Unbound Horizons: The Unbound Series - Humanity's Choice, #1

By Victoria Donovan

We've tried almost everything that we can. No matter how many times we reach out to them, all we get is silence. Communication shouldn't be this hard, should it? Clearly, they're an advanced species, so why won't they respond to our attempts at contact?

First contact could have been peaceful...

The first glimpse at life beyond Earth appeared over New York. Like some extraterrestrial sentinel, it simply hung in the sky and gazed down on the world. The world watched apprehensively until finally a smaller craft burst out of the alien vessel.

Major Harley Walker, a US Air Force scientist, is a part of a team that has developed a last ditch weapon to use against the alien threat. Even the best minds could only theorize what might work against this unknown threat.

When the plan goes awry, Harley Walker finds himself trapped. With no way out, he must face these aliens directly.

Can one person be the key to saving humanity?
 

Word Count: 96,653

The Unbound Series is a social/soft science fiction universe that will span multiple books. The series features themes of war, first contact, and discovery, while also dealing with social issues, queer themes, equality, and more.

Unbound Horizons is Book One of the Humanity's Choice story arc within the greater Unbound Series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victoria Donovan
• Release date: Oct 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781536511222

Victoria Donovan

Victoria Donovan is the writer of the Unbound Series, which began in 2017. One of her favorite themes in writing is exploring culture and relationships, particularly non-traditional and/or LGBTQ* ones. It comes with the territory of being a sci-fi writer, but she’s a big sci-fi fan, be it video games, movies, television, or books. She has worked or studied in a variety of fields. She's worked in medical technology, and she enjoys studying history, science, and more. She is also a musician. Victoria has lived all over the United States. She calls New England home, but currently resides in North Alabama.

Book preview

Prologue

A member of the science team pressed a few keys and an image showed on the main viewer. The twelve members of the crew in the command center observed the image. The reports regarding the planet raced through the minds of the crew members. The planet was primarily water with a number of large land masses. Every land mass but one seemed to have advanced life somewhere on it. On some of the land masses such population was densely concentrated, quite often near a water source. Sources of energy based on nuclear fission was present; images of nuclear reactors and large vessels on the water were shown to them.

Next, they studied images of artificial satellites orbiting the planet. There were even satellites orbiting the natural satellite of the planet. Their attention was then focused on a long-range probe. With no signs of intelligent life on any of the nearby planets it clearly had to have originated from this planet. It was apparently powered by a different kind of nuclear energy. It was clear the inhabitants of this planet must be not only intelligent but technologically advanced. They studied the planet. Swirls of gray and white clouds were a stark contrast to the blues of its oceans. Most of its land masses were covered in greens and browns. Truly, it was a beautiful planet to behold.

They debated what to do. Clearly, they had shown that space travel had importance. It was clear that their technology was advanced. It was not as advanced as theirs by any means but their clear progression towards space-faring indicated that surely they must know life exists outside of their small corner of space. Records had indicated that no attempts had been made by any known species at contacting this planet.

The decision did not take long to make. They would explore this planet.

Not long after, the ship had engaged its main engines. It took a few minutes to build up speed and then it bolted to faster than light speeds. The sun had several planets in orbit. The desired destination was the third planet. After detecting a substantial concentration of asteroids, possibly the remnants of a small planet, the ship was forced to drop down to sub-light speeds. This gave them the chance to study the fifth planet in the system. The massive gas giant was the largest of the system’s planets and while being aesthetically pleasing, it was unremarkable. Initial scans indicated a probe in orbit of the planet. It lacked the nuclear signature that the other probe had, but its construction seemed similar. The range of asteroids was easily navigated.

The fourth planet also proved unremarkable. Scans of this planet also showed signs that the inhabitants of the third planet had performed their own studies of the rather unremarkable red-hued world. Still, it was clear that these people had curious scientific minds. Such an odyssey, that of studying or exploring new worlds, was often a hallmark of a species. They adjusted their course. The blue planet was rapidly coming into focus. They slowed to a comfortable cruising speed toward the planet.

