At first, after the water had been pumped out, Aarón send in a Tasker to investigate the anomaly. But after the discovery of a perfectly rectangular dark object in the dead center of a rather spacious chamber, he decided a Terran needed to investigate further. Since Aarón and Chimo were the owners, they would do the investigating. Both climbed down into the wide pit.
The Taskers had brought down several light panels, which had been placed around the edges of the chamber. Their soft glow evenly illuminated everything. As Aarón and Chimo looked around all they saw were a flat sandy floor and a dark rectangular, finely polished block of stone in the dead center. A cylindrical opening went directly through it from one end to the other. The opening was slightly over three meters in length and had the diameter the height of a man. Aarón peeked in, not understanding how this stone could have gotten here. It was clearly fashioned as if it had been made yesterday and deliberately placed in the dead center of this hollow chamber. As he looked through the cylindrical opening, he noted that halfway through it shimmered oddly. He couldn’t see through it all the way.
“Look through there, Chimo. Tell me what you see.”
While Chimo looked, Aarón went to the other end of the tunnel and placed a light panel inside the opening, hoping to illuminate the tunnel better. It did no good. Although it was obvious the tunnel went all the way through the block of dark stone neither men could see through its entire length. It defied logic. Aarón stepped back three steps, four, trying to figure out why. His heel caught on something in the shallow layer of sand. He pulled the object out and wiped it on his pant leg. It was disc-shaped, had an orange iridescence and, upon closer inspection, seemed to have some sort of tiny writing etched into its surface. Perhaps it was the illumination from the light panels making the coloration on the disc appear to be swimming. Like it was alive. This item appeared to be brand new, too. Were there more of these objects nearby? He kicked around the sand. His toe struck something. Was it just a large piece of gravel? He swiped it even more with his boot. No, it was another one of the objects.
“Chimo, look at this!” He called his partner over. Chimo went to Aarón and took one of them. He attempted to discern if what appeared to be writing was readable. Was it Empire Spanish, but merely in tiny print?
“Domingo, Goyo. Bring some more light panels,” Aarón yelled to the men above.
The men ran back to one of the storage sheds to retrieve several more, returning moments later. Both of them stepped down into the opening with the other men, looking all around. For years they all knew the marble in this quarry to be of extremely high quality. Kilometers long, it was well known to have been a shallow sea millions of years ago, then intruded upon by an upwelling of magma, below which ultimately had cooked the accumulated limestone, turning it into the finest quality marble ever discovered on the planet. There was no way an artificially-made object could have survived the geological changes that had produced this formation.
“How could such a thing have been brought down here?” Domingo wondered aloud.
“I have no idea,” Goyo told him, shaking his head. “What is that?” He asked Aarón as he pointed.
He handed Goyo one of the objects. “I found two of them buried in the sand. There may be more,” Aarón told Goyo as the man inspected it. They kicked all around the sand. Finally, Aarón found a third one.
Learning nothing new after the third find, Aarón stood at one end of dark rectangular block of stone and looked into the tunnel. He knelt down to inspect the inside surface again. It looked as if it had been polished with one of the fine abrasives used in their finishing rooms. He shoved the two discs into one of his pants pockets, then crawled right up to the center of the tunnel. He reached his hand out and scooted a little closer. The nearer he got, the more transparent the ‘barrier’ became. He ventured his hand closer still. Suddenly it was as if he had been whirled in a circle extremely quickly. The feeling of vertigo was so swift and strong that he fell over even though he was already squatting down. Once he regained his composure, he quickly crawled headlong to the end of the tunnel opening. Choking weeds blocked his way. In panic, he pushed through them and immediately fell downward almost a meter and a half, landing squarely on his back.
He looked upward, trying to catch his breath. The vertigo, that only moments before made him feel as if he were being twirled in a circle, was slowly fading. Toward his feet was a high rock face. Behind him were hundreds of trees as far as he could see. To his left and right was a curved, leaf strewn path. Aarón turned over and rose up unsteadily onto his hands and knees, his stomach threatening any second to empty the wrong way. What was this place? How could he have emerged onto a wooded footpath when just a moment ago he was dozens of meters below the surface in a quarry and another couple of meters underground inside it?
Voices. He heard voices coming from the right. Someone was coming toward him on the path. Three of the voices were distinct. Now two of them sounded surprised. A man wearing a yellow jumpsuit took his arm and helped him up. He involuntarily accepted the man’s assistance. He saw two more men. Everyone had a surprised expression on their faces. All of them were wearing similar outfits. Who were these five people? How did they get here? How did he get here? Where was he?
