Sunstone: A Steampunk Reality

by Holly Barbo

  Sunstone

  By Holly Barbo

  Second Edition, 2016

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the ebook store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Text and inner illustrations copyright © 2015 Holly Barbo

  Cover design copyright © JC Clarke

  All rights reserved. Published by Paper Gold Publishing

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form of by any electronic or mechanical means, including information and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review,

  This is a work of fiction, names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  “Sunstone is a very imaginative and descriptive story. A steampunk story that is well written with interesting characters. The illustrations are fantastic and inspiring! I thought the plot was very compelling and thought provoking. Barbo is brilliant at crafting vivid scenes. If you are looking for an atmospheric well-written steampunk thriller pick up Sunstone.”

  “This book at first seemed a regular fantasy book. Surprisingly, the book developed in a tale of power and industrialization. It made me think to our passed and how this happened here as well. Therefore it hit quite close to home.”

  “Sunstone takes place on a moon that orbits a distant planet. Their world, like ours, is filled with corruption and greed among the politicians and businessmen (particularly pharmaceuticals). But there are also those who band together to bring about change for the better. The book has good lessons and warnings for our way of life: It is within mankind’s power to reverse the detrimental effect our way of life has had on the earth and society.”

  “Excellent book! This piece of fiction is truly the work of someone who has, not only an incredible imagination, but a firm grasp on our own reality. In a story as beautiful and intricate as the book’s cover, you are quickly transported on a journey through the world of Myrn. Sadly, the beauty of the world is unable to be enjoyed by all who live on it. Many people have a hard enough time fighting to survive, let alone enjoy their lives. Still, there are some who think that fight is the most important one to have…

  I highly recommend this book. Though it is fiction, you don’t have to be a fiction lover to enjoy it.”

  “Very exciting, fast moving, and suspenseful. You will be taken to another planet, a moon, named Myrn, that has a three-day sunlight cycle called Twi days. Goddess Navara has set into place a societal system balanced by the power of Navara’s sunstones. A society that over time comes to confront social injustices through the banks, corporations and politicians. My mind hit on Dickens. You’ll be introduced to a geothermal grid for steam powered cars. Add aether lamps, cogs, clocks, and gears. I thought about Jules Verne, and Dan Brown. The plot will be immediately identifiable and strike a hit home. Holly Barbo writes with remarkable clarity and imagination. She has an incredible amount of knowledge about nature and science and politics. Amazingly so. I read the book stopping only to eat. Fun to read. Meaningful. Don’t miss this read.”

  “Sunstone is worthy of attention…it has something important to say for our time!”

  “Loved it!! Would love to have one of those little cars!! Good plot throughout. You can almost see parallels with our life now. A lot of similes but gently woven in.”

  “In elegant prose, author Holly Barbo weaves a new world that bears a striking resemblance to our own, complete with political and economic corruption, greedy pharmaceutical companies, clueless political leaders and pollution. At the same time, believable characters - lots of them - grace the pages, lending their realistic personalities to a story whose verisimilitude strikes a chord, despite its steam punk setting. No, this isn’t a page turner, but it is intricately crafted and engaging…”

  “Holly Barbo has done a stupendous job of creating a world, and a culture, that is complete, interesting, and believable. Her prose is masterful, and her love of language apparent. This is a mystery/adventure that is also serves as a parable of our time and the concerns many have about such things as secret power, politics, big pharma, and growing income disparity. Be assured, though, that the morality tale doesn’t get in the way of the thriller, which is fast paced, intriguing, and kept me eagerly turning the pages to see what would happen next. Highly recommended.”

  “I got lost on Myrn…in the best possible way. Remember Avatar? Well, this book is on par with that movie by way of fantastical descriptions, but darker, and I’d dearly love to see it on the big screen.”

  “A fun read that makes you think!”

  This book is dedicated to some special people.

  To Chris: An incredible husband who understood why I wanted to write this story. I couldn’t ask for a better life mate.

  To Roberta: An awesome teacher of History and Current Events, who reinforced my belief in the George Santana quote: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

  To Steven: Who plays a cameo role as Hath in Sunstone and on a daily basis watches the legal shenanigans of our times.

  To Edwin: An intrepid friend whom I loosely patterned the character Thom after. Here is a wish he can overcome the obstacles in his path and follow his heart home.

  To David: A wonderful cousin who gave me some directions to research.

  And finally to the readers who resonate with this story. Thank you all. I wrote it for you.

  Acknowledgements

  My thanks to the following people who contributed to my research. I worked very hard to accurately portray different view points and the mechanics of the problems. Without these people it wouldn’t have been possible: John Adams and his fellow framers of the Declaration of Independence, John Perkins, James K. Galbraith, Dylan Ratigan…and on a different note, Tennessee Ernie Ford singing “Sixteen Tons.”

  A post script: In the spirit of the Learning Channel, this book was brought to you by the words Corprotacracy and Agnotology.

  Description

  The steam-powered civilization of Myrn is a thriving adolescent culture. But the rapid industrial development has given rise to greed, and the triumvirate of government, banks and industry leaders has lost sight of those it is supposed to serve and protect.

