Eternals Among Us: Book one

by Larry W. Miller Jr.

  Flight of the Nostos

  Eternals Among Us

  Larry W. Miller Jr.

  Text copyright © 2021 Larry W. Miller Jr.

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Other books by Larry W. Miller Jr.

  Fantasy Titles:

  Trials of an Arch Mage – Book I Discovery

  Trials of an Arch Mage – Pern and the Giant Forest

  Trials of an Archmage – Pern and the Mystic Library

  Trials of an Archmage – Book IV ascension/Circle of Darkness

  Long Live the Queen

  Balance lost / A Strange Friendship

  A Kingdom of Unity

  Revenge of the Brotherhood

  Caitlin’s Secret

  In the Hands of Rogues

  Thomas the Dragon’s Coming of Age

  Science Fiction Titles:

  Droptroopers: Gauntlet of Fear

  A Watery Crash

  The Last Wizard of Earth

  Conquest of New Eden / Sins of the Father

  Alvarez Shipping Company: The saga of Myrlita Alvarez

  Space Station Blues

  To Choose Eternity

  First Citizen

  A Public Divided: the forgotten mission

  EL10

  Urban Drama Titles:

  Fade to Gray

  Emergence of a Titan

  In Earth’s Defense

  Dissention of the Gods

  Religious Science Fiction Title:

  Sarah’s Miracle

  Fictional Biography Title:

  The Adventures of Shooter

  All of these titles are available from Amazon.com. If you are looking for books in print form, creatspace.com has been acquired by Amazon.com so both versions of my books reside in one convenient location! You can see and preview all of my books from my author’s page at the following URL…

  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00DGIFLZC

  Coming soon…

  Flight of the Nostos

  Book 2

  Dedication…

  Well we have come to the Nostos, the concept just popped into my head about a giant spaceship with a living community on board cruising through space. This book, and the others to follow, represent many hours of looking in on characters and seeing what they are up to. Sometimes, something would happen and I would share it with those around me. This is the part of the book where I mention those supporters…

  First of all, William holds the record for the most times I bug anyone with word totals or the latest goings on in story. So for all your patience William, thank you. Next in the line would be Waldo. He must suffer my excitement from time to time as I move through the story and uncover things I didn’t see coming.

  FED and LGND guild have to deal with me on a daily basis and seem to take it in stride. So I thank Tuna, Arc, Best Sell Buy, Esa, Morthwyl, Wuss and Finally Sausizzle. May you always consider me your friend.

  Debbie and Doug, I feel that our visits could be a bit more frequent if the world returns to normal. Know that I am thinking of you two. Everything will be all right.

  My family is the next line of support. Those that are stuck with me all the time yet remain positive as I prattle on in print. Julie and JR, waiting for COVID19 nonsense to go away so more regular visits can resume. Mom and Ed, I had actually scheduled time off work to come up but nobody was travelling during the pandemic. Would have been a great de-stresser out on the lake.

  So whether a full or partial supporter of these works, I thank you all for your help in finding my voice in print. You are all important to me and make a difference in my life.

  Table of Contents…

  Other books by Larry W. Miller Jr.

  Dedication…

  Table of Contents…

  Forward…

  Trouble on C Deck…

  Hostage Crisis…

  A Family Reunion…

  Everyone Plays Detective…

  Hide and Seek…

  A New Initiative…

  A Happy Reunion…

  Forward…

  The lights shone brightly on the various trees and tall grasses of the artificial environment. Blossoms of yellow and red flowers waved in the fan-provided breeze. The humidity and temperature were monitored constantly, and the plants were all thriving as a result. The floor here was dirt, rich dark soil with all of the nutrients it would have had down on a suitable planet. But the illusion of a planet was shattered when you looked up to see the geodesic dome and the grid of fixtures that bathed the area in life-giving ultraviolet light. This place was an agricultural pod and it was one of several mounted on the mid-section of the colony ship. The sheer size of these pods was overwhelming. But they were only a part of this massive construct upon which the colonists lived. The ship was called Nostos. It meant returning home from a great journey. But it also implied being shipwrecked at some point along the way. That had been the fate of the Nostos. This was its second journey. The first had run into difficulties with on-board robotic servants. The extended flight plans of a colony ship allowed for development of personnel to allow for changing needs as the generations crept by. Interstellar travel was a long arduous concept. Even the highest speeds mankind could reach were insignificant when compared to the vastness of space. Still, the Nostos was one of three colony ships that had flung themselves out into the void in search of a better life elsewhere.

  The Nostos had a standard compliment of fourteen hundred and sixty-eight souls on board. The number was generally in flux due to births and deaths aboard the floating archology in space. But the population was basically held at that point so the ship’s systems would not be overtaxed. If a suitable, colonizable planet was looming on the horizon, the computer would begin to encourage the ship’s population growth in the effort to colonize. In this way, the ship could plant a serious number of colonists if given enough time. That and the fortune of finding the raw materials needed to fabricate their parts, buildings, and other necessary machines to allow the new colony to survive. The domed pods could also be soft-landed onto the planet to allow for the colonists to begin introducing their flora to the new environment. It rarely worked out perfectly, but the system worked well enough to allow the attempt in almost every case.

