Edge of Infinity: The Masters, #1

By Jeremy Reimer

As the brand new supercarrier Pegasus is readied for its first flight, reports trickle in from the edge of the galaxy that threaten to shatter the fragile peace the Pegasus was
meant to protect.

Now, pilots Jack Davidson, Sarah Admunsen, and David Chang are thrown into a deadly game of survival. Fighting alongside their alien allies, they have become the last line
of defense, not only for the human race, but for all sentient life in the galaxy!

Edge of Infinity is the first novel in the Masters trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeremy Reimer
• Release date: Jan 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301771691

Jeremy Reimer

I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 16, 1972, to Louis Elton Reimer and Gail Patricia (Edmondson) Reimer. Our family moved to Winlaw (close to Nelson) in the interior of BC when I was just one year old, and then again to the small town of Gibsons, BC when I was three. I grew up in Gibsons and went to elementary school there, but when it came time to go to high school I went back to Vancouver to attend Eric Hamber Secondary. Thanks to the Challenge Program I was able to finish in just four years instead of five, and started my B.Sc at the University of British Columbia when I was just 16 years old. Some detours and interesting side-adventures later, I graduated with a B.Sc in Physics from UBC, and then got my Bachelor's of Education from UBC a year later. I taught at Kester Grant College (a private ESL high school) and then Saint George's Secondary for a year, then decided teaching wasn't for me and went on to other prospects. Currently I work at a software development company in Vancouver as a software developer and technical writer. Marital status Married since 2001 to my wonderful soul mate Jennifer. Quite simply the most amazing woman in the world. She is intelligent, gorgeous, caring, funny, and just all-around amazing. Kids None. Pets A beautiful tortoiseshell cat named Zoe. Education Bachelor of Science, Physics, University of British Columbia (1996) Bachelor of Education, Secondary (Physics), University of British Columbia (1997) Certificate of 2D and 3D animation, Vancouver Training Institute (1999) Diploma of Technical Writing, British Columbia Institute of Technology (2007) Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute (2010) Vital stats Age: 40 Height: 6 feet Weight: 172 lbs (more muscle than a couple of years ago!) Teeth: Still got 'em Current computers owned 2x2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook runningOS X 10.5 (CYLON_RAIDER) 2x1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo running Windows XP (ADAMA) 4x2.8GHz Intel Quad Core running Windows 7 (TELEVISION) 1.8GHz Pentium 4 running Ubuntu Server Linux (ZOE) 733Mhz Pentium /// running Xubuntu Linux 7.0 (GALACTICA) - flown into the sun... 800Mhz G3 AmigaOne running OS 4 (JEREMY) (Sadly R.I.P. ) 500MHz G3 Macintosh iBook running OS X 10.3 133MHz Pentium running DOS 6.0 and Windows 3.1 25MHz 68040 Maci...

Book preview

EDGE OF INFINITY

A Novel

By

Jeremy Reimer

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Jeremy Reimer on Smashwords

Edge of Infinity

Copyright © 2013 by Jeremy Reimer

Thank you for purchasing this eBook.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

*****

EDGE OF INFINITY

*****

He felt it, deep within his spiny cartilage.

The time was nearing. Not in a thousand generations had his cells felt the urge to move, but now it was finally happening. He felt an overwhelming surge of sensation, as every nerve in his regenerating body awoke at once.

The voice came back as well, the ancient voice that was four hundred thousand generations old. It spoke into his mind, and knew his thoughts.

Seek out the remaining species, it told him. Seek them out and find out what they fear the most.

Then you must become that fear.

His body shuddered.

Yes, my Master, he said.

Chapter One

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.

-- Carl Sagan

July 21st, 2397

Jack stared across the water, watching the sun slowly descend below the hills on the coast. A breeze came out from the ocean, and he felt his skin tingle.

I want to enjoy this moment, he thought. It might be the last chance I get for a long time.

Presently a small red circle flashed in the bottom left corner of his sunglasses. He tapped a button on his watch and it vanished. The message could wait. He already knew what it was.

