Read The Awakening (The Hyperscape Project Book 1) Online
Authors: Donald Swan
The Awakening (The Hyperscape Project Book 1)
BOOK ONE
The Awakening
By
Donald Swan
Copyright © 2013 C.
Lebedz
V4.1
All rights
reserved. The reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in
any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including any information and storage retrieval system, is forbidden
without the prior written consent of the publisher and author. For information
about "fair use," contact the author.
This is a work of fiction. All
characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author
and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They
are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the
author, and all incidents are pure invention. Any resemblance to actual events,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond
the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Electronically published in the
United States of America.
I dedicate this to
my wonderful wife and best friend. I couldn’t have done it without her
patience, guidance and inspiration.
Enemy
activity had fallen into an eerie calm, but everyone felt the coming storm—a
terrible storm, poised to unleash its fury upon the galaxy. It seemed as though
the entire universe was holding its breath. Waiting. Whether waiting for the
salvation of mankind or its demise was yet unclear.
In some
distant part of the galaxy….
Nick released a
long sigh as he gazed down at the worn Tri-tanium deck of the ship. A voice
recorder sat poised before him on a sturdy metal table, its crude silver casing
dimly illuminated by a single overhead light. He’d been awake for hours, struggling
over how to begin. A few months ago he had set out from Earth to prove his
hyperspace theory. Now that endeavor haunted every moment of his miserable
existence. It seemed only yesterday he was in orbit around Earth, staring down
at the wondrous blue planet he called home. But that was before the accident.
Now the closest thing he had to a home was this ship and its odd array of alien
life.
Alien life.
The very thought of it boggled his mind. Here he was, the first person to
discover sentient extraterrestrial life, and no one on Earth may ever even find
out about it. If it was his fate to be marooned here in the deep vastness of
space, never to see his home or another human being again, then he could accept
that. But the situation was worse. Far worse.
Nick shifted his
weight in the chair, his blue-eyed gaze fixed on the battered floor at his
feet. The skeptics back on earth hadn’t exactly embraced his hyperspace
project. In fact, Gerste, the leading German scientist, had been very vocal
about calling the whole idea ludicrous. On national television no less. If only
he could see the look on their faces now. He had proved them wrong, but the
price of that victory was almost too much to bear.
Finally
summoning the strength to begin, Nick somberly reached out and pressed the
record button.
“Personal Log,
Nick Bannon. I’m sending this to Earth, to anyone who will listen…. And you
damn well better listen, because it could very well save your ass.
All
your asses. My experiment was a success. Hyperspace really
does
exist.
I’m living proof of that. I only wish that I had stopped to consider the
consequences of my actions. If I’d had any idea of the dangers involved…hell, I
would’ve scrapped the whole damn project and gone back to what I like
best—flying. But I never expected
this
. How could I have
possibly
known something like this would happen?” Nick’s forehead wrinkled in anguish at
the thought of his terrible mistake. He closed his eyes and continued, his
solemn voice echoing his regret. “Maybe I was a little too cocky or
shortsighted. Something. Bottom line...I screwed up. Because of me, Earth may
be facing the greatest threat mankind has ever seen. And I may be the only one
that can stop our planet’s total destruction. I don’t kno—”
A voice coming
from the doorway cut him off mid-sentence. “It’s time.”
“Be right there,
Karg.” Nick turned his attention back to the recorder.
“Listen, I’m out
of time. I don’t know if this will ever make it to you, but I have to try.
We…mankind…um…. Jesus, how do I explain this? Under no circumstances should the
human race
venture into hyperspace. It must be avoided at all cost.
There are
other
races…
beings
out here…vastly older and more
powerful than we are. Earth wouldn’t stand a chance against them. If humans
begin exploring hyperspace, it will only draw alien attention toward Earth, and
billions
will die.”
Nick paused to
collect himself. Who knew if any of this would get through to the hard-headed
military types back home. But he had to try. If he didn’t fix this, it could mean
the end of the entire human race. Uncertain of what lay ahead, he sat quietly
in the dark metal compartment he now called home, the sound of his heart
pounding over the faint hum of the ship’s engines, like a distant war drum
calling him to action.
He drew in
another ragged breath and forced himself to continue. “In my ignorance I have
handed these malevolent beings the power to destroy entire planets. Hundreds of
billions of lives are in danger, and it won’t be long before they find their
way to Earth. I’m going to attempt to right the wrongs I have done. To erase
all signs of this hyperspace technology, and with it, any hope I have of
getting home. I only pray that I’m not already too late. God help us all.”
Nick reached
down, shut off his make-shift digital recorder, and removed the diamond memory
card he had salvaged from his camera. He held the small crystal-embedded card
between his fingers, allowing the light to dance off it as his thoughts drifted
home. The fate of his entire species was in his hands, and time was running
out. Chances were he wouldn’t survive the next few hours. But he was out of
options. Live or die, the Mok’tu had to be stopped. His life, or the lives of
billions? The choice was clear.
Nick stood up
and headed out the door, running face-first into Arya as she rounded the corner
of the corridor.
Startled, Arya’s
hand landed against Nick’s chest as they collided. “There you are. I was
looking for you.” She pulled away from him slightly, but with obvious
hesitation. Her hand lingered long on his chest as she looked into his pale
blue eyes.
