Colin Weldon's Blog, page 3
March 3, 2016
Radio signals discovered from a galaxy far far away !!
The main theme of my book The Agathon is centred around a mysterious signal being transmitted to Earth which nobody is able to decode. Well guess what? There may very well be signal being beamed to our planet from an unknown source !.. Well, sort of. These fast radio bursts (FRB’s) where first detected in 2007 and have baffled scientists as to their origin. Now before I go to where we all want to go which is ALIENS!!! we should probably look at the more probable explanations. While originating billions of light years away the sources for these bursts remain purely conjectural ranging from Magnetars to cataclysmic detonations from colliding stars. There has not been, as yet, a solid explanation. ALIENS!!… ok so maybe not but still… ALIENS!!!
The Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico has detected regular incidents of these FRB’s which only last a millisecond.
Check out the below links from National Geographic for more detail on the background to this astonishing new phenomenon happening somewhere deep in the cosmos !!..
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/20/mysterious-energetic-radio-burst/
The post Radio signals discovered from a galaxy far far away !! appeared first on Colin Weldon.
Radio signals discovered from a galaxy far far away !!
The main theme of my book The Agathon is centred around a mysterious signal being transmitted to Earth which nobody is able to decode. Well guess what? There may very well be signal being beamed to our planet from an unknown source !.. Well, sort of. These fast radio bursts (FRB’s) where first detected in 2007 and have baffled scientists as to their origin. Now before I go to where we all want to go which is ALIENS!!! we should probably look at the more probable explanations. While originating billions of light years away the sources for these bursts remain purely conjectural ranging from Magnetars to cataclysmic detonations from colliding stars. There has not been, as yet, a solid explanation. ALIENS!!… ok so maybe not but still… ALIENS!!!
The Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico has detected regular incidents of these FRB’s which only last a millisecond.
Check out the below links from National Geographic for more detail on the background to this astonishing new phenomenon happening somewhere deep in the cosmos !!..
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/20/mysterious-energetic-radio-burst/
February 26, 2016
How to self Publish
Over the last two years or so I have done extensive research, mostly through trial and error, into the minefield that is the self publishing arena. This post is intended to provide you with a guide to how I went about it in a neat step by step process. I hope that it proves useful for you if you are giving it some thought.
So here we go.
Step 1: Write the book.
I did not think about the publishing process at all until I had finished my novel completely. Delve into your book like it was a warm ocean and stay there until you have swum through its depths and explored every cave and crevice. Separate the creative mind from the business one until you have your story on paper. No matter how long this takes just do it. This is your baby. Your story, that only you can tell. So forget about publishers and agents and marketing and social media until you have the damn thing written to the absolute best of your ability. Then, and only then should you follow the next steps.
Step 2: Put it away
Print the manuscript and walk away from it for at least a month. I know it’s tough to do but believe me it will be worth it. Your brain has worked hard over the last several months and needs a break before it can go back and look at it with a fresh perspective. Trust me when I say that you would not believe the amount of things you will need to change even before it goes off to be proof read.
Step 3: PROOF READ
PROOF PROOF PROOF! I made the unforgivable mistake of sending my first draft out to agents without it being proof read professionally. The first thing an agent or publisher looks at is how polished the manuscript it. I am glad I made this mistake before I self published because as it turns out, I cannot spell. Having a professional proof read and edit, while expensive, will pay off dividends in the long run as there is nothing as disconcerting or frustrating to a reader than spelling and grammatical errors. I have no doubt that even this blog is full of nasty little errors but HEY that’s blogging. There are fantastic services out there for proof reading and editing.
If you are from Ireland, and I am:), you can look at www.inkwellwriters.ie for information on these services. They provide great advice and tips for writers as well as scouting and courses.
Step 4: Book Cover
Invest in a professional book cover. I used www.99designs.ie. Here’s how it works. You submit your book idea and any artwork that inspires you and set a budget. The more you have the more designs will be submitted from designers from all around the world. The cover for The Agathon and The Agathon book 2 were both designed by the same person.
Step 5: Decide on your distribution
So here’s the tricky part. Where do you sell your book. I decided to sell it exclusively on Amazon using two platforms.Createspace and Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP.
Createspace:
Kindle Direct Publishing:
Createspace lets you sell paperback copies of your novel all over the world which is amazing. I ordered a copy from a Barnes and Noble store in the US while I was on holidays which was a great feeling. Choose your price on the paperback carefully as the minimum price is $12.99 for a paperback. Needless to say you have a better chance of distribution over kindle.
Step 5: Format the interior
Createspace has a wonderful service on offer that lets you hand over your manuscript and let them format the interior for you. Yes, it costs a couple of hundred bucks but you know the saying, in for a penny in for a pound. You can also use their format downloads to do it yourself if you are so inclined.
Step 6: Price
This is the tricky one. My research indicated that the best selling ebooks were all priced at the $2.99 -$3.99 area for new authors. Kindle Unlimited pays you per page turned and I have found this to be working well with the type of book The Agathon is. I wrote to be a real “page turner” and so signing up for Kindle Unlimited worked really well for me. KDP also allows you to run discounted price promotions over a period of time so you can discount your book to $0.99 and promote it to reach more readers. You can also have FREE giveaway promotions if you really want to penetrate your target market.
Step 7: GO SOCIAL OR GO HOME!
It’s just a fact, whether you get a book deal with one of the big publishing houses or not you will have to promote yourself online.
Get a Facebook account dedicated to your author page
Get an Instagram account
Absolutely set up a web site. I host my website on Dreamhost.com through a wordpress account and used Themeforest.netto upload a user friendly and pretty theme. Both of these are relitivly inexpensive but it provides you an opportunity to connect with people through blogs and also gives you your own window into the world.
Get ON TWITTER ! besides the fact that it’s fun it lets you communicated and send links to your book in real time. Use hashtags like #IARTG #ASMSG with your book tweets to gain retweets and exposure
Get on Pinterest
START BLOGGING ABOUT STUFF
Step 8: Reviews
One of the things I also got was a Kirkus Review: The Agathon
This is a service provided by a third party review site that you send your book to to have independently critiqued by an anonymous reviewer. I found this to be an excellent resource to use in both blogs on my website and also for social media interaction. It helped my sales significantly.
Step 9: Sell Sell Sell
Blog, Tweet, Share your stories, link to your book, be bright, be approachable and tell your story. Target blogs that focus on your target market and start writing to the world.
Step 10: Have fun with it
You’ve worked your ass off so enjoy it.
If you would like to have a read of my debut novel click the image below
Welcome to the adventure
-Colin
Sign up to the Agathon Crew Members List
**
February 18, 2016
How to self Publish
Over the last two years or so I have done extensive research, mostly through trial and error, into the minefield that is the self publishing arena. This post is intended to provide you with a guide to how I went about it in a neat step by step process. I hope that it proves useful for you if you are giving it some thought.
So here we go.
Step 1: Write the book.
I did not think about the publishing process at all until I had finished my novel completely. Delve into your book like it was a warm ocean and stay there until you have swum through its depths and explored every cave and crevice. Separate the creative mind from the business one until you have your story on paper. No matter how long this takes just do it. This is your baby. Your story, that only you can tell. So forget about publishers and agents and marketing and social media until you have the damn thing written to the absolute best of your ability. Then, and only then should you follow the next steps.
Step 2: Put it away
Print the manuscript and walk away from it for at least a month. I know it’s tough to do but believe me it will be worth it. Your brain has worked hard over the last several months and needs a break before it can go back and look at it with a fresh perspective. Trust me when I say that you would not believe the amount of things you will need to change even before it goes off to be proof read.
