ISBN 1-59201-013-X
Books Unbound E-Publishing Co.
http://www.booksunbound.com
Publication January, 2003
Cover Art by D. Lee
Uncertain Horizons
D. Lee and Kammy Bonias
Copyright April 2001
All Rights Reserved
Prologue
The great hall was deathly
silent. A small man, with two burly guards, stood in the center of the room.
His tattered robe smelled of the dungeon he had been dragged from. Two hundred
guests held their breaths, waiting for their lord to speak. All eyes shifted
from the frail-looking captive to their lord, who sat in the large carved seat.
His heavy leather armor, accented with silver and gold trim, bespoke of his
wealth--which in this universe meant power. He evoked fear in all that heard
his name, something he took great pride in.
Lord A`wrenTi sipped his wine
and watched the bedraggled prisoner. Only a week earlier, this man had lived in
the Mystic temple, surrounded by wealth. Mystics were normally treated with the
utmost respect. It was a common belief they had enigmatic powers. Lord A`wrenTi
knew they were no different than anyone else. It was their knowledge that
scared most people.
Mystics spent most of their
lives reading and recording events. They knew when there would be an eclipse.
They told the farmers when to plant. The mystics warned when the rivers would
overflow their banks. They were simple things that baffled people who found
learning only took them from making a living.
He let the crowd see he had no
fear of this small old man. A`wrenTi had sent the man to the dungeon as he
would any other that angered him. ...But what angered him the most was not the
mystic, it was his people. As long as they insisted on believing the mystic, he
was a threat.
Finally, A`wrenTi set his glass
down and lounged back in his chair. "So, Mystic, do you still claim that I am
not ruler of the universe?"
The old man's eyes slowly rose
to look at his tormenter. "It is but a legend, Lord. Some believe... some do
not."
A`wrenTi sat forward and jerked
his head to shake the silky, green hair off his eyes. "You were sure just a
week ago. You said that I... we," he waved his hand to the silent crowd, "the
Thrux, would fade into history. Did the dungeon change your mind?"
"I have been a mystic all my
life, M'lord. It's my task to see the future, guard the past, and inform you of
what the stars tell me. You would condemn me for that?"
"You're saying that a puny race
can cause my downfall? The Mulocks are all but history. How can they be a
threat?"
The mystic's eyes shifted away
from A`wrenTi's. "Only one can, M'lord."
A`wrenTi snorted in disgust.
"Then we will have to make sure none survive."
The old man knelt. "M'lord, I
ask you to spare them. They are our history. With the Mulocks gone... what is
our future?"
"They are not what you should
be worried about, old man." He waved his hand to the guards that stood behind
him. "Escort our esteemed mystic to the prison colony on Yanik." He turned his
attention back to the man. "Perhaps a few months of solitude will clear your
mind and help you do your job better."
When the guards left with their
prisoner, A`wrenTi stood and raised his glass. "To the Thrux Empire! The true
power of the universe." After the cheer died down, he turned to his fleet
commander. "We have a race to eliminate... but first we must celebrate. All
work and no play makes me unreasonable." The commander laughed in agreement.
A`wrenTi dismissed him with a wave of the hand. "We'll leave after the
festival."
Chapter One
The planet was dying. In all
his travels, never had he seen a planet as desolate as this one and still
supporting life. Duran stood on the sand dune and looked over the crowd
gathered below. Once an agreement had been reached, it had taken several months
to locate and bring the few survivors to one central location. It had not been
hard to convince them. The choice was a chance at life--or certain death.
Unlike other civilizations that
had destroyed their homeworld through war or environmental destruction, this
planet's death was not their fault. The sun had died; it was nothing more than
a glowing ember in their sky. Not that you could see the sun often. Constant
storms thundered over the barren land.
The people had survived by
living deep in caves, harvesting dark loving plants, and eating rodents. ...But
there weren't enough plants. The rodents were dwindling. Like the rodents, the
people would be extinct within a year. The population had once numbered in the
millions. Now it was down to a mere fifty thousand
Fifty thousand desperate
people, all looking to Duran for their salvation.
"They don't look like much. You
think they are even worth taking, Commander?"
Duran turned his gaze to his
captain. He was seriously debating sending in a request for another pilot. He
did not like the man and comments like this one did nothing to improve their
relationship. "These people are the strongest of this race, Podar. Look around
you. This planet offers nothing, yet they survived." He turned back to gaze
over the crowd. "They are worth saving."
"Of course, Sir." Though he
said the words, his tone told Duran he didn't agree.
