Zero Sphere: A Space Opera Thriller Read online

  Zero Sphere © 2015 Jedaiah Ramnarine

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in Trinidad by Psi.Raise. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from Psi.Raise.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Psi.Raise Creative Studios

  http://www.psiraise.com

  Cover art by Jedaiah Ramnarine

  First Edition November 4, 2015

  Visit http://www.psiraise.com for more all-star novels like Nyxe and Eon Seven

  Table of Contents

  Prologue, Solar Opus

  ACT ONE

  2049, Valkyrie’s Final Earth Battle

  2049, Valkyrie’s Goes Home

  2049, Voyage To the Red Planet

  Solar Opus

  2049, On Route to The Red Planet

  2049, Arrival

  2049, The Valkyrie’s Seven

  2049, An Ancient Discovery

  2049, Friend or Foe

  2049, The Valkyrie Goes to War

  ACT TWO

  2060, Son of Mars

  2093, The Son of Mars grows up

  Solar Opus

  2093, The Offspring

  Solar Opus

  ACT THREE

  2093, Colin Sphere – The Son of Mars

  2093, Joshua Sphere – The Offspring

  Son of Mars searches for The Offspring

  The Offspring searches for himself

  Son of Mars confronts The Seven

  The Offspring is taken

  Son of Mars’ Mission

  A time in Colin Sphere’s mind

  ACT FOUR

  2093, Inside The Valkyrie’s Anamnesis

  The Offspring in The Crimson Spear’s lair

  The Son of Mars on route to the Asteroid

  Cyberspace

  Solar Opus

  The Son of Mars nears The Asteroid

  The Offspring vs The Valkyrie

  ACT FIVE

  In space…

  In The Crimson Spear’s Command room…

  In the present in the bathroom…

  In Space…

  On the desert sands of Mars, some distance from Zero’s base…

  At the Outskirts of The Colonies…

  ACT SIX

  2448, The Timeless Drifter Speaks…

  Solar Opus

  The Timeless Drifter’s Service

  Solar Opus

  The Mission Begins

  Solar Opus

  After the Hyperjump of The Timeless Drifter…

  At the Border of Sirius, The Timeless Drifter…

  The Valkyrie Returns

  The Son of Mars Takes Over

  Solar Opus

  The Return Home

  7 Months Later

  Farewell, Sphere

  Prologue, Solar Opus

  The shift of the Aquarian Age has set mankind’s goals into a time of change. He looks out to the stars and feels the need to unshackle the hinges of his terrestrial environment. There was a time, a time long ago when men believed in things. Now, people have begun to let those beliefs fall aside and pave way to the dawn of a new era. One that is no longer slave to assumption or delusion but one that strives for truth.

  The truth became obvious to mankind when he realized, earth is not infinite. Like his own, fragile self, that will eventually meet its demise, earth’s fate is also inevitable. The question is, how soon does it have to happen?

  To issue a failsafe, mankind looked further than the ground he walked on. For in truth, he knew in the back of his mind no matter how ignorant he could be – truly, he was destroying his own world thanks to the carelessness of overpopulation.

  So man did what he could to ensure the continuation of his species. He turned his attention to The Red Planet. This is the story of Zero Sphere.

  2447, Mars - The Timeless Drifter Speaks

  One has to stop to think how far we’ve come and how far we’ll go. Centuries ago this world was nothing more than just red ash and barren dust; filled with promises of frozen waterfalls. Today I stand in a world that is not dead, but alive and thriving. I look to thank my ancestors, even with all the mistakes they engraved, we’re still here…

  “How long?” I ask him while I kept focused on the waterfall in the distance

  “Two years.” He says.

  Two years can be like an eternity. It’s best I just smile. No point in showing otherwise. I feel his strong grip part my fingers to interlock my hand with his. He knows that would get my attention and surely, it does.

