Locator: Kaalen Soor Yar and the Foundars

By William Girdwood and Cherry Girdwood

Kaalen Soor Yar, the most talented Kye-indakind to ever graduate from the
training grounds at the Indiannus ocean facility, is transported to the Anglo
Scots colony world of Caledon on his first assignment. Accompanied by his
incredibly beautiful companion Amaranth and their three Personal Androids
or PALS, Sod, Gom and Characters they find themselves under attack from an
unknown source. Amaranth is kidnapped and brutally tortured by the beastial
Cromar, a minion of the dreaded Foundars.
Kaalen must not only continue his mission to save his race from extinction
by locating the lost races of mankind who have been gone for nearly three
thousand years, but now he must find and rescue Amaranth and discover why
his Kye-inda are being systematically destroyed on every planet they locate.
Aided along the way by some very alien friends and some very able humans,
he uncovers a nasty plot to wipe out the Creators of Oceanus, what once was
called Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jan 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465305978

William Girdwood

William (Bill) Girdwood was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia in 1948. He now resides in Sydney on the other side of the Australian continent with his wife Carolyn and their two Cocker Spaniels, Darby and Evie. He has seven children, eight grandchildren and one great grand son. Writing has been an integral part of Bills life and a selection of his poems was published in a collaboration with poets from a workshop he established and ran for six years. This is his first attempt at a novel and a second is well under way due for release in 2014. Another SciFi work which he hopes to follow up with further adventures of Kaalen Soon Yar will be completed in the future.

Book preview

PRELUDE

Beginnings

By 2075—Earth’s population topped 20 billion, double the prediction made at the start of the century and had long reached saturation point. It was not a matter of where or if all those teeming populations would fit as much as with the ability of the arable lands being able to produce enough food for all. During the year 2009 a catastrophic fall in global food production became evident and started to have visible effects on the densest population centers. The huge arable areas of the Earth, the food belts, which produced the majority of grain and vegetable crops, The USA, China, Australia, southern Asia, the east coast of Africa, Mexico and most of South America, were reeling from the effects of extreme drought. Other food producing countries in the northern hemisphere, like Canada, Russia and most of Europe were in the grip of the worst cold snaps in centuries. This combination of global climatic catastrophes; fire, flood, drought and blizzards had decimated crops and severely depleted production of all food stuff was worsened by the continuing occurrence of geological disasters, particularly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. For decades the inhabitants of Earth had suffered with continuing wars, political bickering, agitation and various ethnic driven persecutions all coupled with weak political leadership. It seemed that now even nature was fighting back and humanity was losing! The recently formed United Earth Government (UEG) [formerly the United Nations] had finally been handed a solution to all the worlds’ problems.

Working out of his private facility at Parkes in western New South Wales, the Scottish born physicist William Bradbury discovered the potential salvation for humanity’s woes. StarDrive. StarDrive, it was hoped, would enable Man to finally reach the stars allowing Earth’s inhabitants to leave their overcrowded cities and starvation behind. With his usual philanthropic nature, Bradbury made his discovery simultaneously available to all nations of the world. StarDrive was accepted globally as each government realized the release valve potential it provided to ease their crowding masses. This was going to take time however and time was a definite enemy!

The UEG convened a Global Summit and a fifty year plan took shape. Obviously new worlds had to be found and by utilizing the new Bradbury Drive, unmanned drones, piloted by Androids were dispatched out into the Milky Way Galaxy to search for new Earth-Equivalent worlds (EEs or Dublees) and many early successes were recorded. To be classified as an EE, four absolute criteria had to be met:

1.  The world had to have water,

2.  a breathable atmosphere;

3.  it had to be able to support Earth acceptable agriculture and finally

4.  it must not contain any established sentient life forms.

Thousands of probes were sent in all possible directions with the positive hope of locating a new home for the masses, a new life and a reprieve from the depression that only desperation can bring.

What was also discussed in those early years was the potential for any country, nation or racial group who was dissatisfied with their place on Earth could choose to relocate en masse if and when a viable planet became available, a chance to create their own world in their own way. The major political powers agreed to fund the future resettlements. In the short term, the moon and the near planets became very viable options for resettlement of the Earth’s bulging populations and major corporations and developers battled for the rights to be the first ones to establish off world colonies.

