Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  “The founders of a new colony, whatever utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison.” - Nathaniel Hawthorne

  Welcome to ‘Jie’s World’, the third short story of the Terran Chronicles Universe.

  Introduction

  Commander Jie sits at his desk, his head resting in his hands. He leans back and wonders what he should do. His President has ordered him to set up China’s first off-world colony, but the President’s son, Wu, has other plans.

  Jie stands, then rubs his aching forehead as he walks to the balcony. He ponders his conundrum, Wu wants to flee Earth and set up a new order, returning to a time of Emperors, with him being the supreme ruler.

  As Jie stares off into the distance at China’s almost complete spaceship, he has an epiphany. If I am going to be a fugitive, then, I may as well have it all for myself. He smiles and thinks proudly, Emperor Jie. Why not? With his mind made up, he orders vast amounts of supplies, and begins to put his plan into motion. He secretly contacts Wu, and provides him with a launch date, a false one.

  Prologue

  The Chinese spacecraft launches smoothly, and quickly achieves orbit. Jie sits in his expansive captain’s chair, and stares at the twenty people that make up his command crew. He reflects on how hard he has worked to secure his position. The ten thousand soldiers that escaped North Korea before it fell, are his elite guard. He groans inwardly at having to leave the vast numbers of Chinese soldiers behind, but their true loyalties could not be assured. He smiles as he considers the impressive number of people on board. Hundreds of thousands are crammed into tiny cubicles, all with the promise of a new land with plenty of room.

  Jie’s smile turns into a mischievous grin when he glances at his watch. His President should be getting the message he left him anytime now. It details Wu’s treachery, and includes taped conversations. Should be pretty interesting in the Wu family tonight, Jie thinks whimsically.

  One of Jie’s men turns and interrupts his thoughts, “Sir, the coalition spaceship is coming up behind us.”

  Jie replies almost absentmindedly, “Put some distance between us then.” He casts his gaze around the bridge, then asks curiously, “Am I able to speak with them?”

  “Yes sir,” another man replies, “The channel is available at your command.”

  Jie points to the man, “Do it.”

  As soon as the man nods back, Jie speaks. He does away with any pleasantries, and simply says. “Stay back or face the consequences.”

  Almost instantly, an America voice responds through the bridge speakers. “We’re in open space. You will not tell us where we can, and can’t go.”

  Jie replies defiantly, “I will fire on your ship if you do not turn away!”

  The seconds pass without a response. “Sir,” one Jie’s officers’ states, “the ship is still on a pursuit course.”

  Jie considers his options, then says, “Apply full power to the sub light engines, then launch two nuclear weapons at them.”

  “Yes sir,” intones his men as they hurry to comply with his orders.

  Minutes later one of Jie’s officers pumps his fist in the air, “Got em,” he says a little too enthusiastically.

  “You have a report to give?” Jie states firmly.

  The officer stammers. “Ah, yes sir! Both warheads have struck the target. The Americans are drifting in space, and venting atmosphere.”

  Jie considers the ramifications of what he has done for a few seconds, then mentally shrugs it off. “Well done. Now plot a course out of the solar system. Engage the main drive as soon as possible.”

  “Yes Sir,” replies a chorus of voices.

  Chapter One - What to Do

  Location:

  Institute Pasteur

  Paris, France

  Jules sits in his plush chair and stares at the rest of the group with an appraising eye, “Mister Mao, it has been too long.”

  The small Asian man sitting across the table, nods curtly as he replies. “Agreed, and I see we have friends.” He raises his eyebrows, indicating the others in the room.

  Doctor Nelson is also at the table. He fidgets nervously while his eyes dart from person to person.

  Jules strokes his chin slowly, “Doctor, please relax. We’re all friends here,” he adds with a wide smile.

  Nelson is beginning to regret his decision to contact the French medical facility regarding the spores. “I did not realize that you,” he glares at Mao, “would kidnap the infected person.”

  Mao’s eyes open wide, feigning innocence. “Sir, it was Jie who ordered that.” He pauses, then gazes around the room, “And if that idiot had not left in such a hurry, we would all be on his ship now, instead of here, having this meeting.”

  Jules frowns, “Yes, I am rather surprised by his leaving without us. He has to know that without the survivor, or our help, he is quite limited in what he can do with the spores.”

  Nelson stares at Mao, then Jules, and asks curiously, “So, where is the survivor?”

  “Relax doctor,” Jules replies calmly, “My team has the man.”

  Mao nods, “There are rumors that Wu is being held under house arrest. But for what? We don’t know. Perhaps this is related to Jie leaving?” He adds skeptically.

  As Nelson’s eyes dart in panic from Mao to Jules, he asks fearfully. “What are we to do?”

  Jules grins broadly, “Nothing my friend.” He waves a hand around the room, and continues, “Between the three of us, we know all there is to know about the Gamin technology, and the alien spores.”

  Nelson shakes his head angrily, “And all that, does exactly nothing for us.”

  “Quite the contrary,” Jules replies with confidence. “With what we have to offer, we will have no difficulty finding other supporters.” He smiles at the others; his contacts and supporters are the highest placed politicians in France.