They began preparing for contact.

PART ONE

Equinox

Chapter One

Reality

Harley Walker shook his head as he opened each bottle of pills, frustrated by the safety seals on each bottle. The classes were getting harder and the job had never been easy. He’d grown tired of being in the Air Force especially because of how the current political climate had shifted. He’d entered the military after graduating with his Bachelor’s Degree with a sense that he might could do some good in the world. Hope and change were all the buzz words then but that had all seemed to disappear as of late. Mindlessly, he opened another bottle. Things could not have gotten this bad, right? It seemed like just yesterday the world was as stable as one could hope for. Now the world was on the brink of nuclear war, never mind about things such as social policy. Finally, he’d opened the last pill bottle and tried to relax. Six white bottles were in front of him, with each bottle holding fifteen small gel caps. He checked the time on his phone, 1930. The timing was perfect. Finally, he combined the contents of the bottles until there were just two left with 45 each. He winced in anticipation. Downing the pills was never fun, but the experience was well worth it. What better than the occasional break from reality to help one cope with the shit show that reality had become?

An hour later, he was feeling the onset of the drug. His world seemed to begin to sway ever so slightly. He laid back on the bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He closed his eyes and the familiar music of Jean-Michel Jarre began to echo throughout the room. He closed his eyes. The world that existed behind his eyelids had become a burning mandala of fractals, ever expanding and ever shifting. He focused on the hypnotic nature of them and smiled as a familiar sense of numbness set in. It felt as if his very consciousness was beginning to detach and he found himself drifting into the music itself. Time would be meaningless over the next several hours. Minutes would seem like hours, hours would seem like decades. He’d always joked to himself this was his ten thousand year vacation.

After about seven hours, give or take ten thousand years, he woke up. Usually, the morning after a trip was calm and placid, filled with piecing together the scattered puzzle pieces of his mind that the drug had decided to rearrange. This time, however, he was brought to stone cold reality. He had a headache that was unlike any pain he’d ever felt. He fumbled around the nightstand for the bottle of hydrocodone, poured two into his hand and threw them back, quickly taking a swig of the bottle of water on the nightstand. The pain was unusually intense. It ached strongly behind his eyes and was even reverberating in his ears. He clenched his eyes tight but no matter what it still felt like his brain was about three sizes too big for his skull.

Then, he heard the phone. He scrambled around, digging around the sheets for it until he wrapped his shaky hand around it. He quickly slid a finger across the screen to answer it. Yeah?

Major Walker? This is First Lieutenant Baker at Niagara.

What can I do for you, LT? Harley was exhausted, in pain, and the last thing he wanted was to be on a telephone.

Colonel Fuller’s requested all hands to report to base immediately. I can’t provide any other details at this time.

Dammit. Thanks, Baker. I’m not even supposed to be there today. Alright, I’ll be in as soon as I can. He sighed and hung up the phone. Fuck them… I wonder what the emergency is this time. Old man probably ran out of bourbon for his fucking mint julep. He threw his phone on the charger and walked to the shower. He reached into the shower and cut the water on, testing the heat. Ice cold.

He looked at himself in the mirror. His pupils were dilated. His eyes were red. His face was swollen. He was a few days overdue to trim his high and tight. After grabbing a couple of little pink allergy pills from the medicine cabinet he threw back another swallow of water and downed the two pills. That’d reduce the swelling. He slowly went back to the bathroom and tested the water again. When it was sufficiently scalding, he stepped inside and assumed the position - stretched out as far as he could, leaning forward with the water rolling off the back of his head and down his face. He hoped the hot water would help ease the headache. It did not.