However before any resettlement program even began to be implemented, the fateful year of 2080 dawned, the year which began the Fall! Some saw the ensuing disasters as an opportunity to support their long-held religious beliefs that divine retribution had finally come to punish the wickedness of man and swallow up the sins of the world. God’s wrath, at last had been unleashed, falling like a ceaseless tropical thunderstorm of torrential rain, washing over humanity’s wretched head, cleansing the evils of sinful, wasteful Man!

The ever pressing need to produce more and more food to feed the ever increasing world population was, in a strange way the beginning. As the lungs of the world, the trees and vegetation was relentlessly cleared to make room for more crops and pasture for cattle, absorbsion of the increasing levels of carbon dioxide decreased and remained trapped in the upper atmosphere. Temperatures soared and weather patterns changed. Strange weather patterns began forming in the great oceans. Seasons seemed to reverse. Tides became unpredictable and violent storms lashed all the coastlines of the world, tsunamis flooded coastal cities and towns and destructive hailstorms flattened everything. Then followed the diseases: Cholera, diphtheria, plague and mosquito borne viruses raged unchecked as fresh waters became contaminated. Salt from the encroaching seas seeped into the precious ground waters, polluted rivers and entered dams which devastated food production even further.

There were mass suicides as many chose to take their own lives rather than face starvation or worse—others simply went insane as drugs and alcohol became a better solution to the realities of life—crawling into whatever dark corner they could hide and gave up. For almost two decades the famines, plagues, both natural and unnatural calamities and virulent epidemics swept the globe claiming victims from all the peoples of the Earth. The ‘Fall’ took good and bad alike until even those who at first saw the ‘Hand of God’ at work quickly went from praise to lamentation. People everywhere lost faith in their governments, their religion, their scientists and doctors but more importantly, themselves. Stupidity seemed to prevail as, following numerous failed attempts at finding a cure for one extremely virulent virus known as ‘Bird Flu’, in a fit of panic and thoughtlessness, nearly all avian species on Earth were systematically hunted down, trapped and exterminated. Fortunately ‘clean’pairs of most avian species’ were concealed in protected habitats by a sane few, and in addition, prior to bird life’s universal demise some common sense prevailed. DNA samples of each genus were taken and systematically categorized then cryogenically stored and sent to the newly established lunar laboratories to await a hopefully ‘clean’ future, when all could be resussed. The storage facilities also housed DNA from all of Earth millions of creatures and billions of plant and microscopic life.

As the 21st century drew to a close there were no celebrations, no wild exuberance and no countdown, none of the joy that attended its predecessor. Wave after seemingly unstoppable wave of viral epidemics which assaulted mankind were intensified by abnormally long winters and short, harsh summers. More crops were obliterated or failed to grow, animal births were still-born or deformed and on every continent both animals and humans died in their tens of thousands. Second and third world countries were the hardest hit and the major powers, due to their own internal problems, had no capacity to assist. A new century was creeping ever closer and there appeared no solution on the horizon.

After nearly a century of harsh weather, sickness and death, almost a third of the Earth’s population had been eliminated but still the future remained grim as the human race stared somberly at its own extinction! The cumulative effects of two new and extremely virulent strains of what was now called simply ‘the virus’ coupled with the breakdown of many governments and the disillusionment humanity had in science and medicine exacerbated the systematic decimation of the populations on all continents. Another 30% of all animal life perished during the ensuing decade and by century’s end only Earth’s aquatic life, the Lunar Vacuum Labs and fledgling Martian colonies remained unaffected by the plague. Strangely, the native Australian aborigines remained totally unaffected by the plagues and many volunteered to undergo tests to find a possible cure for humanity.

