The Intergalactic Riders: The Day It Began

By Kevin D. Barksdale

In AD 3150 on Zerian, the home world of the Intergalactic Riders, the past has come back to haunt the peoples of the galaxy. A chain of events is about to unleash an ancient and powerful evil. Every living being in the galaxy faces the very real threat of annihilation unless a young guardian named Altar can find a way to get a message across the time barrier. Can an action of the present truly impact history?

As Altar travels ahead of a team of extraordinary heroes to locate the signal that is resonating from the Trimex galaxy, he finds his capsule being pulled into a temporal superstorm that bridges the gap to another galaxy from the past called the Milky Way. Altar is transported back in time to mans earliest beginnings, where his directives and mission becomes entangled.

There, the guardian must piece together all the clues and make a choice, as time becomes his greatest enemy. Will Altar decipher the diabolical scheme in time to stop a tyrants revenge, or will the fate of the past and future galaxies be decided by an ancient and terrifying evil with access to powers beyond his comprehension?

Altar and the Intergalactic Riders must race against time to save the galaxy from annihilation. If Zerian falls from the heavens, could Earth be next?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475992373

Kevin D. Barksdale

Kevin D. Barksdale is the author of The Intergalactic Riders: The Day It Began and is currently in the process of adapting it into a mini book series, including backstories and new characters. He currently lives in Orange, New Jersey.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 The Day It All Began

Chapter 2 The Message

Chapter 3 The Ambush

Chapter 4 The Guardian versus the Beast

Chapter 5 The Fire Dragon’s Last Stand

Chapter 6 The Space across Intergalactic Space

Chapter 7 The Meeting on Planet Zerian, the Home World of the Galactic Patrol

Chapter 8 Maylix Goes on Trial

Chapter 9 Maylix and the Renegade Escape from Planet Zerian

Chapter 10 Passing through the Trading Post Sector, Lomus 9

Chapter 11 Intercept and Extinguish the Galaxy Threat

Chapter 12 The Intergalactic Riders Join the Fight for Survival

Chapter 13 The Intergalactic Riders Return Home

"We all are capable of reaching achievements and feats of incredible heights and being able to show some distinguishing qualities. Always believe in yourself, and remember it is important to maintain discipline and keep your focus." —KDB

Acknowledgments

First, I would like to give an honor to God for giving me this opportunity to set my feet on the road for success and to be an inspiration to others. Next, I would like to thank all my friends and family members who supported me and inspired me throughout this journey. A special thanks goes out to all of the inspiring and motivational- and entrepreneurial-spirited people who gave me and others a fighting chance in these uncertain and trying times.

Also, I would like to give thanks to my mother and father for believing in me during the times we shared together. Rest in peace. I always knew that they were the drive and inspiration for my achievements, for they gave me the proper guidance to pursue my goals and future endeavors. God bless Grace and John Barksdale for being the instruments in developing a young man who wanted to tell his fictional story and share his writing talents with the world.

Next, I’d like to extend a special thanks to the publishing team and editors, along with the proofreaders and the special readers, who gave me great feedback in multiple areas during and after the construction of the story.

Lastly, I would like to thank you, the reader, for supporting my dream and joining me on a fantastic adventure that takes you into another realm by giving you a glimpse into a galaxy that might not be that far off. Many of us dream about what is on the other side of the galaxy, so let your imagination take you on a ride.

I hope you come and join the saga of the Intergalactic Riders as they embark upon new and exciting missions on the horizon to come. Buckle up and prepare yourself for an exhilarating ride into the cosmos.

Chapter 1 The Day It All Began

In 3150 AD, I am Altar, a young Guardian whom the Elders assigned to a special team, the Intergalactic Riders. My memoir of this journey begins a millennium and some years into the future when a new and elite team, a special galactic patrol established by the Elders of my home world and the Planet Alliance from this universe, is born with extraordinary talents. The mission had always been aimed at peace and harmony until a stranger entered Planet Zerian’s home world one day. The stranger would bring new gadgets and wondrous technology to the Intergalactic Riders’ home world for purchase and trade, which could enable them to move in and out of galaxies with only minimal equipment attachments.

Before anything could be discussed or accepted, the stranger would have to submit to a thorough search and a vigorous paper check to verify the equipment was authentic and not stolen. These provisions would be done before he could land his ship on Planet Zerian. If he agreed then, they would send two Planetarium Alliance patrolmen to meet him just outside the atmosphere to commence the checks. This process would take approximately three to four hours to be fully completed. Once the two patrolmen checked the outer portion of the ship’s hull from top to bottom, the last step would be the interior and the stranger’s travel logs.

