Teardrop From The Past: Sci-Fi Novella Read online

  Teardrop From

  The Past

  By

  Jason R. Hemmings

  Copyright (c) 2017

  Author

  Jason R. Hemmings

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is strictly prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  Dedication

  To Ray Bradbury, my favourite author, for being my inspiration to write.

  For everyone who does care about the future of this beautiful planet and your valiant efforts not to let it become just another teardrop from the past...

  My wonderful wife Emma. You are the world to me.

  Author

  Jason R. Hemmings

  Preface

  Teardrop From The Past

  In the year of 2197, the world is still divided.

  The Progressionalists occupy what is left of the Earth; whilst the Council of Light are the outcasts living on a teardrop shaped space station just above the planet.

  A brilliant scientist finds a magical nebula which leads to another galaxy and a beautiful planet named Nouveaux, where he discovers a spiritual, mysterious race and someone he thought he would never meet again. In time he realises they need to find a way to save their dying planet, for which he may have the answer. But time is running out for both Earth and Nouveaux.

  Teardrop From The Past invites you to become part of this dramatic, touching and poignantly ironic space opera.

  Contents

  1 - Transparency

  2 - The Tree Of Regrets

  3 - Forbidden

  4 - Compromise

  5 - Nebula To Nouveaux

  6 - Teardrop From The Past

  1

  Transparency

  I had a birthday coming.

  In a few days I would be two hundred years old. I gasped at the thought. How could I be that old? But then the impossible was possible these days; at least for some.

  In the year of 2197, the world was still divided.

  The Progressionalists occupied what was left of the Earth. They had built vast cities which stretched to the sky; covered every inch of the planet with pollution and profanity.

  We were the outcasts living on a space station in the shape of a giant teardrop, which floated just above the Earth.

  For the Progressionalists, power was everything, materialism dominated and the present was the only thing of any meaning to them.

  For the Council of Light, a few thousand in number, we lived with old values and new hopes. For us, up here in the silent heavens, peace, understanding and the freedom to fulfil a better way of life existed. On our small home here, you could find sentimentalists and the regret for a beautiful planet destroyed by obsession below.

  There was a secret here that I had kept hidden from the Progressionalists; our last hope to escape them forever. She rested silently suspended in the spaceport area of the space station. Her pearlescent body shimmered like an oversized mirror which reflected the dream of two decades. She was the ‘Phoenix.’ My spacecraft had been named that because of the fiery trail her wings left across space when she flew at light speed, giving her the appearance of the mythical Greek bird. It had taken me almost twenty years to create. The Progressionalists had nothing like this. Indeed, they had spacecraft, but none capable of travelling just passed the speed of light. That is why she remained a secret. Her weaponry and defence outclassed anything they had too. From my experiments, I had discovered a way to harness energy to create incredible inventions. I was revered by the Council of Light. For me though, I merely wanted to regain all the beautiful things the Progressionalists had taken away from us.

  But I was running out of time; we all were.

  I had just returned from a new world, which I hoped would provide the beauty we desired for so long.

  Only yesterday, I was there.

  A few days before, I had been testing the light drive on the Phoenix. I was tearing up and down the solar system, like a child on a new bicycle; in the days when children still had them. It would take me about four hours to travel the two point seven billion miles to reach the planet Neptune. While admiring its appearance of milky blue tones and serenity of solitude, almost as though it preferred not to have company, I noticed an entrance to a nebula begin to appear. There was nothing charted for this region, so I became curious and edged the Phoenix in slowly. The nebula was stunning; composed from coloured strands of light, like pastel ribbons weaved by an artist against the night of space. It was fascinating to fly through, with small electrical discharges at times, which illuminated the alcoves of the nebula. I spent about an hour following its pathway until finally it dissolved away to reveal something quite extraordinary.

  As the Phoenix nudged its way forward, a large planet came into view. I slowed to point one glide speed, setting the craft in orbit. I stood still, gazing from the bridge at the transparency which enveloped the planet. It was so beautiful. It moved not unlike the gentle currents of an ocean, allowing the stars beyond to show through at times. It glowed in sapphire and topaz, almost as though it was there and not there. Nothing showed on the scanner, but the on-board computer reminded me we were presently sitting on the edge of the Andromeda galaxy; millions of light years from Earth. How was that possible? I rechecked the calculations on the equipment, but it was functioning correctly. My only conclusion was that travelling through the nebula was somehow like a shortcut across the galaxies. There had been a theory about these passageways which linked galaxies for years, but none had ever been discovered. Perhaps this was one of them?

  As I continued to study the planet, I became ever more fascinated by its appearance. It were as though it beckoned me to come closer; almost as if something or someone called to me in a way.

  So I decided to take a closer look. I asked Lightstar to prepare the shuttlecraft. She obeyed in a sultry tone of voice. Lightstar was a companion; a friend in a way. She was triangular in shape, a few inches across and flat in appearance. She glowed in a silvery, white light when activated. I attached her to one side of my waistline. She was a communicator, information highway, weaponry and on-board computer for the Phoenix. I had programmed her to have a personality, albeit she seemed to have developed slightly sarcastic tones of late, which was amusing.