  “You’ll be fine, won’t you?” He stops my mind from racing, forcing me to engage him – “I will.” I tell him, “This is necessary for mankind. Besides, I can cope with of not seeing your face around.”

  “Is that right?” He catches my tease.

  Laughter gets the best of us until the idea of parting with my fiancée finally strikes a nerve. We picked this garden because it represented unbothered beauty. The forest trees with all their various hues of greens, the gentle waterfall and that bittersweet smell of nature – all highlighting a carefree paradise under the setting sun. A place that should by all means, relax me.

  “Hey…” He notices my vanishing smile, “Don’t worry.”

  I love when you gaze into my eyes.

  It shows me that you’re real.

  I don’t ever want that to stop.

  A rude beeping decides to slither in.

  “Sorry.” He answers the interruption. Part of me wish he didn’t but I know it’s important. Council’s orders. He hurriedly chats with the man who’s sending him away through a holographic video. They want him in for the final briefing.

  “Have to go?” I ask rhetorically after the call’s ended

  He nods confidently with a mission face already set in. A few button presses on his wrist computer and within a minute, an overhead beamship hovers above us, ready to beam him up.

  “I love you.” His words are bold and certain. The exact kind I need before this inevitable departure

  “And I love you.” I echo the same surety and with that comes the best part. The kiss we exchange, the signature that carves ‘til death do us part’ in our hearts.

  As I watch him beam up on his ship, there’s not an ounce of sadness in me. I know I’ll see him soon so I smile with that assurance. We both have a mission to complete and when it is over, I’ll meet him on the other side.

  ACT ONE

  Enter Valkyrie

  2049, Valkyrie’s Final Earth Battle

  This is not the earth I grew up in. Ten years ago if you asked me if this is where I’d be, most likely you’d end up being slapped silly, or worse – back then I wasn’t exactly the feline everyone wanted to hang around with. I was wild and untamed, bold and fearless. I dared others to be like me. Of course they wouldn’t. They stayed locked in their closets like the cowards they were, afraid to step out and make a difference.

  Afraid to talk against the powers that would soon dominate us.

  And now here we are, strapped in nanomachines, biochipped, processed, ID’d, monitored, controlled – all those works of purely contracted fine-print art came real slow at first, seeping into all their ipads, gadgets and games, then before you knew it – the whole world was under their control.

  Even me, a soldier that was supposed to fig
ht for peace. This isn’t peace. I’m sitting here looking at the man I have to label as my enemy because they said so. He pulled a gun on me and that automatically entitled the righteous self-defense flag. War isn’t about nationalism. It isn’t about ideals, patriots or any of that half-cocked bullshit they lied to us about. War now, is about control.

  He’s reaching for his gun, so you know what that means, don’tcha’? Get over there and put a bullet in his skull like they want you to do. Vile bastard, still clawing his way to get a kill after I shot him twice in the legs, hoping maybe, he’d crawl away. What fuels a person like that? Destruction stays with them till the end. Remorseless, tasteless, completely unnatural. Lost their desire for humanity.

  Look at him coming for me.

  This battle is over buddy. Earth Defense Forces have eradicated your terrorist threat. We don’t need to do this. Just go away. Don’t…

  Zip!

  I feel a tear in my shoulder, the kind that stops men from breathing, the kind that makes you wonder about all the times you screwed up in your life. I’m on my back, blood squirting everywhere. This is the first time I’ve seen the sun like this in months. I wonder if I’ll see it again later? Did I fail? Shit.

  I was so close to completing my book.

  Didn’t tell Seven how much I love him.

  Wait, no, don’t talk like that. No, no, no, no! It’s not time yet, girl. I’m not dying out here. Screw that. Get up, get up.

  Now, who the hell shot me?

