Cartlidge: Rise of the Imperfect Flame

by Devon Loos

  Cartlidge

  Rise of the Imperfect Flame

  By Devon Loos

  Text copyright © 2015 Devon Loos

  THE AUTHOR RETAINS ALL RIGHTS

  FOR THIS BOOK

  Reproduction or transmission of this book, in whole or in part, by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or by any other means is strictly prohibited, except with prior written permission from the author.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Prologue

  [Chapter 1: The World as I Knew It]

  [Chapter 2: New Rov]

  [Chapter 3: A Different Life]

  [Chapter 4: Training]

  [Chapter 5: The Spark]

  [Chapter 6: Our Powers]

  [Chapter 7: The Final Test]

  [Chapter 8: Deployment]

  [Chapter 9: Our Mission]

  [Chapter 10: Sapphire]

  [Chapter 11: Betrayal]

  [Chapter 12: Sapphire's initiative]

  [Chapter 13: Stranded]

  [Chapter 14: The Storm]

  [Chapter 15: The Beacon]

  [Chapter 16: Sapphire’s Joy]

  [Chapter 17: A Year on the Uncharted Planet]

  [Chapter 18: The Inferno]

  [Chapter 19: Standing in the Shadow of Death]

  [Chapter 20: My “Sense”]

  [Chapter 21: Rekindling the Embers]

  {End of Book 1}

  A note from the Author Devon Loos

  A Free Gift Chapter

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, places, and incidents described are products of the writer’s imagination and any resemblance to real people or life events is purely coincidental.

  View the author’s website at http://www.jacobcartlidge.com/

  Follow on Facebook at facebook.com/jacob.cartlidge

  Follow on Twitter @DevonLoos

  #JCartlidge

  Ask a question, leave a comment, or join the email list at CartlidgeTheSeries@gmail.com

  Dedication

  For my parents, to whom I owe all the lessons, knowledge, and help I needed to build this wonderful universe you are about to enter.

  Prologue

  A Historical Summary of Ancient Rovanekren Culture: Based on Historical Legends, Documents, and Other Accounts

  In the time before the great dispersion, there was but a single small sphere of space. At its center was a world so great that the stars were dwarfed by its sheer mass. We named this super planet, Rovanekra. The planet was orbited by two distant stars, a field of asteroids and comets, and a soup of other substances and matter. Only the great stars dared to exist beyond this soup. In most other circumstances the planet would have been inhospitable to all life. Rovanekra however, was protected by a thick atmosphere generated by strange towers located at opposite ends of the planet. This created a near constant climate of tropical yet cloudy weather.

  Despite its size, the planet held only two continents, and its largest was home to our kind, the Rovanekrens. We grew the way most civilizations did, began small tribal groups warring against each other, only to slowly come together as we grew around our mysterious tower. Wars became less frequent but more deadly. We would have destroyed ourselves. Instead, we were saved by the first king.

  Kings and queens are people born with fire in their blood. They can command the respect of their enemies, and rally the most disheartened of soldiers. A single king or queen can turn the tide of any battle in their own favor. The first king and queen united the warring nations through both military strength and diplomatic persuasion that would outclass every general or diplomat of this day. The two royal blooded warriors then led the combined nations against an enemy lost to history, and only known in legend. Historians believe there are only a small few of these legends that mention their ancient foe. Often it is referred to as “The Nameless” or “The Creature”.

  Shortly after this event history about the growth of Rovanekren society is lost. Most agree that Society reached a golden age that involved an increase of Rovanekren royal bloods, peace, industry, and exploration of the areas space above their continent. No one is sure why there was little documentation or why attempts to explore the other side of the planet were never made. It wasn’t until the end of the 3rd Age, that Rovanekren society met its violent brother on the other side of the world.

  The second continent was inhabited by a race of sentient insect-like beings known as Clawtrodons. No evidence remains of what transpired once the two worlds met, but the Clawtrodons lashed out violently against Rovanekren society only a few years after the two met.

  Initially, the Clawtrodon threat was only a minor problem, and Rovanekren politics did little to remedy the situation, but then a sudden surge of Clawtrodon technology and military advances from an unknown source crashed into Rovanekren territory like an invisible hurricane. Over the course of a century, Rovanekren land was compressed, until eventually, only the city that rose around the ancient tower remained. Clawtrodon artillery began firing upon the well-fortified city indiscriminately, damaging homes, businesses, and even the tower itself. The battered and broken society fled its home in a fleet of small mining ships, taking refuge in nearby asteroid fields. The damage to the tower was catastrophic.

  Five years later, when supplies began to dwindle, the effects of the war caught up with the planet. The towers had not only maintained the now dissipated atmosphere, but also kept the orbiting stars from crashing into the planet itself. Without the energy force field to repel them, the two stars gravitated towards the planet and collided with it, triggering a massive expansion of matter known by humanity as “The Big Bang.” Much has changed since then, and our story begins several billion years later, on the dynamic young planet called Earth.