Drastic bioengineering became the savior of humankind. Only when pure DNA, extracted from the sampling and research accomplished during the Australian aboriginal testing was made into an anti-viral serum was the viral plague contained. With ‘the virus’ under control and the weather improving, humankind began at last to repopulate and develop. Able to learn from the mistakes of the past, advances in scientific invention raced into the bright future. Colonies were established on the moon quickly followed by larger, more complex settlements on Mars and the larger moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Finally free from the combined debilitating restrictions of disease and nature, Earth rebounded and a booming population exploded, as if every human was obsessed with replacing those lost and it was not long before the Earth’s ability to feed the populace was once again stretched to the limit. To compensate for the severe loss of arable land, three aquatic habitats were established to provide seafood for the ever expanding population. Atlantus, Pacificus and Indiannus managed ocean-borne food production and the Earth Protectorates of Eucla, Salt Lake, Montreal, Mexico City and Moscow were challenged to generate the production of cereal crops, fruit and vegetables. Mankind had chosen en masse to become vegetarian and the consumption of any kind of meat was discouraged and in some places, forbidden.

Biogene, the company which had invented and produced the life-saving drugs of the previous century had, by the middle of the next, become the largest and most influential company the world had ever known. Huge investments in the Lunar and Martian colonies expanded their fortunes along with their monopoly of science and technology and made it the largest corporation on the three worlds. Only the Oceanic’s, Atlantus, Pacificus and Indiannus retained their independence and offered a fierce resistance to any takeovers or interference, growing even more remote from their land-bound cousins!

Prompted by the ever expanding populations on all inhabited worlds, which now included fledgling colonies on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the information and data which had been relayed back from the early probes of the early 21st century, had been acquired by Biogene and now their most ambitious program ever, was on the verge of being implemented. Those early unmanned probes sent out into deep space with the sole purpose being to locate new Earth Viable (EV) or the new term Earth Equivalent (EE) worlds for Humanity to grow into had located over 3000 possible sites. With the world economies reasonably stable, the weather returning to normal and the viral plagues eliminated, those 3000 potentially habitable planets and systems now became accessible. The Biogene project was given a dramatic boost when a second pandemic plague threatened to once again devastate the Earth in 2236, many Earth citizens who had not taken work on the newly opened industrial settlements on the near planets or their moons or had opted for undersea dwelling, lobbied their governments for total resettlement to one of the new worlds.

What was blatantly obvious however, even to astronomers of the 21st century that, based on even minimal calculations, there would be more than enough inhabitable EE worlds in our own galaxy, to enable every single person living on earth at that time, to have their own planet!

Whether or not any of those worlds were already occupied (Essential Criteria #4) had seemingly been overlooked but yes, everyone could have their own world. Although theoretically possible, having one’s own world was impractical, however worlds to suit everyone’s choice of race, religion or politics could be accommodated and the age old conflicts could therefore be eliminated forever. To soften the blow of relocation and in return for vacating their traditional homelands, the UEG contracted Biogene to terraform all the vacated lands for agriculture and to subsequently transport 90% of any resulting crops and produce generated from that land, to the old occupiers new planet. This ongoing support would continue until such time as their new homeworld was able to support itself, or by mutual request, was discontinued. To facilitate the transportation of the massive numbers of humanity, participating countries constructed their own fleets of immense hiberships, each one over a hundred kilometers in length capable of carrying 20 million people, were constructed in orbit. As soon as one was completed, it was loaded, automatic systems engaged and the sleeping occupants were ejected from Sol space.

Entire populations were enthusiastically granted relocation, distinct racial groups as well as different groups within racial and ethnic populations were recognized and granted relocation and even the religious and politically diverse peoples were granted new worlds. This was all well and good except… . Not every citizen wanted to leave so the UEG decided unanimously that there was one proviso.

Although seeming harsh and inhuman, to overcome the reluctance of some, it was decided that once an 95% majority of any nation or racial group chose to resettle, then everyone from that nation or racial group had to go! No one from that group would be allowed to remain on Earth, thereby ensuring that there would never be even the remotest chance of any resurgence of old hatreds. Of course there were still those who flatly refused to be ‘resettled’ so the UEG created a special branch of the government who answered only to the UEG High Council. These Special Forces primary function was to ‘ensure’ that every person from a nation or racial group actually went, whether they wanted to or not.

