Cartlidge: Rise of the Imperfect Flame
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Authors: Devon Loos
Rise of the
Imperfect Flame
By Devon Loos
Text copyright © 2015 Devon Loos
THE AUTHOR RETAINS ALL RIGHTS
FOR THIS BOOK
Reproduction or transmission of this book, in whole or in part,
by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or by any other means is
strictly prohibited, except with prior written permission from the author.
[Chapter 1: The World as I Knew It]
[Chapter 12: Sapphire's initiative]
[Chapter 17: A Year on the Uncharted
Planet]
[Chapter 19: Standing in the Shadow
of Death]
[Chapter 21: Rekindling the Embers]
A note from the Author Devon Loos
This book is a work of fiction. All names, places, and
incidents described are products of the writer’s imagination and any
resemblance to real people or life events is purely coincidental.
View the author’s website at
http://www.jacobcartlidge.com/
Follow on Facebook at
facebook.com/
jacob.cartlidge
Follow on Twitter @
DevonLoos
#
JCartlidge
Ask a question, leave a comment, or join the email list at [email protected]
For my parents, to whom I owe all the lessons, knowledge,
and help I needed to build this wonderful universe you are about to enter.
A Historical
Summary of Ancient Rovanekren Culture: Based on Historical Legends, Documents,
and Other Accounts
In the time before the great dispersion, there was but a
single small sphere of space. At its center was a world so great that the stars
were dwarfed by its sheer mass. We named this super planet, Rovanekra. The
planet was orbited by two distant stars, a field of asteroids and comets, and a
soup of other substances and matter. Only the great stars dared to exist beyond
this soup. In most other circumstances the planet would have been inhospitable
to all life. Rovanekra however, was protected by a thick atmosphere generated
by strange towers located at opposite ends of the planet. This created a near
constant climate of tropical yet cloudy weather.
Despite its size, the planet held only two continents, and
its largest was home to our kind, the Rovanekrens. We grew the way most
civilizations did, began small tribal groups warring against each other, only
to slowly come together as we grew around our mysterious tower. Wars became
less frequent but more deadly. We would have destroyed ourselves. Instead, we
were saved by the first king.
Kings and queens are people born with fire in their blood.
They can command the respect of their enemies, and rally the most disheartened
of soldiers. A single king or queen can turn the tide of any battle in their
own favor. The first king and queen united the warring nations through both
military strength and diplomatic persuasion that would outclass every general
or diplomat of this day. The two royal blooded warriors then led the combined
nations against an enemy lost to history, and only known in legend. Historians
believe there are only a small few of these legends that mention their ancient
foe. Often it is referred to as “The Nameless” or “The Creature”.
Shortly after this event history about the growth of
Rovanekren society is lost. Most agree that Society reached a golden age that
involved an increase of Rovanekren royal bloods, peace, industry, and
exploration of the areas space above their continent. No one is sure why there
was little documentation or why attempts to explore the other side of the
planet were never made. It wasn’t until the end of the 3rd Age, that Rovanekren
society met its violent brother on the other side of the world.
The second continent was inhabited by a race of sentient
insect-like beings known as Clawtrodons. No evidence remains of what transpired
once the two worlds met, but the Clawtrodons lashed out violently against
Rovanekren society only a few years after the two met.
Initially, the Clawtrodon threat was only a minor problem,
and Rovanekren politics did little to remedy the situation, but then a sudden
surge of Clawtrodon technology and military advances from an unknown source
crashed into Rovanekren territory like an invisible hurricane. Over the course
of a century, Rovanekren land was compressed, until eventually, only the city
that rose around the ancient tower remained. Clawtrodon artillery began firing
upon the well-fortified city indiscriminately, damaging homes, businesses, and
even the tower itself. The battered and broken society fled its home in a fleet
of small mining ships, taking refuge in nearby asteroid fields. The damage to
the tower was catastrophic.