He arrived an hour and a half later to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. This was the first time he’d ever seen the base crawling with people. He showed his clearance at the gate and drove in. Normally, this was a fairly quiet base unless there was brass paying a visit, and they usually had warning for that. Something was wrong. He parked the car, locked it, and adjusted his uniform as he prepared to go in. When he entered the base he was immediately greeted by the same lieutenant who had called him.

Sir. The lieutenant saluted his superior. Better hurry to the briefing room. They started the briefing about ten minutes ago. Harley nodded to the young man and walked hurriedly to the briefing room. He flashed his credentials to the armed guard at the door, thinking to himself, Just what in the hell is going on that we’ve got armed guards outside just a briefing? Something is really wrong.

The briefing room was abuzz. Colonel Fuller was standing alongside a projection flipping through radar, satellite imagery, and telescopic photography. Our boys down at NORAD are saying that whatever this thing is, well, it’s headed towards New York City. Harley shook his head, still clenching his eyes to fight the throbbing headache. He hated the sound of Colonel Fuller’s voice. It was like listening to a combination of Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam with his thick Southern accent.

The colonel continued, Apparently, this unidentified craft is of unknown origin and is not responding to any sort of communication. It ain’t tried communicating with us as best as we can tell. It’s expected to be able to obtain orbit in the next hour or so at its rate of speed. Based on all accounts, it simply appeared out of nowhere and is just closing in on us. I’ve been told that if it doesn’t establish orbit, it could, theoretically, be over New York City in a matter of hours. We’ve been ordered to help assist with refueling operations in case this thing ends up hostile. Additionally, many of us are going to be relocated down to Stewart ANGB and Rome. Depending on our orders, we may end up in control down in Rome again. All civilians are being ordered evacuated from the area. The current crew there is helping to get the civilian presence out. You know how the President is. He’s taking this as a terribly serious threat.

Colonel Fuller continued on, giving various assignments. This felt like a bad dream to Harley. This headache only seemed to be getting worse and the idea of some alien invasion made him wonder if the drugs had done a number to him that he hadn’t quite expected.

Major Walker, meet me in my office. You too, Major Thomas. Harley snapped back into reality away from his daydream. Yes, sir. He left the briefing room, hit the coffee pot for a cup, and proceeded to the colonel’s office as ordered.

A few moments later, Major Thomas entered alongside the colonel. The two of you boys are good officers. You’ve both put in plenty of time and have seen some action. Indeed, Harley had been deployed to the Middle East once. Since you’ve been in intelligence here, you know it’s normally a boring job, but this is the real deal. This is the need to know intel and you two are the ones who need to know. They’re wanting both of you in Rome ASAP to sync up with the EADS folks and NORAD. Major Thomas nodded in acknowledgment. Major Walker, you look like hell, have you been drinking?

I wish, sir. Migraine, I guess. Long night last night, didn’t get any good sleep. I took some medicine before I came in but I’m still just not feeling good. Harley shook his head as he closed his eyes, trying hard to overcome the throbbing headache. Understood, Major. Shit happens. We just need our best men on this and we need our best men in top shape.

Major Thomas perked up, Has the President been informed?

I’m most certain he has been. Let’s face it, this shit’s all over the internet now. This thing’s bigger than anything we’ve sent up to space, that’s for damn sure. It’s a goddamn shame this isn’t like in the old days when we could just throw out words like weather balloon, I tell you. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s on the internet piddling out his little twits or whatever they are accusing the mainstream media of fabricating the whole goddamn thing. The Colonel shook his head. He was a supporter of the President but even he realized the man could be ridiculous.

I guess it’s better than accusing China or North Korea. Harley scoffed.

You’re goddamn right. Pack your bags boys, we might be gone for a while. Helicopter’s leaving at 1100, so don’t waste too much time.

Both majors nodded and responded with a Yes, sir before leaving.

Harley rushed back to his apartment and started packing things. This still didn’t seem quite real. He sighed. All he wanted to do was sleep this headache off. Sadly, it was real.

