The Adventures of Aleena and Elliss: Book 1, The Protectorate Manipulation

By R. David Philbrook

When Elliss fails to return from his hunting trip, Aleena must make the transition from her village culture to that of space traveler. Her search takes her into the world of the Protectorate whose subjugation and manipulation of many cultures stands in start contrast to her upbringing. Her adventures take her to encounters with space ghosts, telepathic sand diggers, and automated space cultures while Elliss experiences his own adventures with the Protectorate ViNarians, a race of unemotional space raiders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R. David Philbrook
• Release date: Oct 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311153562

Book preview

The Adventures of Aleena and Elliss

Book 1

The Protectorate Manipulation

Copyright 2013 R.D.Philbrook

Published by R.D.Philbrook at Smashwords

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 enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover image courtesy of tobkatrina & canstockphoto

cover by Joleene Naylor.

Table of Contents

Prolog: Aleena’s World

Characters and places

The Adventures

Chapter One: To the Village-of-lights

Chapter Two The Wizard Lord and the City of ViNar

Chapter Three Into the Night Sky

Chapter Four Captured

Chapter Five Antibiosis

Chapter Six Essence

Chapter Seven. The Paulino Infestation

Chapter Eight. The Sleeping Mist

Chapter Nine. Disturbance

Epilogue

About R. David Philbrook

Other books by R. David Philbrook

Connect with R. David Philbrook

Prolog: Aleena's World

Aleena lives on the planet ViNarious in the only village on the planet, a village she and her people call the home-village. Their home-dwellings are brightly colored from the dyes of many flowers and plants that grow in their valley, the Singing-River Valley.

Aleena and her people are hunters and gatherers. They plant all year round and they live in a temperate climate. Their language has not changed in many years, nor have their customs. Many of the plants and animals are named for the way they sound or appear or where they live. Their language is extremely picturesque. They are also herders and take great pride in the value of their Solats, a docile animal that provides meat, milk, and a tough leathery skin for clothing.

They share the planet with one other group of people, but with whom they have little or no contact. On their planet is one other city which they refer to as the village-of-lights, for in the evening and throughout the night, the lights from this city can be seen on the horizon.

Aleena and her people do not visit the city. Young men have failed to return from their hunting trips and always their disappearance is soon after a visit from the devil-birds that the elders say come from the city. Searchers have been sent and they have returned alone. The village elders have decreed that no one is to venture to the city and the young men of the village rarely venture out on their hunting adventures alone.

When Aleena's brother, Elliss, fails to return from his hunting trip, Aleena feels he has been taken by the devil-bird and she sets out to find him, despite the danger and warnings from the village Elders. When she arrives at the village-of-lights, she meets a race of small people (the Humme) who live under the village in the ancient underground ventilation system. The small people have a symbiotic relationship with the dwellers of the village-of-lights (the city). They also know of the disappearance of the young men from Aleena's home-village.

To enter the city, Aleena must learn the language and customs of the city people and assume a new identify. The Humme place her in a family of the TiEighth House and she was able to keep her native name. Once she does that and enters the city, she learns that the young men from her home-village have been forced into the service of the ViNarians as fighter pilots in the 'devil-birds' and they have been assigned to different star ships that the ViNarians use to search and conquer other races throughout the galaxy.

Aleena applies to and is accepted into the training academy for pilots and learns of the assignment of her brother. Her task then becomes one of completing her training and finding a way to get assigned to the same quadrant that her brother is serving in.

Her brother, Elliss, having been abducted while on his hunt, successfully completed his training and is assigned to one of the ViNarian star ships as an engineer-pilot. Despite the training and indoctrination, he sticks to his roots.

Aleena’s search takes her through numerous adventures and her brother always seems to be somewhere else as she continues her search despite being assigned to different journeys by her commanding officer. Her brother, Elliss, also has his share of adventures

.

Characters and places

Return to the table of contents.

Aleena- The younger sister of Elliss, her brother now missing and feared a captive of the devil-birds.

Elliss- Brother of Aleena, and one of the young hunters of the village, missing from his hunting trip.

Korat- a member of the Humme, the little people living under the village-of-lights.

Mete - Korat's' mate. Kimo, Kito and Lana, Korat's children.

LarBon-Nu is the chief elder of the Humme.

MeBar-Nu Master-lord of the Humme.

Doctor TeFour, the ViNarian examiner aboard a ViNarian starship.

Captain MiSyth of the ViNarian Starship.

ViNarus: 4th planet from the star in a distant solar system.

ViNar-the village-of-lights aka village-above.

Home-village; Aleena's home

Singing-River Valley; where Aleena's village lies.

Village-above: the Humme's name for the city of ViNar

Demon-bird: the flying aircraft of the ViNarians.

