Earth Seven

by Steve M

  Still, Trill was kind enough to thank them for their assistance. He made a point to let them know that it was them individually that he was thanking, not the organization of the History Department, as led by Professor Longley.

  It wasn’t long after the agreement that Koven discovered that his cruiser had been stolen. Within a couple of tox he was able to place it at the edge of the solar system. It would be able to use FTL in a few tox. If he didn’t capture its exact location and direction at the moment of FTL instantiation, finding it would be difficult.

  He confirmed a few minutes later that MinKey was missing. Then he turned off his tracking device for the ship and deleted the history.

  About twenty tox later they all received a message from Dean Midge. Written only. Professor Longley was retiring at the end of term to focus on writing textbooks. He also intended to complete his ten-volume series on the evolution of the manufacturing processes for making paint.

  Professor Wingut got one other message from Dean Midge. She wanted to see him as soon as he returned to Centrum Kath.

  When finally asked about giving an unfair advantage during the fight between Allor and Pens, Indira responded that she was a mother and that it was the right of a child to avenge the death of their mother. It was universal, and she didn’t really give a damn what anyone else thought.

  It was later that rev. Koven was alone in the comms room in the landing party cruiser. He was completing the stolen-item report. It was just the basic registry information. Nothing more. Fuel levels, cargo, etc. Usual stuff. And a tedious activity. But that was the low drone of life that he was performing when he heard the commands sent from Professor Trill. He couldn’t believe it at first. But after a few seconds he got up and ran out of the comms room as fast as he could.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  “What’s the problem, my friend? You know, I really hope you come back to spend time with us. As friends, none of the previous animosity. I like you, Koven.”

  “It’s coming. Here, put this on,” said Koven and he slapped the PPS suit onto Allor and jammed the insignia five times really quickly.

  “Ouch. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “He lied. He fucking lied.”

  The cold wind on the balcony gusted for a moment.

  “Who lied?” asked Allor.

  “Trill. Look.” Koven pointed at the sky. Orange lights appeared in the sky. Tiny little dots at first.

  “What is it?”

  “Turn your suit on high,” he yelled.

  The orange lights in the sky were getting larger.

  “What is happening?” Allor demanded to know.

  “Come over here,” said Koven, standing by the edge of the balcony.

  “Tell me, Koven. I have a wife. She is with child.”

  Koven pulled him closer to the edge. The air got colder and they could hear the rushing water far below.

  “They are wiping everyone’s memory.”

  “I’ve got to get Ova,” Allor pleaded.

  “It will bleed through if there are two of you in there,” said Koven.

  Then Koven fell on his side, and as he hit the sandstone floor he kicked out as he turned his PPS suit on high. The result was that Allor bounced violently inside of his PPS bubble several times then fell unconscious to the floor.

  “They will come looking for you. I’m sorry,” Koven said as he rolled Allor off the balcony and he fell down to the river below.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  Koven was still drunk from spice wine the morning of his recertification exam. He had been drunk a lot lately. But he already knew the outcome of his recertification. He would fail. He had known it for a long time. Ever since the debriefing. He withheld information. Worse still, he lied about the missing personal protection suit. Yes, he had failed.

  Failed with Tanit too. She wouldn’t answer his calls. Wouldn’t even read his messages. Thirty-seven of them sat unwatched in her queue.

  He had spent the last fortrevs telling everyone that would listen that he was a historian that had chosen poorly. He said he hated being a historian. It was a lie. He couldn’t face his own failure and shame for it. So he hated the thing he failed at. Many humans do this, not just you good people of Earth 5. It is a silly response, but it makes a lot of people feel much better and more secure about themselves, even if through illogical means. However, in highly weaponized societies, this may have advantages.

  So when Koven stumbled into the testing office, hushed comments were made. Administrators were appalled that someone from such a fine family and a protégé of the new head of the History Department conducted themselves in such a manner.

  One of the administrators came over to Koven and smiled. She asked if he wanted a cup of water-enriched brown caffeine liquid with a carbon sugar compound often used to combat a hangover unsuccessfully. Instead, Koven yelled at the very pleasant woman.

  “Get it over with. Give me the liberty of rest. Stop my doubler, the Koven narrative that is all lies that I run on a loop in my head. What lie could I tell in this circumstance? The madness of calculating them all is finally over.”

  The administrator recognized the telltale signs of a historian in trouble and her smile now came with sickly sweet kindness packed in a voice best reserved for using with children. Children will accept it. Adults will only be insulted.

  “You are a special one,” said a nice fat man with white hair and deep black eyebrows. “Here, let me show you to the room.”

  The pleasant man lead Koven down a hallway to a room with a large wooden door. It looked strange in a hall of metal doors.

  “There you go. The examiner is waiting for you,” said the man, who smiled at him then left.

  Koven stood at the door for a long time. It was going to be the last few moments of his fine life. Poverty and desperation were on the horizon and closing fast.

  He opened the door and walked in.

  Seated at the table in front of him was Professor Wingut.