  Recently, the Nostos had been running through a dry spell of habitable planets. The population was rigidly maintained, and the scanners were on full alert for something on which to plant another colony. The programming of the main computer was simple. Only plant a colony with at least a seventy-eight percent chance of survival or better. It was a rule that had advanced the colonization process over the years. Humankind had pressed itself into the breach and the result was several worlds inhabited by the ever-spreading infestation that is humanity.

  With the discovery of more natural resources came the greed to control them. Vast corporations began to claim whole solar systems. The corporations grew to the point where local governments no longer had jurisdiction over them. The only reason the conglomerates were not at war with one another over this new unharvested resource was the sheer distances involved to transport anything to or from it. That and the unprofitability of war versus trade. Nuking a planet rich in resources was a sure way to ensure that nobody profited from it. There was no easy way to bring goods and services from one planet to another unless they were in the same solar system. That made each colony a separate part of humanity. They had to rely upon their selves and what they had brought with them to survive. Help could not come if called.

  However, where conflict
was avoided, prosperity blossomed. Colonies became rich and happy. Colonists shared in that prosperity in that their needs were taken care of and they even had luxuries to keep them content. Not all companies accomplished this, but the really big ones did. Happy colonists produced more goods and services. More and better goods meant higher prices and thus more money. Even the shippers that transported goods from one world to another within a solar system made out better when the market was strong.

  So, for the most part, the Nostos was in maintenance mode. It flew from star to star searching for a needle in a very large haystack while the occupants lived their lives inside the giant tin can that was the only home they had ever known.

  This is their story…

  Trouble on C Deck…

  Tina was moving along on her hoverboard. The metallic floors of the massive ship allowed for magnetic drives to glide easily across most any surface. The original reason for this was to move heavy gear and supplies from place to place. The young kids had quickly adapted the technology for recreation. Tina Hull was a young scrawny teenager of noble birth. At least that is what her folks told her. She didn’t feel any different and her friends never treated her with the reverence that would have been afforded to one of royalty. No, she was just a punk kid, ready to fight the system for a good cause, any good cause. With her rebellious years came a wanderlust that should have been fulfilled by their grand journey through space. But somehow that all seemed unreal. Life inside the ship never changes and the viewports show the same stars every time you checked. Unlike a planet where the stars changed due to the planetary rotation, the stars around the Nostos were stoically steadfast. This gave the impression that the ship was not moving at all. In fact, since there was no inertia to speak of, the amazing speed at which they were traveling felt like standing completely still. This gave the illusion that the Nostos was simply a space station and not a ship of any kind. But the Nostos was indeed a ship and it was moving even if its occupants were unable to verify that. Despite that seeming immobility, Tina was zooming down corridors clanging her board off of just about everything. At one point she was even inverted as a particular conduit lent itself to a good push off. She usually only did stunts like this when the corridor was empty, but this time she was in a hurry and the poor maintenance man was startled when she came zipping past.

  His name tag said Keller. “Hey! Watch it!” He shouted but Tina was already down the corridor and making the next turn. The man mumbled something about punk kids and went back to his work, patching an old panel that the computer flagged as a possible future failure. He wished that just once, the computer would let something fail so he could actually fix it. Instead of having a system that predicted faults and maintained the ship at one hundred percent all the time.

  Tina was still moving quickly when she hit the airlock. It was open for she had sent the signal for it to cycle before her arrival. It was possibly a waste of precious O2, but she had gotten her timing down to within a few seconds. The delay for waiting for the unit to cycle after she arrived would have been more wasteful. She shot through the opening and out into the dome. The door cycle closed behind her as the system adjusted to the change in air pressure.

  “It’s about time you got here.” A voice called to her as she ground to a halt amidst the grasses and shrubs. Her hoverboard idled down and she kicked flipped it up to her hand to stow it on her back. It was a well-practiced move. Then she turned to the voice and smiled.

  “You scrubs couldn’t hold a candle to me.” She retorted. “You’re just lucky this side of the ship is closer to your bunks.” She added. She looked around the familiar dome. “So, what did you want anyway?” She asked now.

  Lachlan Carpenter, Lock for short, was tall for his age and he towered over his classmates. His lanky body had served him well reaching things in the zero gravity work details. Everyone learned how to maintain the ship. Training was mandatory for every crew member, regardless of station. The cramped spaces in the ship were his enemy though. He found himself not quite fitting even the standard chairs in the cafeteria.

  Despite all that, he was one of the few that clicked with Tina. There were others too. The small group consisted of five teenagers with a yen for adventure and a lack of disciplinary sense. The latter label had come from their collective guidance counsellor.