  “Poison Flower, you copy? They’re pushing your way! You got about…”

  His voice goes blank. An eerie silence clears the battlefield. Everything didn’t have color before, but now, it’s all high definition. I can see the orange hues of the desert sands, the rubble of the stone homes of the village, civilians fleeing left and right. Gunfire everywhere. That’s all that’s in the air. Smoke, gunfire, bullets blazing…

  My shoulder is supposed to hurt but I don’t feel a thing.

  I’m on my feet and every part of me is ready. Fire shoots up my spine and I’m lightning, I’m an explosion, I’m fury – I’m force. Use me. Let me out. It’s my turn. Reason didn’t reach their ears so step back, let me do the real talking.

  Look to your left, least two of them hiding behind that burnt up car. Keep your head down, wait for the right moment. Stay here until you get your opening.

  “Fall back! About seven your way…”

  I said not now, Morrison. I’m in my zone. Keep your mouth shut and let this happen. Don’t radio me, just pay attention. The hunter has to choose her prey wisely. I am the Valkyrie, the one that will determine the day’s victor.

  They’re throwing away bullets like they were candy. Amateurs, probably not even hooked into a nano-interface. Their fire dies down, my interface shows their heat signatures behind the cover. Toss the flash grenade, flush them out.

  Whiff!

  Look at them scatter like a hive of cockroaches. Take that one out, he’s open for a tag. Got him. Look out, the other one is covering him. Not a problem, get back in cover and wait it out. Great, this poor crate won’t be much of a cover for long. That’s alright. Roll out to the side and fire your way into the nearby abandoned store. Good, great, yes, very good – you’re doing it. Turn around and finish that guy off, you have enough cover here. Good.

  Look out!

  Shit! That bastard almost took my head off with that blade. Where’d he come from? Where’d he get that? Doesn’t matter. Parry his next attack and wait for the opener. He’s outmatched, I have a nano-adapter suit and an energy carbine. He’s only in standard mercenary gear. He’s slick though. He knows how to throw a hand and knows when to pull out as fast as he can – that’s when I need to take the chance. He tries to get out this time but I’ve got the drop on him, so here it goes. One blunt punch from the pommel of my gun, a groin kick and a classic takedown knocks his ass clean out.

  Blam!

  I feel myself go flying like a ragdoll. I can’t hear anything. Why is everything white? A ringing coming to my ears. Rubble covering me. Get up, not dead yet. Not dead yet…

  Probably an RPG. Head over to the clearing. My leg, it’s having trouble responding. Now’s not the time. It better work. It has to work. I don't have the time to bleed. Later, sure, whatever. You can tell me I was wrong later, Seven and I can deck you in the face when I see you and tell you how much of an asshole you were.

  And how much I still love you.

  Choppers flying overhead, must be a hell of a show out there but I got my own to deal with. To your right, more of them at 4. Not much cover here, but I can see the rat that fired the damn rocket, prepping another. He’s the first one to go. Aim close and look him in the eye. Take the shot. Good, he’s out cold. Next, get back in… no, roll, roll, no cover, run, run – let them chase. Two of them coming up behind. Lay down suppressing fire. Got one. Or at least he’s tagged, spazzing out on the floor. It’ll do.

  Pull back, not a good spot.

  Streets are covered in crashed cars, burnt rubble and the sky is just coiling with smoke everywhere. It’s all greyed out, tarnishing the setting sun. Where do I go – shit! Down, down…

  Keep them back Xeilya. You’re the Valkyrie. You’re the one that chooses who walks out of here today and I am choosing me. Good shot, he’s going to sleep with that one. Now, only one more to go. What the – gun overheated. Pull back and try it again. Still not working. Fuckin’ energy weapons. This is the problem with them. They’re good for knocking idiots out but they’re nothing like the old kinetic ones. That’s alright, I’ll take this last one with my fists. Wait till he gets in close, then come from the shadows.

  “Why don’t you listen to me? One day you’re here, the next you’re gone. I don’t want the time where you don’t come back.”

  “Stop. You don’t have the right to criticize me. Stay here and…”

  Not now.