Five years later, when supplies began to dwindle, the
effects of the war caught up with the planet. The towers had not only
maintained the now dissipated atmosphere, but also kept the orbiting stars from
crashing into the planet itself. Without the energy force field to repel them,
the two stars gravitated towards the planet and collided with it, triggering a
massive expansion of matter known by humanity as “The Big Bang.” Much has
changed since then, and our story begins several billion years later, on the
dynamic young planet called Earth.
The World as I Knew It]
“… Who will perhaps become one of the greatest and most
influential members of this century
…
Done!”
I rose from my computer, spun around, and fell face
first onto my bed. A 20-page paper finished two days before it was due. I was
exhausted but proud. This was probably the first paper I had ever managed to
complete prior to the last minute. I sat up and my eyes met with the vacant
stare from my reflection. In the mirror was a rather thin, brown eyed man of 20
years with clean yet shaggy brown hair. I sighed and rose from the bed. I
shared the apartment with a man named Ivan, who almost always seemed to avoid
me, since I only saw him about once or twice every other month.
I sat down in my Game Chair, a large device that simulates
virtual reality without any dangerous effects. The game I chose was designed to
be a combination of ground and spatial warfare. I was never good at leading, or
controlling anything larger than a fighter jet, so I usually did little more
than take orders like a typical grunt on the battlefield. I worked best as a
“tank”, a term players used for someone who acted as a walking shield for
other, weaker players.
“I’m a knight!” I laughed to myself. The system booted up,
allowing me to turn on the visual gear.
Bzzzt
! Pop!
The room suddenly filled with darkness. The power was out. I swore and followed
with a sigh. I wondered what would’ve happened had I entered the system. I rose
up and groped blindly for my phone. With the improvised flashlight in hand, I
left the darkened apartment and walked to my personal garage. Just above the
keypad to the door was a small brass plaque with my name engraved in it. “Jacob
Cartlidge”. I bent down and pulled the garage door open. There was a movie I
wanted to see and the recent power-outs always had small ranges. As I entered
the car I thought I noticed something move. I shivered. Instantly my mind
brought up and old memory of a “scary monster in the closet” called the Dark
Seeker. I pictured a shadowy cloaked skeleton and smiled at the image of my
childhood nightmare. I started the car and drove towards the theatre.
After about 5 kilometers or so, the autopilot began, so I pointlessly
checked my calendar on the car’s touchscreen. It was Wednesday, the middle of
September, in 2152. I began talking to myself. I wasn’t very social, but I did
like to talk.
“Why do I always check the year?” I complained. Lacking an
answer, I sighed as the autopilot continued to drive. I was able to sleep in
longer tomorrow morning, since tomorrow was Election Day. In the afternoon we
were to go and elect our national representative, to go to the international
council. The council was formed after World War III, when most countries were
separated. Now we stood unified, working to fix the damage done a century ago.
It was a difficult change for many, but then again, so was the adoption of our
international language, Gaia. It was wrong for me to think this way, but I was
almost glad for the war, since it meant that we no longer were required to take
foreign language classes. I hated trying to learn English in grade school.
Suddenly the heads-up-display lit up with a bright red
outline. The autopilot locked the brakes and the car immediately stopped in
place. Other cars crossed the intersection in front of me. A minute later, the
red outline turned bright green and the autopilot continued on its way. I set
my radio to one of my favorite stations, a local New York station that liked to
play older genres of music. I enjoyed very little modern music, but I loved
almost every genre from the 20th and 21st centuries. I sat in silence for a
moment and revised my thought. I never liked rap or any of the darker songs,
even country was questionable but just about every other genre was enjoyable. A
woman came across the radio and sang a slow, emotional tune, just before a
guitar broke out into a final, furious rush. I smiled and listened to the
music. This was one of my favorite songs.
My mother raised me in my father’s absence. He died from a
cancerous tumor when I was only a year old. Ever since, my mother would tell me
stories of adventures my father had. I never believed them, but listened
intently since it was her way of maintaining the preservation of his memory.
I’m sure it helped whenever she was missing him.