Step 3: PROOF READ
PROOF PROOF PROOF! I made the unforgivable mistake of sending my first draft out to agents without it being proof read professionally. The first thing an agent or publisher looks at is how polished the manuscript it. I am glad I made this mistake before I self published because as it turns out, I cannot spell. Having a professional proof read and edit, while expensive, will pay off dividends in the long run as there is nothing as disconcerting or frustrating to a reader than spelling and grammatical errors. I have no doubt that even this blog is full of nasty little errors but HEY that’s blogging. There are fantastic services out there for proof reading and editing.
If you are from Ireland, and I am:), you can look at www.inkwellwriters.ie for information on these services. They provide great advice and tips for writers as well as scouting and courses.
Step 4: Book Cover
Invest in a professional book cover. I used www.99designs.ie. Here’s how it works. You submit your book idea and any artwork that inspires you and set a budget. The more you have the more designs will be submitted from designers from all around the world. The cover for The Agathon and The Agathon book 2 were both designed by the same person.
Step 5: Decide on your distribution
So here’s the tricky part. Where do you sell your book. I decided to sell it exclusively on Amazon using two platforms. Createspace and Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP.
Createspace:
Kindle Direct Publishing:
Createspace lets you sell paperback copies of your novel all over the world which is amazing. I ordered a copy from a Barnes and Noble store in the US while I was on holidays which was a great feeling. Choose your price on the paperback carefully as the minimum price is $12.99 for a paperback. Needless to say you have a better chance of distribution over kindle.
Step 5: Format the interior
Createspace has a wonderful service on offer that lets you hand over your manuscript and let them format the interior for you. Yes, it costs a couple of hundred bucks but you know the saying, in for a penny in for a pound. You can also use their format downloads to do it yourself if you are so inclined.
Step 6: Price
This is the tricky one. My research indicated that the best selling ebooks were all priced at the $2.99 -$3.99 area for new authors. Kindle Unlimited pays you per page turned and I have found this to be working well with the type of book The Agathon is. I wrote to be a real “page turner” and so signing up for Kindle Unlimited worked really well for me. KDP also allows you to run discounted price promotions over a period of time so you can discount your book to $0.99 and promote it to reach more readers. You can also have FREE giveaway promotions if you really want to penetrate your target market.
Step 7: GO SOCIAL OR GO HOME!
It’s just a fact, whether you get a book deal with one of the big publishing houses or not you will have to promote yourself online.
Get a Facebook account dedicated to your author page
Get an Instagram account
Absolutely set up a web site. I host my website on Dreamhost.com through a wordpress account and used Themeforest.net to upload a user friendly and pretty theme. Both of these are relitivly inexpensive but it provides you an opportunity to connect with people through blogs and also gives you your own window into the world.
Get ON TWITTER ! besides the fact that it’s fun it lets you communicated and send links to your book in real time. Use hashtags like #IARTG #ASMSG with your book tweets to gain retweets and exposure
Get on Pinterest
START BLOGGING ABOUT STUFF
Step 8: Reviews
One of the things I also got was a Kirkus Review: The Agathon
This is a service provided by a third party review site that you send your book to to have independently critiqued by an anonymous reviewer. I found this to be an excellent resource to use in both blogs on my website and also for social media interaction. It helped my sales significantly.
Step 9: Sell Sell Sell
Blog, Tweet, Share your stories, link to your book, be bright, be approachable and tell your story. Target blogs that focus on your target market and start writing to the world.
Step 10: Have fun with it
You’ve worked your ass off so enjoy it.
If you would like to have a read of my debut novel click the image below
Welcome to the adventure
-Colin
The post How to self Publish appeared first on Colin Weldon.
February 7, 2016
The Agathon Chapter 3
3
Time since Evacuation – Four Hours
“Chancellor, can you hear me?” came a familiar, yet distant voice. The haze began to clear as the senator looked outwards towards the twinkling light.
“The disorientation will pass. Try and open your eyes slowly. You are safe.”
She looked to her right, as the form of James Ryder came into focus. Her head felt groggy and her lips were dry. She cleared her throat, which felt tight.
“What the hell happened?” she said, holding her head.
“You are on board the Nexus,” came the reply.
She looked around and noted the unmistakable appearance of her personal shuttle. The comfortable surroundings and high clean lines were something she had taken a liking to when she had first sat in the luxurious ship. Two members of her security detail were seated on the other side of the shuttle. They nodded to her.
“How are you feeling, Chancellor?” came the deep baritone voice of her head of security, Greyson Kane, a formidable ex colonial Marine from the Congo region of New Africa. She was relieved to see him. The other member of her detail was Kevin Ruffalo. Although physically not as foreboding as Kane, his accuracy with a sidearm was legendary among the protection detail.
“Hello, Greyson. I am well, thank you. Would somebody please explain to me what is happening?”
Ryder sat back in his leather chair and glanced out at the stars.
“A few hours ago, I was given an order to execute executive order Alpha. Given that protocol there was no time to discuss actions until you were safely transported to the orbital platform. In order to do that you were rendered unconscious for your own safety.” He took a slow breath.
“Chancellor, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that the planet Earth has been completely destroyed.”
She looked at Ryder.
“What?”
He continued, “As it turns out the shift in the signal carried with it a powerful Gamma ray emission which destabilized the core, causing it to detonate. I’m sorry, Sienna, but it’s gone. We barely survived ourselves. Our engines have sustained heavy damage and our life support systems are cutting out due to the ionizing radiation levels in the area. The outer shield is holding for the time being, but we still have a long way to go.”
This was a moment that she had never planned for and the magnitude started to overwhelm her. She turned to the window but was unable to contain the tear that rolled down her cheek. She covertly wiped it away and addressed her chief of staff.
“Survivors?”
“We lost most of the orbital platforms and orbiting vessels in the explosion. We set a course for Phobos the moment we got off world, so we caught the tail end of the detonation. There are several transport ships ahead of us. We don’t know how many or what shape they are in.”
“Who survived, Jim?” Sienna pressed.
“Your senior aides, the off-world colonies, obviously, and a few trade and supply vessels on various runs.” He paused again.
“We also lost contact with the moon. I am sorry.”
She felt a profound sadness take hold.
“My brother?” she asked.
“We have no communications with anyone at the moment. Radiation levels are too high, so honestly we don’t know. My guess is that the colony and structures were lost in the blast. We have no way of really knowing and are currently unable to do a visual due to the expanding debris field.”
The chancellor’s head began to spin.
“I need a glass of water, Jim.” Her chief of staff immediately jumped to order and poured her a tall glass from a jug that was sitting on a neighbouring platform. He handed it to her and she drank deeply. She steadied her shaking hand and looked at Ryder in the eye. He was clearly shaken.
“I suppose I owe you thanks for saving my life,” she said quietly, while watching the stars go by.
“Actually, I just took the order. The big man put it into effect.”
He nodded in the direction of Greyson Kane.
“Had him carry you to the shuttle once we’d knocked you out with anesthazine. Again, sorry about that but it’s procedure.” She looked at Greyson and gave the large African an earnest smile and a nod. He reciprocated and turned his attention back to the window.
“Young gave the order while you were on the phone?” she asked. Ryder gestured with his hands to indicate she had guessed correctly. She nodded. Thank you, Jerome.
“What do we know from the signal station on Phobos, before comms went blank?” she asked.