They went under the official title of First Office—Undertaking Nationwide Detainment, Deportation and Resettlement or FOUNDDaR, and were authorised to carry out the wishes of the majority of any group who had elected to resettle. Once the population had vacated the land they were transported either to their new world or to intermediate detainment areas while their ships were prepared. Following the populations departure all their land had to be cleared and then farmed for crops and cattle or reforested. Although their primary task was initially to cleanse and sanitise the now vacant lands of everything except vegetation and native animals it did not take long for them to begin the sanitation of humans. Humanity had regressed to the days of the Catholic Inquisition and was reminiscent in many ways to the witch hunts of the middle ages of Earth’s history and the McCarthyist persecution of Communists during the mid 20th century. With the exception of buildings and monuments considered to be of significant historical merit, all cities, bridges, roads, railways—everything created by man were obliterated by the FOUNDDaR and they took to the task with fanatical enthusiasm. As expected, there was enormous resistance by many to the New World Resettlement Orders and so detention and deportation slowly morphed into The Cleansing.

Granted the authority by the UEG to use whatever force necessary, the FOUNDDaRs, or Foundars as their name had been shortened to, began the sanitation sweeps of all the vacated countries. This task went to the Foundar police called Quizitars and anyone ‘found’ was arrested, detained and quickly processed for deportation to their respective new worlds. These people, hiding out wherever they could find refuge were derogatorily referred to as Newrows by the Quizitar. During many mopping-up operations, whether due to boredom or laziness a simpler solution to the resistance began to find favour with the Quizitars. Within months of any nation’s final departure, many of the Newrows were never detained they simply disappeared, making the processing much more efficient. As time progressed, less and less Newrows were being ‘found’ and the Quizitars, gained a reputation for cruel, brutal and inhumane methods

Although the government was semi aware of the cleansing methods of the Quizitar and their terrifying collection methods it was more convenient to ‘turn a blind eye’ to the brutality and atrocities they were committing. Very slowly stories leaked out to the remaining world populations who had yet to decide whether to stay or go, learnt about what was going on, inciting a global outcry. The power of the Foundars had become a monster, an unstoppable juggernaut who answered to no one and about which the government could do little. The Foundars decided that they could just as easily cleanse the dissenters as well and prominent agitators and anyone who tried to go against the Foundars soon began to disappear. Fearing reprisals against themselves, the UEG and the public hid behind closed doors and closed minds.

For 60 years, the Quizitars cleansed and sanitized while the Foundars held dominion over the entire Earth!

In the ensuing years of the Foundars Rule, the promised supplies to many of the new worlds ceased and communications between Earth and the colonies deteriorated to a point where they were eventually considered unnecessary, expensive and therefore forbidden. Links were lost and, in many cases, even the location of those communities who had upset the Foundars in some small way were forgotten or deliberately erased.

The Foundars rewrote history to suit their own convoluted ideas even trying to commence their own calendar which failed miserably and finally in 2365 after 120 years of repression and despotic rule, a new order began to emerge on Earth. They called themselves Creationists and were composed of brave, forward thinking intellectuals who along with hundreds and thousands of persecuted men and women finally rebelled. They came from all the five continents and over the ensuing two decades they finally became strong enough to overthrow the rule of the Foundars. It took a further three decades until the Creationists regained absolute power to enable them to commence the second Cleansing. This time however, it was the Foundars who were being cleansed and in 2395, the nightmare years were over.

As the fourth century of the new millennium dawned, the original Foundars, the Quizitars and their followers (the Black Shirts) of which there were now many thousands comprised of people who remained safe from the harsh rule by joining their persecutors, were rounded up. Their leaders faced trial for their crimes against humanity and all were exiled to the solitary planet of the Dawn star, the appropriately named Fundeth. For over eighty years this speck of desolate rock, four times the size of Earth’s moon and isolated as it was at the far end of the Perseus spiral, had been used as a penal colony where only the worst of humanities criminals were exiled. Classified EE-m or Earth Equivalent (marginal), its orbit was barely within the limits of supporting life but it at least had a breathable, albeit cold, atmosphere. Barren, consisting of wide open grasslands and ragged stony outcrops nestled beneath high snowcapped mountains, basked either in a dark twilight or mild starshine, it was most fitting for the dour Foundars. Within a short space of months however, the new arrivals quickly established themselves as the ruling body and soon usurped the ‘Right by Might’ rule which the prisoners had up until then used. As our story begins, the Foundars have been in exile and forgotten by history for over 2600 years but their hatred of Old Earth and the Creationists had never diminished. Festering and seething, their ancient hatreds had evolved to finally become a religion, ruled over by a despotic hierarchy of Foundars who called themselves the Archfoundars or Arcs.