A seagull flew past, and he followed its path across the water and down the beach. He was standing on a wooden deck perched on a thirty-foot rock. The deck and the small, white cottage it was connected to were the majority of his inheritance. Thinking about his parents usually made him sad, but today he was determined to appreciate what they had given him. This place that they had loved so dearly would not be his home, but he refused to sell it. His path might lie in the stars, but part of him would always be here.

The sun was nearly set. When it was half submerged behind the mainland, Jack saw a tiny flash on the upper right of its disk, and then a thin, rainbow-colored line shot outwards. He blinked and it was gone. He stared at it for a few moments, his sunglasses adjusting for the brightness of the sun, and then tapped a different button on his watch.

What ship was that? he asked, despite nobody being around to hear him. His watch answered in its calming electronic tones:

The diplomatic transport ship U.N.S. Sadat departed at 18:35, destined for Proxima, then Betelgeuse, then...

That’s enough, Jack said, and the watch responded with a soft click. He didn’t need to know any more. He turned away and walked down the long, windy ramp for what would be the last time.

He had his own ship to catch.

*****

Jack found his car, a dark blue Panther, at the end of the grassy path. He turned the main dial on his watch and listened for the familiar click as the key codes were entered. He settled in to the soft, warm seat, fastened his seat belt and powered up the vehicle. The car was in good shape despite being seven years old, and all the diagnostics completed quickly. With a quiet whine the six high-speed fans began turning. Jack briefly glanced at the fuel gage; the nuclear battery held steady at 98 percent. It would last far longer than the life of the car.

Slowly the car began to ascend. As it reached cruising height of about one hundred meters, a soft synthesized voice asked Jack to enter a destination.

Vancouver Spaceport, he replied.

Confirmed. The journey will take approximately six minutes.

Jack turned his head to catch one last glimpse of the island as the car accelerated into the night. The last few rays of the sun were catching it and bathing it in a dull yellow glow. Down by the water he could see the spot where he had hit his head on the rocks as a child and nearly drowned, before his parents came to his rescue. He looked away again.

Turn on the news, he commanded the car’s computer.

A holographic grid appeared overlapping the car’s windscreen. Please select news level: Inter-civ, Colony news, Earth news..

Inter-civ, Jack replied, cutting the computer off. Emphasis on military and political events.

Confirmed. The grid changed and an attractive computer-simulated woman appeared, seated at a desk. Good evening. Preparations are underway for the third and likely final ratification of the Earth-Zruthy Trade Agreement and Territorial Demarcation Act. Ambassador Keila Elbethian spoke earlier today about the implications of this historic treaty."

The newsreader disappeared and was replaced with a close-up of the Ambassador, a blonde-haired woman with delicate, pointed features. She had the smooth, fair skin of a thirty year-old, but tiny, almost imperceptible lines around her eyes revealed her age to be around twice that figure.

With this ratification, the Earth and Zruthy cultures, once locked in dreadful interstellar struggle, have become partners in the peaceful exploration of our sector of this galaxy. Our differences, once thought to be insurmountable, have now become a source of inspiration for both our races. The technology gained through our trade agreements will benefit humans and Zruthy alike, while the agreed political boundaries leave both cultures with ample room to expand in the future. There need never be a repeat of the unfortunate conflict between us that cost so many lives.

The grid switched to a map of local space, superimposed on an image of a small town on the Zruthy homeworld. The newsreader’s voice returned. Some top political advisers, however, fear that the treaty has done nothing to dispel the growing tensions between our two very different civilizations.

Well, and a new, elderly gentleman’s face appeared with the name ‘Gottfried Halbut – Senior Political Analyst’ superimposed underneath, it seems to me that the demarcation of various uninhabited star systems between our two races has served only to hasten the construction of new military hardware intended to protect the claims on these very systems. And such an unprecedented buildup could only increase the already fragile tensions that exist between Earth and Zruth. Have we truly stopped the war, or merely ...

The old man paused in mid-sentence, interrupted by a loud chime. We have arrived at the spaceport and are docking in bay E17. Jack dismissed the news with the press of a button and peered out the windscreen. The car was diving down into the underground parking garage.

