First Contact: Book One in The Deepening Series (A Space Rock Opera Romance Adventure)

by Kelly Brewer

  Franco was about to explain when Kyle interrupted. “Franc, I have to ask you something. That creature spoke specifically about us finding their water. Water is destiny. Without it, the Deepening dies. Earth resources cannot support life there and out here. If you would allow it, I want to take a water truck out and drop nets into Neptune’s atmosphere. I know it’s been tried before, but let’s try again. I have… a feeling, for lack of a better term. When we went around the planet yesterday, I saw… something. Not sure what it was, but I need to check it out. Mercy is the best flier. She could take us out. Send a warship with us in case we run into something.”

  Franco smiled. “If you would give me a minute son, that’s exactly what is about to happen. It’s what I’ve been working on. It’s part of the reason I came to Neptune.

  “Two years ago we miraculously received transmissions from an old probe we’d sent into the Neptunian atmosphere a decade before. We thought they had all been destroyed, then one started sending back readings. It mapped a vast layer of mineable water below the methane ice on the surface of the planet. Just a guess, but the creatures may have been intercepting the probes and one somehow slipped past them.

  “The old electromagnetic nets you mention can’t go deep enough without breaking apart. This ship contains new technology designed to collect deep subsurface samples. Deeper than we’ve been able to reach before. I want you two to take it out for its first test run.”

  Mercy and Kyle looked at each other.

  “Deployment of the water probe itself is preprogrammed. You don’t have to know how it works, just hit the drop button. It’s a self-contained unit and you can leave after the drop.”

  “Thank you,” Kyle replied, amazed once more at the unfolding of events.

  As they began boarding, Franco continued, “Water rights out past the 300 million mile perihelion are first come, first served. Whoever finds the water will own the rights. Just like any mineral or precious metal. Whoever spends the time and money to harvest it, gets to profit from it.

  Your ship will map the harvester’s search and whatever it finds will belong to you. I want you two to find it so future royalties go to you and my grandchildren, potentially forever. If the probe finds water, you will control the rights. You will be mega-rich.”

  Kyle chuckled, hugging Mercy closer. “I’m already rich, sir. And I want Mercy to have everything. Let’s do this. Now. Before Doc Hadjii gets here and turns me into a guinea pig!”

  “I’ll make the flight plan and log it with air traffic control. Just to make the flight official,” Mercy added.

  Franco smiled at her. “You are a strong, smart young woman. I’m so very proud of you. Your mom is too.”

  He raised that eyebrow apologetically. Funny how such a little thing could mean so much.

  So, her dad knew. What a relief! She wouldn’t have to say the words.

  She hugged him and he kissed the top of her head.

  “Maybe everything will be ok. Someday.”

  He let her go.

  She jumped eagerly into the space boat, followed by the faithful jackie.thingy. A technician ran her through drop procedures.

  Franco turned to Kyle. “I’ll tell Hadjii and Dock and Mr. Tamer where you are after you leave. Ship is ready to deploy. All necessaries are already on board. You have the best pilot available, so… go!”

  Kyle said, “Um, I need my cat.”

  He wasn’t leaving her behind this time.

  The two aqua-nauts eventually launched with the good kitty. Mercy took them out into orbit, followed by a squadron of Franco’s private military vessels.

  Flying low over the Ice Giant, Kyle asked Mercy to wait for his signal to deploy the water-mining technology. While he waited, he checked jacki.butler.bot for functionality and realized its memory card was nearly full. The bot had been busy. Kyle scrolled through the recorded events and saw an entry at the time of the Neptune disaster. A fast-forward scan showed the concert, his encounter with the alien, and the aftermath. Wow. That was going to make a fascinating home movie after things settled down.

  Admiring the deep-blue methane clouds circling Neptune far below, Kyle felt they were near. “Ok, baby, let’s fish here.”

  Mercy hit the drop button and they heard the bottom bay open and the harvester deploy. They watched the proprietary machinery drop down through the frozen clouds. A cryo-geyser erupted beneath them, near where the instrument dropped. Kyle pointed at the top of the plume.

  “See! There! There it is again! It is an animal! The animal rides the geyser! Did you see it?”

  Mercy said, “No. I’m flying! Cameras have been recording the whole time so we’ll check it later… after I have my way with you again.”

  She turned her seat to face him. He stepped away from the cupola and admired her. She began to unzip her breasts from the tight flight suit.