“Very little at this stage. We know that the signal amplification incorporated Gamma emissions and we evacuated on the orders of Jerome Young. We have not been able to raise anyone since the event and have set a course in the hope that the radiation levels will clear in the next thirty-two hours or so.”
The chancellor took a breath.
“Okay, Jim, let’s get everyone we have on board into the observation deck and have discussions about where we go from here. I need to get some input. Give me a half hour to get my thoughts together. These people need to know that someone is still making decisions. What is the headcount on board?”
Ryder paused.
“The head count?” he asked. “I honestly don’t know, Chancellor. We didn’t have time to take one. I will attend to that now and get back to you.”
Sienna was annoyed at that.
“Jim, if we are the only survivors of the planet Earth, it would be nice to know how many humans we were able to save on board. Don’t you think?”
“Of course, Chancellor, I will get right on it.” As he made his way to the oval door that reacted to his presence with gliding fluidity, she stopped him once more.
“Jim, did you get Laura out?”
He turned back and met her eyes.
“I am sorry, Chancellor, it was key personnel only and there simply wasn’t time.” He bowed his head and walked out of the room. The chancellor’s heart sank and her chest began to fill with rage. Her assistant and new mother-to-be had been such a vibrant spirit. Jerome Young, you son of a bitch.
Phobos
Time Since Evacuation – Four hours thirty minutes
“Emerson, get the reactor levelled off to ninety-two percent before we blow the whole place to high heaven!” shouted Tosh at the top of the metallic gangway.
The rising heat in the chamber was becoming unbearable for the large man, but he had remained to assist the young Irish engineer. Landon Emerson’s legs were visible from where Tosh was sitting on the bridge. The rest of his body was firmly hidden from view under the array of twisted metallic pipes and cables that made up the main base reactor.
“No shit, Tosh!” came the sharp Irish brogue.
“I am trying not to freeze myself solid with coolant right now, can ye gimme five fuckin’ minutes?”
Tosh responded with silence, but kept his eyes fixed on the rising pressure readouts from computers above the gangway. Tosh had given Emerson a wide berth, given his attitude and the situation they were currently in. The comms chirped.
“Tosh, it’s Young. Talk to me.”
“We’re at one hundred and three percent, Jerome. Landon is under the main coolant distribution nodes, trying to access the manual override. It’s getting pretty warm down here. Might be a good idea to start thinking about getting everyone off. If we can’t get a handle on this, we’re done here.”
Tosh didn’t fancy his chances of getting clear if the reactor went into meltdown. He didn’t like the idea of leaving his friend down here to die alone either.
“Tosh, I’m going to leave this channel open. I want updates every two minutes. Young out.” The comms chirped twice to indicate an open channel and Tosh acknowledged the head of Jycorp.
Beads of sweat were starting to roll down his ample cheeks. He had opened his tunic up and his sleeves were as far up his arms as they would allow. Tosh was still curious as to how they were all still alive. The feedback pulse from the Gamma burst that had destroyed the planet had shaken the small moon so violently that two of the equipment hangars had decompressed, killing thirty-four personnel. Through some miracle, the base reactor had remained relatively unharmed, other than a coolant lock that was now threatening a core meltdown.
“One zero four, Landon. I think it’s time to go.” Tosh was now beginning to get nervous. No response from Emerson down below.
“Landon!” he shouted.
“Come on, Paddy, it’s time to light some fires and get the hell outta Dodge.” Not that it will matter much, thought Tosh. At one hundred and six percent it was all over and, at this rate, the odds of even getting out of the chamber were slim. He looked at the gauge. One hundred and five.
“Emerson, let’s go! NOW!” He looked over the platform but couldn’t see Emerson any more.
“For fuck’s sake,” he shouted at himself. From beneath the curved and twisting metal a head appeared, which looked up to the platform and smiled.
“Got it!” Emerson shouted. Tosh looked up at the pressure reaction readouts. One hundred and one percent and falling. Ninety-nine, ninety-eight. He looked down at his large legs and sighed. Wiping a layer of sweat from his brow, he signalled to the young Irishman.
“Good lad. Good lad. Now get back up here, we have work to do before you give me a fucking heart attack.”
Emerson gave a mock salute.
“On my way.”
He slid out from under the machinery and stood up. His black overalls were covered in fluid and his hands were filthy. He made his way up the steps to the gangway, where Tosh was seated. With a shaved head and carefully unkempt stubble, Tosh often joked that he looked like Jack Tanner, a film star from back on Earth. He was a favourite among the female residents on the small moon and frequented the bedrooms of many of them on a regular basis. The playful rogue used his dry Irish humour, much to the delight and frustration of the opposite sex. He reached Tosh and put a hand on his shoulder
“Gotta say, Danny boy, I’m impressed that you stuck it out. I never thought of ending my days on this moon with you for company. No offence, but that’s not how I intend to check out.” Tosh gave him a grin and turned his chair back towards the main airlock, which had been sealed during the crisis. He keyed in some commands and the metallic circular door slid open, revealing a small group of onlookers all wearing the same overalls as Emerson.
“You all look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said Tosh, as he slid past calmly.
“If you would all be so kind as to attend to the reactor, while we ascertain the level of damage to the base, that would be splendid.” He reached for the comms system on his chair and tapped.
“Jerome, this is Tosh. We got it under control here. Emerson and I are on our way back to signal control. Do you want to meet us there?”
There was a small pause.
“Well done, Daniel. See you in five. Young out.” The abrupt communiqué told Tosh that Young was probably elbow deep in problems up there. All hell had broken loose following the signal shift. There was a moment of total shock and awe, as the flash of broken rock had filled the observational screens. Comms from Earth had gone dead in an instant. The scientists and engineers in signal control had become statues. Like wide-eyed figurines waiting to be placed in position. Then the ground had begun to shake. Tosh had remembered looking at Young, who was looking at the screens. He had shaken his head in confusion and bewilderment when their eyes had met, and grabbed a nearby upright to stop his chair from flipping on its side. He had heard a female technician shouting over the noise.
“Reactor 2 is going critical! Coolant leak on 1.”
Tosh had screamed to Emerson who had fallen next to the processing tower at the back of the control room.
“Landon, let’s go!” Emerson had responded immediately and they had scrambled to the reactor.
Signal Control Room
Time Since Evacuation – four hours forty-six minutes
The pair reached signal control and were met with chaotic scenes. Broken screens suspended from cables hung haphazardly from the roof, some still spilling white sparks over the workers below. The red haze of the emergency lighting reflected off distraught and frightened faces. Tosh searched the floor for Young and spotted him out of the corner of his eye. He appeared to be working on one of the signal backup storage capacitors. There were five in total but only three were run on a full time schedule to conserve power from the base generators. The honeycombed clear glass structures had been analysing every nanosecond of the signal for the past forty-three years. Tosh and Emerson made their way through the sparks and joined Young by one of the honeycombs. He looked up and placed a hand on Tosh.
“Still ticking, old friend. Thank you.”
Tosh nodded his head.
“I hope to Christ we can still save the signal files. If we can’t we’re fucked. Pardon my French. I can’t raise Tyrell or anyone on the surface of Mars. At the moment, we’re on our own up here. Landon, I could really use your help with this. I have everyone working on damage control and communications.”
Emerson acknowledged the words and slipped between two of the glass-honeycombed structures. Young waited for Emerson to be hidden from view and pulled Tosh aside.
“What the fuck just happened? I want a frank answer, Daniel. The human race just went extinct! I find it hard to believe that after one hundred years the fuckers chose today to blow us out of the universe.”
Tosh looked at the head of Jycorp.