  When a mysterious incurable illness sweeps through the impoverished masses, increasing the suffering to breaking point, rebellion seems unavoidable. Society is on the brink of revolution, and the planet is marked for destruction.

  M’nacht, his son Kes, and his team of researchers investigate a legend about three sacred fossils that could save the people and rebalance Myrn. However, they are not the only ones looking. Where they see salvation, others see power, wealth and control.

  Will the gifts from the goddess Navora be found in time to save their world, or will the sacrifice of innocents be lost under the weight of human depravity and corruption?

  The Price of Navora’s Power

  A person looking out over the channel would think very little of a woman out in the boat with her fishing gear, and that was exactly the inconsequential picture Ravarian wanted to portray. People knew that she loved to fish and the Cradle Channel was one of her favorite spots. The rocky bluffs framed the rich blue of the strait a
nd the remarkable planet which seemed to float above. It was a place she could breathe deep and feel as carefree as the hawks that soared from the nests in the cliffs.

  The small woman sailed in a zigzag pattern, sometimes stopping for a while before moving on to try the next spot. Drifting in the current of the wide strait, she was careful to show complete nonchalance. Her hair, touched with silver, caught the rays of sunlight as she cast her line. She shaded her eyes and gazed up at beautiful Shacir, the gas giant of which her Myrn was a moon. The huge red-and-tan banded planet was a breathtaking sight in the summer sky. She loved her world. A smile kissed the lines around her eyes as she returned her attention to the waves lapping the sides of her boat.

  The real reason she was out fishing in the Cradle was much more serious than any observer might guess. Ravarian was one of three very special elemental hosts that had been blessed by the Goddess Navora. For years, Ravarian and her two companions had waged a clandestine war to keep Myrn’s society healthy and balanced by using the power of Navora’s Sunstones. Less than a handful of people suspected that they were doing something but couldn’t prove it; however, the time that Ravarian and her companions discussed as a possibility years ago was now upon them.

  Her associates had suddenly died in the last few weeks. The first, tragically, in a house fire three weeks ago. They said that he had a chronic medical condition and was overmedicated, which led him to set the fire that killed him. But Ravarian knew that he was in prime health when he died; they had just spoken a week prior to his death. The other was the youngest of the group. A mother of three, she had been an up-and-coming engineer. Her body was found at the bottom of a rock escarpment with her rappelling line frayed and broken. Ravarian knew that her companion loathed rock climbing due to a frightening childhood incident. Both deaths were anything but accidents.

  And now there were watchers that seemed to lurk in the shadows as she went about her normal routine. The secret of the Sunstones must be kept! Each of the three had alternate plans to hide the Goddess’s tokens and break their links to her power should their roles become close to being discovered. Only the gatekeeper would know. He’d get word to the rest by sending a sacred rhamat. Rhamats were woven from the blue grass that grew at the shrine and braided into a spiral resembling a navorite; the items were honored. No one knew that they were also a way the gatekeeper communicated with the three hosts.

  Ravarian mused on her real task, of which the fishing was just a cover. “They don’t know that they can’t use the Goddess’s gift,” she murmured to herself then continued the thought silently. Only the chosen can access Navora’s strengths, but that wouldn’t stop them from hurting my loved ones if they believed that would help them obtain the information they are seeking. She cast her line again. From a distance, her face appeared serene but the look in her eyes would have belied that impression to the close observer. Subtle creases at the outer corners were tight and the lids a bit lowered as her gaze hardened. The secret must be kept. On the off chance that the greedy ones would figure out the source of my skills, they would try to use the power themselves. When that wouldn’t work, they might destroy the Goddess’s artifacts, and I won’t allow that to happen. Either way, things have progressed to a point that Myrn will have to do without any help from the Goddess. At least for a while. As her boat drifted, she studied the water. It was time to hide her stone for its own protection. She was expendable, but the Goddess’s gift was not. Even without the physical link, she knew that the residual effect from being chosen for so many years would allow her to resist breaking under torture. When her line was again in the waters of the channel, her thoughts returned to what she had to do. They were coming for her. It was simply a matter of hours.

  Ravarian wiped the sweat off her forehead and peered out over the strait. Her grey eyes were clear and resolute. The clear day was warm and so beautiful that her heart filled with bittersweet joy. Grateful for this last gift from the Goddess, Ravarian pulled in her line and the small fish on it. Once it was stored in her cooler, she moved her boat again. No one watching her would be able to see when she palmed the fossil and let it slip beneath the waves as she pulled in her catch. Hours went by as she continued casting her line.

  Her task accomplished, Ravarian decided to stop performing for her watchers. Returning to shore with her cooler full of her catch, she was met by the young man she had rented the boat from. He grinned at her and the size of her haul. They bantered about her luck. She loaded her steam car to return home and smiled her goodbye. As the steam filled the chamber and she began to move, Ravarian gave a final salute. The lad laughed and waved her away. When her vehicle crested the rise on its way back to the city, his face took on a serious expression and he returned to the hut. On his desk was the dash-key and, without wasting a minute, he tapped out his report and hit “send.”