  Sensors aboard the probe began relaying its initial findings. Irritated at the interruption and still unzipping, she glanced at the instrument panel.

  “Damn, starting to get readings back already. Wow, you were right! Initial reading is 97% pure water below where the probe dropped. Maybe you are a Water Witch! But it will take some time before it tells us volume and depth. I have something else I need you to study deeply… right now, though.”

  She squirmed in her seat. Her panties felt so restricting. She pulled her jump suit down and reached them to a more comfortable position.

  Kyle scanned the horizon where the probe had disappeared one last time. His heart stopped. Surging out of the upper Neptunian atmosphere were several large objects, hurtling straight for them.

  “Pull up, baby, pull up!!!” he shouted at her, slamming back into his seat. His wide eyes told her not to hesitate.

  Calmly, half-naked, she turned and grabbed the joystick, pulling the nose of the craft up and away from the Neptunian atmosphere and the fast approaching UFOs. She set to full-thrust and surged away, testing their pursuer’s speed. The UFOs quickly gained in pursuit. Kyle pulled up a monitor, zooming in on the approaching objects. The Texan stared. They looked like stone, but were uniform in shape, classic saucer shape.

  Smaller, cigar-shaped projectiles launched from ports on the leading edges of the objects.

  “They’re firing at us!” he exclaimed.

  The military ships following a few miles behind began firing back at the UFO fleet.

  Mercy quickly programmed a jump and banged the button. Just as they disappeared, a cigar-shaped projectile slammed into the Mass Transfer Unit that had swapped places with the water truck.

  A bright orange light lit the sky, the MTU obliterated.

  The Great War of Neptune’s Rail had begun.

  EPILOGUE

  The creatures had absolutely swarmed Neptune stadium. Sadly, over 3500 people had been killed that evening, though the Centre antidote had preempted hundreds of deaths. Humanity fought back when they finally realized they were at war. That confrontation could have gone much worse, Detective Mooney summarized, in what would be his final report.

  Station Neptune, and every station from here to Mars, still had a problem. All unused storage spaces were stuffed with the bagged remains of unclaimed Happy victims. When Mooney lost Grisholm, he’d lost track of the effort to dispose of the dead. The space armadas were crammed with bodies and parts, clenched and frozen, entire stations floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall dead.

  Dead Steve Lathrop and thousands of others opened empty, desiccated eyes when they heard those three beautiful words every reanimated zombie cannibal needs to hear:

  “YoU aRe RE-PURPOZZED…REEEE-Purpozzzzzzed!!!”

  The End of the Beginning

  Let’s Connect!

  Thank you so much for joining Mercy and Kyle on this wild ride! But the story is far from over…

  Sign up on my blog to be notified of any pending book releases
and receive your bonus soundtracks:

  https://kgbrewer.com/First-Contact-Bonuses

  Please do not hesitate to connect with me if you have any questions come up about this book, or if you just want someone to chat with.

  I would be happy to hear from you and I enjoy connecting with readers.

  Thanks again,

  –Kelly

  A Quick Favor Please?

  Before you go can I ask you for a quick favor?

  Thanks, I knew I could count on you.

  I just ask that you please leave this book a review on Amazon.

  Reviews are very important for authors like me, as they help other people know we exist, and of course, sell more books. This will in turn enable me to write more books for you and keep the story going!

  Please take just a moment to go to Amazon and leave this book an honest review. I promise it doesn’t take very long.

  Thank you so much for reading, and for being part of the journey.

  About the Author

  Kelly Brewer has been inspired by hero’s from the early age of 2 after seeing Zorro on TV. His fascination with fantasy continued through his childhood and teen years when Captain America collided with Rock & Roll after he received his first guitar for Christmas at age 13.

  As an adult, his romance with the guitar only heightened his love of superhero sagas.

  Kelly has combined his musical talent and love of fantasy heroes in his first novel, which features a fictional character Kyle—half rock star, half war hero—who launches into space in search of fame, fortune, adventure and love.

  Kelly was born in Kansas but grew up in Texas where he attended Lamar University in Beaumont, but dropped out to travel with a rock band throughout the United States. He married and settled down for a while to raised two beautiful daughters and focus on his real estate business, which he’s owned since he was a teenager.

  But in time, his love of music and superhero fantasy re-surfaced and now he spends his time performing music and trying his hand at writing science fiction. You can follow Kelly at KGBrewer.com.