Zero Sphere: A Space Opera Thriller

by Jedaiah Ramnarine

  Here’s where we meet with him again, his desire for more, the same as always. He was out of his Commander’s seat and looking out the window to see the beautiful Martian landscape. It wasn’t the same as the Bio-Domes he grew up in. Over the years, the colonists and the first-gen Martians had experienced great gains and great losses. Terraforming Units setup world-wide to promote a breathable Martian atmosphere, along with other planetary tools that were slowly, but surely, sculpting the once abandoned red rock into a new, beautiful blue gem.

  Despite the progress, the whole Martian world wasn’t necessarily colonized nor was the entire world a twin to earth, yet. Population control up here’s a strict order. They didn’t want to repeat the same, horrible mistake as Earth. The same mistake that started this whole mission in the first place. Mars could be considered an Earth striving to go right and they were taking their time.

  Colin’s crew included a total of four members. They were in a scout Beamship – a near orbit space vessel suited for quick inner planetary travel. It resembled two shiny disks clamped together with smooth edges and a shimmering metal surface that harnessed the power of matter control, bending gravity to its will to create its own form of propulsion.

  Colin’s MSDU team’s duty was to collect observational data in and outside the Martian planet. Today they picked up on some radio signatures worthy of investigation at a non-colonized destination. Colin paid close attention as they moved away from the central hub back to the deserts he remembered as a kid.

  There weren’t any cities on Mars. Things worked differently up here. There were very few buildings – only the ones that acted in necessity such as hubs or domes that contained basics; food, clothing, schools, meeting areas, entertainment stations etc.

  All homes were at the edges of the sector’s parameters and none of them were ever too close to the other. Each home had ample space for a large backyard and enough room for each family to properly enjoy their vicinity without disturbance.

  No building was ever close to the other, no matter what function it performed – whether it was a home, a station, a hub, an agricultural farm or a performing arts theater. Nothing ever stifled the other.

  The building structures had basic resemblances; white, clean, minimalist with few detail but very sleek, pleasing and would generally send one in a meditative state just by looking at them. Everything up here on Mars felt neat and orderly. In addition, there wasn’t any such thing as money or currency. Trade and business ceased to exist in its traditional, barbaric forms. Everything that the Martian needed, was provided to them by themselves. It was a growingly positive community and one that required conscious efforts to make it that way. Everyone pulled their weight.

  Colin could see the well groomed trees and plants as they took off into the sky and headed for the desert. He could see all the people around too. All of them were in order, just like everything else.

  The sky there was kind of blue, but it started getting red and foggy the further they drifted away from the central sector. Colin loved peering out the beamship’s windows. Sure, inside may not have had much – comfortable seating, stations that were completely holographic and a sense of clarity within. All the technology on Mars manifested the ideal of simplicity. Nothing was ever convoluted or ridiculous. Still, Colin loved seeing Mars the way it was, even before all the beauty came along. It was a reminder of his father’s words.

  “We have something here.” LARS, aka Long Access Remote Servicer, the ship’s AI announced using a calm male voice. This caught Colin’s attention, so he walked over to take a look outside

  “Talk to me LARS.” Colin spoke as a holographic image of the area popped up in front of him while he made his way to the window

  “The signal’s fading in and out.” The AI responded

  “That doesn’t make any sense.” Colin watched over the findings carefully, “It’s pulsing at random intervals.”

  “Natural emissions?” Erik, the ship’s navigational expert suggested

  “No…” Colin tightened his eyes intensely – “Looks deliberate.” Then he pointed his attention to Gabriel, the ship’s Communication and Analyst expert – “Gabriel what’s the atmosphere reading in the area?”

  “The basics – Carbon Dioxide, Argon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Monoxide, Sulfur…”

  Suddenly all the lights went dim. The ship halted from any further movement, and all their devices and electronics went haywire.

  A blue light appeared in the middle of the ship for a moment before going completely silent and in the skip of a heartbeat, the whole crew was floored by a magnetic force that repelled the entire ship away like a charged rocket, heading straight for a crash landing.

  “LARS! Get us back in balance!” Colin shouted. The ship spun wildly out of control before the power came on only feet away from crashing.

  “What was that?!” Erik blurted out all startled. His heartbeat still racing wildly.

  “We hit something.” Colin discerned.

  The rest of the crew got back to their feet and to their stations, identifying whatever they can.

  “Commander…” LARS called slowly, observing a strange, large energetic structure its radar systems – “You should take a look at this.”

  Colin didn’t waste a second wondering or assuming. He paced over to the new hologram for answers and when he got there, he saw more than what he was looking for.

  “Gabriel contact HQ. They have to see this.” Colin ordered all mystified by what he was seeing.

  Solar Opus

  People should trouble themselves to this simple question. Why do you always want more? Nothing you ever possess, will ever be enough. With that logic, think on these words when the time of greed and lust gets the better of wisdom and love. Once you unravel the treasure, it will happen in your time and it will happen in the time of your sons and daughters.

