Ashlyn Chronicles 1: 2287 A.D.

by Glenn Van Dyke

  “The planet is 2.1 percent larger than Earth—its gravity is .87 Earth standard. Like the flagship, the atmosphere is 2.2 percent lower in oxygen than optimal, but fully compatible. Only .03 percent of the planet’s surface supports vegetation. The rest is all desert. The enemy has one very large, occupied Citadel. At city center is a massive pyramid several times larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza. The recon also found a number of larger, very ancient ruins, all of which are uninhabited.

  “What’s odd is that the ruins are vastly superior in design and concept. It’s logical to assume that they were built by a society more advanced than the one that exists now. And those older ruins are still fairly hot. Organic life would struggle to survive there, even now. Best guess is that the radiation is a result of a cataclysmic battle thousands of years ago. The surface is globally pockmarked. Fractal patterns are consistent with those from atomic blasts—if launched from orbit. The blasts fractured the crust, which explains why the planet has so many areas of volcanic activity. Scans show virtually no above ground water supply.

  “On a better note, the recon buoy has relayed the landing coordinates to the pods. The preliminary survey shows that we’ll have a defensible, uninhabited position—and—one that has water.”

  “If it has water,” said Steven.

  “Then why is it uninhabited?” said Ashlyn, looking at Steven and finishing his sentence for him.

  “Looks like we’re about to find out,” said Steven.

  “Sir,” said Stratton, “we’ve secured the Jupiter Class plasma cannon and the two Titan Class laser rifles from the weapon’s vault.”

  “Good. If we’re all set—then launch the pods.”

  The final announcement went out to the crew, giving them a ten second warning before initiating the breakaway process.

  Outside Avenger, one hundred and fifty pod bay doors opened. Seconds later, the pods, in sequential order, cut loose. Once free, each pod’s programming engaged the thrusters, sending them to the designated landing coordinates.

  “Sir, with all t-that’s been happening—I’d n-not had the chance to tell you that when we c-cut the Engineering Section loose, f-forty-seven people didn’t m-make it out,” said Novacek. “We also lost f-four others when the plates blew-out d-during our maneuver round the sun.”

  Steven grimaced. So many lives—lost.

  With all but the bridge team evacuated, Steven and Novacek initiated Avenger’s auto-destruct.

  ***

  “Phillip?” said Ashlyn patting his knee. “Can I hold your hand? I’ve never been in a pod before. It’s kind of scary.” Phillip’s face beamed, his own fears now evaporated.

  After verifying that the securement field was engaged and functioning, Steven hit the manual eject button. The pod broke away. A moment later, its powerful main thruster burst to life, rocketing them toward the planet.

  Through the rear porthole, Steven was afforded one last glimpse of Avenger. You were right, Renee—you were right!

  A pair of giggles rescued Steven from his sadness. In the absence of artificial gravity, Ashlyn’s hair had risen into the air. Following her example, Phillip scruffed his hair, making himself look like a hedgehog. In unison, Phillip and Ashlyn’s eyes turned to Steven.

  “All right!” said Steven, scruffing his hair for them.

  “Looks like a bird’s nest,” said Phillip, the two of them laughing.

  Ash shrugged her shoulders at Steven. “He’s right, it does!”

  It wasn’t long before things settled down. They were all exhausted and before they knew it, they were asleep. The ride was fairly smooth and uneventful until they hit the atmosphere.

  Waking, Steven took hold of Phillip’s hand. Ashlyn put her hand out to Steven, completing the circle. Outside, the craft glowed red as its heat shield absorbed the friction-induced heat of a steep descent into a thickening atmosphere.

  The pod experienced a series of strong jolts as the craft caught air, but their air-cushioned containment fields and auto-contouring seats made the back breaker ride seem no harder than being on a merry-go-round.

  “Dad, I have to go to the bathroom!”

  “I told you to use it before we left home, Son,” he said with a small smile. Some things never change.

  The pod’s shuddering abated and the three of them sat silently, listening to the sound of the jets making course corrections. Through the large front window, they watched the desert world grow closer until it was streaking by thirty meters below them.