“I wish I knew, Jerome. I really do.”
A female shouted from over the fray, “Mr Young, we have comms back up to Mars Colony. I have John Barrington for you.”
“Say again?” Young said to the distorted face of Mars Colony 1.
The reply was fragmented but the resolution was beginning to clear.
“Mr. Young, simply put, we have to get everyone off the surface of Phobos and Mars and onto The Agathon.” Young stared. Barrington continued, “Tyrell has confirmed that the shockwave has accelerated a large debris field which will come into contact with the surface in roughly eight months. The shock will devastate the surface and possibly shift the orbit of the planet. Phobos’s orbit is too unstable to withstand the gravitational effects of this shift and, to be blunt, we currently have nowhere else to go.”
“John, the last time I checked The Agathon was missing half of its hull.”
The image of Barrington raised an eyebrow.
“Well, Mr. Young, I suggest we get a move on, because we have eight months before humans bid this universe a fond farewell.”
“John, can I speak to Tyrell?”
“One moment.” Barrington’s face vanished from view and was replaced by Tyrell’s.
“Doctor Tyrell, are you sure about this?” Young asked.
“Quite sure, Mr Young. To be honest, we don’t really have the time to debate this decision. Preparations need to begin immediately. I suggest you begin transitioning all personnel from both orbitals and the surface base to the colony down here. I will liaise with Doctor Tosh about salvaging all data from the Monolith—”
Young interrupted him, “Tyrell, where exactly do you suppose we go?” Tyrell looked at Barrington off screen.
“Tyrell?” Young pressed.
“Well it seems to me that the logical course of action would be to initiate the FTL technology on The Agathon and, should it prove successful, then…” He paused. Young waited.
“Then…” He paused.
“Then we set a course for the origin of the signal.” Young turned away from the screen and looked at Tosh, whose face had turned a pale colour over the last several minutes.
“Tyrone, did I just hear you right?” he said over Young’s shoulder.
“Yes, Tosh. That’s why we’re building the damn thing in the first place, no?”
“So let me get this straight,” Young added.
“You are suggesting we load what is left of the human race into an untested and unfinished ship, hit the faster than light drive, then pay a visit to the planet whose inhabitants have just destroyed ours?”
Tyrell again looked off screen to Barrington.
“In a nutshell yes. I am.”
Young answered after a moment of silence, “As I see it, we have one small problem with that plan.”
Tyrell knew what he was getting at and finished his thought.
“There isn’t enough room for everyone.”
Carrie Barrington’s residence
Main Habitat Ring
Time since Evacuation – two days thirteen minutes
21:32 Martian Standard Time
The sun had taken on a luminescent green hue as it set over the Martian horizon. Carrie stood by her curved window and watched as it sank into the red landscape. The mixture of the yellow, red and green light was beautiful. The peace of the evening had been a welcome friend, as the events of the last twenty four-hours navigated her mind. The gathering of the colonists in the main cargo hangar earlier in the day had taken its toll on her, as the devastation of two thousand people had flooded into the air. She could see their thoughts hovering over them, as if their minds had run out of space in which to store them. Thousands of dead faces had filled the air. The friends and families of loved ones left behind. Generations of those left on Earth. She had taken precautions before the meeting, by allowing her mind to lock itself safely inside her castle. The drawbridge pulled and all weapons firmly targeted at the entrance. At the moment of the announcement, she had opened fire and had successfully kept the wave of enemy feelings at bay. Only just. Some of the colonists had become distressed and had run out of the main hall. They had run, to no avail, to the closest communications terminal to try and contact anyone off world to confirm. Her father had let them go and urged calm while they had gathered more information about next steps.
What had followed was four hours of intense questioning from the settlers, most of whome were scientists or medical personnel. The anger of the military complement had proven to be more difficult for Carrie to deal with than she had anticipated. Their thoughts were a mix of focused, determined, and disciplined anger looking for revenge. Their surface was well guarded, but beneath was a sea of uncertainty. The castle was in danger.
As she looked on to the sunset she turned to the open Holo file she had running on the desk beside her bed. It was an old file her father had given to her, from when they were preparing for the journey to her new home. The live rendition was taken on the shores of the beach in Playa Norte in Mexico, with endless white sand and shallow water. Her mother’s smiling face as she looked on at the rolling waves was one of Carrie’s favourite images. She looked happy. She really had been a beautiful woman. Carrie lay on her bed and closed her eyes, while listening to the sea and laughter of her parents. She lowered the drawbridge and allowed the feelings of serenity to permeate throughout her mind. Her mother’s laughter filled the universe and Carrie could not hold back the warm smile that she formed involuntarily. As the drawbridge lowered, she saw her mother waiting for her. She saw her face as it found hers and the love that accompanied it wrapped around her like a thousand soft feathers.
The entrance chime to her quarters snapped her eyes open suddenly. It was unusual for her to be startled by the presence of another colonist, as she sensed them long before they normally approached.
“Come in,” she said.
The door, recognising the command, released the locking mechanism and slid open with a soft hiss. Chase Meridian was in the doorway.
“May I enter?” she said softly. Carrie smiled.
“Of course, Chase, no need to ask.”
She swung her legs up and sat against the headrest. Chase walked in slowly and stood at the foot of her bed. She caught the Holo image Carrie had been running.
“She was really hot stuff, wasn’t she?”
“She was,” Carrie replied.
“Still, I think you would have given her a run for her money.”
She sat at the end of the soft mattress and looked out at the failing light.
“I wanted to see how you were holding up,” she said, as she continued her gaze out onto the Martian landscape.
“We will have to leave here,” she answered quietly.
“Soon.”
“I am worried about my father. I do not think he is fully aware of what is expected of him from this time forward. He is afraid.”
Meridian laughed.
“Your father knows exactly what is expected of him, kiddo. Be careful not to confuse fear with acceptance of sadness. He has lost a great deal. Besides, he’s not alone. We’ve got Jerome Young himself preparing to land with all the crew from up there. Maybe he can buy us a new planet?” she said, pointing to the sky and smiling. Carrie feigned a smile and gazed. Meridian stood up from the bed.
“I want you to come with me. I want to show you something.” Carrie looked puzzled.
“Chase, the sun has gone down. Not much to see around here.”
“Trust me. Grab that scope I gave you for your birthday. It should do the trick nicely. I need to pick something up from my quarters first. Come on, now. While we still have a planet to go out from.” She raised her hand, took Carrie’s in hers and pulled her gently from the bed.
Martian Surface
22:13 Martian Standard
After a short RV journey, Carrie and Meridian stopped three kilometres up the southern face of Elysium Mons. The ancient volcano rose out of the soil and seemed to touch the stars when viewed from its base. The dim glow from the colonial lights could be seen in the distance. At the edge of the horizon, the Atmo processors worked tirelessly, although somewhat foolhardily given the circumstances, to fill the doomed world with breathable air for impossible future generations. Carrie loved being off base. The feel of the soil produced a strange sensation in her fingertips. There was something else when she ventured out. Another feeling. Something in her mind, something familiar calling her.
“What am I looking at, Chase?” Carrie asked, peering at the display screen of the infrared magniscope given to her by Meridian on her twenty-third birthday.
The relatively compact device sat on three legs and looked like a cube resting on one of its points.
“Hang on, let me get the coordinates.” Meridian tapped a few commands into her integrated wrist screen.
“Okay, sending to you now.” The scope bleeped and swivelled on its small turret.
“Locked,” said a computerised male voice. Jycorp had not bothered with humanistic vocals for this particular range of scope.