  “Please sit down,” he said to Koven.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I—”

  “Stop for a moment. Sit down and let me tell you about Jolen of Circ.”

  Koven pulled out the chair and plopped down into a slouch.

  “Jolen was a wonderful woman. But she was married to Anders Soil.”

  “The Anders Soil?” asked Koven, now curious and less slouched.

  “Yes. Sometimes a decisions turns bad over time. Not on the first rev or the first hundred. But over time. Hers did.”

  “Sorry. She died married to a criminal.”

  “She didn’t die,” said Wingut.

  “But the history…” And Koven stopped speaking as he realized what he was being told. “But how did you get through this?” asked an incredulous Koven, motioning his arms all around.

  “The same way you will get through it today,” replied Professor Wingut.

  “When a Historian lies, pay attention because

  you have found the most precious thing in the universe.” —The Final McGee

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

  Allor was walking down the row of vegetables with a basket of freshly picked squash under his arm. At the doorway of the farmhouse stood a very pregnant Ova. She looked out at Allor and waved to him. He walked from the field to the house.

  “Ova,” she said proudly when he got to the front porch of the house.

  “Good, darling,” he said with a smile. She was learning fast.

  “Goo dowlin,” she repeated, and smiled excitedly then laughed.

  “Yes. Excellent.”

  “Cuddle Allor?” she asked.

  “No. Not now, darling.”

  She looked sad for a moment.

  Allor pointed at the sun then pointed at the horizon.

  “When the sun goes there, cuddle,” he said.

  “Cuddle,” she said happily.

  Starvation had started a few months ago. Allor had helped as many as he could. He taught many to grow their own food, but w
ithout a language, they mostly failed. Things learned today are forgotten tomorrow without the reinforcement of repetition.

  So he grew as much as he could by himself in the mornings. Then he worked his neighbors’ fields with them for the rest of the day. From sunup to sundown he worked in the fields, fighting against starvation.

  And every day he cursed Professor Trill. He swore revenge against the man that was killing most of the people of Earth 7. He hated the man who had taken Ova from him and replaced her with a frightened, pregnant child.

  One day he would hold Professor Trill’s head in his hands.

  But first he had to learn how to deliver a baby.

  Revenge would wait.

  Well, that’s the end of the story.

  Kinda ended on a bit of a downer. Sorry about that. But it wasn’t really such a sad ending.

  Wait, I almost forgot to tell you one last bit.

  Two tox before Koven’s stolen cruiser departed orbit above Earth 7, a PTD bubble arrived outside the main airlock. Inside was a man shouting “Run away with MinKey” over and over at the top of his lungs. Inside the cruiser, MinKey was running towards the airlock. She was smiling.

  There. Much better.

  “Happy endings are only temporary.” —The Final McGee

  THE END for now

  It is all about to get very weird for Koven. Check out chapter one after the Shameless Self Promotion and other books section below. It is just a little different from Earth Seven….hehehe. Shit is gonna hit the fan back on Centrum Kath.

  ‘Nobody hurts you harder than yourself’ – Graham Parker

  Shameless Self Promotion and other books

  Thanks for reading this book. Hope you enjoyed it.

  I need your help. I’m an indie writer and that means I have to take care of everything. Not too bad for getting to tell stories. But right now I spend half of my time doing marketing. Mornings I write, afternoons I work to sell what I write. And you know I’d rather take more of the marketing time and convert it to writing time. This is where I could use your help.

  A lot of people won’t even look at a book until it has a lot of reviews. Looks like 35 seems to be the number of reviews where the book begins to get more consideration by a larger group of readers. Yes, I’m asking you to help me out by writing a review. If I can get enough reviews, the amount of marketing time goes down and I can write more.

  Even if you thought it sucked, be specific and tell me where it sucked and why. It will help me become a better writer. You can find more of my writing on my website: http://www.stevemauthor.com

  Find me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/stevemauthor1/

  Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevemauthor1

  You can hurl abuse via: mailto:stevemauthor1@gmail.com

  BEAT READERS NEEDED: if you want to read my books before they are published in exchange for honest feedback and telling what doesn’t work so I can fix it before publication, please drop me a line at mailto:stevemauthor1@gmail.com and put BETA READER in the subject line.

  Here are the Titles of all of my Books:

  Science Fiction:

  Earth Seven and the History Department at the University of Centrum Kath

  (Sci-fi Satire)

  Mortuis Luna and the History Department at the University of Centrum Kath

  (Sci-fi Satire)

  The Last Believer (Post-apocalyptic, first contact)

  420 Action:

  Lioness

  Forced Entry – The Unravelling (very noir)

  Forced Entry – More Mistakes (very noir)

  Forced Entry – The Face of Heritage (very noir)

  Higher Education

  The Mississippi Sativa Cooperative

  The Mississippi Sativa Cooperative 2: Bad Seeds

  Political-Dystopian:

  The Robespierre Conspiracy

  The Robespierre Uprising

  The Robespierre Utopia

  Who the fuck?

  Steve M escaped from the information cages of Mega Corp after years in the information prison.

