoon sun. The compass showed the sun in the northeast. He banged the case on his other hand a few times. It was supposed to be indestructible. He had won the compass for doing well in Boy Scouts. Now it appeared to be broken. He didn’t have a watch. It didn’t seem necessary on the road. If the sun was in the west, the town should be back that way. He should be able to get back to the highway, at least. He put the broken compass away and closed up the pack.
As he started hiking back, Josh noticed how quiet it was. The snow dampened the sound. Perhaps all the birds were in hiding. He looked around. Everything looked different, even accounting for the snow. He turned around and looked for the mountain he had been thinking about climbing. He couldn’t find it. He panicked and turned in a slow circle looking for it; for any high mountains. Was he going crazy? What was he forgetting? Maybe he had amnesia or something. Could there be such a thing as reverse amnesia, where you could all of a sudden remember the past so clearly that it seemed like today? He looked at his clothes. They seemed the same. He stroked his chin and his hair. Still scruffy and straggly, but his ankle wasn’t hurting at all now, which seemed to suggest some time had passed.
Josh stopped again and opened his pack and pulled out a foil blanket. He opened it partway and started pulling things out of his pack, desperately searching for clues. Hunting knife, fishing line, socks, underwear, books, journal… He opened the journal and paged through to the last entry.
Too hot here in Arizona. Heading up toward Wyoming. Always wanted to see those mountains.
Nothing different that he could remember and it was dated June 26th. He started to close the journal and it fell open to a few pictures he saved. There was a picture of his mom and dad hanging out around the backyard fire pit. Those were some of his happiest memories with them; cooking hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire; building the fire and learning to start the fire by himself.