  Long rows of dunes stretched between tall, spired towers. Canyons, long ago gutted by rivers, now sat dry, barren.

  Six minutes later the transponder signaled their pod’s passage over the beacon, and the pod dipped sharply as the braking flaps extended. They passed over a forested mountain, which abruptly disappeared, leaving them again staring at an endless sea of sand dunes and spires. The landing alert flashed faster, signaling their imminent landing.

  The glossy black pod took a tiny skip off the sand before settling back to the ground, sliding sixty meters to a smooth stop, listing to its port side.

  The two of them rose and as if they had done this a hundred times before, Steven and Ashlyn checked the gauges. “104 degrees, 4 percent humidity, wind at 18 knots,” said Steven.

  “Ready or not!” Ashlyn hit the open-hatch button. The sweltering heat outside swallowed the cool air inside the pod in one quick gulp. “Smells sweet, like grape jam.” Staring outside, he noted a faint pink tint to the sky.

  Steven and Ashlyn, having verified the status of their weapons, each grabbed one of the emergency packs stowed beneath their seat. Ash quickly redistributed the E-packs items into her own personal, larger pack.

  Steven jumped first, taking a quick survey of the area. He then turned to help Phillip down.

  Ashlyn came next, and with a leap into his arms, he caught her about the waist.

  The heels of his shoes sank deep into the sand. Off-balance, he fell backwards, taking Ashlyn with him.

  Landing atop Steven, Ashlyn teased, “Not the most graceful rescue of a damsel, but I guess I should be grateful that your sabre wasn’t drawn, or you might have run me through.” Ashlyn arched her back so that it pressed her pelvis hard into him.

  A tremor of induced passion ran down Steven's spine.

  “Dad, I can hear everyone. They are over here!” said Phillip as he scampered up and over a dune to join the others.

  Ashlyn gave Steven one last flirtatious grind with her pelvis as she rose from on top of him.

  Reaching the dune’s crest, Steven studied the area. The pods were loosely strewn over a square kilometer of gullies and dunes, and the crew slowly gathered on its southern edge.

  Steven looked up at the sky.

  “You thinking about Avenger?”

  Steven nodded. “She was a good ship.” His eyes watered.

  “It doesn’t mean you won’t see them again,” said Ash softly, knowing that he was in mourning for his wife and daughter.

  Steven squeezed her hand.

  From the landing area below Chief Preston’s voice shouted, “Admiral, the beacon’s signal is coming from that direction.” He pointed to the south.

  While waiting for the last of the stragglers to join the group, Steven listened to the array of discussions and complaints about the pink-cast sky, the heat from the binary suns, being stranded, and everything else in-between before he let go with a loud whistle. “All right, everyone, listen up. Our destination is two kilometers south of here. Keep a tight formation and a steady pace. We need to get to cover as quickly as possible. Commander Novacek, you have the lead.”

  Novacek tousled Phillip’s hair. “D-did you have a g-good ride?”

  “That reminds me!” Running off, out of sight from the crew, Phillip ducked behind one of the pods.

  “I told him to go before he left home.”

  Novacek looked at Steven, smiled, and walked off laughing.

  The suns, though low in the sky, bore down on
them with an intense ferocity, as did the driving wind. Factoring in the soft sand, the heavy packs, weapons, bundled supplies, and personal items, made each step more strenuously torturous. Steven pushed the pace, fearing they could be attacked while out in the open.

  Using the time while walking to think, Steven began to put the pieces together of what he had learned in the files provided by President Tomlinson. It was easy to imagine that this world had once been a vital and flourishing planet similar to Earth, with amazing technological cities built by the Anunnaki. Now they were just ancient, abandoned reminders of what had once been—echoed in the aftermath of a destroyed world.

  One kilometer into the trek, as Steven stood atop a dune scanning the forested area ahead with his binoculars, a shrill scream of mortal terror shattered the desiccated air behind him. Dropping his pack, Steven turned and ran to where the scream originated. Breaking through the crowd, he arrived just in time to see a hand tear from a rescuer’s grasp and slip beneath the sand, the victim’s strained, crimped fingers clearly conveying the shock, terror, and pain of a brutal death. The churning sand came to an abrupt stop, almost as if it were denying the incident had ever happened.