  [Chapter 1: The World as I Knew It]

  “… Who will perhaps become one of the greatest and most influential members of this century… Done!” I rose from my computer, spun around, and fell face first onto my bed. A 20-page paper finished two days before it was due. I was exhausted but proud. This was probably the first paper I had ever managed to complete prior to the last minute. I sat up and my eyes met with the vacant stare from my reflection. In the mirror was a rather thin, brown eyed man of 20 years with clean yet shaggy brown hair. I sighed and rose from the bed. I shared the apartment with a man named Ivan, who almost always seemed to avoid me, since I only saw him about once or twice every other month.

  I sat down in my Game Chair, a large device that simulates virtual reality without any dangerous effects. The game I chose was designed to be a combination of ground and spatial warfare. I was never good at leading, or controlling anything larger than a fighter jet, so I usually did little more than take orders like a typical grunt on the battlefield. I worked best as a “tank”, a term players used for someone who acted as a walking shield for other, weaker players.

  “I’m a knight!” I laughed to myself. The system booted up, allowing me to turn on the visual gear. Bzzzt! Pop! The room suddenly filled with darkness. The power was out. I swore and followed with a sigh. I wondered what would’ve happened had I entered the system. I rose up and groped blindly for my phone. With the improvised flashlight in hand, I left the darkened apartment and walked to my personal garage. Just above the keypad to the door was a small brass plaque with my name engraved in it. “Jacob Cartlidge”. I bent down and pulled the garage door open. There was a movie I wanted to see and the recent power-outs always had small ranges. As I entered the car I thought I noticed something move. I shivered. Instantly my mind brought up and old memory of a “scary monster in the closet” called the Dark Seeker. I pictured a shadowy cloaked skeleton and smiled at the image
of my childhood nightmare. I started the car and drove towards the theatre.

  After about 5 kilometers or so, the autopilot began, so I pointlessly checked my calendar on the car’s touchscreen. It was Wednesday, the middle of September, in 2152. I began talking to myself. I wasn’t very social, but I did like to talk.

  “Why do I always check the year?” I complained. Lacking an answer, I sighed as the autopilot continued to drive. I was able to sleep in longer tomorrow morning, since tomorrow was Election Day. In the afternoon we were to go and elect our national representative, to go to the international council. The council was formed after World War III, when most countries were separated. Now we stood unified, working to fix the damage done a century ago. It was a difficult change for many, but then again, so was the adoption of our international language, Gaia. It was wrong for me to think this way, but I was almost glad for the war, since it meant that we no longer were required to take foreign language classes. I hated trying to learn English in grade school.

  Suddenly the heads-up-display lit up with a bright red outline. The autopilot locked the brakes and the car immediately stopped in place. Other cars crossed the intersection in front of me. A minute later, the red outline turned bright green and the autopilot continued on its way. I set my radio to one of my favorite stations, a local New York station that liked to play older genres of music. I enjoyed very little modern music, but I loved almost every genre from the 20th and 21st centuries. I sat in silence for a moment and revised my thought. I never liked rap or any of the darker songs, even country was questionable but just about every other genre was enjoyable. A woman came across the radio and sang a slow, emotional tune, just before a guitar broke out into a final, furious rush. I smiled and listened to the music. This was one of my favorite songs.

  My mother raised me in my father’s absence. He died from a cancerous tumor when I was only a year old. Ever since, my mother would tell me stories of adventures my father had. I never believed them, but listened intently since it was her way of maintaining the preservation of his memory. I’m sure it helped whenever she was missing him.

  “One of your fathers greatest achievements, Jacob, was when he went to a distant land and helped save the world by creating a peace treaty between two great nations.” I smiled at the memory. He must have been well compensated for whatever he actually did because my mother never had to work a day in her life. I looked around my car. I was pretty spoiled, too. Eventually the darkness of the blackout transitioned to the night lights of the city. The theatre was close.

  I parked and sighed. Going to a place like this alone was a common thing for me. I have never really cared about being alone. In fact, I was blessed enough to actually enjoy my solitude. However, I did still dread the awkward feeling of traveling alone to movies or other events in public. I adjusted my coat and walked towards the building. A moment later I reached for the door, but did not pull it open. Something was bothering me, though I wasn’t sure what. I looked to my left. Just past the darkened edge of the theatre stood a long dark alleyway. I cautiously walked towards the gap between the buildings. This wasn’t the first time I had a feeling like this. For as long as I could remember, I have had a “sense” that would lead me to different things. At age seven I found a lost puppy trapped in a storm drain by following this “sense”. My mother always told me to ignore it. If she knew I still have it, she probably would still warn me about its dangers. I began to wonder why she never actually told me what those “dangers” were. As I got closer I became nervous about what I would find. I reached for the folding knife in my pocket. It was with me everywhere I went, including many places I knew I shouldn’t have brought it, but I never felt safe without it. Sounds of struggle began to echo from the alley and I began to race towards the corner. As I turned someone collided with me. We both fell. I was looking into the horror-filled eyes of a young brunette woman, but before I could apologize, someone came up behind her and pulled her up. She immediately began to struggle.