There were still a few good spots left, and with the help of the computer he picked one. Switching to semi-manual control, he gently set the car down on the concrete. As he got out, he wondered how long it would be until he returned to Earth, and if he should put the car up for sale or just program it to fly back home without him. He mulled the question over in his head for half a minute, then turned the dial on his watch and issued the recall order on a two-minute delay. He could still sell it later, if he wanted. He took out his small traveling bag, stuffed with personal artifacts and mementoes, and slung it over his shoulder. It was the only thing he would be taking with him on this journey.

He watched the car leave and suppressed an urge to wave goodbye. Nobody would see him, but it felt silly regardless. He walked to the brightly painted elevator and rode up to the main lounge.

The architecture of the spaceport was grand and somewhat awe-inspiring, with sturdy beams of composite fibresteel arching skyward, connecting at the center of the roof where they met a giant illuminated sphere the color of summer sky. There were hundreds of people leisurely strolling along the patterned marble floor, and in the distance Jack thought he saw a small group of Ke’ea, their tall frames outlined in the light of an arrivals door.

He was still wearing his sunglasses. The lenses had turned transparent, so he took them off and put them in his shirt pocket. There were holographic signs everywhere, and he quickly found the one he wanted and followed the floating green arrow to the appropriate exit corridor.

A loud buzzer sounded.

You are about to be scanned, the corridor said in a stern, masculine voice. To indicate your consent for the scanning procedure, please touch the red button on the wall.

Jack did so. Thank you, the voice answered. For a few seconds he was enveloped in an intricate lattice of green laser light.

Identity confirmed. You are Jack Henri Davidson, Earth citizen, Global identity number 042 870 197 004. You have a pre-paid ticket for orbital station Alpha, on shuttle C-287, departing in bay 17 in five minutes. The total cost of this trip is nine thousand and forty six dollars. If this information is correct, please touch the green button.

It was interesting, Jack thought, that there was no option given for the information not being correct. He supposed it must happen sometimes. He tapped the green button and the door in front of him opened with a soft click. He went in, and the elevator quickly took him to the shuttle.

About half of the shuttle’s fifty-odd seats were already occupied. Jack located an empty one next to an attractive woman with long blonde hair. He sat down, trying to appear nonchalant, but not too much so.

Hello, he said, trying not to smile too broadly. My name’s Jack.

Hi, she replied, turning towards him. Her eyes were green, and her face a smooth oval, vaguely Asiatic in appearance. I’m Sarah. There was an awkward pause.

I’m just stopping off at the station for half an hour, then I have to catch a military transport, Jack said, trying to re-start the conversation. I’ve been assigned to the carrier Pegasus. I’m a pilot, actually.

Really?

Yes, he replied, smiling, they still have a few jobs left that they don’t want to entrust to the computers.

Oh, I know, she said, I’ve got one of them.

Jack felt a twinge of embarrassment. You’re a pilot too?

Yes, I’m surprised you didn’t see my profile on the duty roster.

I haven’t read it yet. So much for impressing her, Jack thought. I know that they rotated out a lot of the crew after the shakedown trials, but I haven’t gone through the whole briefing package yet. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.

That’s okay, Sarah replied, it’s nice to meet you. Are you excited about your assignment?

Are you kidding? Only the flagship of the fleet! The largest and fastest ship we’ve ever built, it’s more than exciting, it’s... Jack shook his head, unable to come up with any more words.

Sarah smiled. I feel the same way.

The shuttle vibrated for a moment and Jack could feel the force of the ship’s acceleration pushing him firmly back into his seat. He looked out the window and watched the lights of the city slowly receding into the distance.

There probably won’t be too much for us to do on our first mission, Sarah said as the noise of the shuttle’s engines settled down to a comfortable level. Just a few diplomatic flybys. Showing the flag for the colonies, that sort of thing.

You don’t think we’ll be passing by the Zruthy capital world then? Letting them know we’ve upgraded our hardware a bit since the war ended?

Sarah considered this. It might be considered a bit provocative. I don’t think we want to risk another confrontation with them right now.

You don’t think we’re ready? Jack asked.

No, it’s not that we’re not ready, it’s... Her voice tailed off. Actually, she said, after a few seconds, we really aren’t ready. We have the Pegasus, and it’s a great ship, but it’s our only truly modern carrier. The rest of our fleet is still left over from the last war.