  Location:

  Chinese Spacecraft

  Open Space

  Jie is rather bored with just sitting in his command chair. All he has done for the last three days is stare at the view screen with its collage of colors. He fidgets a little, sighs yet again, then even though he knows the answer asks, “How long until we get to the first planet?”

  Cheng, his lead pilot, turns, and nervously replies, “Sir, four weeks.”

  “Can’t we go any faster?” Jie asks, in annoyance.

  “It is not possible, Sir.” Cheng hesitantly adds, “As it is, we’re getting reports of minor damage throughout the ship.”

  Jie frowns, then glances downward. A faint vibration emanates from the deck below his feet. It began when they first activated the main drive, and has been with them since. He sighs and says, “Do whatever you need to do, just get me there.” He gets out of his chair, then leaves the bridge, I never expected space travel to be this dull, he muses to himself childishly.

  The spacecraft continues on, blazing though space at many times the speed of light. Its powerful shields bolster the structural integrity of the outer hull. Repair crews react quickly to internal damage when needed. The command crew obediently follows Jie’s orders, and pushes the ship faster and faster. They eventually surpass the Liberty’s maximum speed of factor five, but no matter how hard they try, they can in no way match the Terran’s capabilities. Jie’s crew performs minor miracles, and in doing so, reduces their travel time down to a few days. The price though, is an unrelenting, and unnerving, vibration throughout the ship’s deck plates.

  Location:

  Kangbashi District

  China

  The Chinese president stands on the balcony, overlooking the city that was home to his nation’s first spacecraft. His hands grip the railing so hard his knuckles turn white. He turns, glares at his son, then says furiously. “You idiot, now look at what you’ve done. What choice did you leave Jie? He
shakes his head, “I don’t know whether to shoot you, put you in prison, or...” His words trail off as his anger threatens to overcome him.

  Wu, the President’s son, glances at the many armed guards and swallows hard. “I don’t know what I was thinking father, I apologize.” He bows his head respectfully, and fearfully.

  The President points a shaky finger at his son, “You have brought shame to our family name, but you’re still my son.” He rubs his forehead in an attempt to allay the headache that is forming, “You need to learn humility.” The President’s eyes blaze with fury, “So, for your punishment, you will oversee this city, and its people, in the construction of a new spaceship.”

  Wu Junior stares at his father in surprise, this hardly seems like punishment at all. Then he frowns as he awaits the conditions that surely must follow.

  The President nods his head, “I see you understand.” He continues in a very serious tone, “There will be no accidents here. There will be no forced labor camps. There will be no military police.”

  The President smiles as his son begins to fidget, “Oh, and one more thing, my son. You will have no personal guard. If you can’t keep these people happy, and they rise up against you, then you will pay the price for your actions.”

  Both men look out across the compound. Though many key buildings are missing, the groundwork of what they need still remains. Their impressive computer system, KANG, along with the gravity plating facility, is still operational. And even though Jie took numerous manufacturing plants, including the Gamin power plant facility with him, China still has more, a lot more.

  The President turns to his son, smiles once again, then slaps him on the back. “The city can house over one million people, and we have virtually unlimited resources. If you can convince the people to work for you,” he nods thoughtfully, “then there is hope for you.”

  Wu blinks in surprise at his father’s generosity, and states respectfully, “I will make you proud.” He stares out across the courtyard at the remaining buildings and wonders, perhaps the days of empires are over after all?

  Location:

  Chinese Spacecraft

  Open Space

  Jie has waited, not so patiently, for this day to come. He watches as Cheng lifts a finger into the air, then says. “Disengage main drive on my mark. Three... Two... One... Mark!”

  The kaleidoscope of colors is instantly replaced by white spots, each one representing a distant star. The bridge buzzes with chatter as the command crew reports on the ship’s systems. Jie feels a strange tremor under his chair, but it quickly passes.

  “Hull breach!” The man’s voice echoes loudly, sending chills down Jie’s spine.

  Jie watches nervously as his officers galvanize themselves into action. Though he wants to speak up, to demand to know what is going on, he dare not distract them from their duty.

  Tense minutes pass, until finally Cheng turns to face Jie. He bows slightly, then says, “Sir. There are nine confirmed hull breaches, along with approximately four hundred fifty casualties. The effected sections are sealed off, and repair crews are en route.”

  Jie pauses, and debates whether to chastise them, or praise them. He leans back in his chair, thinking deeply, “We will stay here until the ship is fixed.” He stands then leaves the bridge.

  It takes the crews four days to seal the hull breaches and patch the associated damage. Jie surprises his command crew by not only being patient, but he tours the effected areas of the ship. The more he sees, the more he begins to feel a sense of guilt and shame. Living conditions for most of the passengers are harsh, to say the least.

  Jie strides onto the bridge and immediately addresses his officers, “You will do whatever needs to be done to prevent any more casualties.” He glares at each of his men, “Understood?” He demands loudly.

  “Yes Sir,” echoes their voices.

  Jie puts his hands on his hips, and asks, “How far are we from the target planet?”