  “Hey!” I shouted as I jumped in to help her. She replied with a plea for help while the her attacker swore and threw the young woman to the side. He spun around and tried to flee, but stumbled and fell, tripping over a small pile of trash. He remained there for some time after. I extended my hand to pull the girl to her feet.

  “Thanks…”

  “What happened? Do you know who he is?”

  “No, but he’s completely drunk. That’s for sure.” She spat at him. “I… I think he was trying to rape me.”

  “Hmm. Well I guess I made it just in time, eh?” I laughed a little but the woman did not share my opinion on the matter. I cleared my throat after realizing my attempt at lightening the mood failed.

  “I’ll make sure he’s dealt with. You go find somewhere safe ok?”

  She made a motion to speak then froze and fixed her gaze behind me. Instinctively, I twisted myself, arms raised defensively. The drunkard had armed himself with a large piece of wood and began to swing it wildly at me. I could dodge most of the swings, but a few made contact, leaving a plethora of small gashes from the broken edge of the wooden beam. One swing slammed into the side of my leg, sending me staggering to the ground. My leg was not broken, but the pain was enough to keep me from standing. The drunkard stumbled forward to get within striking range and then raised the wooden beam to swing at my head. Panic and adrenaline seized control of my mind and reacted moved too fast for my mind to follow.

  I was now hugging the drunkard, who had frozen in place. No, I wasn’t hugging him. Something was wrong. My right arm had twisted awkwardly so that my thumb was pushing forward into the flesh between his neck and jaw. I realized that something was in my hand, and a warm liquid began to flow down my arm. I let out a cry of terror and let go of both the drunkard and the knife. The man fell backwards with a slight gurgling sound. His head struck a rock on the ground, making a sickening crack. A pool of blood began to flow from his neck, staining the dirt and gravel around him. The man was dead.

  I looked at my hands. They were both shaking and my right arm was completely covered in blood. I looked upon the owner of the life I had just stolen. I… murdered him! I turned around and vomited violently, then desperately looked around for the brunette woman who had already fled the rapidly sinking situation I now found myself in. Instead, a large man stood in the opening of the alleyway, a look of horror on his face.

  “Austin!” The man shouted. He cursed after me. I wasn’t sure what he said after that.

  I was already gone.

  Eventually my run slowed to a jog, and then a walk. My car was still parked at the theatre, and I considered going back to get it, but kept moving forward. I continued on hoping that my nerves would settle the further I went. I wanted to sit down and rest for a moment, but the thoughts of murder and ruining of my own life forced me to continue. The face of the drunkard was painted across my mind, and the thoughts about the life I was no longer able to live scattered in every direction. I became so distracted by my thoughts that I was already down the next street when I noticed that much of the power had gone out again. Power outages had become common in this area, due to the lack of wealth of the district and the nearby NASA project. Some sort of system malfunction in the newly designed ion engine of the ship would often unintentionally suck up massive amounts of energy and cause small, localized blackouts across several dozen miles. Thousands of people have complained over the past few months. I myself could not comprehend why the launch was positioned here instead of somewhere rural, like Florida. The road was menacingly dark and the only light came from distant, unaffected buildings. My mind began its usual routine of forming tricks and figures in the shadows and I quickened my pace. My eyes often shifted to the other side of the road where I think I see figures darting about. I turned back towards the sidewalk as I was coming up on another alley.

  A sharp pain charged through my nose and face, followed by a falling feeling and another pain against the back of my head. Everything became
a blur. I was hit by something… a car, maybe? No, it hit my face. Oh, my face! My nose must have been broken! But what hit me?! A voice broke the silence, and I felt a strange sensation move across my back. Oh, the figure was dragging me somewhere by my legs. The voice resonated again, and this time I could determine the source.

  “For someone so quiet you sure know how to stick your nose in other people’s business.” The voice came from John, an old bully from high school. John was abused by his parents and I often pitied him, when I wasn’t too busy despising him. I was pulled upright and pinned against the wall of the building. I still couldn’t see since the lights were still out and my vision was blurred from the hit. I could just barely make out four or five figures in front of me. Another sharp pain struck my abdomen. John must’ve struck me. I was hit again, and a third time. John let me go and I fell like a ragdoll to the ground.

  “C’mon man, he’s had enough,” an unknown voice pleaded.

  “Nah, I’m gonna make sure he hurts before he dies!”

  What did he say? Panic swept over me. I was going to die!? I took a life and now I’m going to lose my own for it. I started muttering something loudly and desperately though I did not know what. I managed to roll onto my back to see John standing over me, holding what I figured was a gun. Power to the city suddenly returned without warning and my soon-to-be killer looked towards the road. I began to wonder what they were looking at. I slowly shifted my head to see. All five of them focused on a man standing in the middle of the alley. They seemed to have been shouting at the man.