“One of your
fathers
greatest
achievements, Jacob, was when he went to a distant land and helped save the
world by creating a peace treaty between two great nations.” I smiled at the
memory. He must have been well compensated for whatever he actually did because
my mother never had to work a day in her life. I looked around my car. I was
pretty spoiled, too. Eventually the darkness of the blackout transitioned to
the night lights of the city. The theatre was close.
I parked and sighed. Going to a place like this alone was a
common thing for me. I have never really cared about being alone. In fact, I
was blessed enough to actually enjoy my solitude. However, I did still dread
the awkward feeling of traveling alone to movies or other events in public. I
adjusted my coat and walked towards the building. A moment later I reached for
the door, but did not pull it open. Something was bothering me, though I wasn’t
sure what. I looked to my left.
Just past the darkened edge
of the theatre stood a long dark alleyway.
I cautiously walked towards
the gap between the buildings. This wasn’t the first time I had a feeling like
this. For as long as I could remember, I have had a “sense” that would lead me
to different things. At age seven I found a lost puppy trapped in a storm drain
by following this “sense”. My mother always told me to ignore it. If she knew I
still have it, she probably would still warn me about its dangers. I began to
wonder why she never actually told me what those “dangers” were. As I got
closer I became nervous about what I would find. I reached for the folding
knife in my pocket. It was with me everywhere I went, including many places I
knew I shouldn’t have brought it, but I never felt safe without it. Sounds of
struggle began to echo from the alley and I began to race towards the corner.
As I turned someone collided with me.
We both fell. I was
looking into the horror-filled eyes of a young brunette woman, but before I
could apologize, someone came up behind her and pulled her up. She immediately
began to struggle.
“Hey!” I shouted as I jumped in to help her. She replied
with a plea for help while
the her
attacker swore and
threw the young woman to the side. He spun around and tried to flee, but
stumbled and fell, tripping over a small pile of trash. He remained there for
some time after. I extended my hand to pull the girl to her feet.
“Thanks…”
“What happened? Do you know who he is?”
“No, but he’s completely drunk. That’s for sure.” She spat
at him. “I… I think he was trying to rape me.”
“Hmm.
Well I guess I made it just
in time, eh?” I laughed a little but the woman did not share my opinion on the
matter. I cleared my throat after realizing my attempt at lightening the mood
failed.
“I’ll make sure he’s dealt with. You go find somewhere safe
ok?”
She made a motion to speak then froze and fixed her gaze
behind me. Instinctively, I twisted myself, arms raised defensively. The
drunkard had armed himself with a large piece of wood and began to swing it
wildly at me. I could dodge most of the swings, but a few made contact, leaving
a plethora of small gashes from the broken edge of the wooden beam. One swing
slammed into the side of my leg, sending me staggering to the ground. My leg
was not broken, but the pain was enough to keep me from standing. The drunkard
stumbled forward to get within striking range and then raised the wooden beam
to swing at my head. Panic and adrenaline seized control of my mind and reacted
moved too fast for my mind to follow.
I was now hugging the drunkard, who had frozen in place. No,
I wasn’t hugging him. Something was wrong. My right arm had twisted awkwardly
so that my thumb was pushing forward into the flesh between his neck and jaw. I
realized that something was in my hand, and a warm liquid began to flow down my
arm. I let out a cry of terror and let go of both the drunkard and the knife.
The man fell backwards with a slight gurgling sound. His head struck a rock on
the ground, making a sickening crack. A pool of blood began to flow from his
neck, staining the dirt and gravel around him. The man was dead.
I looked at my hands. They were both shaking and my right
arm was completely covered in blood. I looked upon the owner of the life I had
just stolen. I… murdered him! I turned around and vomited violently, then
desperately looked around for the brunette woman who had already fled the
rapidly sinking situation I now found myself in. Instead, a large man stood in
the opening of the alleyway, a look of horror on his face.
“Austin!” The man shouted. He cursed after me. I wasn’t sure
what he said after that.
I was already gone.