  She was ready when the uninvited visitors came. Her mind was at peace. As she opened her door to them, she had the random thought that the police reports and newspapers would report her death as a victim of a brutal home invasion burglary. Ravarian was shoved into her living room as one of the men tore her pictures and books from the walls. The other set a bag down that clunked with ominous metallic sounds and approached her with the gait of a predator. She knew that the next few hours would be unpleasant for her and frustrating for her guests. No one would hear her screams. They wouldn’t learn what they wanted to know, only enough of a story so they wouldn’t go after her loved ones. This particular chapter of the Sunstone would close for now, but she was confident that for the little fossils, there would be another day just as she knew she wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise.

  Many Years Later

  Kes was standing on his porch, drinking a steaming mug of kris. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the refreshing brew. An empty breakfast plate lay on the step beside his feet. This was his down time. A rest day before he needed to head off to his last assignment, after which he would receive accreditation and his degree. He took a deep breath, soaking in the spicy scent of the blooming plants with the freshness of the early morning dew. For him, this was the scent of home.

  Brushing his brown hair off his forehead, he considered getting it cut today. He hadn’t been near any civilization for a while and things like haircuts had simply been overlooked. His rueful smile highlighted the lean planes of his pale face. He’d been out of the sunlight too much in the past few months.

  Two days ago, he had finished an exhaustive three-month survey of the marine life in Okamak Bay. It was one of the extinct calderas on his world. The nature of its origin had given it the unique shape of being nearly round and ringed by land with steep vertical walls. There were no gentle beaches anywhere around the bay. The only reason it was a bay at all was because there’d been a quake, long ago, which had collapsed sections of the old caldera wall near the ocean, thus letting in the sea water. Even so, that side looked like animal teeth with spires of volcanic rock piercing the opening with the ocean. The cobalt-rich lava that had ejected from the moon’s core and the slower tidal turnover had created a delicately unique ecosystem subtly different from the nearby ocean. Because of those conditions, it was sensitive to the ocean’s health and was always the first place to show any negative change in Myrn’s eco-balance. An accurate survey of the Okamak was so critical that there was a small automated underwater habitat located near the center of the bay for the scientists.

  The most dangerous part of the assignment was getting in and out of the old caldera. The currents were tricky around the stone teeth and one misjudgment of the tide level or the ever-changing eddies near the sharp rock spires would be disastrous. It was not something to be navigated when you were tired. A couple of days ago, the tides were the best in late afternoon, and by the time he fought his way into the ocean and made his way back to the small community where he had rented the small steam-powered boat, his shoulders were knotted and his arms shook with fatigue.

  Over the years, he had visited
the Okamak several times and was well acquainted with Hank’s Boat Rentals. Hank and his family made a good living outfitting and supplying the scientists and sportsmen who wanted to experience the fascinating virtues of the area. Exhausted, Kes welcomed the opportunity to unwind at the beach bonfire, which was a nightly occurrence during this time of the year. A few hours spent in relaxing chat had been refreshing after the long isolation of his intense survey work.

  It proved to be a relaxing evening, and after loading his samples, his gear and the heavy metal diving helmet in the roomy boot of his steam car, he’d spun the dials on the nav bot’s top, setting the destination, and started for home.

  The young man slid down the post to sit on the top step and, after checking his pocket watch, looked meditatively across the valley at the huge planet dominating the sky. His world literally lived in its shadow. His gold-flecked hazel eyes went a bit out of focus as memories of a loving childhood spent here enveloped him like a warm hug.

  Kes smiled at the scurried movement near his feet. He threw some crumbs to the little fluffy-tailed rodent who was out gathering food. Since the sky was getting brighter, it triggered them to emerge from their dens and take advantage of the three-day sunlight cycle. The lowered light of the twi-days usually sent the somnolent little animals down into their burrows.

  Finishing his kris, Kes stood and stretched his six-foot frame. Tugging down his vest, he remained on the porch for a moment longer before taking his dishes inside to the kitchen. His mother had died early and he’d been raised by Davvos, his astrophysicist father. When his dad had been killed in one of those senseless traffic accidents, a fifteen-year-old Kes had gone to live with his father’s lifelong friend and research partner, M’nacht. The man welcomed Kes into his home. M’nacht’s lineage was quite ancient, but he was the last member of his family and had no heirs. He’d come to love Kes as the son he never had and officially adopted him on the young man’s seventeenth birthday. That had been six years ago. As M’nacht’s heir, Kes could have hyphenated his name, signifying he had higher status in the society, but that didn’t matter to the young man and M’nacht didn’t mind. The old gentleman paid off any debts Kes’s parents had owed upon their deaths, including the mortgage to this house. The gesture was a gift beyond price for Kes. It was all he had left of his parents except for the ring his father had given his mother at his birth—a simple green-gold band with a silvery moon-pearl blossom etched into it. He’d had it enlarged a bit and wore it on the little finger of his right hand.