ViNarian Names Pronunciation Guide

The ViNarian names are derived from the two major classes of ViNarians: the ‘old’ generation and the ‘new’ generation. Old generation names consist of two parts, a surname and a prefix. Doctor TeFour is of the old generation and his name would be pronounced Tee-Four.

R’Nine is a name from the ‘new’ generation and is pronounced Are-nine. ‘New generation names consist of a single letter prefix and a surname. B’Omna is pronounced Bomb nah. New generation names are pronounced either as the single prefix and the surname, M’Denar as M-Denar or by combining the prefix with part of the surname—T’Onar, pronounced Ton_ah. The accented syllable is usually local, such as the English Ur-a-nus or U-ra-nus.

Some individuals from outside of the ViNarian culture are allowed to keep their names. Aleena and Elliss are examples.

The Adventures

Return to the table of contents

Chapter 1. To the Village-of-Lights.

Aleena meets with the village elders for permission to complete the task of defeating the cat on Cat Mountain. This will give her warrior status.

Aleena leaves for the Village-of-lights and meets the little people (the Humme).

Chapter 2. The Wizard Lord and the City of ViNar.

Aleena meets the Wizard Lord of the Humme and travels to the Village-of-lights

Chapter 3. Into the night sky.

Aleena pretends to be a ViNarian, she attends the ViNarian training academy and upon graduation, is assigned to a ViNarian star ship and her search for Elliss begins.

Chapter 4. Captured.

Elliss is kidnapped during his hunt and has a rude introduction to the ViNarians during which time he tries unsuccessfully to escape.

Chapter 5. Antibiosis.

Elliss is selected to gather plant life information while spying on an isolated colony the ViNarians have discovered. Stung by a sand digger, Elliss learns of a far greater danger lurking in the sand on the planet: the villagers (of the colony) are under the telepathic control of a plant-animal.

Chapter6. Essence.

Aleena is assigned the task of investigating the origin of a message found in a derelict missile. The message leads her to a large collection of wrecked vessels that harbors the ‘ghosts’ of the crew members from the wrecks. The ‘essence’ captures her small space craft and threatens to keep her from escaping and disclosing their position.

Chapter 7. The Paulino Infestation.

Elliss, on temporary assignment aboard a space station, discovers that a species of beetle has developed a taste for wire insulation. The beetles create short circuits that threaten the station.

Chapter 8. The Sleeping Mist.

While Aleena is on vacation and visiting a planet, the planet comes under attack by an alien race that seeds the planet’s atmosphere, creating a deep mist, and putting everyone in a deep sleep. Aleena discovers a solution for fighting the mist and a clue about Elliss.

Chapter 9 Disturbance.

While investigating the destruction of a planet, Aleena’s lander is intercepted and taken aboard a huge vessel of an unknown culture. The vessel is completely automated and inhabited by small mechanics devices. Help arrives with the appearance of Elliss’s ship and Aleena and Elliss are secretly united.

Aleena and Elliss--The ViNarian Protectorate.

Chapter 1: To the Village-of-lights

Aleena.

The senior elder of the village council motioned for Aleena to sit on the ornate cushion that faced the council half-circle. Four elders, two to each side of the senior elder, watched as Aleena took her place. The walls of the village-hut were adorned with brightly colored paintings of bramble-bush, fire-red bush, forest-deer, and the devil-bird.

Aleena sat crossed-legged as the senior elder spoke. You have become an able hunter. The villagers are proud of you. Now you wish to face the cat on Cat Mountain?

I am ready, said Aleena.

It is a dangerous quest, one that our women-folk do not follow.

The young men become warriors. Is it not right for young women to have the chance? asked Aleena.

There is much for our women-folk to do here in our village.

There have been others, said Aleena.

A very few, said the elder. But those few women-warriors have been leaders in our village so we will not deny you. You are strong in your ways...as you have always been...sometimes even to challenge tradition.

Thank you, said Aleena. She would not be disrespectful and question tradition at this moment, although she had so often in the past. The elders represented the wisdom of the village — wisdom that Aleena often expressed her doubts about.

The danger of Cat Mountain provided the young men of the village the opportunity to be recognized as men-warriors, but few of the women-folk accepted the challenge. At an early age, Aleena had questioned the warrior-name, pointing out that there had been peace for as long as anyone could remember. But any questioning of tradition did not set well with the elders and Aleena's reputation as a rebellious youth followed her throughout her younger years.

As Aleena stood to leave, she glanced at the painting of the devil-bird. Its silvery shade contrasted with the bright colors of the other paintings. Many were the stories of this strange flyer: stories that suggested the wings never moved and it flew with devil power, that it never gave the cry of the brown hunting-bird, and that only the quickest eye could catch its swift flight. More than four harvest-seasons ago, Jerod, a man-warrior, failed to return from his hunt and the evening fire-pot stories abounded with versions of the devil-bird carrying Jerod away.