  Cheng replies, “At sub-light speeds, thirty-six hours. Sir.”

  Jie nods his head, and suddenly recalls how he felt when he was told he was only ‘satisfactory’. He surprises his officers when he states, “Well done.”

  Jie returns to his room, where he privately vents his frustrations about the delays. The hours pass slowly, but they pass. He is well rested when he steps onto his bridge. He smiles and nods to his command crew in happy anticipation. He is greeted by blank expressions and frowns, so he looks up at the view ahead. His smile freezes in place while his jaw goes slack. Instead of a beautiful world that they were all expecting, a barren rock hovers in space before them. He gulps, then looks more closely. Oh, to be sure it has an atmosphere, a brown smudge for clouds that swirl across a landscape of murky waters and lifeless landscapes.

  Jie slumps into his chair, defeated. This was not what he had expected the journey to be like. He puts a hand to his mouth, slowly closes his eyes, and considers what to do. This is not the crews fault, he tells himself, they can only go on the information they have. He sighs, I can’t blame them for this.

  After a few moments Jie takes a huge breath, opens his eyes and says as calmly as he can, “Find us another planet.”

  The bridge crew quickly gets to work, and in short order, have the ship heading deeper into space, and farther away from Earth.

  Hope Fades

  Once again, Jie sits pensively in his chair on the bridge, tapping his fingers on his armrests. He stares at the view of the planet before them, wishing for it to change. He shakes his head in anguish, then says in disgust, “Eight planets, and none are fit for us?”

  As each planet they visit proves to be uninhabitable, morale drops aboard the ship. The command crew remains silent, their heads bowed. They are in orbit around what is supposed to be yet another habitable world. Instead, the survey team reports toxic gasses that swirl around in huge green clouds, and pallid oceans that are so caustic, sample tubes dissolve. The fact that the survey team made it back to the ship at all is nothing short of a miracle. The shuttle’s hull is pitted with holes from the toxic atmosphere, while its terrified occupants had to claw their way out of their melting environmental suits.

  Jie sits in his chair, his jaw is clenched as he considers what to do. These last few months have been harrowing, to say the least. Every time the main drive is disengaged, a powerful shockwave travels down the ship. No matter what his crew tries, there are just too many people on board to protect them all. The damage caused to the ship’s outer hull is minor, and easily repaired after each event. However, the internal decks buckle and bend as if made from tin foil, hence the casualties. Luckily, some of the ship’s fuel and water storage tanks have only sprung leaks, none of them have ruptured, yet.

  A young officer, Kwan, nervously steps forward, “Sir, permission to speak.”

  Jie looks at the man, then waves his hand at him indifferently, “Yes, what is it?”

  Kwan shakes, yet his voice is confident, “Sir, I have located a G-type star which has a high probability of a habitable world in orbit.”

  Jie’s eyes narrow, “Where?” He demands, his patience is running out.

  Kwan twitches nervously, “Twenty-three days travel, toward the outer rim of the galaxy.”

  “How do you know there is even a planet at all?” Jie scoffs.

  Kwan bows his head, then replies, “We have a copy of the Terran’s data. That ship’s sensors are more advanced than ours, and its records indicate a habitable world.”

  Jie replies, “But if they knew about this place, why didn’t they go there?”

  Kwan answers confidently, “They found a number of worlds, and were already returning to Earth.” He shrugs his shoulders, “They had no reason to look for any more.”

  Jie rubs his chin thoughtfully, “Twenty-three days, you say?”

  “Yes, sir,” the young officer replies confidently.

  “So far, we have lost over three thousand six hundred people,” Jie states firmly, irreplaceable
people.” He points at Kwan, “If this planet is no good, and we lose more, you will join them.”

  Kwan gulps, then says with trepidation. “Understood. Sir!”

  Jie points at Cheng, “Plot your course.” He sighs, twenty-three days! He leaves the bridge, and retires to his quarters. Once there he reads one of the many books from his private library. He loves the feel and smell of a real book, as opposed to reading on an electronic device.

  The days pass slowly, but they do pass, as do the pages in his books. He reads about empires old, and new, and deliberates whether to rule with an iron first, or not. He wants the people to like, and respect him, he especially does not want them to rise up against him. If only he knew that Wu was facing a similar dilemma, it would probably bring a smile to his face.

  Chapter Two - Utopia

  Location:

  Outer Cygnus Arm

  Jie’s World

  Jie steps from his personal shuttle on to the planet’s surface. He takes a deep breath of alien air. Its cool freshness is a surprise, while its odor, along with almost a hint of flavor, is discernable and pleasant. Gazing around, he smiles at the Earth-like landscape. He takes in the tall green grasses, thick forests, rolling hills, and distant mountains with tops covered in what looks like snow. Gazing upward, he notices grey and white clouds which whisk overhead in the blue skies. Animal cries assault his ears, as strange creatures shriek from a nearby forest. He can also hear the sounds of a fast-flowing river somewhere close by. Moving his eyes, he follows the sound through the forest and can almost discern where it spills into a massive ocean. He stares at the distant and beautiful blue ocean for many minutes while he gathers his thoughts.