All That Remains

By J.J. Smiley

Vladimir, a disillusioned Panther Marine, looking for a life of solitude, takes a job as a solitary space miner only to find evidence of an ancient race buried beneath his mining operation. His introduction to an ancient Quantum AI overseer and their ensuing friendship is beyond belief. With this new, and unlikely partner, Vladimir follows the trail of a Navaren citizen who has brought destruction to his home world and its colonies. The citizen is labeled 'patient zero'. Vlad and the AI take on an investigation of patient zero's travels and, along the way, try to correct some of the horrific and unimaginable damage done over the last 15,000 years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.J. Smiley
• Release date: Mar 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386667223

J.J. Smiley

Disappointed with titles that I read or watched in the theatre, it was time to write my own adventures. Just writing for personal pleasure at first and then publishing, has now become a joyful pastime. My wife who is always watching my back convinced me to go to press.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Some live on the outskirts of town, and of life, like the farthest limbs of a tree that turn to branches and then twigs. The leaves on the twigs are subject to the coldest and windiest of what nature has to offer; so too are the occupants of the farthest reaches of humanity.

Vladimir Complemore was one of those hermits that occupied a small mining operation on Proxima-b, a little over four light years from earth. His mining lander was well-equipped for the one-way journey. Once landed, the primary deep core laser drilled several miles. The laser core driller continued until its sensors detected the appropriate rise in temperature and then began pumping water down to the end of the extractor pipe. Hot water returned to the ship to run the heating systems.

Next, three windmills, lifted into place by hydraulics, began converting the howling winds to energy.

Lastly, the solar panels moved into position and started storing what timid sunlight they could find.

This planet circled its sun, a small red dwarf, Alpha Centauri C by designation, in an eleven-day elliptical orbit and turned on its axis every six months. The climate remained the same except for a slight increase in temperature during the six months of sunlight. Otherwise, it was cold in the daylight and even colder during the six months of darkness. The planet had no significant consequence except for an abundance of rare minerals and ores located far below the icy surface.

A more massive mining effort was out of the question due to the horrendous, never-ending weather and the cost involved for supplies that would be required periodically. However, a single human could mine an adequate amount of ore to be profitable and only need to be visited once every six months.

Vladimir Complemore had spent his early years as a Colonial Exploration Marine and had more than his share of rebel confrontations and border wars all over the earth and colonized planets. He felt death was not a stranger; it was always near. The colonies were full of problems, and the CEMs were sent, when needed, to solve those problems. Bullets flew past meant for someone else. Blood on the ground belonged to comrades, not his. He survived on his wits, skill, and luck. Now, after five years, he wanted nothing more to do with politics or the service that enforced it. Therefore, his decision to leave the CME and take up this mining offer was easy. He would focus on more constructive work and try to forget his sins.

Chapter 2

When all the survival systems were in place, Vlad took the deep core driller off-line and repurposed it to start the mine drilling operation. The driller's primary purpose was to tunnel through ice, dirt, and rock, making a hole large enough to accommodate an elevator. Again, the laser melted the ice for a mile before hitting the planet's actual surface. Afterward, mining equipment lowered down the hole would not dissolve the minerals but chip the ore into smaller sizes that would be brought up for further refining.

You could hear and feel the hum of the automated equipment as it reverberated throughout the ship. The elevator continued relentlessly. It came up, dumped its load, and returned. Once the ore was at the surface, conveyors moved the stone and rock to appropriate piles outside the ship. Vlad observed all the machines, on video terminals, from the operation lounge. It was just another day in the altogether boring automation of things. The hard work he had anticipated was not forthcoming. He still had too much time on his hands to dwell on the past. He wished something would go wrong to break up the monotony. The gods of fate looked down and, ‘Wish Granted’!

The elevator returned to the surface, empty. Likewise, an alarm sounded. Vlad was skeptical about the situation. Just a moment ago, he wished something would go wrong, and now this. The ride to the bottom took only a few minutes. The elevator slowed and gently stopped at the bottom of the shaft. Vlad got out and examined the equipment. The ore carrier that dumped the mined ore into the elevator bucket looked fine, and the tracks leading to it also looked good. He engaged the system to return the carrier to the drilling collector. Rather than walk, he rode the carrier, looking for problems along the way; the tunnel ran for three hundred meters. At the drilling rig, the carrier attached itself to the drilling collector. Still, nothing appeared wrong. Usually, the system operated in the dark, but his presence, observed by various sensors, activated the appropriate lights necessary for inspection. Vlad continued to inspect the machinery, moving to the front where the cutters, crushers, and separator were located. Vlad found nothing broken. What he did find ended his boring hermit lifestyle forever.

With the lights illuminating the front of the machine, it was easy to see that the point of contact for the cutter/grinder was different. There was metal where there should have been a smooth surface of the rock. What he initially mistook for the shiny edge of the cutters was a flat surface of highly reflective metal. The exterior, by observation, seemed not to be a naturally occurring mineral. It was something manufactured, but by whom? Vlad backed the machine away from the wall a few millimeters and started the cutter/grinder; it whirled and spun just as it should. He nudged the device closer to the shiny wall. The second it made contact, the machine shut off. He cycled the machine three more times in the same fashion. Each time it ended in the same manner. The results only increased his dilemma. Not only was this impasse an unnatural obstacle, but it was also physically active and somehow influenced his equipment. Checking the material analyzer, he found that it registered nothing; the wall, as far as the machine was concerned, did not exist.

Chapter 3

Vlad's first internal quandary. He would have to communicate that he had uncovered an alien artifact, bad enough on its own merit. Maybe he could drill around it and ignore it completely. However, realizing it was an active, functioning artifact made it impossible to ignore. He would have to tell someone. His solitude would be gone forever.

Wait! he thought. All is not lost. He said with an evil snicker.

Vlad redirected the machine ninety degrees and started drilling parallel to the wall. Without fail, the driller churned its way forward. At least he would not have to explain the halt in operations. After thirty minutes, it was clear of the impenetrable wall. He went to the surface with the next load of ore and returned with the assay machine. Now at the wall, he applied several tests to the metal. All the tests failed, not because they were out of range of the equipment, but because this machine, like the driller analyzer, could not recognize it as anything. It was like running a test on nothing. All the results returned zero, with the analyzer asking the operator, Please direct subject matter into the receiver module. Like an insane person, he repeatedly continued to perform the same tests while thinking the results would somehow change. Several hours later, he sat on the cold floor and stared at the alien metal wall.

Vlad had spent the entire shift attacking the problem and decided he needed to rest. He returned to the surface, went to his living quarters, washed up, laid down, and fell asleep. Vlad's sleep was fraught with tension. He was losing his