  There was another girl, Emelia Larson. Emelia’s family had been corporate workers on one of the originally planted colonies. Much of her family was still there, having planted roots and become prosperous. But her ancestors had grown tired of having mud under their feet and clouds in the sky all the time. They dreamed of going to the stars. To be among the very skies they had dreamt of coming from. Emelia followed in their ideals and was good with electronic gizmos and she was quick to crack a joke. Her serious side was difficult to see since she kept her feelings hidden most of the time. Her loyalty to the small group was unquestioned and unshakable.

  Finally, there were the Baxter boys, Kian and Jamie. They were identical twins, so their outward appearances were exactly the same. However, that is where the similarities between them ended. Kian was outgoing and headstrong. Jamie was supportive and quiet. Both were quick thinkers and usually found themselves in deeper trouble simply because the authorities couldn’t tell them apart, so they punished both. Kian tended to wear more aggressive and radical clothing that resembled anti-establishment. While Jamie wore school uniforms or work uniforms. They really did look like polar opposites.

  Still, the entire group were not too much trouble for their fellow crewmates. They were mostly bored with standard society and its doctrines. They wanted, no, they needed more. Active imaginations could only take you so far. They needed to get more life experiences to grow.

  Here in the dome, they looked more comfortable. Out in the wildlife, the songs of birds could be heard above, it didn’t’ feel like you were trapped aboard a massive spaceship. The various plants gave the illusion of life everywhere. Despite their rambunctious attitudes, none of the kids trampled the grass, or damaged the plants. To them, these things were all sacred. Plants gave them food, air, and currently, peace. Plants were an integral part of life on board the Nostos. The ecology in the dome included everything. There were even earthworms in the dirt and bees to pollinate everything. But right now, there was something more to think about…

  Lock smiled. “We’re needed. There’s a problem on this ship and no one else can save the day.” He said.

  Tina returned his smile with a mischievous grin. “Oh really, what’s the caper?” She asked, trying to drop into her role in this new fantasy.

  Lock looked startled. “No really, we’re the only ones that can do it.” He said seriously and Tina sobered.

  “You mean this isn’t one of your games?” She asked.

  “No. There is a serious problem, and nobody seems to know about it but us.” Lock replied.

  Tina threw her hands into the air. “Us? I don’t know what the problem is so it must just be you.” She pointed at him accusingly.

  Lock bowed. “My apologies. I was meaning to tell you what was going on but hadn’t yet gotten around to it.” He explained.

  Tina gave him a glare that meant he had better get on with it. He held up his hands to forestall her proposed attack.

  “Look, we have been tearing around this place for most of our lives. The pipes and ducts are our homes. Well there is a problem with our homes. According to reports that my father received, the tunnel system is being violated.” He stopped to make sure the group was keeping up.

  Emelia shrugged, “Violated by what?”

  Lock shrugged back. “That’s the ting, the sensors don’t know. All that is known is that when they send a maintenance crew to the location, there is nothing there to report. But the system has been shut down in places for a period of time. It’s like something is using the tunnels to get around the ship undetected.” Lock explained.

  It was Tina’s turn to shrug. “Yeah, we’ve been doing that for y
ears. So, what do you want us to do about it?” She asked, pressing for the vital piece to the puzzle and this meeting.

  Lock looked surprised she had asked. “We’re gonna’ find this thing, whatever it is, and capture or kill it.” He said.

  Tina had her hands on her hips. “Ae you kidding? There are kilometers of tunnels and only five of us. We couldn’t possibly cover all that ground by ourselves.” She protested.

  Kian cleared his throat and the whole group looked his way. “Maybe we can do it remotely.” He suggested.

  Lock was already on board because he hadn’t thought any of them would take this new mission seriously. He tried to hide his relief at actually discussing a plan. He looked at Kian and tilted his head a bit like a puppy dog. “Remotely?” He asked aloud.

  Kian smiled. “Yeah. We’ve already got sensors down there. The maintenance crews are chasing them but at the pace adults travel at. We’ve got hoverboards and communications between us. We can reach a sensor hit faster than anyone else on board. Plus, we could put extra sensors in key spots to check if something is moving along those tunnels. It could just be a lost dog or something, but if it is something dangerous, we need to hold it until the others can come and take it away.” Kian said. It was obvious that he was fully on board with his own plan. Jamie remained silent, as was his nature, and only nodded during key points of his brother’s presentation.

  Tina was being won over begrudgingly. “How many sensors do we have, and where do we plant them?” She asked. This was a win for Lock. If Tina was on board, everyone would be.

  “The spots are not many. The basic sensor array will handle the bulk of the work here.” Kian continued. He pulled out his personal data pad and pulled up the tunnel map. We shouldn’t need more than a dozen sensors to get full coverage.” He announced.