“There she is,” said Meridian. Carrie looked at the screen and the silver disk-shaped craft filled it in perfect detail.
“The Agathon?” she responded.
“The Agathon,” Meridian repeated, with pride in her voice.
The pair stared at the quietly rotating ship. The inner FTL ring was currently extended to a ninety-degree angle. They were obviously running a mechanical test of some sort. The aft section of the vessel showed exposed decks, as a series of surrounding construction platforms arced around the hull like a cradling spider, while sparks from plasma welders flashed brightly against the emptiness. They both looked on at the floating vessel silently. Carrie did not notice her attention shift at first, as she had thought her mind had been wandering while taking in the beautiful views. Her eyes came to rest at a point in the distance. She began to take notice when Meridian touched her shoulder.
“Hey there,” she said, waving her hand in front of her face.
“You still with us here?” Carrie stayed on the point in the distance, unable to take her eyes from it. She heard something. Something out there over the rim. She felt something. Something she needed to stay far away from. A sleeping evil. Meridian shook her shoulder.
“Carrie!” She snapped back to the moment with a sharp breath and looked the doctor in her eyes.
“I am sorry, Chase, my mind wandered.”
“Yeah, it does that a lot nowadays, doesn’t it?” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“When are you going to start telling me what is going on in that Martian brain of yours?” she said. Carrie smiled and glanced back at the point in the distance, before turning back to Meridian.
“So this little trip was about The Agathon?” she said, changing the subject.
“No, little one,” she said, tapping commands into the control panel of the scope.
“This is why.” The scope shifted its axis and began to rotate to a different patch of the night’s sky.
“Locked,” it said dryly. Meridian looked at the display.
“See that?” she said to Carrie.
She approached the viewing screen and stared at the moving objects. “Debris?” she asked solemnly. The objects were too small to make out clearly with this class of scope, but were clearly moving at the same speed and seemed to be clumped together. In formation. She suddenly realised.
“Ships!” she said. She looked at Meridian.
“Ships,” she said smiling.
“Tyrell confirmed earlier this evening that multiple beacons have been detected. We knew that the transports would probably make it or at least have their courses automatically set when the pulse hit, but there are others. We got ourselves some survivors, kiddo, and they’re headed our way.”
“Any idea how many?” Carrie continued.
“Tyrell has clocked twelve at the moment, but there could be more and they’re moving fast.”
Carrie looked on at the little ships.
“Home,” said a dark voice within her.
She glanced back at the horizon, at the sudden interruption in her mind.
There was something old and evil out there and it knew she was here. A strange feeling began to run up her spine and her fingertips began to tingle as a light electric charge travelled through her body. She thought she must have left a circuit on her suit slightly exposed. Seconds later, it disappeared.
Sign up to the Agathon Crew Members List
**
February 6, 2016
The Agathon Chapter 3
3
Time since Evacuation – Four Hours
“Chancellor, can you hear me?” came a familiar, yet distant voice. The haze began to clear as the senator looked outwards towards the twinkling light.
“The disorientation will pass. Try and open your eyes slowly. You are safe.”
She looked to her right, as the form of James Ryder came into focus. Her head felt groggy and her lips were dry. She cleared her throat, which felt tight.
“What the hell happened?” she said, holding her head.
“You are on board the Nexus,” came the reply.
She looked around and noted the unmistakable appearance of her personal shuttle. The comfortable surroundings and high clean lines were something she had taken a liking to when she had first sat in the luxurious ship. Two members of her security detail were seated on the other side of the shuttle. They nodded to her.
“How are you feeling, Chancellor?” came the deep baritone voice of her head of security, Greyson Kane, a formidable ex colonial Marine from the Congo region of New Africa. She was relieved to see him. The other member of her detail was Kevin Ruffalo. Although physically not as foreboding as Kane, his accuracy with a sidearm was legendary among the protection detail.
“Hello, Greyson. I am well, thank you. Would somebody please explain to me what is happening?”
Ryder sat back in his leather chair and glanced out at the stars.
“A few hours ago, I was given an order to execute executive order Alpha. Given that protocol there was no time to discuss actions until you were safely transported to the orbital platform. In order to do that you were rendered unconscious for your own safety.” He took a slow breath.
“Chancellor, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that the planet Earth has been completely destroyed.”
She looked at Ryder.
“What?”
He continued, “As it turns out the shift in the signal carried with it a powerful Gamma ray emission which destabilized the core, causing it to detonate. I’m sorry, Sienna, but it’s gone. We barely survived ourselves. Our engines have sustained heavy damage and our life support systems are cutting out due to the ionizing radiation levels in the area. The outer shield is holding for the time being, but we still have a long way to go.”
This was a moment that she had never planned for and the magnitude started to overwhelm her. She turned to the window but was unable to contain the tear that rolled down her cheek. She covertly wiped it away and addressed her chief of staff.
“Survivors?”
“We lost most of the orbital platforms and orbiting vessels in the explosion. We set a course for Phobos the moment we got off world, so we caught the tail end of the detonation. There are several transport ships ahead of us. We don’t know how many or what shape they are in.”
“Who survived, Jim?” Sienna pressed.
“Your senior aides, the off-world colonies, obviously, and a few trade and supply vessels on various runs.” He paused again.
“We also lost contact with the moon. I am sorry.”
She felt a profound sadness take hold.
“My brother?” she asked.
“We have no communications with anyone at the moment. Radiation levels are too high, so honestly we don’t know. My guess is that the colony and structures were lost in the blast. We have no way of really knowing and are currently unable to do a visual due to the expanding debris field.”
The chancellor’s head began to spin.
“I need a glass of water, Jim.” Her chief of staff immediately jumped to order and poured her a tall glass from a jug that was sitting on a neighbouring platform. He handed it to her and she drank deeply. She steadied her shaking hand and looked at Ryder in the eye. He was clearly shaken.
“I suppose I owe you thanks for saving my life,” she said quietly, while watching the stars go by.
“Actually, I just took the order. The big man put it into effect.”
He nodded in the direction of Greyson Kane.
“Had him carry you to the shuttle once we’d knocked you out with anesthazine. Again, sorry about that but it’s procedure.” She looked at Greyson and gave the large African an earnest smile and a nod. He reciprocated and turned his attention back to the window.
“Young gave the order while you were on the phone?” she asked. Ryder gestured with his hands to indicate she had guessed correctly. She nodded. Thank you, Jerome.
“What do we know from the signal station on Phobos, before comms went blank?” she asked.
“Very little at this stage. We know that the signal amplification incorporated Gamma emissions and we evacuated on the orders of Jerome Young. We have not been able to raise anyone since the event and have set a course in the hope that the radiation levels will clear in the next thirty-two hours or so.”
The chancellor took a breath.
“Okay, Jim, let’s get everyone we have on board into the observation deck and have discussions about where we go from here. I need to get some input. Give me a half hour to get my thoughts together. These people need to know that someone is still making decisions. What is the headcount on board?”
Ryder paused.
“The head count?” he asked. “I honestly don’t know, Chancellor. We didn’t have time to take one. I will attend to that now and get back to you.”
Sienna was annoyed at that.
“Jim, if we are the only survivors of the planet Earth, it would be nice to know how many humans we were able to save on board. Don’t you think?”
“Of course, Chancellor, I will get right on it.” As he made his way to the oval door that reacted to his presence with gliding fluidity, she stopped him once more.
“Jim, did you get Laura out?”
He turned back and met her eyes.