  Wait till he gets close, wait. There, he’s open. Get that gun out of his hand, whoa! Watch out! A competitor! Bring it buddy, I’ve been waiting all day for this. He’s got quite the knife there and his stance; pretty obvious this cat’s been trained. He keeps going for swipes to my neck though. The lack of versatility is his weakness, and that last swipe gives me reign over my enemy. Grab his hand, knee him in the groin with a counter punch to the face, get that knife out of his hand with three more punches and toss him on his ass. Hand to Hand, pal - you lost.

  Look at me. I mean, really, look at me. Let me take off this helmet so you get a good look. Let my face be the last thing you see so you can tell them on the other side, that it wasn't just a woman you faced on your final battle. That’s right, I’m a woman. Red-hair, green-eyed woman. That’s not a problem, is it?

  The sound of my own knife leaving its sheath hedonistically dances in my ears.

  You’re in for it now buddy!

  Calm down.

  You don’t deserve to get off that…

  Calm down…

  That easy…

  Breathe.

  Don't let the darkness out…

  You're not that person anymore.

  That poor sap's life isn't yours to take.

  I twist the knife around in my palm and knock him out with the handle, wiping the terrified expression off his face. That was too close…

  “Poison Flower! This is M.COM, do you read?”

  “I read.”

  “Backup is heading your way, do not engage the hostiles! I repeat, do not engage them!”

  “They’re already taken care of.”

  “What?”

  I look around to see the sight of a cleared out battlefield

  “Poison Flower, repeat! Over!

  “I said they’re taken care of.”

  There’s wreckage and bodies everywhere in the streets. Bodies of my own men, bodies of our enemies. War is so stupid. In the end, there is no real winner. No matter how much you try to beat your chest. In the end, we’re all losers. An endlessly idiotic cycle of monkey killi
ng monkey over a piece of ground. Forge a blade to cut your own brother down.

  “We’re coming to get you Poison Flower.”

  They trained us from the video games. Made us think that the soldiers and the war heroes were the ones to respect, the ones to look up to. So tell me, why is it I can’t shake that I fucking hate what I’ve become?

  “I’m leaving this place, and I want you with me. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be there – on the other side, waiting.”

  Let’s hope you kept your word.

  2049, Valkyrie’s Goes Home

  Home… If I can call it that anymore. ‘Home’, is nothing more than a dwelling – a place to lay your head till the next shift. With the way everything is now, we’re all scanned and processed. We can’t buy as much as a block of cheese or a blasted cigarette without the usual bio-ID checkups.

  This is my world.

  A world where when you get off the train, marvel at all our technological accomplishments with a frown when you look around to see an overcrowded market of slumdogs and apes, clogging the air so tight you can hardly breathe. Their chit chatter about ultrasex and ultraviolence, the latest phone and computer or the game, or TV show that sucks every last bit of common sense right out of the little pool of a brain they had to begin with.

  This is my society and my society is filled with trash. A ‘home’ to creatures too stupid to realize that our world can only hold so much of them before she cracks. And when she cracks, all of them will suddenly start coming to their senses. It won’t be till the tidal waves wash them all away or a volcano covers half the world in ash – yeah, then, and only then they’ll wake up from a self-induced sleep, and see.

  But when that happens it’ll be too late. They’ll beg us to save them. They’ll cry for star travelers to come be trailblazers or pray for a devil to show up and claim that he was the real evil, and that somehow, they weren’t the spoiled vermin carving a stick to beat their brother down.

  Over a piece of land,

  Over a piece of paper,

  Over a monkey wanting his bone,

  Rain pours on the streets of a neon-orange world filled with overindulgence in technology, entertainment and control. I slip my hands into the side pockets of my trench coat as I watch the modern cars go by. If you can even call them cars. Floating, wheel-less computer mouses is more like it. And so many of them in these tight packed streets. Too many. Too many people, I can barely walk without bumping into another person.