"Return to the ship and tell
them to prepare for the evacuation at dawn."
"You are remaining here?"
"Yes. I would like to stay for
a while longer. I will let you know when I am ready."
Duran began walking down the
hill, but stopped when he heard music over the wind. Still some distance away
from the camp, hidden by the surrounding darkness, he watched people dancing
around a huge bonfire. They had been in such desperate straits when he had
first arrived. Starving and sick--with no hope of a solution to their
dilemma--they had simply existed. ...And waited their turn to die. Good food
and medical attention, along with the new hope for survival he offered, had
breathed life back into them. Watching them dance in joy and thanksgiving made
him profoundly glad he had decided to check one more sector before turning back.
It was pure luck they had been
found. This was new territory. Not charted on any Empire maps. The preliminary
scans of the planet had not encouraged exploration. When Duran had insisted
they stop, some of his crew had not been pleased. They had been without shore
leave for eight months. This trip had taken them beyond the Empire's borders
and all the sectors they had seen were barren. Yolla was only a week away and
was well known for the fighting arenas. His men were anxious, but Duran had
contacted the Empress anyway, asking permission to explore the planet.
Thank you, Empress. If you had not agreed, this race would have faded into
history. I would not want to live with that.
"You must join in, Commander."
Duran spun around, his weapon
drawn.
Wanub held up his hands and
grinned without fear. "Forgive me. I should have announced myself better."
Duran holstered the sidearm,
embarrassed. "You didn't announce yourself at all as near as I can tell. It
would be advisable to do so in the future. Why are you not celebrating with
your people?"
Wanub came up and stood beside
Duran, looking at the dancers. "I wanted to spend some time alone... to say
goodbye." He pulled his threadbare cloak around him and looked up at the stars.
His face--framed with glossy white hair--was wrinkled from age and the harsh
winds... but his eyes sparkled with excitement of hope.
Duran looked back behind them,
towards the darkness. He saw no one. "Goodbye to whom?"
"To my wife... to my sons and
daughters. To my father and mother. To my ancestors and all the ghosts we leave
behind." He turned his gaze up at Duran. "To the planet that gave us all life
for so many eons."
Duran nodded. "I have looked at
the archives you supplied. I would have liked to have been here back then...
when your cities stood tall and proud."
Wanub's eyes sparkled in the
firelight. "It seems so long ago, but it was beautiful. We adore beauty and
surrounded ourselves with art and colors. I look forward to rebuilding our
lives on this new planet you have promised us."
"I think you will like the
planet. It is very similar, with the same climate. It is pure and untamed at
the moment, but supplies have already been delivered. A small city should take
no more than a year to construct. From there, the sky's the limit. There are
several resources unique to that planet. They will ensure prosperity for the
people. You will eventually become a member of the universe and remain
independent. ...But first, it will take time to become self-sufficient."
"You will remain with us?"
"For the first few years, yes.
I do not usually stay, but I requested to be stationed there for two years. I
have traveled too much in the last six years and need to spend some time with
solid ground under me."
"If you have time coming to
you, why wouldn't you return home?"
Duran's blue-black hair glowed
in the moonlight. "There is nothing at home for me. I have been in space
exploration for ten years. All my friends have gone on to other things. The
only friend I have now is the admiral. I was Rahul's captain for most of those
ten years. After the skirmish at a planet called Earth, I was promoted. With my
own command, I do not see him often. So... you are stuck with me."
"You have no wife?"
Duran shook his head. "Once. A
very long time ago. ...She died."
Wanub touched Duran's arm in
sympathy, then looked towards the dancers. "I understand that pain. We aren't
as different as I first thought." He smiled sadly. "Do you save yourself for
her?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've taken no other? So you
can be with her when the goddess calls you?"
Duran shrugged. "Never thought
of it that way. Maybe."
They stood in companionable
silence, listening to the music. Duran realized it had changed. He couldn't
make out the words, but the singer's soft voice mixed with the wind around him.
It was a lonely sound, although he suspected it was the sadness in the voice
that made him feel that way.
It must be hard to leave what you know and suddenly be thrust into a whole new
way of thinking. Like Wanub said, so many ghosts to leave behind.
Wanub returned his gaze to the
stars. "Do you know how many times I got on my knees and prayed for a miracle?"
A sad smile crossed his lips. "I watched our cities destroyed. I saw good
people driven insane by the constant struggle. Still... I admit, I am scared of
change. It will be good to have someone we know and trust during this
transition. We are all eager to move. ...But it will still be difficult. Many
are ill, and I expect many more will become ill once we settle on a planet with
a sun."