“I am sorry, Chancellor, it was key personnel only and there simply wasn’t time.” He bowed his head and walked out of the room. The chancellor’s heart sank and her chest began to fill with rage. Her assistant and new mother-to-be had been such a vibrant spirit. Jerome Young, you son of a bitch.
Phobos
Time Since Evacuation – Four hours thirty minutes
“Emerson, get the reactor levelled off to ninety-two percent before we blow the whole place to high heaven!” shouted Tosh at the top of the metallic gangway.
The rising heat in the chamber was becoming unbearable for the large man, but he had remained to assist the young Irish engineer. Landon Emerson’s legs were visible from where Tosh was sitting on the bridge. The rest of his body was firmly hidden from view under the array of twisted metallic pipes and cables that made up the main base reactor.
“No shit, Tosh!” came the sharp Irish brogue.
“I am trying not to freeze myself solid with coolant right now, can ye gimme five fuckin’ minutes?”
Tosh responded with silence, but kept his eyes fixed on the rising pressure readouts from computers above the gangway. Tosh had given Emerson a wide berth, given his attitude and the situation they were currently in. The comms chirped.
“Tosh, it’s Young. Talk to me.”
“We’re at one hundred and three percent, Jerome. Landon is under the main coolant distribution nodes, trying to access the manual override. It’s getting pretty warm down here. Might be a good idea to start thinking about getting everyone off. If we can’t get a handle on this, we’re done here.”
Tosh didn’t fancy his chances of getting clear if the reactor went into meltdown. He didn’t like the idea of leaving his friend down here to die alone either.
“Tosh, I’m going to leave this channel open. I want updates every two minutes. Young out.” The comms chirped twice to indicate an open channel and Tosh acknowledged the head of Jycorp.
Beads of sweat were starting to roll down his ample cheeks. He had opened his tunic up and his sleeves were as far up his arms as they would allow. Tosh was still curious as to how they were all still alive. The feedback pulse from the Gamma burst that had destroyed the planet had shaken the small moon so violently that two of the equipment hangars had decompressed, killing thirty-four personnel. Through some miracle, the base reactor had remained relatively unharmed, other than a coolant lock that was now threatening a core meltdown.
“One zero four, Landon. I think it’s time to go.” Tosh was now beginning to get nervous. No response from Emerson down below.
“Landon!” he shouted.
“Come on, Paddy, it’s time to light some fires and get the hell outta Dodge.” Not that it will matter much, thought Tosh. At one hundred and six percent it was all over and, at this rate, the odds of even getting out of the chamber were slim. He looked at the gauge. One hundred and five.
“Emerson, let’s go! NOW!” He looked over the platform but couldn’t see Emerson any more.
“For fuck’s sake,” he shouted at himself. From beneath the curved and twisting metal a head appeared, which looked up to the platform and smiled.
“Got it!” Emerson shouted. Tosh looked up at the pressure reaction readouts. One hundred and one percent and falling. Ninety-nine, ninety-eight. He looked down at his large legs and sighed. Wiping a layer of sweat from his brow, he signalled to the young Irishman.
“Good lad. Good lad. Now get back up here, we have work to do before you give me a fucking heart attack.”
Emerson gave a mock salute.
“On my way.”
He slid out from under the machinery and stood up. His black overalls were covered in fluid and his hands were filthy. He made his way up the steps to the gangway, where Tosh was seated. With a shaved head and carefully unkempt stubble, Tosh often joked that he looked like Jack Tanner, a film star from back on Earth. He was a favourite among the female residents on the small moon and frequented the bedrooms of many of them on a regular basis. The playful rogue used his dry Irish humour, much to the delight and frustration of the opposite sex. He reached Tosh and put a hand on his shoulder
“Gotta say, Danny boy, I’m impressed that you stuck it out. I never thought of ending my days on this moon with you for company. No offence, but that’s not how I intend to check out.” Tosh gave him a grin and turned his chair back towards the main airlock, which had been sealed during the crisis. He keyed in some commands and the metallic circular door slid open, revealing a small group of onlookers all wearing the same overalls as Emerson.
“You all look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said Tosh, as he slid past calmly.
“If you would all be so kind as to attend to the reactor, while we ascertain the level of damage to the base, that would be splendid.” He reached for the comms system on his chair and tapped.
“Jerome, this is Tosh. We got it under control here. Emerson and I are on our way back to signal control. Do you want to meet us there?”
There was a small pause.
“Well done, Daniel. See you in five. Young out.” The abrupt communiqué told Tosh that Young was probably elbow deep in problems up there. All hell had broken loose following the signal shift. There was a moment of total shock and awe, as the flash of broken rock had filled the observational screens. Comms from Earth had gone dead in an instant. The scientists and engineers in signal control had become statues. Like wide-eyed figurines waiting to be placed in position. Then the ground had begun to shake. Tosh had remembered looking at Young, who was looking at the screens. He had shaken his head in confusion and bewilderment when their eyes had met, and grabbed a nearby upright to stop his chair from flipping on its side. He had heard a female technician shouting over the noise.
“Reactor 2 is going critical! Coolant leak on 1.”
Tosh had screamed to Emerson who had fallen next to the processing tower at the back of the control room.
“Landon, let’s go!” Emerson had responded immediately and they had scrambled to the reactor.
Signal Control Room
Time Since Evacuation – four hours forty-six minutes
The pair reached signal control and were met with chaotic scenes. Broken screens suspended from cables hung haphazardly from the roof, some still spilling white sparks over the workers below. The red haze of the emergency lighting reflected off distraught and frightened faces. Tosh searched the floor for Young and spotted him out of the corner of his eye. He appeared to be working on one of the signal backup storage capacitors. There were five in total but only three were run on a full time schedule to conserve power from the base generators. The honeycombed clear glass structures had been analysing every nanosecond of the signal for the past forty-three years. Tosh and Emerson made their way through the sparks and joined Young by one of the honeycombs. He looked up and placed a hand on Tosh.
“Still ticking, old friend. Thank you.”
Tosh nodded his head.
“I hope to Christ we can still save the signal files. If we can’t we’re fucked. Pardon my French. I can’t raise Tyrell or anyone on the surface of Mars. At the moment, we’re on our own up here. Landon, I could really use your help with this. I have everyone working on damage control and communications.”
Emerson acknowledged the words and slipped between two of the glass-honeycombed structures. Young waited for Emerson to be hidden from view and pulled Tosh aside.
“What the fuck just happened? I want a frank answer, Daniel. The human race just went extinct! I find it hard to believe that after one hundred years the fuckers chose today to blow us out of the universe.”
Tosh looked at the head of Jycorp.
“I wish I knew, Jerome. I really do.”
A female shouted from over the fray, “Mr Young, we have comms back up to Mars Colony. I have John Barrington for you.”
“Say again?” Young said to the distorted face of Mars Colony 1.
The reply was fragmented but the resolution was beginning to clear.
“Mr. Young, simply put, we have to get everyone off the surface of Phobos and Mars and onto The Agathon.” Young stared. Barrington continued, “Tyrell has confirmed that the shockwave has accelerated a large debris field which will come into contact with the surface in roughly eight months. The shock will devastate the surface and possibly shift the orbit of the planet. Phobos’s orbit is too unstable to withstand the gravitational effects of this shift and, to be blunt, we currently have nowhere else to go.”
“John, the last time I checked The Agathon was missing half of its hull.”
The image of Barrington raised an eyebrow.
“Well, Mr. Young, I suggest we get a move on, because we have eight months before humans bid this universe a fond farewell.”
“John, can I speak to Tyrell?”