The vertigo was quickly dissipating, making it easier to get his bearings. Aarón saw that all of the men had patches sewn over their breast pockets with names on them. Names he had never heard of before. There were circular patches on their left sleeves with some sort of design on them. Writing spanned the patches in two lines. All of the words were totally unfamiliar. The first line read ‘Xoch Resources, Ltd’. Its font was large and bold. The second line was in a smaller font. It read ‘A Division of Deep Sky Cellulosics.’ He had no idea what any of those words meant.
People, Places
and Things
Aarón Celado
A partner at Galea MarbleWorks
Agica Prime
One of the 14 Consortium-developed Inhabs
Alista Kosovil
One of Naylon’s co-workers and best friends. Alista is a paleoclimatologist.
Alitu
The Terran name for Kaskalon
Alkunos
One of the 14 Consortium-developed Inhabs
An’Arka J’selnof
Captured Telkan ranger
Andakar (on-da-car)
Pelagic world that orbits Eratil. Andakar’s year is .92 Earth years long.
Anoon Tilshar
The leader of the Settled Worlds Alliance on Ethlacos
Anz Tlor, Manager General
The Guardian space station head manager and later promoted to Commander General.
ASN
Andakar Space Navy
Atriel
The star that Ethlacos orbits
AU
Astronomical Unit, the distance from a particular planet to its star. For Andakar, an AU is 141.5 million km.
Barcilio Navar, Lt.
Leader of the soldat team aboard the Cortés Libre
Ba’Tekta
A Telkan
Ba’Yod
Telkan killed by Urret and Agrida
Benja Ometo
Vice manager, Tokaias civic police
Bov Ghendeed
Previous mining operations manager on Rylerra before Zelin Raxi
Caddo
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Chimo Escartín
A partner at Galea MarbleWorks
Consortium, The
Also known as The Consort (a derogatory term). The collection of interconnected corporations that spans the 14 Inhabs. Corporate center is on Earth.
Coprates City
A domed city in Coprates Chasma on Mars
Corren Grusics
First Executive of Deep Sky Mining Consortium
Cortés Libre
A Terran military starship
Daníl Ocio
Soldat and the only female aboard the Cortés Li
bre
Doratzo Ranarde, Dr. (Capt.)
Doctor aboard the Cortés Libre
Darreth James-Po, Lt. Cmdr.
Protagonist, 6’2” (1.87m), 185lbs (84 kg), salt/pepper hair, dark brown eyes, Andakar Space Navy pilot. 29.8 Andakar years old (27.4 Earth years).
Deep Sky Mining Consortium
An interconnected group of interstellar businesses that provides everything to the 14 Inhabs
Déstica
Terran name for Rylerra
Domingo Fejos
A worker at Galea MarbleWorks.
Do’Yukya
Naylon and Tann’s guard when brought back to M’jas’la from Q’emt’la
Droon
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Ebórica 4
Taskers are culled from this planet
Ecca
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Efren Llarena
Soldat aboard the Cortés Libre
Epo Agrida
Soldat aboard the Cortés Libre
Eratil
Andakar’s sun and the primary of the Eratil-Kaskalon binary star system. G0 main sequence.
Ethlacos
The desert moon of a planet that orbits the star Atriel
Fério Atore
Terran prisoner on Q’emt’la.
Flimsy
A photronic flat film device similar in function to a book or notepad, but can be rolled up or folded, if needed
Fruck
Lingua for ‘fuck’
FTL
Faster Than Light
Galea
A colonized planet in the Spanish Empire. This planet is an Inhab called Xoch in the Consortium.
Goyo Pretel
A worker at Galea MarbleWorks
Grevi Helop
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
G’San
Telkan scientist
H-180
An 8-person transport shuttle
Hoit Roonyun
Turnstile operator at the Chendra spaceport
Dolet Krem
Corren Grusics’s personal lawyer
H’Tor
Telkan scientist
Inandra Alarr
Andakar’s Planetary Director
Inhab
The word used for a colonized planet within the Consortium, e.g., ‘Andakar is an Inhab’
Ja’Ning
A Telkan
Jao Selaye, Commander
2nd in command aboard the Cortés Libre
Jarien Lazcún
Soldat aboard the Cortés Libre
Jaron Ress
Naylon’s father
Joll Zenatel
Pilot hired by Zelin Raxi to follow Darreth
Juan Barcega
Soldat aboard the Cortés Libre
Julun
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Kalder Pent
Mayor of Tokaias
Kaskalon
Rylerra’s star. The secondary in the Eratil-Kaskalon binary star system. An F2 main sequence.