  The human chain of rescuers rose in near panic, wide eyes searching the ground. Their actions and the calm rational words from one of the crew sent a chill down Steven’s spine. “It was a spider, Admiral. Just like the ones on Earth. It came from under the sand.”

  “Stratton, spread out the security team, heaviest concentration to the rear. Have them guard those who are lagging behind.”

  He addressed the crew, “Everyone push hard for the mountain. Don’t stop—keep moving. Your lives may depend on it!” With Ashlyn at his side, Steven grabbed Phillip’s hand.

  Forty minutes later, Steven, having assisted the last of the crew safely into the forest, realized how much they looked like shipwrecked survivors. Their knotted and twisted faces were into grotesque caricatures of their former selves. Their legs trembled from the strenuous trek, their chests gasping for air due to the thin atmosphere.

  Seeing them, Steven recalled a quote from a novel about a shipwrecked crew that he had read years before. ‘The crew’s anguished sighs were like curses unto the hostile world to which they’d been cast—and in irreverent song did the wind whistling through the branches above them bid welcome.’

  Steven saw Phillip helping Ashlyn, who was dispensing water to the crew. He is so much like you, Renee.

  Ashlyn turned toward Steven, and sitting beside him, she gave him a half-bottle of water.

  To Steven, she was like a breath of fresh, mountain air on a sunny, winter morning. Her sight renewed his soul, invigorating him on a deeply molecular level. He marveled at the chemistry that was at work between them.

  Briggs, one crutch under his left arm, hobbled over to Ashlyn. “Ashlyn, I want to thank you for hauling my butt out of the frying pan up there! The guys told me what you did. I don’t want to know how you got me into your fighter—the thought of being in space with no suit scares the hell out of me. I owe you.”

  “That’s what scares you? The man who strafed a destroyer all by himself!” They both laughed. “How are you feeling anyway?”

  “Fantastic, considering the alternative. A couple of broken ribs, concussion, and a twisted ankle. We ever get off this rock, I’ll be ready to fly again.”

  “You’re a good pilot, Briggs. I hope we get that chance.” Ashlyn stood and gave him a hug.

  With an unreturned nod to the admiral, Briggs walked away, leaving Ashlyn staring at Steven. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure. Something doesn’t feel right.” It was a feeling he could not put into words. Rising, Steven called out, rousing the crew to stand. “Novacek, take the crew up into the rocks, on the mountain.”

  “Everything all right?” said Novacek.

  “Just a feeling. I’d rather be safe than sorry,” said Steven.

  Forty minutes later, the crew spread out around the boulders at the base of the mountain, Steven surveyed the surroundings. He plotted the movements the enemy would likely make, should they attack. The natural abutments would provide good defensive positioning if the enemy were to attack from the ground with conventional weapons.

  Stratton approached. “Admiral, per your orders, we’ve placed two of our class three snipers atop the mountain. Each has a Titan rifle. And as you instructed, eighteen teams of two have been placed around the base of the mountain. Tomlinson’s team has gathered the crew’s rations and is working out a schedule for distribution.”

  “Good job, Stratt. Have the first watch relieved in four hours, thereafter every six. Any news on the report we received from the beacon about there being a water source?”

  “Nothing yet, sir, but we’ll find it.”

  Thirty minutes later, while strolling through the makeshift camp, giving encouraging words to boost morale, Steven found Phillip hanging upside down from a tree eating M&M’s.

  “I haven’t seen those in years! Where did you get them?”

  “Ashlyn gave them to me,” he said, flipping to the ground. “Want some? They are really good.”

  “Ashlyn had M&M’s?” He took a few from Phillip. “Okay, those are really good.” He realized that he hadn’t seen Ash recently. “Do you know where she is now?”

  “She said she was going for a walk.”

  “A walk? Did you see which way she went?”

  “Yup.” Phillip pointed. “That way!”