He went into his closet. In the far corner sat a large camouflage bag that could either be carried as a duffel or worn as a backpack. He dug it out, slung it on the bed and unzipped it. The bag stayed somewhat packed at all times with personal supplies and a variety of gear. He quickly packed, throwing in an assortment of uniform pieces, long johns, underwear, and few other things. He threw in a USB battery and a couple of cell phone chargers. He hadn’t used his tablet in a while but he threw it in anyway. Finally, after about twenty minutes of consulting his checklists and packing, he was ready. With this headache still throbbing he was thankful he had the checklist.

He sighed and loaded the bag into his car. He didn’t know why but he was overcome with regret for ever having gone into the Reserves. The money was good, the sign on bonus and tuition benefit was great, but he was sick of it. He could have been finished with the military life. He’d joined the Air Force originally for the challenge, for something different, and to hopefully find a bigger purpose in his life. It quickly became just a job. Now, saddled with part time duty, he just wanted to be rid of the obligation.

He grabbed his phone and opened his messages. It had immediately loaded his last contact. He smiled and began typing a simple message: Going down to a different base for something. I’ll probably be back next weekend. I’ll let you know more when I know if I can. Might be a blackout tho. Love you. He hit send, pocketed the phone, and started to head back to the base.

Harley sighed and turned on the radio. As expected, every station was playing some sort of news feed talking about the alien craft. Some stations were speculating that it could be aliens, some threw out ideas of satellites, even foreign defense systems. It was clear this was the talk of the world. If it wasn’t for the awful headache, he’d have felt a sense of pride that he was getting a front row seat.

He showed his ID at the gate and was flagged in. Sure enough, a chopper was on the far end. People were scurrying across the base, in and out around the vehicles. He parked his car, got out, and grabbed his bag from the back seat.

Major Walker! someone called out. Harley looked up and saw a man walking towards him. I’m Captain John Lanold. I’m here to help take you down to Rome. Colonel Fuller told me to keep an eye out for you.

You found me. He saluted the man and the captain reciprocated. What can I do for you?

We’re off the ground in thirty minutes. Colonel Fuller’s asked me to take your bags but he wants you to go back in and make sure all of the project data you had been working on is sealed away.

Understood. He passed him the bag. Shouldn’t take long. I’ve got all the files where they should be anyways. He dashed into the building and went to his office. He pulled up his email and sighed immediately. An email from one of the intelligence leads linked to a secure part within the intranet. He entered his security codes and the notification pulled up. As he feared, blackout for several divisions of personnel. There wasn’t a ban on communications devices yet, but there was a ban on all forms of communication without direct approval from a number of individuals and all communications devices were subject to inspection. He was glad he’d sent his text when he did.

Quickly, because he knew he could always check certain hidden accounts through proxy servers, he began to delete the social media apps from his phone. He didn’t care for people prying into his day to day life. He knew if they ever looked close enough, they could dig up all kinds of information on him and his private life, so he kept his nose clean in public view. He checked that his project data was indeed secured and then walked away from the computer. He knew this had simply been a ploy to show him the details of the blackout.

He walked back outside and began heading towards the helicopter. Lanold was waiting for him. Everything in order?

Copacetic, if you will. His voice was raised to fight the sound of the helicopter as it began to spin up. He flashed a mockingly cheerful smile.

Lanold chuckled as they approached the helicopter, and shouted, After you, Major!

Chapter Two

Contact

A few technicians ran some last second checks on the old helicopter before liftoff. Conversation ensued about what the aliens might want, how they might handle things, and what they might do if it turned into a combat situation.

Harley shook his head and sighed. No, sir. I didn’t get a chance to look at the news. Even inside of the helicopter the noise was intense. I got the phone call and got into the base as quick as I could.

Colonel Fuller looked frustrated already. The media’s already on top of this mess. There isn’t gonna be any hiding this, so we just have to make do. The damn thing has parked itself high over New York City.

Any communication from the aliens yet? asked an officer whose name Harley could not recall.