Jack nodded in agreement. My father fought on the Furious, one of the old Jaguar-class carriers. He was a technical officer, working on the flight deck. They were attacked by a Zruthy strike fleet near the end of the war, at Barnard’s Star.

I read about that battle, Sarah said. They took a lot of casualties. Was your father...?

Yes. And my mother. She was a doctor on one of the escort destroyers.

I... I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.

Jack stared at the back of the seat. It’s all right. It was a long time ago.

The sky outside was fading from nighttime gray to a far deeper black. You must really hate the Zruthy, then, Sarah said quietly.

Sometimes. It’s hard to know if you’re hating a real group of people, or just cold, unemotional machines. I’d like to say that I joined the UNIN to avenge my parents and keep Earth safe from their evil clutches, but the truth is, I just like to fly. And flying in space is something... well...

Yes, I know what you mean.

Jack laughed. Well, you would, of course, since you’re a pilot. How long have you flown?

Since I was about six years old... no, seriously! My father would sometimes let me touch the controls on his Matsui Zoomer. Her face lit up at the memory. Since then, I’ve been flying or trying to fly just about everything I could get my hands on. I got my commercial license when I was 18, and drove freighters for a few years, but it wasn’t exciting enough for me. Not enough to do, just babysitting the computer for hours on end.

Funny, it sounds like a lot of my life in the military. But please, continue the story.

Well, Sarah said, they finally let me in the UNIN when I was 29. I was just about to get a big promotion at InterCargo, so most of my friends thought I was crazy, jumping ship to the Navy like that. Spent a lot of time on the Hermes, doing training runs and simulations. Took ages to make full Lieutenant, but someone must have thought I had potential, since they assigned me here. She paused, adjusting her hair. So how about you?

There isn’t much to tell, really. Our family moved out to Canada when I was six. The war started a year later, and they both signed up. After they... afterwards, my uncle raised me. I joined the North American Navy when I was 17. We were looked down upon, driving atmospheric planes in an age of space travel, but it was some of the most exciting flying I’d ever done. Transferred to UNIN when I was 25, made Lieutenant five years later. I’ve known about my assignment to the Pegasus for some time, so I had a chance to set my affairs in order, say goodbye to a few friends, that sort of thing.

Sarah gave him a quizzical look. You make it sound like we’re not coming back from this trip, she said.

Jack shook his head. Nothing so melodramatic. It’ll be a long tour, that’s all. Showing the flag, raising people’s confidence in our military, meeting a lot of new people.

And the Zruthy?

We’re not going to war with the Zruthy. As you’ve said, we’re nowhere near ready.

*****

The shuttle was nearing Station Alpha, a gleaming white orbiting hotel and launchpad about half a mile in diameter. The small ship took less than a minute to match rotation with the station and another two to dock. The shuttle’s roof connected with the station, so that the centrifugal force re-established normal gravity on board. A green light went on in the cabin, and the passenger’s seatbelts were automatically retracted.

We’ve got about half an hour before the military transport leaves for Pegasus, Jack said to Sarah as he stood up. Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?

Sure, she replied, I just have to go to the head first. You want to wait for me?

Jack considered this. Would it seem too compliant, too eager to please on his part, if he waited? Would it be cooler if he asked to meet up with her later?

No problem, he said after a few seconds. I’ll be right here.

Great, Sarah said, and she disappeared into the washroom. Jack watched the other passengers file into the little elevator that carried them through the airlock and into the station. This is nuts, he thought, she’s a pilot, and we’re on the same crew. It will never work.

But perhaps she was simply being friendly. Jack had been through this type of situation many times before, but he still couldn’t tell with absolute certainty what her intentions were. He would just have to try to pretend to be casual and let things proceed naturally. At his age, and with his track record, he guessed he was pretty good at pretending.

She came out of the washroom and Jack realized that he had been staring at the door.

Hi again, she said.

That didn’t take long, Jack replied. Are you ready to go?

Sure, she said, smiling at him. They walked up to the elevator, waited for it to come back down, and stepped in. All the other passengers had left and they were alone in the small cylindrical room.