  When I reached the shuttlecraft, I left the Phoenix and began the journey to the planet’s surface. I had named the shuttlecraft Papillon, as it meant butterfly in the French language. The craft mirrored its name in appearance, with a narrow body and large, yet delicate wings; small thrusters burned to the rear of each one. As I grew nearer, I was still curious as to what was hidden behind the transparency of this mysterious place.

  I steered Papillon through the mist of the outer rim, reaching the pale blues of the sky, as I descended. The planet was about five times larger than Earth. The atmosphere was similar too, as I scanned for any significant life. All that was present were oceans, lush landforms and rivers which flowed between canyons. I found a clearing to set the shuttlecraft down near one of the coastlines. Lightstar confirmed it was safe to leave the craft, so I ventured outside, after the long ramp folded down as a walkway to the ground. It seemed I had found a paradise.

  With my first few footsteps, I suddenly felt the warmth of the sunlight on my face and the colours of the sky began to fascinate me. The air had a sweet scent to it to begin with, but as I neared th
e end of the ramp it suggested saltiness instead. Exotic birds flew above, calling out at times as I watched. But what lay ahead of me, was something I had waited for almost a hundred years to be near again. I stepped from the clearing through tall grasses and onto the sand dunes of a magnificent bay. After almost twenty years of being cooped up in the space station I had called my home, I was suddenly beside the dream I so longed for; a picturesque coastline on a summer’s afternoon.

  I continued bathing in the beauty of the place; the sound of the waves, the warmth of the sunlight on my skin and the serenity. All those desperately long years of waiting dissolved into tears which ran from my face at the realisation around me, which only yesterday was transparency; a dream. Then, standing here alone, I wondered if perhaps I was dreaming; but it was real. I kicked off my shoes and stood with my bare feet in the shallows of the warm water to soothe them. This was truly wonderful. I did something else I had not done for years too; I started laughing with delight.

  For the next few hours, I did not want to do anything except be as care-free as a child playing. I just wandered the shoreline by myself, imagining those days with Liberté, my late wife, back on Earth, when it was still this beautiful. In a way, her memory stayed with me for all of the afternoon.

  By early evening, I reluctantly returned to the Phoenix. I was becoming weary, what with my age and a little hungry. Despite all the remedies that had kept me alive for this long, when they wore off, I began to feel my age and it was not comfortable. On board the Phoenix, I rejuvenated myself with an age repelling capsule I carried with me. It was small, compact and shone a lilac coloured light onto my hand when used, which contained a magic blend of ingredients capable of making me feel supple and gave me the capability of someone much younger. It was an illusion, like many things nowadays, but it relieved the burden of my age.

  After dinner, I rested by the shoreline again to watch the sunset. The crimson tones reflected from the Phoenix's wings and reminded me of a troubled world I had to return to.

  For the next few days, I studied the new world I had decided to call ‘Nouveaux.’ I named its moon ‘Longevity.’ Lightstar thought of that one. Nouveaux was spectacular. It was vast in size; five times larger than Earth, offering any choice of scenery at its four corners. Its atmosphere was similar to Earth’s with fertile land for growing crops, fresh water and only minimal other small life forms, such as birds and ocean creatures.

  Eventually the time came, when I chose to return to Earth. Before I left, I watched the mysterious transparency again from space that the planet shimmered from. There was no explanation scientifically for this anomaly; it merely left the planet with an air of fascination and delicate beauty.

  My approach to the space station was only known to the Council of Light and myself. The Phoenix had the capacity to be cloaked from the prying eyes of the Progressionalists ships, which lurked nearby. My exits from the station and returns were best kept a secret.

  As I approached the station at point one glide, the sun edged light and shadow across the giant teardrop suspended in the night sky. Solar cells reflected like huge mirrors to each side, as the triangular door to the spaceport opened. The Phoenix tilted slightly in an elegant way on her approach as we made our way safely into the port area of the station, as Lightstar completed the docking. I was greeted by Pisces and Clemetia, as I arrived. They were naturally curious to find out if my experiments were successful and where I had been for the last few days. We walked side-by-side along the white corridor, which led to the viewing deck of the station. I invited them for a drink and said I would explain my absence; I had new hope for us all. My words made my friends even more curious as we made ourselves comfortable on the deck.

  It was an open ledge of the station, protected by an invisible force field, much like the Phoenix, which allowed you to sit effectively outside the station with a view of Earth and space. It was like a balcony in a way; somewhere to enjoy the company of friends. Pisces was the station’s philosopher; Clemetia was a spiritualist. Pisces was versed in history; he remembered the past and enjoyed sharing it with others. Clemetia was like a mother of spiritual tranquillity. You could go to her for advice or just talk with her about anything. She had the most soothing voice; like silk or honey in tone.