  Leaving Phillip in Novacek’s care, Steven headed off in the direction Phillip had pointed. Several minutes later, with not a single misstep in the wrong direction, he found her at the forest’s edge where it met the desert.

  With an inspiring backdrop of gracefully sweeping desert sand, he found Ashlyn sitting barefoot atop a rock. The rock glistened like polished glass by the driving winds that had blasted it for thousands of years.

  He realized that Ashlyn had been right. Her hair had been short when he had seen her in the vision on the podium of this moment. The suns backlit her, sensually beguiling him. She was a red rose growing out of granite, amber rays of sunlight doing obeisance to her. Her eyes were closed, her face soaking in the last radiating warmth of the setting suns.

  Steven looked up as the branches above him rustled and a faint, passing breeze sent a sprinkling of purple leaves teetering to the ground around him.

  “Hello, Pinocchio!”

  His eyes lowered to see that she was watching him.

  Barefoot, Ashlyn rose, desire basting her lips like glistening honey. A soothing, warm gust of wind swept her hair back.

  Inside, Steven was on fire. His passions screamed for her. He wanted her. The fugue was pulling them together.

  Ashlyn, too, felt the longing, the desire. She could see how much he wanted her, his arousal apparent. It took every ounce of willpower for them to stay apart.

  Ashlyn could see the thoughts and images within his mind, his hopeful expectation. She also saw his inner struggle—his not wanting to hurt Renee.

  “We should get back to camp,” said Steven.

  Chapter 14

  As they arrived back in camp, Stratton spotted them and approached. “Admiral—Tomlinson found a cave. Its entrance is about three-quarters of the way up the east face. Solomon is waiting to take you up there.”

  Steven tipped his head to Ashlyn. “Can you watch Phillip for me?”

  “Of course.”

  Steven quietly mouthed, “Thank you.”

  Retrieving his pack, Steven followed Solomon up the mountain to Tomlinson, who waited for him.

  “Admiral, I cleared the entrance. You’ll need these.” Tomlinson handed him a sheathed machete and flashlight. “We only have a few of these. Wish we had more.”

  “Thanks. Solomon, get some help to clear the rest of the brush away from the entrance,” ordered Steven. Clipping the sheath to his belt, he pulled out the machete. “Ok, Tomlinson, lead the way.”

  The entrance was narrow, barely mor
e than a shoulder-width slit between the boulders. Once inside, they found that it was much wider and easily traversed. Not surprisingly, with each step down the tunnel’s descending, twisting turns, the temperature grew cooler. The walls and floor were damp and covered in patches of moss. Occasionally, Tomlinson would stop to chop away a root that blocked their path.

  The two of them discussed the smoothness of the floor and walls, both agreeing that it was an artificial, constructed passageway. It was also apparent that the tunnel had not been used in hundreds, if not thousands of years.

  They were forty meters in, when they noticed the sound of running water. Without need for discussion, the men moved faster, anxious to see what was ahead.

  Within minutes, the tunnel opened out upon a large cavern. Very humanlike stairs, cut into the rock, descended to a sand beach with a gently flowing river about fifteen meters across. The water entered through a large fissure several meters above the cavern floor to their right, then exited through an even larger opening sixty-five meters to their left.

  Kneeling on the smooth sand at the river’s edge, Steven cupped a handful of water. Raising it to his lips, he prepared to take a sip.

  “Sir, you really shouldn’t. It could have bacteria in it,” warned Tomlinson. “It should be boiled, at the very least.”

  “Squeak, squeak!”

  Tomlinson looked at Steven with questioning eyes.

  “I’m a guinea pig.”

  Tomlinson chuckled, especially when Steven added, “Wait until you have kids. It tends to dumb-down your humor. However, you are right, Tomlinson. The thing is—we only have two days of rations. It’s only a matter of time.” Though he wasn’t sure how he knew, he felt sure the water was safe. Taking first one handful, then another, “It’s—great! Nice and cool. It looks like we’ve found a new home.”

  The cavern was more than Steven could have hoped for; they had water and a defensible shelter out of the extreme heat.