No. Not a goddamn peep. Some of the satellites reported interference a few hours before they broke into the atmosphere, though. We’re guessing they were trying to tamper with our communications satellites. We’ve already got our anti-aircraft defenses prepared across the country. Also, we’re readying fighters for superiority if necessary.

————————

Joseph Harris rolled over in his bed and smiled when he saw the notification light on his phone blinking. He grabbed the phone, swiped the screen active and opened the text from Harley Walker. He frowned when he read the actual message. It had been two or three weeks since he’d had a chance to see the man. He missed him. The last time they had met it had been a pretty fun time - dinner, shopping, and a little fun back at Harley’s place. He sighed and started typing a reply: Be safe. I’ll go to your place tomorrow, clean up, let u come home to a clean house, k? Love you. Miss you like crazy. Call me if able <3. He hit send.

He was off tomorrow. He knew that he would have enough time to get the cleaning done for Harley in case things changed and he was able to get back home earlier than expected. Harley, up until recently, almost always kept things neat and tidy, but he had began to notice that as Harley was becoming more withdrawn and depressed he’d become a bit on the slovenly side.

The television stayed on all day as he worked in the apartment. The news was unchanging - the alien craft had descended over New York but was simply hovering there. As far as people could tell, or at least as far as it was being reported, there had been no successful communication with the craft. The world was in awe of the situation. It was on every news station. It was every talk show’s main topic. There was no escaping the story of a lifetime. In spite of this, life still went on.

The next morning, he threw his shoes on and went out to his car. The drive took about twenty five minutes with traffic. He got out, unlocked the door, and went inside. It was a mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere, the kitchen trash was well over full, and dishes were piled high in the sink. Damn, Harley. He saw the line of pill bottles on the table. Jesus, Harley, again? For fuck’s sake… you could have fucking told me. You make me quit smoking, but you do this shit? He sighed and turned on the television on for some background noise. A couple of talking heads were discussing politics. It was mindless enough to be distracting while doing the housework.

He started picking up the trash. With a heavy sigh, he picked up the pill bottles and threw them into the trash bag. Next was the fast food bags, then beer bottles, and soda cans. He set the nearly full bag by the door and decided to start the pile of dishes. He divided the dirty dishes into two stacks, setting one of them to the side to give room in the sink to actually wash them. He was about halfway through the first pile of dishes when the television caught his attention.

An older man with a well-trimmed white beard appeared on the screen. This just in: The alien ship that appeared over New York City has apparently launched some sort of smaller craft. We’ve had people on the ground watching it constantly. His smooth baritone voice made the news seem a little more tolerable. The camera was following the shuttle now. This smaller craft has picked up speed immensely. Goodness. The man paused for a moment. Ladies and gentlemen, I personally, can’t tell if it’s looking to land or if it’s got something else in mind. Joseph watched on in horror. He had no idea if he was about to be witnessing the next 9/11 or if he was about to see mankind actually try communicating face to face with an alien species. Either way, he was glued to the television.

Suddenly, a series of white streaks flashed across the screen one after another. The alien shuttle exploded in mid-air, sending debris scattered all over the streets below. He covered his mouth in stunned silent horror. The anchor was quiet as well, at least for a moment.

Ladies and gentlemen, that was… unbelievable! If you’re just joining us, the alien ship that appeared over New York had launched a smaller craft. It was streaking across the sky at a pretty high rate of speed. We couldn’t tell if it was trying to find a place to land or what it was trying to do, but it appears the military took it as a hostile action. We’ve got people trying to confirm with various sources what actually just happened.