Eventually my run slowed to a jog, and then a walk. My car
was still parked at the theatre, and I considered going back to get it, but
kept moving forward. I continued on hoping that my nerves would settle the
further I went. I wanted to sit down and rest for a moment, but the thoughts of
murder and ruining of my own life forced me to continue. The face of the
drunkard was painted across my mind, and the thoughts about the life I was no
longer able to live scattered in every direction. I became so distracted by my
thoughts that I was already down the next street when I noticed that much of
the power had gone out again. Power outages had become common in this area, due
to the lack of wealth of the district and the nearby NASA project. Some sort of
system malfunction in the newly designed ion engine of the ship would often
unintentionally suck up massive amounts of energy and cause small, localized
blackouts across several dozen miles. Thousands of people have complained over
the past few months. I myself could not comprehend why the launch was
positioned here instead of somewhere rural, like Florida. The road was
menacingly dark and the only light came from distant, unaffected buildings. My
mind began its usual routine of forming tricks and figures in the shadows and I
quickened my pace. My eyes often shifted to the other side of the road where I
think I see figures darting about. I turned back towards the sidewalk as I was
coming up on another alley.
A sharp pain charged through my nose and face, followed by a
falling feeling and another pain against the back of my head. Everything became
a blur. I was hit by something… a car, maybe? No, it hit my face. Oh, my face!
My nose must have been broken! But what hit me?! A voice broke the silence, and
I felt a strange sensation move across my back. Oh, the figure was dragging me
somewhere by my legs. The voice resonated again, and this time I could
determine the source.
“For someone so quiet you sure know how to stick your nose
in other people’s business.” The voice came from John, an old bully from high
school. John was abused by his parents and I often pitied him, when I wasn’t
too busy despising him. I was pulled upright and pinned against the wall of the
building. I still couldn’t see since the lights were still out and my vision
was blurred from the hit. I could just barely make out four or five figures in
front of me. Another sharp pain struck my abdomen. John must’ve struck me. I
was hit again, and a third time. John let me go and I
fell
like a ragdoll to the ground.
“C’mon man, he’s had enough,” an unknown voice pleaded.
“Nah, I’m
gonna
make sure he hurts
before he dies!”
What did he say? Panic swept over me. I was going to die!? I
took a life and now I’m going to lose my own for it. I started muttering
something loudly and desperately though I did not know what. I managed to roll
onto my back to see John standing over me, holding what I figured was a gun.
Power to the city suddenly returned without warning and my soon-to-be killer
looked towards the road. I began to wonder what they were looking at. I slowly
shifted my head to see. All five of them focused on a man standing in the
middle of the alley. They seemed to have been shouting at the man.
I raised my hand to my face to feel the blood and swelling
flesh. Suddenly my thoughts focused on only two things. I was being attacked,
and I needed to defend myself! Something I had never felt before overwhelmed
me, and I instinctively kicked John’s leg in upper shin. His leg bent backwards
and he fell to the ground screaming. How did I do that? What’s happening to my
legs? I reached down to my legs and noticed the dark purple glow that emanated
from them. My arms began to glow as well. I stood up as the adrenaline dulled
my pain. One of my attackers swung a bat at me and, to the surprise of both of
us, I caught it. I threw the bat, along with its owner, at a third terrified
figure. I turned and struck another who immediately flew into the nearby wall.
The fifth man, the one who witnessed the earlier fight, raised his own gun and
fired. Everything slowed to a near stop. I could see the bullet flying at me
and I instinctively raised my arm. I felt a burning sensation as the metal slug
hit me, then bounced off. The bullet bounced off! I just blocked a bullet with
my arms! He paused, shocked, but raised the gun again.
“Just die, damn it!” He fired three more times before he was
thrown sideways into an overflowing dumpster. I looked around in confusion.
Another figure had struck him. The man turned to me and crossed his arms. It
was the man who had previously stood in the middle of the road. Two more had
joined him. I raised my arms in case they planned to attack me next. I couldn’t
recognize two of them because they wore masked hoods, but the third was Ivan,
my roommate.