Explorer

By Andreas Christensen

The war is over.

Aurora is at peace.

Now the Aurorans can begin building their new world, and explore its wonders.

In the far North of Verdi, the only continent where man has set foot, a small coastal town has grown. By the pier lies the Explorer, a ship designed to sail the high seas, almost ready to cast off.

Tina Hammer, a hero of the revolution, cannot wait to go. She says goodbye to a dying friend and leaves with a small crew. Nobody knows how long the journey will last, and Tina is content with that, tired as she is of war and strife.

But the journey on which she embarks will be her toughest challenge so far, and she will be tested to her limits. For the sea holds deadly secrets, deep beneath the waterline, and the North is an unforgiving place.

Explorer is a Genesis companion novella, by the author of the Exodus Trilogy.

Note: If you haven´t read the Exodus Trilogy, you should do so before reading Explorer.

Accolades for the Exodus Trilogy:

"Congrats Andreas Christensen, you just moved into the realm of My Favorite Series."

"Floored, not only by the story line and character development, but by the visual picture of a future world."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andreas Christensen
• Release date: Jul 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516342754

Book preview

1.

Tina Hammer stood on the Newport pier, admiring the ship that lay before her eyes.

I can´t believe it´s finished already, Tina said, grinning. Roger, the chief shipwright nodded slightly, a discrete smile creeping across his face as well. Normally the level tempered and quiet sort, Tina saw how he stood a hint taller, gazing out on the ship that lay moored just off the coast.

Its general makeup was that of an old-fashioned icebreaker, although it was heavily modified with modern equipment such as remote controlled sails, satcom navigation, automatic underwater mapping and detection devices, and automatic course correction and autopilot, for starters. She expected it to be necessary. Just a few kilometers north of here icebergs were floating down on the currents along the southern coast of Rossi, the northern continent, even with summer fast approaching. And it meant the Explorer could function with just a small crew, meaning fewer mouths to feed, which again gave it a much longer operating range.

Almost two years ago, Tina Hammer had been the first human to set foot on Aurora, landing her shuttle on Verdi, in a place that would later become Fort Andrews, the first settlement on the planet. It felt like ages ago. But then, a lot had happened since, and Tina wondered if anyone would ever inhabit that place again. A nuclear wasteland, nobody would be allowed to go there for a long time. Perhaps one day, when humans expanded south again, they might decide the area would be fit for habitation. But it would take a long time.

It wouldn´t be her, that much she knew. South of the Stronghold, every little piece of land held too many bad memories. No, she had other plans. And right now, a key component of those plans lay out there, on the water, slowly rolling with the waves, waiting to be put to the task of expanding human reach on this new world.

We named it Explorer, Roger said, his gaze never leaving the ship. And it´s the finest ship I've ever laid my eyes on, if I may say so. Tina walked along the side and took in the massive ship, fashioned of North Verdi Hardwood. Roger explained how the ship had come to be, and the thinking behind the details. The more she heard, the more impressed with this man she became. He had been one of the first to join her and her group of friends, back when all she wanted was to build boats, and she was happy to see that he had continued improving his craftsmanship.

The memory of the now burned down little town still stung. Port Hammer, its inhabitants had named it, after her, until Havelar´s soldiers leveled it in a futile attempt to crush the budding rebellion. Even then, Roger had a knack for building on the ideas of centuries old designs and adapting them to their new environment here on Aurora.

It´s old fashioned of course, he said. Tina let him speak, not interrupting his words.

Our resources are still limited, and if we put in an engine at this point, the ship´s range would be too limited. The war really taxed us. We just don´t have the fuel to spare. We´ve got a couple of fuel cells, but that´s it. So we came up with the idea of using sails, not unlike those on a caravel. The lateen sails make for maneuverability and speed, even to windward, and look. He pointed to the shape of the hull, near the water line. At first Tina didn´t understand, but then she saw the way the hull bulged.

"See, the

Reviews for Explorer

[thomas rea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great short story but you mush read on to see what happens