The television showed an instant replay of the explosion. Jesus… Harley… He wondered if Harley knew about the incident. This was insane, he thought. He thought about how many lives might have been on that small craft. It was hard to tell just how big it was, but he guessed it at least as long as a commercial cross-country passenger bus. The thought of that much life snuffed out in an instant turned his stomach. There was no way of knowing what they had intended. At the same time, for all the military knew, it could have been filled with explosives and was going to take out as many people as possible. He could not wrap his head around that thought for more than a moment. There was no reason that he could think of, short of pure hostility and conquest, to cause such wanton destruction. For that matter, he thought, if you were going to take out a planet, wouldn’t you just bombard it from above and then send troops to mop up?

The more he thought about it, the more the idea terrified him that mankind may have just made a terribly paranoid mistake.

————————

Six days full of speculation and conjecture had passed since the smaller alien craft had been destroyed. In a statement by Air Force Lieutenant General Cam Michaels, the alien craft was destroyed by targeted anti-aircraft fire because based on the speed and trajectory of the vehicle, it was being used as a suicide weapon. There had been a few injuries on the ground but no deaths had been reported. When asked why they had not attacked the main alien ship instead, the general had responded that they did not want to launch an attack on the vessel unless they knew they were totally confident in the complete destruction of the craft.

NYPD Sergeant Mike Lawson had been frustrated. Since the first incident, the NYPD had begun to beef up their presence on the streets in the event of an emergency. This led to many people who normally were not beat cops back on patrol. He sat in his patrol car and sipped his coffee. Things had been uneventful since the first incident.

He spilled his coffee when he heard a scream. He looked around and saw people running.

What in the… Lawson gazed up at the sky. The eerie alien ship had been an impressively foreboding sight over the past few days. A smaller craft had burst out of the the alien ship and looked to be heading straight down. The first such craft had come in fast but at a predictable angular descent not unlike any other aircraft landing. This was different. This was bad. If he had to guess, it was coming down about four blocks from where he was. He grabbed the radio. This is Sergeant Mike Lawson, 115th Precinct, to all units in the area. Another shuttle just flew out the back of that alien ship. It’s heading straight down, somewhere near 32nd and 11th, I’m en route, send backup! I repeat, send backup! He started driving as he flipped through frequency after frequency repeating his message. Have emergency vehicles on standby.

Traffic had already slammed to a standstill. He swore under his breath, grabbed the shotgun out of the trunk and locked his door. Bursting into a full sprint, he dashed through the alleys towards where he saw it. It’d have been a lot easier if it hadn’t been for the headache that was throbbing. A small handful of NYPD officers were already on scene when he broke through to see. Hold your fire unless it is absolutely necessary! They were all people from his precinct - all people he held rank over. Burrell, Warren, left side. Cage, Pearson, with me. Matthews, get these people out of here, now!

People had fled their cars but others still stood on the streets. Quickly, Officer Matthews began yelling, attempting to herd the people away from the scene. More officers flooded in. Hernandez, middle! Use the truck as cover! Hopkins, opposite him. Shit! A loud hissing noise startled everyone as a ramp began to lower. When it had landed, they saw something they could have never imagined.

Four aliens slowly and deliberately began to walk down the ramp. Lawson guessed each of them was near 5’9 or 5’10. Each of them was clutching some sort of pistol-like weapon hanging from hip holsters. They each wore armor. It appeared to be segmented pieces of some sort of incredibly thin black metal. A gray colored material showed through at certain small gaps where the armor had latches of some sort. Overall, the armor seemed to provide excellent coverage with very little encumbrance. Their faces were obscured by full face helmets with a nearly opaque black glass or plastic visor where eyes would be on humans. An ominous glow emitted from the helmet, its true color warped because of the color of the glass itself.

Sergeant Lawson clenched his eyes tight for a few seconds as his headache intensified. Ah…

He heard two loud pops. His eyes snapped open and he ducked into cover. More gunfire echoed through the streets. The aliens were firing their weapons as well as they retreated back into the shuttle. The ramp was closing quickly. He tried to get a bead on them and noticed a body lying flat, wearing gray, inside of the shuttle, bleeding. He couldn’t see their faces or anything else. The smaller alien craft