CHAPTER 1

The Final Solution

The tall stalks of wheat whipped at the speeding ground car as it hurtled across the open field, its dozen occupants gripping the roll-cage, knuckles white, eyes darting everywhere as they squinted against the rushing wind. Several kilometers behind them an ominous dust cloud scratched the horizon indicating that they were being pursued and they were losing ground. There were just too many people on board for their vehicle to make any headway but there was no way that they could let themselves be overtaken and captured!

Can’t you get any more speed out of this rubbish bucket? screamed the obese man sitting next to the driver. He had been whining and screaming this way ever since they had seen the dust. We must get away. I have more money if that’s what it takes. Here! he said, stuffing rolls of credits into the drivers pockets.

Your credits won’t help us but yes, we can get more speed but it will take a sacrifice. The driver yelled back having to raise his voice above the howling wind.

How, how can we do that? he whimpered.

By lightening the load. Get rid of all the dead weight we’re carrying. the driver responded with a cold look in his eyes. That could make a big difference.

Then do it you idiot! Do it now! Whatever needs to be done just do it! the fat man wailed.

The driver, a tough bushman called Baz Kelly, turned to face the whiner. He had had about all he could take of this fat, blubbering fool. Without hesitation, he drew his stunner and shot him between the eyes then before the fat man could recover, he reached over hit the release on his harness. The force of the tearing wind and aided by a slight nudge from Kelly, the whining ceased forever as the fatso was ripped sideways tumbling like a broken doll out onto the ground. With the loss of cargo, the ground-car seemed to lift and leapt forward with a neck jarring lurch. A woman screamed in the back. She had not seen what had transpired as her eyes were closed but opened briefly as the huge bulk of flesh rolled past her.

Stop! she screeched, Someone has fallen out. He’ll be caught by the Quizitars.

We can’t stop for anyone, especially someone who was slowing us down. The driver grinned as he patted the stack of credits in his coat pocket. For him it was a win-win. So shut the fuck up and let’s get away from those bastards! he ordered.

The vehicle rounded an outcrop of rugged stones, gravel and dust fantailed behind them then as the hover truck straightened, it accelerated off at a 45° angle towards the distant range of steep hills. We have a chance if we can hide in the ranges. Kelly thought to himself. But not an ice-cubes hope in hell if we get caught out here in the open. He grimly added.

Baz Kelly was a fifth generation Aussie originally from tough Irish stock whose forebears immigrated to Australia to escape the religious Orange vs Green turmoils of the mid to late twentieth Century. He was now caught up in his own century’s version of political and religious purge and those in pursuit of him now were the persecutors! There was no trace of any Irish accent now, he was all Oz. Dressed for the outback wilds of Australia, his khaki shorts and shirt were covered with red dust and stained by weeks of unwashed sweat but his signature battered Akubra hat was rolling around on the floor under his feet. Better to have it squashed than ripped off his head and lost forever to the tiger snakes and dingos but he did try to keep one foot on the brim holding it in place. Unfortunately every time he swerved or made a radical change in direction he lost contact and unable to take his eyes from the terrain and spent the next few minutes scrabbling for it with his feet. All his effort proved futile as the wild ride and wind overcame his dancing feet and the hat was whisked away chasing the obese passenger. At least he had goggles to stop most of the dust from affecting his vision and what was once a red polka dot scarf, covered his nose and mouth.

Those bouncing around in the ute tray were less fortunate having no protection at all from the suffocating red dirt and howling wind. If they had brought any type of head covering then it was long gone, ripped away in the first mile or so after they sighted their pursuers. At least they weren’t travelling in one of the old style wheeled vehicles because if they were, by now they would all have been bounced out. The hover truck slewed left and right as it was buffeted by the windstorm which was still increasing in intensity as it roared down off the hills they were fast approaching.