They were both silent as the elevator ascended. When it reached the station the doors opened and they walked out together.

The station’s corrugated metal floor curved gently beneath their feet. Jack looked up and could see the giant spindle overhead, decorated with colored lights and holograms. He located a coffee dispensing machine and took out his debit chip. What would you like? he asked Sarah.

Extra rich Mexican blend, one sugar. Thanks.

Jack pressed the appropriate touchpads and ordered another for himself. He slotted the debit chip, then examined it closely, frowning.

Not happy with what you see? Sarah asked, as the coffees filled up.

Let’s just say that I’ll be glad to get some flight pay, Jack replied. He took the silver cups in his hands and they walked over to a table. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll just check on a few things.

No problem, Sarah said.

Jack took out his glasses and put them on, tapping various buttons on his watch. The email was still there, waiting for him with a slightly more urgent flashing red dot, so he decided he would quickly read it after all.

Priority: High

To: Jack Davidson (42 870 197 004)

From: UNIN Personnel Department, Central Headquarters

This is your official notice of transfer to the UNS Pegasus, effective March 21st, 2397, 0000 hours.

Your military confirmation codes are available here.

The complete briefing package, including ship’s roster and assignments, is available here.

If you have any questions, or are unable for any reason to meet these transfer requirements, reply to this address.

UNIN Personnel Automatic Message generator, ID 433 134 313 342

Jack glanced at the message briefly, then took the glasses off again and put them in his shirt pocket. Sorry about that, he said. I just wanted to make sure my orders hadn’t changed.

Did you think they might have? I thought you knew about your posting for months already.

I know, but... Jack’s voice trailed off. How’s your drink? he said suddenly, changing the subject.

Sarah looked into her cup and made a funny face. It always amazes me, that we can break the light barrier and colonize the stars, yet as a species we can’t seem to make a decent cup of coffee.

They both stared out the window as the shining blue disk of Earth rotated into view. It was night, and they could see the outlines of China and Southeast Asia blazing with artificial lights.

We won’t be seeing this for a while, Sarah said.

No, Jack replied, and they both looked for a while longer.

Chapter Two

But who shall dwell in these worlds if they be inhabited? Are we or they Lords of the World? And how are all things made for man?

-- Johannes Kepler

Six thousand light years away, a dark shadow crept across the empty expanse of space. It moved slowly, tentatively, sending out tiny electromagnetic pulses at random intervals, barely detectable over the cosmic background radiation. It was almost impossible to track, except for the fact that as it moved, it blocked the light from nearby stars, one after another.

The ship that did begin to track it was ancient, constructed over twenty five million years ago. It was just as patient as its quarry, content to remain at the furthest possible distance, watching and waiting.

It was a ship, and it had a name. It was alive. It had been wandering through space, alone, ever since it was constructed. Since the consciousness and soul of its creator had been transferred into its circuitry, on a dark, wet world, so very long ago.

It was a Starfarer, and it had seen many things in its lifetime. It had stalked mysterious shadows in deep space many thousands of times before.

This particular shadow, however, was different. It sensed very quickly that it was being followed, and its movements changed subtly. For some reason, the Starfarer began to feel an ever-increasing sense of dread, an emotion it was not at all familiar with. Deep within the background processes of its electromechanical brain, it started searching its knowledge database for any information about the strange blip on its sensors.

Still, it kept tracking the mysterious object. But just to make sure, it sent surges of energy towards its own defensive systems. The systems responded with vigor, and the Starfarer briefly felt an ancient memory of tightened muscles and raised scales. This action gave it a renewed sense of self-confidence, and it moved slowly towards the dark shadow.

The shadow hesitated, but only for a moment.

The Starfarer noticed this pause. All of its sensors were now operating at maximum efficiency. It felt like a hunter now, poised to strike and engulf the shadow as if it were no more than a tiny fish in the depths of the ocean.

It began to sing to itself,

Reviews for Edge of Infinity

[Thomas Van Ness Leavitt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grand space opera; a little unpolished and it covers somewhat familiar ground, but still very engaging and intriguing enough to have me looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.