  He shares stories while trying to avoid recapture.

  He stays warm in Florida with a wife, two cats and a dog.

  After a long day of thinking.

  England 2015

  Mortuis Luna and the History Department at the University of Centrum Kath – Chapter One Preview

  This is chapter one before the editor and the beta readers get to read it. So please excuse any stupid mistakes. Hopefully this will give you a good sense of what is next for Koven Modi. I wanted an environment and circumstance that he would make him feel very uncomfortable.

  Lemme know whatcha think.

  The final version will be shorter, tighter and with better worded. But the story will remain the same.

  Anyway, enough preamble, lets amble shall we?

  CHAPTER ONE

  The train ride was as smooth as silk. It only took a couple of tox (minutes) to bring the hundreds of people into Reon, the capital city of Infelos Neso, one of the most populated planets in the galaxy. Bodas Fink was smiling as he looked out of the window of the train. Heuris Carter sat beside him. She was looking at all of the signs that flooded the landscape of Reon. In every direction for as far as the eye could see, which wasn’t very far, were the floaters, as the floating billboards were called. The images changed on them frequently but no less than every two seconds, in accordance with the law against subliminal suggestion. Heuris looked at the advert with the image of a cat. She liked cats and missed hers. But Cretus was being taken care of by her parents while she did her service on Mortuis Luna, one of the two moons of Infelos Neso and the breadbasket for Neso, as everyone called it.

  “That first sip is always the sweetest one” said Bodas. “My mouth is wet just thinking about it.”

  “It’s nice to be back home, even if it’s just Reon” replied Hueris, still disappointed that their two rev pass only got them as far as the capital city.

  “It’s good enough for me” said Bodas.

  Neso has the reputation for being a bit of a wild frontier planet, despite being nowhere near the frontier. It got the reputation because of the early settlers who seemed adverse to establishing rules and laws perhaps because everyone was too lazy to write them down. Because of this Neso developed in some rather strange ways.

  There were no rules for land use, so high rise commercial buildings or a smelly waste water treatment plant can sit right next to a residential building.

  No rules for pollution resulted in an entire population that uses respirators with micron filters when outdoors because of poor air quality. Clean-off equipment are in entrances to all buildings.

  And as for behavior, there are also very few rules in that regard either. The entire code of conduct could be summarized by the simple statement, ‘try not to hurt anyone other than yourself’.

  “What time do you want me to come and get you?” she asked him.

  “Not until you are on your way back to the bubble station” replied Bodas with a sly smile.

  “You’re seriously going to spend the next two days drunk?” she asked him.

  “Damn right. I won’t sober up until I wake up for work” he said proudly.

  “You’re an idiot” Heuris replied.

  “No. You’re an idiot for not joining me. Spice 87 isn’t GA yet, but I’ve got a contact at the polar distilleries and she will get me into one of the testing clubs” replied Bodas.

  The polar distilleries on Neso are legendary. Their products are considered some of the finest alcohols in existence. Off of Neso they command a hefty price. But on Neso they are cheap and considerably safer than drinking the water.

  “Do you have me listed on tap-tap?” Heuris asked.

  “Yes. Tap-tap” he said and Heuris felt her comms bracelet vibrate and then an image of Bodas appeared floating in front of her.

  “Good. If you need me, tap-tap” she replied.

  “If you change your mind, call me befo
re I get too drunk to answer” he said.

  “OK. But don’t count on it” she replied.

  “I don’t. And stay out of Aphroditto” he said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, right” she said. “Not likely” she added.

  “Good. Didn’t think you were a freak” he said with a chuckle.

  “Nope, not me” she replied with a hint of disappointment in her life. Heuris the normal. Heuris the average. Heuris the not spectacular. Heuris believed that if people had to pick a color that best fit their idea of her, they would unanimously choose gray.

  Aphroditto is another of the things for which Infelos Neso is famous. Another product of the lack of rules. Aphroditto is a virtual reality space for sex. And not just the two consenting adults only kind of sex. Aphroditto had every kind imaginable. It was wildly popular and fully three quarters of the population of one trillion on Neso have been visitors to Aphroditto. Travelers from all over the galaxy come to visit the legendary white glass building in the VR world. It is advertised as the most complete and safest sexual experience known to any species. Complete anonymity is assured through destructive departure protocols. As the advert says ‘When you leave Aphroditto, it’s like you were never here.’.

  “I don’t need to come bail you out of some love triangle” Bodas said with a chuckle. “And if you do go, remember to get the recording.”

  When someone leaves Aphroditto, they are offered the one and only recording of their time there, presumably for later review. If they decline, then the recording is destroyed, as well as all information pertaining to their visit is deleted from all record files. Yes, it’s like you were never there.

  Then there are the areas of interest. To put it mildly, Aphroditto offers everything from passionate romance rooms full of shirtless good looking suitors to the more exotic interests that may or may not involved restraints and diapers. But it is most known for the Ten Thousand (TT) rooms. Yep, you guessed it, orgies of huge numbers. They make up the most popular rooms by far.