The Quizitars had been pursuing them over the wheat plain for six hours now, ever since they had left the relative safety of the last derelict town that they paused at before making their last, desperate dash for the border. Whereas Old Victoria had been designated a total eradication state, the more stubborn south and western states had remained belligerently anti to the relocation laws. Their initial destination was the British sub state of South Australia and the border town of Peterborough but the Quizitar patrols between Old Melbourne and Adelaide were far too frequent and so they were forced north before they could turn back down into the Sub state. Provided they could reach it they had a better than even chance of then making it to Adelaide and relative safety. Providing they could reach Adelaide or what was left of it, there was the overland dash to the Eucla Habitat and complete safety. Best of all for Baz Kelly, someone else could take over babysitting his passengers.

They were almost safe. The range of hills were much closer as he imagined the refreshing taste the cooler air of the upper ranges and could almost feel the breeze on his flesh. As he turned around to check on the rest of his passengers and to see if he could spot his tormentors, he noticed several of them staring ahead, their mouths agape, an unexpressed scream forming on their lips. Kelly whipped his head back to the front, and froze in his seat as the dull black form of a second Quizitar ship hovered threateningly just meters down the track. He yanked hard on the right rudder almost tearing the muscles of his forearms from the force he applied but the hover truck was too big, too heavy and much too sluggish to have been able to immediately respond to his demand. By shear will he held the pressure, finally spinning the hover truck to the right in an effort to avoid a head-on collision. Unfortunately, the combination of soft sandy soil, loss of vertical thrust and centrifugal forces sent the vehicle tilting out of control. With sickening screams, bodies flew in every direction as they rolled over and over.

Blood streaming from a gash to his scalp, Baz looked through blurred eyes as the demon ship settled on the ground and the dark clad Quizitars stomped arrogantly down the ship’s ramp towards the scattered remains of his refugee group. His right leg was bent at a very unnatural angle and he could feel that several ribs were caved in as he drew deep rasping breathes through clenched teeth, frothy blood bubbling from his mouth. He patted again the credits against his crushed chest and smiled ruefully as the nearest Quizitar raised his blaster. Baz would never get to spend any of it!

The Earth had ceased to be a safe place for any human who had not already been relocated to a new world. For nearly sixty years the Quizitar’s had systematically rounded up all stragglers, dissidents or the just plain stubborn and placed them in holding camps before categorizing them based on ethnicity or religion. Once categories had been determined and sufficient numbers attained, they were loaded like cattle onto hiberships and transported to the appropriate planet which could be anywhere in the galaxy!

With thinning numbers of humans left on Earth it was becoming harder and harder to find enough people to fill the ships to make the long voyages cost effective so the Quizitars had resorted to a more expedient option. No one was being caught and transported anymore, those taken alive were simply eliminated, their reports back to the UEG stating that no one had been apprehended. In a short space of time, even this type of elimination had become boring to the bloodthirsty Quizitars so the hunt was developed where by any stragglers caught up in the net were now given the option of torture and eventual death or set free with a twelve hour start. The hunt was on and anyone caught and not killed during the hunt were subjected to the most horrendous torture these black clad butchers could devise. The Ruling government of the reconfigured Earth, The Guardians, had no real knowledge of what was transpiring, believing that the relocations were progressing as normal.

With the capture and disposal of these final few, the entire east coast of the Australian continent was now free of ‘vermin’ as the Quizitars referred to humans, so it was now time to turn their attention to the troublesome south and west.

CHAPTER 2

Rescue & Escape to Freedom?

From atop the windswept ranges, dark eyes watched the scene unfold below them and could do nothing to interfere or stop the carnage they were witnessing. These were aborigine from the west, nomads who never stayed camped in the same location for longer than one or two days, always on the move, always vigilant, survivors. Although living in the remotest parts of the Australian continent they were not entirely ignorant of what had been occurring all over the country and now they were witnessing it for themselves. Their sharp eyes had seen what the dark clad killers had not. A single figure had been thrown clear of the main group and had landed roughly behind a small rocky outcrop and had tumbled beneath a low hanging tree, screened from view by the ever present spinifex