  The greed will blind them. Men will want more power. Rebellions will form, but you should always keep yourself vigilant against those trying times. Become a beacon in the darkness. Let the reflection of eternity beam from within.

  You do that child and you will discover true immortality.

  2093, The Offspring

  Josh is in love. Not with the pretty sights or sounds of the recreational park, no, Josh is in love with his best friend, Heather, the lone wolf who swings the swings with eyes gleaming for another world.

  They've been together since children. Always taking care of one another, always providing that comfort; the kind that a real friend gives you in your time of danger, and now, he can't help what he's feeling a moment longer.

  'Should I come out and tell her? I don't want to ruin anything between us. Don't want to send her running but I really can't help this feeling so I'll do it. What's the worst that can happen? We simply go back to being friends and I forget of these feelings.'

  "Heather" Josh gets up from the grass, raising his voice, "Can we speak?"

  Heather was a different child, even by Martian standards, she carried this aura of a foreigner, like an alien. Josh wanted to get her attention but he had no intention to disturb her meditation. Whenever they went to the park - that was the time to truly be free. Heather would go swinging sometimes for hours while Josh would draw pictures of the birds and the critters. Lately though, he hasn't be able to take his eyes off her.

  All kinds of truths bubbling up. Lots of introspection and surety to prove he’s been going in the right direction. He started drawing pictures of her too and she loved every single one of them.

  'This is important. I have to go over there and tell her how I feel. There will be plenty of time to swing later.'

  Josh easily soothes his way into Heather's sight. He sees a smile on her face. She's always happy to see him. The same can't be said for everyone else.

  "Heather?" He calls again, this time looking into her eyes

  "Yes?" The swing slows down

  "Did you hear me?"

  "No, sorry. What is it?"


  "Can we speak for a few minutes? This won't take very long."

  "Sure."

  Heather hops off the swings, landing gracefully on two feet without an inch of stumbling. An indication of practice - the girl's been doing the routine for so long. Josh can’t help staring at her. That long, dark brunette hair reaches to her back, down her shoulders, highlighting the contrast of a slender body and pale skin with sparkling blue eyes. Josh, although he’s wiry and fit, is still simple. He has white skin, amber eyes and short brunette hair with a confident posture that hints the gesture of a young leader.

  'I stare into her eyes and she stares into mine. The next thing I do, is crack her a pleasant smile. Many people thought Heather was strange. Thing is, they just don't know her the way I know hr. Every girl's got her own book, you simply have to know how to read it. Sorry no one else was really interested in yours, but don't worry - I am. I've always been.'

  “I wanted to tell you that…”

  “Hey guys!” The voice of another young man, Nick, the duo’s other best friend breaks Josh’s climaxing juncture. He could go on. There’s no reason he has to hide what he was about to say just because Nick’s here, but he won’t. He tucks it away neatly.

  ‘Just not the right time. I don’t feel it anymore.’

  The careless, blissful smile that Heather gets whenever they’re alone changes into a look telling him she really wants to know.

  “Hey Nick.” Josh uses misdirection to ease the tension

  “Hey!” Nick replies out of breath from all his running.

  Heather doesn’t respond, her sight’s still on Josh.

  “What’s up?” Josh asks

  “You’re not going to believe what I did.”

  “Whoa, slow down buddy. What happened?”

  “I did it! I actually did it! I cracked their code!”

  “What…” Josh feels a deep excitement despite his conduct to be well reserved – “When?”

  “Only an hour ago, I couldn’t believe it. You two ready? Let's go!”

  Josh looks back at Heather for confirmation and she’s still staring at him

  “Heather?” Nick’s enthusiasm couldn’t be denied

  “Sure.” She tells him, her sight still fixed on Josh.

  ‘Nick was like a little kid again. Never seen him that excited in years. When we were young, all three of us knew there was always something strange. We weren’t like the other kids. They fell in line and never questioned why. That never could be the case for us. Not this trio of Martians. We were different, we were changing.

  It’s not like we could go to our parents either. Nobody really got it and if they did, they didn’t say it. Is this the trait of a coming next-gen?

  I can’t really say yet, still deciphering. All I know is that three months ago, everything started connecting. My father opened a treasure box that should’ve been left closed. He came home one day and told me, ‘Joshua, things are going to be different. People will start looking at you differently.’

  As if they hadn’t been already.

  I tried so hard to get it out of him. All he’d tell me to do was to go read those old books Grandfather left behind. My father kept silent and that didn’t sit well with me. I needed more.

  Nick was a pure genius. Computers and technology weren’t his only assets. He could do it all; physics, literature, forces, astronomy and a list that goes on about a chapter worth of mentioning. From only the age of seven, people were already honoring his achievements, citing him as Mars’ upcoming Einstein.

  But the Nick I know? The Nick past that skinny frame, small-smile? He was begging to be unleashed. Heather’s the same, in her own way. She was gifted as far back as I could remember. Her brain hemispheres were more connected. She could slip into altered states, read and insert impulses into others by pure telepathy and from time to time, she could even levitate. She’s what we called a Telekinetic Overlord but we kept her abilities secret.

