Alien Race

By Dal Burns

Davidson is an off-world archaeologist, seeking the unattainable. Alien artifacts. His rival, Danis, is a mine boss who doesn't want anyone interfering in his mining operations by finding alien artifacts. Set on a dead, alien world, Alien Race documents what happens when Davidson finds something interesting on a very dead world. The race is then on with a vengeance as Danis and Davidson clash repeatedly over light years of space and millenia of time to finally prove or disprove for once and for all whether life exists, or ever has existed, outside of Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dal Burns
• Release date: Aug 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465713353

Dal Burns

I'm a fourth-generation entertainer, have worked and trained with Newcastle Repertory Theatre and Langley Castle Productions (U.K.), Karl Avis Stunt Team and Channel 7 (Australia), Santa Rosa’s Marquee Theatre, the American Conservatory Theatre and Commedia De’ll Arte in the United States. Just completing a children's illustrated book for release this Fall. Have two paperbacks and two CDs of audio stories for sale currently on Amazon. Have a set of audio stories and ringtones on iTunes and AmazonMP3. Just released a sci-fi novella, Alien Race and am completing a book containing a linked series of short stories about my adventures in Chile and Patagonia.

Book preview

Alien Race

An eNovella by Dal Burns

Published by DramaWorks at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold

or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,

please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did

not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to

Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work

of this author.

Copyright 2011 Dal Burns

Twitter - @dalburns

Blog – http://dalburnswrites.com

Website – http://dramaworksinc.com

CHAPTER ONE

The shuttler reacted to the laser blast with a slight shudder. The broad beam of red light streaking down to the planet surface, five thousand kilometers below. Ed watched the viewscreen with satisfaction as the ruby powered shaft of protons and x-rays seared the surface of the desert terrain, carving away the sand and rock, leaving a wispy vapor of atomized elements behind it.

The laser crept along the ground as the big shuttler hovered in near- space high above the cloudless atmosphere. A glint of light shone from a corner of the screen, catching Ed’s attention. Could this be it, he wondered, half-aloud.

Containing any feelings of excitement, he zoomed the screen in on the glint and grinned with mounting excitement as he saw a metallic sheet where the planet’s surface had been.

Moments later the shuttler was screaming down through the atmosphere, leaving the sound of its re-entry far behind in the blazing hot air, to land softly on the planet surface. Still glowing from the friction of the air it had recently cut through like a shark diving upon its prey, the shuttler sat alone in the desert-like sand of the deserted planet.

Ed fidgeted while he waited for the ship to cool its hull and open the airlock doors. The moment the all clear was sounded by the comp panel Ed bounded out of the ship and raced to the excavation site, meters away.

Exultation soared within him as he saw a ramp leading down toward the sheer metallic wall his lasers had so recently unearthed. He ran down the steeply sloped steps, stood at the door, and had barely stopped when the door dissolved away to nothing in front of his eyes. Ed hesitated a moment, took a deep breath and headed into the musty darkness beyond the entrance.

A few moments later, he was face to face with an alien. Both stood stock-still, looking at one another. The alien was tall, maybe three meters. It wore metallic clothing in a robe design and was human like, except for the dome head and the multi-lens eyes.

Ed reached out a hand in greeting. The alien lifted a hand at the same moment, but where Ed’s hand was empty, the alien’s held a small metallic tube. A cold blue flame poured from the mouth of the tube, engulfing Ed.

He tried to speak. He could not. He tried to move; he could not. He tried to breathe and no air came into his lungs. A cold panic, colder than the ice surrounding his body, rushed through Ed. He was trapped in a block of ice, and he was suffocating. Desperately he tried to move, to breathe and to scream. No sound came to his dulled hearing.

With a tremendous spasm of his muscles Ed shot upright into a sitting position, gasping for air, sweating profusely. He was awake and in bed. I had been a dream, again. Ed waved at the wall behind his bed and the crystals in the window changed their pattern, becoming transparent. Sunshine poured through the window like a warm, white waterfall. Dammit, thought Ed. Is it day yet; or still night? He groaned and cursed the sunlight, turned to the wall and moaned What time is it, goddammit.

The time is 3:30am. replied the wall in a soft, nondescript voice.

It’s supposed to be dark, dammit. said Ed impatiently, as if hoping the computer could help.

On Titan3 there is no night as the two suns are opposing one another and do not allow for a period of darkness during the planet’s rotating cycle. replied the computer, a little too smugly for Ed’s taste. Shall I introduce a sleep-inducing atmosphere, sir? continued the computer in what its programmers had misguidedly thought was a gentle, persuasive tone, but was in Ed’s mind way too condescending for a pile of tritium and COBOL2300.

No. Just shut the window.

Immediately the room became dark as the window crystalline structure condensed into the opaqueness of the wall surrounding it. The quiet darkness did nothing to relieve Ed’s agitation at the sunshine, which he knew still blazed outside. For the hundredth time, he wondered why he had accepted this assignment instead of taking his well-earned rest period on the home planet. With his mood now thoroughly blackened, Ed turned, grabbed his pillow and punched it out, then threw himself down and stared at the ceiling. This was going to be a long night.

Later that night, as Ed dozed fitfully, the computer released a small cloud of dorpaline sleep-inducer into the room. For over a week the computer had been monitoring Ed at night. His sleep patterns indicated Ed was experiencing disturbing, intense dreams on a nightly basis. This was, of course, of concern to the computer, hence the dorpaline. A minute or so later Ed slipped into a dreamless sleep and lay still until the morning call.

At 7 a.m. the window became transparent once again and the room began to fill with the sound of birds, electronic birds as there was no life on Titan3 other than the work crews. Ed opened his eyes and sat up with a start.

Yo, wall! he said sharply.

Good morning, sir. It is 7 a.m.

Did you dope me up last night when I told you not to?

Your sleep was interrupted by intense dreaming of a disturbed nature, so in accordance with health guidelines I introduced...

All right. I know what you did.

The computer fell silent, as did Ed. His mind was working slowly, trying in its patient, analytical way to piece together the dreams and the pattern that he felt was trying to emerge. Before he could fully grasp the message it slipped away into the haze of the dorpaline and disappeared. Ed cursed heartily, causing the computer to ask him to repeat the command.

Not something you can do, wall. However, at times I wish you would. Start my shower.

After an invigorating sonic shower and dry down, Ed walked out of his cubicle to the mess hall where the crews would be gathering for the morning meal. Ed was not looking forward to the ribbing he would get over his latest project, but the thought of human company was a good one. He