After all protocols and systematic checks are cleared, everything seems to check out and proves to be a good choice for the team, but when the stranger is asked about the cost of the futuristic technology that the Intergalactic Riders were given, he replies, I believe we will be able to work out a reasonable payment plan to cover the cost. In three months, I will return with the payment obligations. If my terms are feasible and the purchase of the merchandise is acceptable, then a handshake from the captain is good enough to seal the deal.

Captain Burke says to the stranger, Certainly. I’m sure my team will appreciate the new equipment and upgrades. Listen, I would like to invite you to an evening feast that begins tonight for three days in honor of the Elders and all they have done for this galaxy. How about it?

The stranger replies, I certainly would be honored to attend the ceremony and festivities in honor of the Elders. Just let me return to my ship, take off my work attire, and put on a more suitable wear to be sociable, because I enjoy parties and big gatherings.

Not a problem. Patrolman Brice will accompany you back to your ship so you can get ready.

As the stranger and Brice walk back to his ship, Brice begins to make small talk.

Sir, you are kind of tall, and your ship is not that big. Do you stay in space for long trips and travel for long distances?

Yes, I am about seven feet tall, and it can be a little cramped, but just like your team, I am no stranger to being out in space for long lengths of time. For me, the best thing about what I do is meeting new and intelligent life that seeks my technology and gadgets for trade and purchase.

Do you ever worry about space bandits and marauders stealing your technology or your ship?

No, I am trained in many hand-to-hand combat techniques, and I hold a very high clearance to carry certain weapon deterrents just in case. He pauses. Well, thank you, young patrolman, for that conversation. Will you be waiting to accompany me back?

Oh, yes, sir.

Okay, I will be ready in thirty to forty minutes.

Take your time. I will be outside waiting, sir.

Now, the stranger activates the side compartment door and ducks his head before entering. Once he enters his ship, he turns on the outside monitors to track Brice’s movements. Next, he removes his working attire that reveals his stout and muscular build. The stranger has pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. His facial makeup has passed the test. He activates the undetected minicomputers that will control the integrated technology he has sold to the Intergalactic Riders.

Before getting ready, he sends a scrambled low-frequency message out to his accomplices to activate and launch the space beacon into the Trimex 5 galaxy, sending it into the quadrant to find the particles of an ancient strain of ultimate and raw destructive power so his diabolical scheme can begin.

He then quickly changes into attire fit for a king: a long, white, ceremonial outfit made of heavy-cotton stretch material with gold around the sleeves, waist, and pants with white boots incorporated with small gold, sparkling crystals that look like they could be displayed in a pricey museum under a guard and the watchful eye of a curator.

Burke and the ambassadors of their worlds are impressed and pleased to invite the stranger to an amazing evening feast with the team and inhabitants of their planets. After the feast and activities, they seal the deal, and the stranger leaves on the first night without haste. He heads back into the stars in the same manner that he entered Zerian’s home world.

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The next day, Burke and his team—the six special members whom the ambassadors of each world handpicked—hold an early morning meeting. Within their universe, each member of the Intergalactic Riders possesses an incredible ability that is unmatched by the populations of the total planets within their system.

First Lieutenant Siegel of Planet Oredes, second in charge, was born with alien implants in both legs that help him to change his legs from a fleshy organic material to an ironlike composite that allows him to run and reach a top speed just over fifty miles an hour. It is not clear how long he can sustain this speed because of his muscular physique. Siegel has top-notch fighting skills, as he is trained in multiple martial-arts styles and close-quarter hand-to-hand combat. His power level is his strength, and he is known to lift over a ton.

Second Lieutenant Wright of Planet Lunexis, third in charge, is the head of communications. He can decipher alien linguistics through natural psychic connections that allow him to transfer these linguistics into words. He can expel a solid beam of blinding and burning lunar light from his body, which can be narrowed and focused to penetrate most barriers like a laser. His power level can jump and increase to a phenomenal level if he loses control, but the beam can’t be narrowed or completely focused. His fighting skills are contained to basic military protection.

Chief Maddicks of Planet Mecanis can visualize and fabricate any piece of machinery his mind can think up, including a wide range of fascinating and inventive equipment for the ship or team to use. He is the engineering genius of the team. His fighting skills, pound for pound, are those of a street brawler with an incredible amount of endurance for his height of six feet and weight of three hundred pounds. To most standards, he would be considered to be overweight, but Chief Maddicks’s organic muscles are composed of a cyber-enhanced, durable alien alloy from his home world.