Duran turned, startled, when he
heard a cough behind them. A small, cloaked figure stood a few yards away.
Wanub placed his hand on
Duran's hand to stay him. "It's alright. It is my daughter."
"I thought you said your
children were dead."
"I had two sons and three
daughters. Streena, my youngest, is the only child I have left." He looked at
the cloaked girl. "Come child. It's rude to eavesdrop."
Streena slid the hood of her
cloak back as she stepped forward. "I did not wish to intrude, Father."
Duran stared at her. He guessed
her age to be around twenty. Her soft white hair glowed brightly in the moon's
pale light. Her green eyes lifted to his. ...And she glared at him. Her anger
shocked Duran.
"Commander, this is my daughter
StreenaJaMour. She is stubborn and opinionated, but I love her in spite of her
flaws."
Streena's brows furrowed in a
scowl. "Father...
really!
"
"I speak the truth, child. Only
the truth."
Duran broke the stare and
offered his hand to her, looking down at her small hand when she hesitantly
slid it into his. Her skin was a creamy, golden brown compared to his darker,
callused palm. She felt soft and fragile in his grip. He released it when she
tugged.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "A
pleasure to meet you, StreenaJa...?" He looked at her father for help on the
rest of the name.
"We just call her Streena. She
was named after her mother, as is our custom. Names are very important to us.
We pass them down through our lineage. It makes it very easy to trace one's
bloodlines."
Streena frowned. "I really
don't think he's interested in our customs, Father."
"Actually, I love history. Are
you looking forward to the move?"
Streena shrugged, ignoring the
question, and turned to her father. "I was worried about you. You must come
back to camp."
Duran looked at Wanub, confused
by her rudeness.
Wanub gave a disapproving frown
to his daughter and looked up at Duran--apologetically. "If you will excuse us,
Commander. We will see you when we reach our new world, if not before."
Duran bowed and watched as
Wanub grabbed Streena's arm and pulled her towards the camp.
Wanub glanced back and saw
Duran vanish in a beam of light. He turned to his daughter and gave her a
shake. "How could you do that?"
Streena lowered her head. "I
didn't do anything, Father."
"You were rude to the one man
who can save us!"
"Are they saving us? Really
saving us? ...Or are they enslaving us?"
"Does it matter? Without him,
we are dead. Regardless of what lies ahead, we will live."
"Such a steep price we will
pay. We will be their slaves... and better off dead."
"You don't know that, Streena.
Not for certain."
"Their race is larger than
ours. They are more powerful. Do you think they travel the universe collecting
strays? Just to improve their lives? ...And they expect nothing in return? You
are a very gullible man."
Wanub watched her walk to their
tent and sighed heavily.
Streena is a proud, strong girl. That strength has served her well through
these hard times, but now her stubbornness could be a weakness. She needs to
swallow her pride and accept help from these strangers.
Wanub shook his head and followed.
This is going to a difficult adjustment for all of us.
This is a sample chapter from
Uncertain Horizons
by
D. Lee and Kammy Bonias
We at
Books Unbound E-Publishing Co.
www.booksunbound.com
hope you will enjoy the entire book!
War on the Horizon
, the final book in the Horizon series, is also now available from Books
Unbound!
Author's Bios
D. Lee
I live in B. C Canada with my husband, two grown sons, a cat and a dog.
Hobbies include computers and photography. Something of a late bloomer, I
didn't start to write until I was forty, although I've always been a
dreamer. Perhaps I had to live first, before I could sit down and
put my daydreams into actual stories.
Dreams are only unreachable if you stop dreaming.
Kammy Bonias
I started my writing career in the advertising industry. Though at the time I
didn't actually consider it 'writing'. I, like everyone else, moved into
cyberspace, where writing is a way of life, and good writing sets you apart
from everyone. As I learned my way around the Internet, I stumbled into some
literary clubs and gaming groups that role played games and simulations through
e-mail and other online mediums. This was how I met my co-author, D. Lee.
Like many of the text-based gamers, I began writing short stories, and then
novels, submitting them here and there, but nothing real serious until D. Lee
and I began discussing writing. She was writing too, and showed me one of her
stories. I added to it, made a few changes, expanded on the characters,
polished it up and sent it back to her. She loved it. We formed a partnership
that day and the rest is history. We've been together for years now, and still
have never met in person.
I am widowed, and live in Northwest Montana with my children, 3 dogs, 5 cats
and a parakeet named Skeeter.
Visit the Author's Joint Website
D. Lee and Kammy Bonias
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