“Arya,” Nick
sputtered. “I was hoping I would see you before I…go.” He paused, not wanting
to acknowledge the deadly reality of his plan. “If I don’t make it back, I just
wanted to thank you. For everything.”
Something more
was gnawing at him. It was silly, really. But if he didn’t say it now, he may
not get another chance. “You know, I’ve been wanting to tell you what the word
Aria
means on my world, but I just never seemed to get the chance. It refers to a
beautiful song. A graceful melody that floats on air and delights the senses.
It’s a fitting name for you.”
Arya stared up
at the strange creature she had come to know as friend. If only she were
stronger, she could force back the tears she felt forming on her lashes. But
for some reason when it came to Nick, she had very little strength. Through her
tears, she smiled. If only there was more time.
The gift in
Arya’s pocket shifted slightly, pulling her back to the cold reality of their
situation. She reached down and plucked a small, gold amulet from her pocket
and held it out. “Here, I want you to have this. It is considered by my people
to be lucky.” She held the necklace up, letting the exquisitely crafted amulet
dangle in front of her. “This amulet is said to contain water that was blessed
by the very first Queen of Aris. I’ve had it since I was a child.”
Nick looked into
Arya’s sad, green, alien eyes as she placed the amulet around his neck. She
stood so close he could feel the warmth of her body, smell the subtle fragrance
of perfume that drifted from her neck, drawing him silently toward her. He
resisted the urge to reach out to her and instead only muttered an awkward
“Thanks.”
Her eyes locked
with his and they stared silently at one another. This could very well be the
last time they would ever see each other, and words were simply too inadequate
to express the depth of emotions they held inside.
Nick finally
broke the gaze. “I’m ready. You know what to do with this.” He held out his hand
and opened his fingers to reveal the diamond memory card containing his
recorded message.
Arya took the
card and cradled it in her hand. “Don’t worry,” she reassured him. “We will
launch the hyperspace probe along the coordinates you specified. It will transmit
your recording into hyperspace repeatedly for months before running out of
power. I’m sure your people will get the message.”
Nick’s plan was
a long shot at best. He hoped Earth would be conducting more research based on
the data he’d collected during his first mission. With luck, a pilot from a
follow-up mission could track the signal, find the probe and retrieve the data
crystal. From Nick’s calculations, hyperspace should amplify the radio waves,
extending the transmission’s range and increasing the odds of them locating the
probe. The information on the crystal should be sufficient enough to scare the
military into thinking twice about continuing their Hyperspace research
program.
Arya watched as
Nick turned and marched down the long corridor toward the hangar bay and his
uncertain future. Her heart sank as he rounded the bend at the far end of the
hall. She felt her mouth form his name, but only a whisper left her lips. The
tension in her throat would allow no more. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t
seem to think straight. This strange human creature called Nick had her
emotions running rampant. Emotions she had never felt before. All she could
think of was how she just couldn’t bear to see him die.
She fought the
desire to run after him, stop him. If only there was another way, any other
way. But she knew this was the only hope they had of saving her people and
countless millions of lives on other worlds. She had no choice. No choice at
all. Brave Nick. One day they would erect monuments in his name and rejoice.
But not today.
Helmet in hand
Nick hurried through the doors of the hangar bay. The hyperspace module sat
prepped and ready for his departure. Rows of bright lights along the broad
curved ceiling of the hangar gleamed off the alien propulsion system that had
been recently retrofitted to the back of his craft. The golden hue of the new
tri-tanium engine casings stuck out like a sore thumb against the module’s
white exterior. It wasn’t pretty, but the new engines sure beat the pants off
the old chemical rocket propulsion for both speed and range.
Nick started
around the module then stopped abruptly. A smile broke over his face as he
stared at the module’s nosecone. Karg’s massive alien body rose up from behind
the craft. A splotch of red paint clung to the side of his cheek. Nick stared
at the paint.
Karg raised one
boney brow. “What? Don’t you like it?”
Nick grinned
from ear to ear. “It’s perfect. Thanks, Karg.”
It was an Earth
tradition for war planes to have painted nosecones. His father’s old
Starfighter was no exception. Nick had taped a photo of the Starfighter to the
dash of the module, in honor of his father, and in hopes that some of dad’s
luck would rub off on him. Karg had always been fascinated by the picture of
that old Starfighter, and had taken it upon himself to replicate the ship’s
markings. In pretty good detail, too. An open mouth full of sharp teeth now
adorned the front of the module, making it look like a big, fat great white
shark. It was a nice gesture. One that made Nick feel a little closer to home.
At least it helped diffuse the tension of his final moments, and for that he
was grateful.
A voice crackled
over Nick’s com-badge. “If you’re going, you better go now. We’ve just been
spotted, and they’re moving to intercept.”
“Yes, Captain.
Launching now. As soon as I leave the bay, get the ship clear of this area. You
don’t want to be around when I light this thing up.”
“Understood.
Good luck, Bannon.”
With a pat on
Karg’s back, Nick climbed into the module and strapped himself in. He closed
the cockpit canopy and roared out of the hangar bay to face the Mok’tu’s
massive Star-Killer ship. Alone.