  How did I fit in this trio of the gifted?

  I was The Shepard. It’s not just my best friends who heeded to me, it was almost everybody. Those books my grandfather left behind? Not all of them were available publicly. He purposely passed down a few only within my family. I’ve been studying them since I was a kid. Monuments of the past, enriched in wisdom. They showed both the good and bad of the old worlds. Not everybody could handle that.

  In my time, things were different from my father’s. Certainly, my world’s better in terms of the atmosphere, the quality of life and what not, but it was stricter. It was more controlled. It almost felt fake.’

  Tension brewed on the Martian world to which means, its new generations had never seen the like before. Three months ago, an MDSU scout crew discovered a cloaked, layered structure of buildings that bypassed all detection for decades. After the unintentional discovery, the Earth Defense Forces or EDF, became stringent in their authority. Curfews were enforced and monitoring systems invaded privacy.

  Though Martian society had been thriving on its own right, they had not yet gain total independence from Earth. They had their own government and for the most part, they managed the world suitably well. However, they were still dependent on resources, technology, protection and general connectivity from the sister planet.

  Because of this dependency, be it as small or big as it may seem, Earth capitalized on a silent inferiority complex against the newly developing Martians. They held back on resources, striving to keep the Martians under control from surpassing Earth’s own evolutionary level. Their selfishness was out of fear. Fear that one day, the Martians would rise up, go back to earth and inevitably destroy them.

  ‘It wasn’t a lengthy walk to Nick’s home. Seemed shorter than usual, probably because of all the excitement.

  On the way there, the growing totalitarianism riled me. Android patrol units, making sure we were in order. Don’t be up to late, watch out for the curfew and my new favorite - the atmosphere’s growing dangerous, trust the EDF. They’re here for your protection.

  It’s a different Mars from ten years ago. Truly, it was rapidly changing at an accelerated rate and so, I can moderately understand the earth people’s concern. But to what extent or what right do they have to limit our freedom? Thank you for the lessons you’ve taught us in the past, Earth. All the stupid wars and illogical reasons you slaughtered your own kind. You really think we’re the same?’

  Nick’s parents weren’t home. They were late workers. The Crimson Children had the place to themselves freely. Inside Nick’s home was not very different from the others. Little to no detail, clarity, spacious and sleek with general white or light colors. It contained three bedrooms for his family.

  “Shut the door.” Nick spoke to the home’s central AI when they all came inside

  “Computer, bring up EDI-12.”

  “Whoa, wait! Stop!” Josh protested – “What are you doing?” He couldn’t believe Nick was being so careless by using his home’s central computer for illusive work

  “It’s alright. I’ve sliced this computer too.” Nick smirked.

  Heather had her arms folded at the entrance, keeping watch for his parents. Her interest in Nick’s findings were minimal, which came across as odd to him. She always had enthusiasm for his breakthroughs. Something else was on Heather’s mind. Something to do with Josh.

  A holographic ball of light orange energy sparked in the middle of the two boys, then it transformed itself into a virtual interface between them – like an operating system powering itself on but it had no need for an external body like old computers. Nick could walk to a different part of the house whilst operating the system and it would move with him in an encased virtual interface.

  “You were right Josh. You were always right.” Nick slid his fingers back and forth, up and down, engaging the technology to show his findings. The display showed a map of the contact area where the MDSU made its infamous discovery.

  “Something was out there. Actually no, something is out there…” N
ick tinkers around some more with the computer. Three lines jot out in different directions on the map to form a structure. The end result shows the outline of a precise complex with precision matching only that of artificial perfection.

  Josh feels an excitement inside himself that he struggles to control. After all, he’s the one that suggested it was a building out there originally. Nick was skeptical, but today, all that changes.

  Then it gets better.

  Other structures make themselves visible. A whole network of connected… bases.

  “A whole base, a whole central interconnected set of structures. They’ve been hiding it out there for who knows how long! You know what this means don’t you?”

  Josh remains quiet as he observes the findings

  “Your father’s known about this. They’ve been forcing him to stay quiet.”

  “Yeah…” Josh half-heartedly replies. He looks over at Heather, who’s still on lookout duty

  “Josh, are you hearing me?”

  “I am.”

  His head doesn’t budge

  “We have to go out there! We have to see it for ourselves. It’s the Crimson Zone!”

  “How?” Josh puts himself back in business

  “I can organize it. Slicing android transports won’t be a problem. Few hours at most.”

  Josh turns for Heather again, this time, the two of them catch a glimpse of each other before she turns away. Nick sees what’s happening. It’s not difficult to detect the strangeness in the air.

  “What’s going on with you two?” Nick wonders

  “Nothing. Look, I have to go home.”

  Nick stands wordless briefly. Why aren’t they more interested?

  “Yeah, sure. Is everything alright with you? You two have been acting weird. You’re not backing out, are you?”

  “I’m not. I’ll call you later.”

  ‘It’s not that I had no interest or I didn’t care about Nick’s findings. We’ve been working on them for months, of course I cared. That’s not the problem and it’s not completely to do with Heather either.