“One moment.” Barrington’s face vanished from view and was replaced by Tyrell’s.
“Doctor Tyrell, are you sure about this?” Young asked.
“Quite sure, Mr Young. To be honest, we don’t really have the time to debate this decision. Preparations need to begin immediately. I suggest you begin transitioning all personnel from both orbitals and the surface base to the colony down here. I will liaise with Doctor Tosh about salvaging all data from the Monolith—”
Young interrupted him, “Tyrell, where exactly do you suppose we go?” Tyrell looked at Barrington off screen.
“Tyrell?” Young pressed.
“Well it seems to me that the logical course of action would be to initiate the FTL technology on The Agathon and, should it prove successful, then…” He paused. Young waited.
“Then…” He paused.
“Then we set a course for the origin of the signal.” Young turned away from the screen and looked at Tosh, whose face had turned a pale colour over the last several minutes.
“Tyrone, did I just hear you right?” he said over Young’s shoulder.
“Yes, Tosh. That’s why we’re building the damn thing in the first place, no?”
“So let me get this straight,” Young added.
“You are suggesting we load what is left of the human race into an untested and unfinished ship, hit the faster than light drive, then pay a visit to the planet whose inhabitants have just destroyed ours?”
Tyrell again looked off screen to Barrington.
“In a nutshell yes. I am.”
Young answered after a moment of silence, “As I see it, we have one small problem with that plan.”
Tyrell knew what he was getting at and finished his thought.
“There isn’t enough room for everyone.”
Carrie Barrington’s residence
Main Habitat Ring
Time since Evacuation – two days thirteen minutes
21:32 Martian Standard Time
The sun had taken on a luminescent green hue as it set over the Martian horizon. Carrie stood by her curved window and watched as it sank into the red landscape. The mixture of the yellow, red and green light was beautiful. The peace of the evening had been a welcome friend, as the events of the last twenty four-hours navigated her mind. The gathering of the colonists in the main cargo hangar earlier in the day had taken its toll on her, as the devastation of two thousand people had flooded into the air. She could see their thoughts hovering over them, as if their minds had run out of space in which to store them. Thousands of dead faces had filled the air. The friends and families of loved ones left behind. Generations of those left on Earth. She had taken precautions before the meeting, by allowing her mind to lock itself safely inside her castle. The drawbridge pulled and all weapons firmly targeted at the entrance. At the moment of the announcement, she had opened fire and had successfully kept the wave of enemy feelings at bay. Only just. Some of the colonists had become distressed and had run out of the main hall. They had run, to no avail, to the closest communications terminal to try and contact anyone off world to confirm. Her father had let them go and urged calm while they had gathered more information about next steps.
What had followed was four hours of intense questioning from the settlers, most of whome were scientists or medical personnel. The anger of the military complement had proven to be more difficult for Carrie to deal with than she had anticipated. Their thoughts were a mix of focused, determined, and disciplined anger looking for revenge. Their surface was well guarded, but beneath was a sea of uncertainty. The castle was in danger.
As she looked on to the sunset she turned to the open Holo file she had running on the desk beside her bed. It was an old file her father had given to her, from when they were preparing for the journey to her new home. The live rendition was taken on the shores of the beach in Playa Norte in Mexico, with endless white sand and shallow water. Her mother’s smiling face as she looked on at the rolling waves was one of Carrie’s favourite images. She looked happy. She really had been a beautiful woman. Carrie lay on her bed and closed her eyes, while listening to the sea and laughter of her parents. She lowered the drawbridge and allowed the feelings of serenity to permeate throughout her mind. Her mother’s laughter filled the universe and Carrie could not hold back the warm smile that she formed involuntarily. As the drawbridge lowered, she saw her mother waiting for her. She saw her face as it found hers and the love that accompanied it wrapped around her like a thousand soft feathers.
The entrance chime to her quarters snapped her eyes open suddenly. It was unusual for her to be startled by the presence of another colonist, as she sensed them long before they normally approached.
“Come in,” she said.
The door, recognising the command, released the locking mechanism and slid open with a soft hiss. Chase Meridian was in the doorway.
“May I enter?” she said softly. Carrie smiled.
“Of course, Chase, no need to ask.”
She swung her legs up and sat against the headrest. Chase walked in slowly and stood at the foot of her bed. She caught the Holo image Carrie had been running.
“She was really hot stuff, wasn’t she?”
“She was,” Carrie replied.
“Still, I think you would have given her a run for her money.”
She sat at the end of the soft mattress and looked out at the failing light.
“I wanted to see how you were holding up,” she said, as she continued her gaze out onto the Martian landscape.
“We will have to leave here,” she answered quietly.
“Soon.”
“I am worried about my father. I do not think he is fully aware of what is expected of him from this time forward. He is afraid.”
Meridian laughed.
“Your father knows exactly what is expected of him, kiddo. Be careful not to confuse fear with acceptance of sadness. He has lost a great deal. Besides, he’s not alone. We’ve got Jerome Young himself preparing to land with all the crew from up there. Maybe he can buy us a new planet?” she said, pointing to the sky and smiling. Carrie feigned a smile and gazed. Meridian stood up from the bed.
“I want you to come with me. I want to show you something.” Carrie looked puzzled.
“Chase, the sun has gone down. Not much to see around here.”
“Trust me. Grab that scope I gave you for your birthday. It should do the trick nicely. I need to pick something up from my quarters first. Come on, now. While we still have a planet to go out from.” She raised her hand, took Carrie’s in hers and pulled her gently from the bed.
Martian Surface
22:13 Martian Standard
After a short RV journey, Carrie and Meridian stopped three kilometres up the southern face of Elysium Mons. The ancient volcano rose out of the soil and seemed to touch the stars when viewed from its base. The dim glow from the colonial lights could be seen in the distance. At the edge of the horizon, the Atmo processors worked tirelessly, although somewhat foolhardily given the circumstances, to fill the doomed world with breathable air for impossible future generations. Carrie loved being off base. The feel of the soil produced a strange sensation in her fingertips. There was something else when she ventured out. Another feeling. Something in her mind, something familiar calling her.
“What am I looking at, Chase?” Carrie asked, peering at the display screen of the infrared magniscope given to her by Meridian on her twenty-third birthday.
The relatively compact device sat on three legs and looked like a cube resting on one of its points.
“Hang on, let me get the coordinates.” Meridian tapped a few commands into her integrated wrist screen.
“Okay, sending to you now.” The scope bleeped and swivelled on its small turret.
“Locked,” said a computerised male voice. Jycorp had not bothered with humanistic vocals for this particular range of scope.
“There she is,” said Meridian. Carrie looked at the screen and the silver disk-shaped craft filled it in perfect detail.
“The Agathon?” she responded.
“The Agathon,” Meridian repeated, with pride in her voice.
The pair stared at the quietly rotating ship. The inner FTL ring was currently extended to a ninety-degree angle. They were obviously running a mechanical test of some sort. The aft section of the vessel showed exposed decks, as a series of surrounding construction platforms arced around the hull like a cradling spider, while sparks from plasma welders flashed brightly against the emptiness. They both looked on at the floating vessel silently. Carrie did not notice her attention shift at first, as she had thought her mind had been wandering while taking in the beautiful views. Her eyes came to rest at a point in the distance. She began to take notice when Meridian touched her shoulder.
“Hey there,” she said, waving her hand in front of her face.
“You still with us here?” Carrie stayed on the point in the distance, unable to take her eyes from it. She heard something. Something out there over the rim. She felt something. Something she needed to stay far away from. A sleeping evil. Meridian shook her shoulder.