Kattan
Andakar’s single continent. Slightly larger in area than Australia.
K’ell or Kelna’ack
A marauding species that killed Telkans in the distant past
Kella James-Po
Darreth’s 17 y.o. sister. Fraternal sister to Tann.
Kals Sanadan
Provincial Manager of Gartenda province
Kattan
The sole continental landmass on Andakar
Kestin Dryter
A physicist who duplicates the disc-shaped devices for Darreth
Kirin Arenti
One of Naylon’s discussion group members
Koehkelko Bay
Tokaias is built along this bay
Kyana James-Po
Darreth’s mother
Lingua
The primary language throughout the 14 Inhabs. A dialect of English.
Marco Zapante
Soldat aboard the Cortés Libre
Marn Sokarikay
Anoon Tilshar’s 2nd in command and his fiancée
Merek Soliciellio
He works with Naylon and goes to Rylerra with him
Merrin Takaramyus
Rehl’s wife
M’jas’la
Telkan name for Rylerra
Mu’Anelko
Leader Sa’Par’s patrol ship
Naram
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Dr. Naylon Sente Ress
Protagonist, 6’ tall (1.83m), 172 lbs (78 kg). 29 Andakar years old (26.6 Earth years). Ph.D., paleo-microbiology.
Nels Hodofar
Andakar’s previous planetary director before Inandra Alarr took that post
Ne’Uanju
Minister on Q’emt’la overseeing the Terran prisoners
Nolo Gonjas
Terran prisoner on Q’emt’la
Nolis Imla
Inandra’s lawyer
Nomed Jattison
Tokaias civic police chief
Nona Ice Station
The rescue center on Rylerra
Olton Avela
The man who rescues Darreth and Merek from the cavern on Rylerra
Omley
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Orl Ustbe
West Litok Provincial Manager
Os’Taga
A Telkan
Ozol
The name for Andakar coined by Captain Pacudas
PAD
Acronym for ‘Personal Access Device’
Patoria Mountains
The mountain chain that overlooks Tokaias on Andakar.
Pelinex
An RNA injection used to allow Telkans to learn Empire Spanish
Pharma
Short for pharmaceuticals. Andakar’s main export and derived from its unique sea creatures.
Photronics
The blending of photonic and nano-molecular components, which comprises the foundation of the technology used by the Consortium
Q’emt’la
Telkan name for Andakar
R’kinth’la
A colony planet in the Telkan Ascendency
Rakaris Rim
Pirate settlement on Ethlacos
Rehl Takaramyus
Lieutenant Commander Takaramyus is Darreth’s best friend and works with Darreth on the space station
Rodigue Pacudas, Captain
Terran Captain of the shuttle Cortés Libre
Rogerto Tomús
Terran prisoner on Q’emt’la
Rylerra
Ice Age world that orbits Kaskalon
Sakirse
The main billeting area where most ASN personnel are stationed planetside
Sa’Par
Leader of the Telkan patrol ship Mu’Anelko
Sat
Short for ‘satellite’
Satto Phanafor
Corren Grusics’ henchman
Sedeto Confón
Terran prisoner on Q’emt’la
Se’leth
The Telkan word for ‘Terran’
Shani Kuhenvik
Newsvid reporter on Rylerra
S’Hith
Telkan scientist
Siaron
Siaron province is one of eleven provinces on Andakar. The administrative center of Tokaias is located here.
Siloy James-Po, Chief Counsel
Darreth’s father and Chief of all the provincial managers
Sked
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Sopka
One of the people in Naylon’s discussion group
Sefana Veoc
Darreth’s superior’s adjutant and defender during his trial
Tamik Sil
Vice manager, Tokaias civic police
Tann James-Po
Darreth’s 17 year old (in Earth ye
ars) brother, fraternal brother to Kella
Ta’Norat
Naylon and Tann’s guard when brought back to Rylerra
Tasker
Animal-like creatures from Ebórica 4 used as servants throughout the Spanish Empire
Temorrah Ress
Naylon’s mother
Telkan / Telkan Ascendency
An alien species at war with the Terrans in the alternate universe. The name of the collective of Telkans.
Terran
The name for ‘human’ in the alternate universe. Identical in every way with humans. Only the name is different.
Tev Yannic
Inandra’s Assistant
Thal Asrattem
Hired by Zelin to follow Darreth off Rylerra (co-pilot)
Th’Gan
A Telkan
The Rylerran Gateway Page 47