Sergeant Weis of Planet Aqueous, fourth in charge, is one of the most powerful crewmembers in the Intergalactic Riders. Weis holds an extraordinary ability to change his body into a watery biofluid with a power level to create a raging ten-foot wave that can deliver a powerful and devastating punch, moving many things out of the way or knocking them down. He also can explode his body into a puddle and stay in that form until he is ready to reform at will. Weis uses a sneak-and-attack fighting style to disarm his unsuspecting opponents. Most shelling artillery and energy weapons fired at Weis have no effect and will pass through his body.

Corporal Biggs of Planet Balmore, second in communications and the team’s weapons specialist, holds one of the highest marksmanship titles in the Intergalactic Riders’ patrol with a level-nine artillery clearance, giving him access to the Planetarium Alliance defenses of all planets in the galaxy. His extraordinary ability to understand ancient and newer alien-weapon technology on contact makes him one of the best on the team. His fighting skills are also quite remarkable due to intense physical and mental training given to him from the dense gravity of his planet. So far, he has never displayed any power-level discharges from his body, but he has been known to be able to show incredible agility and the ability to jump twenty-five to thirty feet in distance from a standing position and land without injury.

Patrolman Brice of Planet Zerian, the Intergalactic Riders’ home world, is a young member who served in the Planetarium Alliance Patrol along with Corporal Biggs for many years before being recruited into the Intergalactic Riders. Now Brice’s extraordinary ability places him on the genius level of having a photostatic memory with a high level of recall and comprehension of what he sees. His fighting level is not as high as the other crew members, but he has been improving in his hand-to-hand-combat training with the guidance of his old buddy and team member, Corporal Biggs.

Brice does not have any natural power that expels from his body, but he is a valuable crew and team member because he has learned every vital station on the intergalactic cruiser. And at any given time, he can fill in where he is essentially needed. Also, Brice was brought to the command because of his knowledge of everyone’s dietary supplements and exact portions of nutrients.

The team is considering a routine patrol throughout the neighboring galaxies to check in on the inhabitants and other world dwellers. The team would be split up to cover more territory in the quadrants or furthermost parts of the galaxies. The team is very excited to proceed with this mission to try out the new equipment they were given because their older gadgets are heavy and bulky, especially when entering and exiting different atmospheres. The crew’s perception of the new hardware enables them to perform their task with greater proficiency.

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At 04:00 on Monday, the captain begins his briefing for the team’s scheduled departure by dividing the nearest galaxy, Trimex 5, into four quadrants. Their mission will be a routine patrol, to observe and record activities for the three days while remaining invisible to life-forms that haven’t been exposed to outsiders. Under no circumstances shall they interfere with the evolutional progress of any species.

Wright and Brice will be taking the first quadrant; Siegel and Biggs will take the second quadrant. The third quadrant will be taken by Maddicks and Weis. And lastly, Burke will cover the fourth quadrant. Each team will be given a set of coordinates for entry and extraction. In three days, their new equipment will activate the subspace beacon, and the captain will be able to locate and retrieve each team under stealth mode.

Biggs, as always, verifies all weaponry and specialized suits for each member. Maddicks and Weis will check all mechanical devices and attachments, new gadgetry, and special filters inside the suits, and all primary and backup instruments inside and outside the ship. Each member will carry a sidearm automatic capsule-loaded weapon, a Gemini cannon. This piece of hardware is the future’s smart weapon with a twin barrel and high-tech computer inside, able to decipher how many projectiles the weapon will need to fire in order to stop a moving target.

With this futuristic smart technology, the weapon can speak and let one know the distance, size, and category of the target through the earpiece and give the best point of takedown of the moving object once the weapon is raised. The computer sizes up the target and fires the appropriate speed calculation ten to one hundred miles an hour to stop the target. This weapon is not intended to kill, so it fires powerful exploding pellets with an electrical charge that will knock the wind out of its target and incapacitate it on impact.

Due to the extraordinary abilities that the members possess, each individual will recheck all equipment two hours before departure. The planetarium medics gave the team a mental linkage communicator, which will keep the team in contact at all times. If trouble should arise at any time, a safety mechanism would activate, and all members could converge at the subspace transmission signal. With the new technology that was integrated into their systems, if a member were to get hurt at any time, a safety boat could be deployed and extract the member to his designated coordinates just beyond the planet’s orbital rim.