  We spent time together, as I explained my triumphant journey in the Phoenix, the miracle of the nebula and my discovery of Nouveaux. I emphasised I had found what had been impossible until now; a new home, far away from the Progressionalists reach. My friends were speechless to begin with, then the realisation that our dream could be fulfilled brought a teardrop to Clemetia's eyes. She reached out and put her hand gently on my cheek, then announced that I had done something wonderful for everyone here. She thanked me for the brilliance of my knowledge and giving the Council of Light new hope with this news. I smiled my thanks and understanding too. I was just about to say something, when Lightstar politely interrupted with a message. My android named ‘Dream,’ was signalling to be collected. She was currently on Earth researching something for me and required me to retrieve her. I made my apologies to my friends to be excused. They said they would discuss what they had learnt with the others, until I returned. They wished me luck with my journey, to recover Dream.

  So I returned to the Phoenix. I only needed Papillon to fly to Earth; besides, she could be disguised too. Once aboard, I instructed Lightstar to separate us from the Phoenix and engage ‘Mirage’ mode. Papillon dissolved through transparency to become invisible.

  We tiptoed from the station and neatly past the scattered group of the Progressionalists ships, like a whisper through the night shadows. I smiled as we flew by unnoticed, but this was no laughing matter. Retrieving Dream unnoticed on the planet below, would not be easy.

  I instructed Lightstar to lock onto Dream’s location, which she promptly did, adding sarcastically that she hoped we would all be returning soon enough from the wretched planet below. I agreed, as we cut through the clouds, which buffeted Papillon at times. We emerged beneath to the familiar gloom of rainstorms, mixed with pollution haze and an endless city that stretched miles into the sky. The buildings were of unusual shapes, all glowing from neon lights of different colours. Shuttlecraft came and went, whilst exhausts from structures ignited with flames sending orange clouds up to join the rest of the polluted skyline.

  We continued unnoticed, amongst the sky traffic towards an enormous skyscraper, which resembled a giant sail; silver in colour. The rain battered Papillon as we reached the building. I was jamming all intended probe transmissions by the Progressionalists; they may suspect I was coming, despite my discretion. I had sent Dream here to analyse one of the Progressionalists old fusion plants. I suspected it was reaching its end and left unchecked, could result in disastrous consequences. Dream was secretly researching the reactor for me. I had given her stolen codes and a drone identity to gain access to the plant and only hoped the Progressionalists would not suspect her presence. The reactor’s breach could cause an explosion so strong it could potentially destroy Earth and half the solar system. The Progressionalists were too complacent and arrogant to be concerned, of course.

  Lightstar announced she had Dream located on a landing platform on the two hundred and twenty seventh floor, then she made a flippant remark about asking for landing rights, before bringing the craft down gently with only minimal thrusters, so as not to alert anyone. Dream stood alone, as I lowered the ramp from the underside of the craft, then emerged to meet her. The rain beat down on the platform surface and I became suspicious that this was perhaps too quiet and too easy for my liking. Dream waved and began walking towards me quickly, then suddenly someone came from a side entrance, along with two guards and grabbed Dream by the arm. I stopped at the ramp’s base, frowning at a face I recognised in front of me. It was the twitching smirk of President Mofeya’s sidekick, Lithius. He was Mofeya’s lapdog in every way; snivelling and greasy, but just as callous and untrustworthy. He stepped forward and demanded I surren
der, as the rain poured from the gloomy skies or he would eliminate Dream. He laughed in a smug manner, taunting me that I was not going to escape this time. That was one thing I could always rely on; his overinflated opinion of himself. I detached Lightstar and whispered to shield me, to which she responded. I took her in my hand and threw her at Lithius. She glowed in a brilliant white light, as she flew spiritedly through the air, releasing a pulse of energy next to each of the guards, then in turn Lithius, rendering them helpless as Dream made her escape to me.

  She ran to me and I took her by the hand, as we made haste into Papillon. Lightstar followed us in as the ramp sealed the hull of the craft. I thanked Lightstar and told her to plot a course for the space station, at point nine glide. She obeyed and the thrusters dusted the landing platform as we tilted forwards and flew away, leaving Lithius to pout at our cunning departure. But we were not safe yet by any means. Lightstar said half a dozen small ships were tracking us, probably from our exhaust trail as it was still visible. Suddenly, the craft jolted from laser fire from astern. I was not too worried about them. Papillon was small but well armed.

  I got Lightstar to target all six craft, then fired a laser beam from the stern cutting each of the Progressionalists ships clean in half, sending explosions and fiery debris scattering to the ground below. Lightstar announced we were clear and climbed the craft up through the outer atmosphere. Dream sat quietly beside me. Papillon powered into space and soon the oversized teardrop became a welcome relief to us to see again. The nearer we grew to the space station, I began getting a sinking feeling we were not home free yet. As I looked from the bridge, a fleet of ships blocked the path to the station, so I slowed to point one glide and brought the craft to a stop. It was a trap alright; with over a hundred ships waiting for our return. Right at the centre of the fleet was a saucer shaped ship, I knew only too well. It belonged to Mofeya. It was pointless to try and evade them; I was outnumbered. I disengaged mirage and let them know I was here. It was a stand-off.