by Adair Hart
“That is my thought as well.”
Emily swatted Evaran’s arm again. “I guess then, as you would say, that everything is as it should be.”
Evaran glanced at Emily for a moment, then smiled. He extended his arm. Emily leaned into him as they watched the hustle and bustle of the Da Nesh spaceport.
At a planetary data storage facility on the planet Gish Korol, Illitech Security Engineer Jandras examined the holographic representations of a database cluster inside a large room. Jandras was an Ildoran, a thin, green, short humanoid race known for its memory abilities. During a routine audit, a number stood out to him. It was the size of one of the databases. He was able to recall what the size should be, and it did not match up with what the system was showing.
Bringing up the database in question showed a series of floating sheets with lines connecting them. He rubbed his chin as he perused the sheets. Everything seemed to be in order. He checked the logs and verified that nothing had accessed the database in a long time, and there was nothing indicating data had been deleted. Checking the backups revealed nothing either. After a moment, he tapped at a free-floating console that hovered nearby. An image of another Ildoran appeared.
“Hodrak, you got a moment?” asked Jandras.
Hodrak raised an eyebrow. “Sure, not like I don’t have several planets worth of data to manage.”
Jandras sighed. “Just come down here.”
“Fine. I’m on my way,” said Hodrak.
The image dissipated.
After ten minutes, Hodrak entered the database holo room. “So … what do you need this time?”
Jandras pointed at the number below the database. “The size is wrong. Data’s missing.”
“You already check the backups?”
“I did, and now all the backups have the same number. It’s like the data never existed, but it had to. Since you’re the operations engineer, can you tell me if there is a size difference when the planetary backups were done?”
Hodrak narrowed his eyes. “Sure.” He accessed a floating screen near him. After a moment, he looked at the number Jandras had pointed at, then back at his screen. “No size difference, but I know the size of the backups has changed. That’s not possible. You sure you checked the logs?”
“Of course. Nothing there, and this is a secured database. It’s mostly history junk, and it hasn’t been accessed in several hundred years.”
“It seems kind of pointless to erase historical data no one ever looks at. No one alive would know what was there.”
“Right,” said Jandras.
“Hmm,” said Hodrak. “Well, you’re the security engineer. How could someone get in, and delete data system-wide without any indication it occurred?”
Jandras shrugged. “They can’t. We’d have audit logs detailing the delete and who did it. Another more disturbing possibility is that … maybe our memory is wrong …”
Hodrak and Jandras laughed.
Jandras shook his head. “I won’t open an investigation into it since there appears to be nothing to investigate.”
“It’s probably best to not mention anything either. Clients won’t like knowing their data can disappear without a trace, and notifying upper management about it would be ill-advised.”
Jandras grimaced. “Well, at least you know now too. An unsolvable mystery. If we’d put in a security AI like I suggested …”
“I’m not arguing that with you again. AIs are an unknown variable. They could do a lot worse than this,” said Hodrak.
Jandras snorted. “Well, then I guess everything is as it should be. Right?”
“Of course. Lunch?”
“Sure,” said Jandras. He circled his finger, causing a button to appear. After pressing it, the holographs disappeared, and he exited the room with Hodrak.
I hope you enjoyed the fourth book in the Evaran Chronicles! I wanted to showcase the concept of what happens when the timeline changes, but someone gets left behind. There was also more insight into the type of time travelers that exist in the Evaran Chronicles setting. If you enjoyed the book, and have the time and inclination, a review would go a long way in helping out this indie author. If you do submit a review, I’ll put in a word to Evaran should you find yourself stranded in a new timeline! Want to be notified about new book releases? If so, you can sign up below.
www.AdairHart.com/MailingList.aspx
I will only send you email about new book releases, major updates, and the occasional newsletter, usually once a month. I dislike getting spammed too, so I will use this sparingly to keep you in the loop.
I have been dreaming about fictional worlds since I was a kid. I devoured anything related to fantasy and science fiction. I developed a setting over the last twenty years and struggled to find a medium I could express it in. Several years ago I discovered I enjoyed writing. It is a passion of mine now, and exploring my setting with it has been an awesome journey.
I work in the information technology field and have my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in it. It has helped me to shape some of the concepts I write about. I also enjoy keeping up on futurology and science in general.
I live in central Ohio and enjoy walking, reading, gaming, learning, listening to music, and trying to keep up on my never-ending list of TV shows and movies to watch. If you want to contact me, you can do so on my website at
www.AdairHart.com
You can also reach me on:
Facebook
Goodreads
[email protected]
To my grandmother who passed away on March 6, 2016. The world is a bit darker without your light. I will forever treasure the impact you have had on my life and strive to live in a manner that would make you proud.
This was a great journey for me, but I wouldn’t be here without the help of others. I would like to thank, in no particular order,
My fantastic editor, Laura Petrella. She makes the copyediting process enjoyable, and I have learned so much from her. One of the highlights for me about the writing process, outside of the actual writing, is seeing her suggestions on how to make the story better. She has an uncanny insight into seeing things that I sometimes miss. I know that with her in my corner, I am a better writer and am thankful for all the she does.
My cover artist, Tom Edwards ([email protected]), for doing yet another awesome cover. This cover had a bit more back and forth than the others in the design phase, but depicting a timeline changing merited that. As always, he produced another stunning cover.
My family and friends who helped encourage me along the way.
My proofreader, Red Adept Publishing, for providing a great service. They are quick, efficient, and professional.
My formatter and interior designer, Colleen Sheehan (www.wdrbookdesign.com/), for helping make the book look great. She is hard working and I enjoy working with her.
My beta reader, Scott Ellenwood, for reading through the first draft and helping make the story stronger.
You can see all the books in the Evaran Chronicles at
www.AdairHart.com/Books/Books.aspx