Inside the safety boat, a member could begin the healing process—if his wounds were fatal in nature, he would heal through cryostasis sleep until recovery. With the new technology upgrades to their suits and ship, the team would be able to shorten seven-day missions to five days and recon missions to three days, in some cases, giving the team more time with their families and friends.

Captain Burke and his six team members are considered to be the best of the best and possess extraordinary abilities that surpass those of many other candidates during the basic training and selection process. Each member is expected to score just as high in the physical part of the basic training as he is required to show exceptional skills in the cognitive and thinking category.

Common sense always plays a factor in any skill course, but to be on the team, one needs more, and his senses have to be one step higher than normal senses, active and ready to participate, like a light switch turning on. At any given time, the team member could be faced with a life-and-death circumstance, where he would need that extra ability to kick in and make the right move at the right time. This added sense would come to the member almost instantaneously and give the added push to ensure the mission gets done. All members know that no one is left behind, and everyone works together to ensure the safety of each other.

Now, the team has been through some battles before, but today, this mission will take them into uncharacteristic territory and across the galaxy to test Captain Burke and his crew’s abilities, physically and mentally, when trying to locate and decipher a message that I will send from the past to their near-and-present future so they can act on the danger that is quickly approaching. No one knew that a tyrant bent on destruction would wage war against the three remaining Elders and all they have built by resurrecting an ancient and powerful creature from contaminated and broken DNA strains that my Elders destroyed over ten thousand years ago.

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Burke remains in the briefing room for approximately four hours with the team, explaining each team member’s objective scope of the mission. Even though this mission is to be routine, it has major informational retrieval goals, and unlike prior debarkations, this data could affect the entire galaxy of Trimex 5 and spread to other neighboring galaxies like a chain reaction, so timing of this mission has become priority level one.

Three months ago, a gypsy race, Genums, a very intellectual species that roamed the galaxy in small caravans, passed through the Trimex 5 galaxy, picking up strange readings that seemed to appear and disappear on their instruments. We were able to intercept this transmission as they continued through the galaxy, like they have done for hundreds of years, onward to the trading post just outside the Intergalactic Riders’ home world. This is where the team will collectively retrace their ship’s travel to locate the readings to see if the transmission is resonating from a particular planet surface or inner-space distortion that would emanate from passing stars and debris.

After several hours have passed in the briefing room, Burke turns the last hour over to Siegel to finish the remaining debarkation rules and procedures, which begin at 04:00 on Wednesday. Every team member will be on station by quarter to the hour, and all gear will be prepped to go. Instructions to each quadrant will be given out precisely at time of departure by synaptic download located in the communication link. Departure time will be 05:30 sharp.

After Siegel details all procedures, at about five minutes to 07:00, he receives a message from the captain saying that everyone is on forty-four hours liberty, but no off-world leave is to be granted before debarkation.

When off-world leave has been given to a team member, the captain only allows leave for seven to fifteen days. Then the member has to report back to base before leaving again. No more than three members can be out on leave at the same time in one yearly increment, and all special requests must be put in six months in advance due to planetarium ordinance and galactic protocol.

THE MISSION

The day of debarkation comes swiftly for all members. At 01:00, the first two to report on base for duty are Siegel and Wright. Approximately one hour later, Maddicks is logged as active. The rest of the team will be reporting for duty no later than 03:00. By 03:30, daily procedural and systematical checks will begin, starting with equipment and all gear. Maddicks and Weis will begin ship preparation and rechecks of primary and secondary power system cells for deploying.

Most systems within the ship are fairly easy to operate as long as one’s abilities consist of higher brain functions that enable one to link up multiple commands at the same time. This is where Burke comes in. His brain functions, which act somewhat like an octopus’s, can activate the more complex ship’s controls through the captain’s chair linkage. Also, if any outside forces attack the ship, all auxiliary power can be rerouted to anywhere necessary for the ship’s stability.

When the team activates the transdimensional drive unit, the ship can travel through a solid slipstream of energy between universes like a hidden corridor in a castle, for which only the king would know the precise coordinates. Travel between galaxies can be achieved in numerous ways through wormholes, black holes, and hyperspatial breeches in space, which enable the ship to create a field that actually folds the fabric of time to reach its destination.

This process is seldom used, only in case of emergency, because it can deplete the fuel cells to abnormal levels, render the ship inoperable,