Aleena followed a long path back to her home-dwelling and carefully avoided the fire-red bush which caused the skin to turn red and gave the pain of burning. Within the village, the plant no longer grew, but its leaves, once boiled, provided the bright red color used in the paintings. Away from the village paths, the fire-red bush flourished.

Aleena!

Elliss, my brother. You are ready for your hunt? asked Aleena.

Yes, my troublesome sister. What mischief have you brought today? Elliss tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

Enough mischief for the both of us, said Aleena. I met with the elders this morning. I am going to Cat Mountain.

You! Cat Mountain? I knew you would. Who else but a sister of mine would take that quest?

Who else but a sister of yours can defeat the cat?

My sister...I have no doubt. The elders may doubt you, but they do not know my sister. You know what you must do. When will you leave?

Maybe in two days, maybe in three, said Aleena. I wish to miss the rains the elder-sage predicts for tomorrow and the next day.

I am proud of you...as our parents would be if they lived, said Elliss.

You will be even prouder upon my return...if you are back from your hunt.

I am going to use the rain to help in tracking, but I will be back before you return from the mountain. If it gets too wet, the hunting will suffer.

Be careful, my brother. Bring us back a fat catch.

And you, sister. Chase the cat from that mountain.

Aleena hugged her taller brother and then gave him a friendly poke in the ribs. I'll see you in a couple of days.

***

Aleena waited beyond the opening of the council hut, her irritation fueled by anger at the wait and the fear of her brother's safety. Finally the Senior Elder called her in.

Aleena, our searchers have returned. We have no news of Elliss, said the senior Elder.

It was but two days ago that the devil-bird was seen? asked Aleena.

It was, said the Elder.

I will travel to the Village-of-Lights, said Aleena. For there it is said the devil-birds live.

It is forbidden.

It is forbidden that I do nothing to find Elliss, said Aleena. And how can you prevent me?

We cannot. No one travels to the Village-of-Lights. We know nothing of it, said the Elder.

Another old tradition. I am going and I am not going to waste time here to get your permission. I do not need it.

The Elders stood and crossed their arms over their chests, but only for a moment. The gesture of denial ended as each Elder unfolded his arms and extended them, bent at the elbow and palm faced up—the gesture of acceptance.

Go, Aleena. We put our faith in you. Bring Elliss back to us, said the Senior Elder.

***

If there is beauty in darkness, the late evening sky is the most beautiful thing I can think of, thought Aleena. It reaches as far as I can see and all the way to the mysterious Village-of-Lights.

Aleena sat with her back against the bole of a small tree high on a bluff above the valley of her home. The moon, now shining through the trees, softened the darkness of the early night sky. Tonight the glamour of the heavens pushed her warrior instincts aside. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around long slender legs. The texture of the solat-skin pants felt smooth against her hands.

A falling star punctuated the tranquil evening sky and added its light streak to the serenity. In the distance the dark hulk of Cat Mountain blocked out the horizon stars. Aleena had met the cat, her final quest, and sent it slinking back into the underbrush. She ran her fingers along the back of her arm where a slender scratch served as her reminder.

She looked out over the peaceful valley where the evening cook-fires twinkled among the trees. For this moment of peace, the sadness of the past day faded—but only for a moment. She tossed her long hair to one side, caught it in both hands, and wrapped it in place with a hair-thong.

Her gaze wandered to the faint glow on the horizon, the Village-of-Lights, and her heart--pain returned. Three days ago the mysterious flying devil-bird passed over her village and disappeared behind the line of trees at the edge of the Singing River, the first such visit for many seasons. Elliss left three days ago to hunt beyond the river. He had not returned and her heart weighed heavy. She had returned from her own quest at Cat Mountain and he had not been waiting for her.

The searches have been futile, the Senior Elder had said.

But Aleena knew the stories of the camp fires and she knew she must travel to the Village-of-Lights to pick up the search. No one traveled there, but no one knew why: it was tradition. This tradition would not keep Aleena from her search.

She drew in a long breath and let it out slowly; she had made her decision. Regardless of the danger, she would travel to the Village-of-Lights tonight.

***

The bright moonlight, filtering through the upper branches of the conifers and occasional broadleaves, cast shadows on the forest floor, turning the nightscape into a maze of jigsaw images. Aleena jogged her way along a deer run that led toward the Village-of-Lights. The run meandered through the woodlands and not along a direct path. Several times she left the run and sought a more direct path, but none existed. She returned to the run and her experienced feet traveled the soft forest floor quietly, the silence broken only by the voices of the night: a distant night-bird announced its presence, a wet-land creature by a small stream sought a mate, and a fur-bearer chattered as it found annoyance in her passing. Running effortlessly, eyes and ears tuned to the world passing around her, Aleena moved as one with the forest. The wood scented breeze on her face and the love of this forested world reminded her of