Planet Apocalypse: Primitive versus Machine, #1

By Logan Stark

In a lonely part of the galaxy, in a cluster of stars where only a few hospitable planets drift, the planet known as Vwaa is in a state of decay, and there is nothing anyone or anything can do about it.

The planet’s core is dying, bringing with it a slew of irreversible events, including the most devastating – a slow drop in temperature. Fortunately, this is nothing new to its inhabitants, the primitive Nowah race, who have been preparing themselves mentally for the apocalypse.

And it’s all thanks to their powerful siblings: the Saratori, who are akin to the Nowahs but are blessed in their own unique way (blessed by God Ramoen). They have four arms, wield great technology, and know things about the Universe most Nowahs don’t.

The Saratori educates … they help Nowahs understand the planet they live on. The Saratori provides … they give their primitive siblings advanced technology; for example, lights. And most important of all, the Saratori have promised salvation for the coming destruction of their planet. It is known as the Grand Pickup: the year everyone is leaving Vwaa for another planet.

Elijah and his family – his mate and newborn – are waiting patiently for it all to begin, because it’s the year of the Grand Pickup, and the sky should soon be flying with great machinery. It couldn’t have come at a better time. The temperature is falling, and Elijah, a Nowah comfortable with his life, is getting increasingly impatient, especially when he sees something on his skin for the very first time – gooseflesh.

“If you enjoy science fiction and fantasy (in space) with a bit of adventure and survival, check the book out!”

Primitive versus Machine: Book 1 (approximately 70+ pages)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Larry
• Release date: Aug 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501452031

Book preview

About the book

In a lonely part of the galaxy, in a cluster of stars where only a few hospitable planets drift, the planet known as Vwaa is in a state of decay, and there is nothing anyone or anything can do about it.

The planet’s core is dying, bringing with it a slew of irreversible events, including the most devastating – a slow drop in temperature. Fortunately, this is nothing new to its inhabitants, the primitive Nowah race, who have been preparing themselves mentally for the apocalypse.

And it’s all thanks to their powerful siblings: the Saratori, who are akin to the Nowahs but are blessed in their own unique way (blessed by God Ramoen). They have four arms, wield great technology, and know things about the Universe most Nowahs don’t.

The Saratori educates ... they help Nowahs understand the planet they live on. The Saratori provides ... they give their primitive siblings advanced technology; for example, lights. And most important of all, the Saratori have promised salvation for the coming destruction of their planet. It is known as the Grand Pickup: the year everyone is leaving Vwaa for another planet.

Elijah and his family – his mate and newborn – are waiting patiently for it all to begin, because it’s the year of the Grand Pickup, and the sky should soon be flying with great machinery. It couldn’t have come at a better time. The temperature is falling, and Elijah, a Nowah comfortable with his life, is getting increasingly impatient, especially when he sees something on his skin for the very first time – gooseflesh.

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Holdings hands, they watched her play outside. She was on her knees, hands digging the soil like a curious animal. She was unaware of her parents staring at her with lazy, loving eyes, but this did not matter to her, because she was more interested in the hole in front.

Elijah felt his wife’s fingers twitch. He turned his head to get a read on her, and before he could say anything, she asked: ‘Do you think she can hear it?’

‘Sash,’ Elijah said, feeling his heart ache. ‘Can’t we just forget about that?’ He waited for her response. She turned her head away and stared at Neila, who had her one ear wedged in the hole. Anger arose from deep inside of him. A thought came to him: Let go of her hand. He decided against this and stared into the distance instead.

They lived on top of a small hill, which gave a clear view of the forest in front. It wasn’t a few scattered trees but a sea of green leaves that stretched around the planet. The planet had two stars circling its orbit, same size but different color. During the day, the white star shone brightly, lighting up the forest canopy and making the leaves glaze a pure white – as it did now. At night, a blue star came up, painting the landscape a shadowy purple. It is custom on planet Vwaa to propose to your mate during the night star, and this is what Elijah did ninety years ago. He had to venture deep into the forest, past the Barrier of No Return, a charred landscape, and face an Eiger, an ancient creature whose eyes glowed yellow and who had a body protected by steel armor. He is fortunate to still be alive – something he isn’t proud of – because that day he killed it with sheer luck.

Neila began to chuckle, a sweet and innocent one only a child can do.

‘What is it, sweetheart?’ Sash asked. Neila looked behind, a little startled. ‘Is everything fine?’

Neila was only two (the average lifespan of a Nowah is two hundred years) and her hair was already touching the middle of her back. She slapped her glossy hair from her face and grinned.

‘Her hair is already as black as yours,’ Elijah said.

Sash looked away. ‘I think she’s grinning because she can hear the stuff below.’

He waved his hand down and looked at the sky, which was quiet today. Something to be grateful for, he thought. When the Grand Pickup begins, the sky will not only be crawling with small trading ships, but transporters. Everything needs to get off this planet. ‘I doubt she can hear anything below, Sash.’

‘Maybe she can feel the vibrations.’

‘Nonsense,’ he said, his words lacking conviction. It could’ve been the case, he thought, now looking at his daughter, who was opening and closing her right fist. ‘She’s just exploring her surroundings.’

‘Whoom, whoom, whoom,’ Neila said, making her hand into a fist each time she said Whoom.

He wanted to laugh, he really did, but what came out was a painful whisper: ‘It’s to be expected.’ Sash reached for her lower lip and looked away from Neila. He loved his wife with all the blood in his heart; her face was soft in curves and her eyes dark. But if there was one thing he didn’t like about her, it was her slow gestures whenever she got upset, as if she had to compute information ten seconds longer.

Neila’s chanting continued in the background: ‘Whoom. Whoom.’

‘We don’t deserve this,’ Sash said. ‘I don’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve this.’

A strange thought entertained him. What if he had died that night? The night he had to kill the Eiger, who probably waited for him beyond the black grounds. What if he didn’t get lucky that night? Who would have taken up the challenge to prove his worth to her? To make her his mate. Well that’s an easy guess. Many males would have. The blacker a Nowah female’s hair is, the more desirable she is, and Sash had incredibly dark hair. Elijah stopped thinking when he heard something.

At first he thought it was the wind blowing far in the distance, but when the sound didn’t disappear and seemed to be nearing, he knew it had to something else. He felt his stomach itch and swallowed a sigh. Sash turned her gaze at him (that slow movement again).

‘Well, it’s good news, I guess,’ he said.

‘Sweetheart,’ Sash said, waving a