“Carrie!” She snapped back to the moment with a sharp breath and looked the doctor in her eyes.
“I am sorry, Chase, my mind wandered.”
“Yeah, it does that a lot nowadays, doesn’t it?” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“When are you going to start telling me what is going on in that Martian brain of yours?” she said. Carrie smiled and glanced back at the point in the distance, before turning back to Meridian.
“So this little trip was about The Agathon?” she said, changing the subject.
“No, little one,” she said, tapping commands into the control panel of the scope.
“This is why.” The scope shifted its axis and began to rotate to a different patch of the night’s sky.
“Locked,” it said dryly. Meridian looked at the display.
“See that?” she said to Carrie.
She approached the viewing screen and stared at the moving objects. “Debris?” she asked solemnly. The objects were too small to make out clearly with this class of scope, but were clearly moving at the same speed and seemed to be clumped together. In formation. She suddenly realised.
“Ships!” she said. She looked at Meridian.
“Ships,” she said smiling.
“Tyrell confirmed earlier this evening that multiple beacons have been detected. We knew that the transports would probably make it or at least have their courses automatically set when the pulse hit, but there are others. We got ourselves some survivors, kiddo, and they’re headed our way.”
“Any idea how many?” Carrie continued.
“Tyrell has clocked twelve at the moment, but there could be more and they’re moving fast.”
Carrie looked on at the little ships.
“Home,” said a dark voice within her.
She glanced back at the horizon, at the sudden interruption in her mind.
There was something old and evil out there and it knew she was here. A strange feeling began to run up her spine and her fingertips began to tingle as a light electric charge travelled through her body. She thought she must have left a circuit on her suit slightly exposed. Seconds later, it disappeared.
February 3, 2016
6,000 words in…
Things are starting to pick up pace a little bit as I steadfastly start the ground work for the first two chapters of The Agathon Book 3 (Sword of Stars). The routine of getting up every morning at 6 am and writing is starting to settle in. I am writing steadily at least 1000 words a day now and have a deadline of May 30th for completion. Along with using the very useful Scrivner program I am also tracking the storyline by writing a brief sentence on an A4 pad for each paragraph written. This is a very useful method for keeping track of the storyline down the road when we hit the 30,000’s. While Scrivner gives a notes section for every draft of a scene and a cork board system for keeping track of notes I find that an old fashioned A4 note pad is more linear. ANYWAY !!… enough of that nonsense lets get down to the nitty gritty…. So what’s book 3 about then!… I hear you scream at your computer…
Well I am not telling you … so there… It’s waaaaay to early to be going into plot details on this one as book 2 has yet to be released and book 1 is just starting to take hold in the world but I PROMISE to give a little sneak peak into what is happening to The Agathon crew very soon!!… In the mean time I have to get back to writing book 3 or I’ll start blabbing on and get nothing done..
Forward we go!…
Colin
January 30, 2016
Book 3 – And off we go again
2300 words into book 3.. This is a slow start. One of the hardest things to do is get through the first 10000 words. I really struggle with the beginning of novels. It usually takes me a few weeks to warm up to the routine again. It’s been three months since I finished the edit of book 2 and I was completely out of juice. At the moment I am only averaging five to six hundred words a day which is pretty miserable when faced with another 100000 word uphill struggle. I get into the flow after the first couple of chapters and then things start moving (fingers crossed). NANOWRIMO is something I could never get the handle of because if my pacing or story structure is rushed all I end up with is 50000 words of pure shite which is a complete waste of time when I could be concentrating on the long slog of forming something worth reading. Either that or I just can’t write to that level. Not that NONOWRIMO isn’t worth doing I think its an amazing challenge for those who are able for it. My targets are at least 1000 words a day. If I can manage 1000 a day then book three should have a good chunk ready by May… YAY!
Book 3 is the last instalment of The Agathon series BOOOOOOOO… I want to go out on a bang with this story. I am already planning my 4th book which is a stray from sci-fi and into the thriller arena to shake things up a bit so keep an eye out for that in late 2016..
By the way you can now buy The Agathon book 1 for only $0.99 !!!
Give it a whirl you might like it 
Colin
January 25, 2016
KIC 8462852 – Is there a Dyson Sphere out there?
So you may, or may not heard of a weird little event that happened last year when indications from a mysterious star designated KIC 8462852 (I wish NASA would name these stars) propped up the heads of the scientific community. Observations from 2009-2013 showed the light dimming from the star, which is 1500 light years away, from between 15-22%. Now, before we all go nuts here and start talking about alien mega-structures, it must be noted at this point that SETI has been pointing its dishes at this star and has so far not found any evidence of any radio transmissions. As we all know by now, extrasolar planets are detected by the Keplar space telescope by measuring the amount of light that is blocked by a star as a planet moves in front of it. They have found thousands of such extrasolar planets and I have no doubt that the galaxy is home to billions of them waiting to be discovered. Millions of which, we conclude, will be in the habitable or goldilocks zones capable of supporting life. So let’s put this aside for a moment and talk about KIC 8462852. Let’s say, hypothetically, that the amount of dimming we are seeing WHICH IS HUGE (imagine that a Jupiter sized planet only blocks about 1% of the light from our own sun) is not from a natural phenomenon. Let’s say that it is not from an enormous debris field or cluster of rogue comets (which it probably is) BUT!!! let’s say that it’s not. Then what? Well, the megastructure theory, that was so keenly floating around is a fun one because it lets us explore another really cool idea. The idea of the Dyson Sphere. A theory which was put forward by Freeman Dyson, theoretical physicist and mathematician who put forward an idea that an advanced civilisation could utilise the power of their host star by building a sphere encompassing the entire system thus harnessing the power of the sun and having an inexhaustible supply of energy. SETI has submitted papers documenting these observations.
If it is mega-structure of some kind and no signals are being detected from it then it’s safe to assume that whomever or whatever built it is no longer around. Perhaps some cataclysmic event wiped out the inhabitants of that world or PERHAPS…. it was the Targlagdu! (read The Agathon for that reference) !!!..
Here’s a clip from Star Trek to explain Dyson Sphere’s
January 21, 2016
The Agathon, FTL Technology
The debate over the use of FTL (faster than light) technology in Sci-Fi books rages on. When writing The Agathon, I wanted to come up with some sort of “realistic” feel to how the ship would travel faster than light. The accepted thought around this whole area is that FTL technology doesn’t mean anything in Sci-Fi as the laws of physics strictly prohibit the possibility of accelerating a mass to the speed of light. The energy requirements become infinite. So how do we get around this for the purpose of story telling. I have always believed that if I wrote a sci-fi book, the ship would absolutely have to be able to travel between star systems. The Agathon uses an “FTL” ring that spins around the ship perpendicular to the hull creating a gravitational waves that distort space time creating a “warp bubble”. It’s pretty much the same concept used in Star Trek. (They really knew how to move a ship). The warp bubble contains the ship in an artificial pocket of space time warping the surrounding space around the ship. See !… Easy !. The idea for the FTL ring, other than it being really cool, actually came from the design of the spinning platform from the movie ‘Contact’ with Jodie Foster.. A clip of which I have attached below.
The FTL ring attached to The Agathon is a single ring of metal, as opposed to several rings on the device that Jodie Foster sits in at the end of the movie. I have always thought that you would need some sort of moving gravitational device attached to a space ship to create a warp bubble. Anyway I will be posting some fan art of what the ship should look like soon. Can’t wait to see it!…
Forward we go..
Colin
