Darrin Wanderer: Space Adventurer

By Al Chelvam

In the future of the universe, a daring adventurer struggles to save a galaxy - but can he free the princess?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312253568

Book preview

Darrin Wanderer: Space Adventurer

Darrin Wanderer: Space Adventurer

by Al Chelvam

In the future of the universe, a daring adventurer struggles to save a galaxy - but can he free the princess?

Copyright © 2014, Al Chelvam

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-312-25356-8

Chapter 1

The forest giant was nearly as tall as a skyscraper, with a smooth trunk that soared towards the clouds.  The first branch was located at a height of three hundred feet and the next, a hundred feet higher.  The tree's diameter at ground level was fifty feet, and it's total aerial mass was immense, requiring a vast root system below ground to support it.  It's nearest companion was at least a mile away.  Darrin sat on a fallen tree of smaller size while contemplating the giant tree's magnificence.  Brushing the brown hair from his eyes, he wrinkled his forehead and did some quick mental accounting.  The tree would make another fortune for him, bringing in at least a million inter-planetary units of currency.  The dark fine grain of it's heavy wood was in great demand among the craftsmen of art objects throughout the galaxy.  All he had to do was fell it, divide it,  and tow it in rafts out to orbit for the freighters of Trans-Space Industries.  Payment would be made automatically to his account on Zychus and would go toward all the development he was going to undertake on this uninhabited planet.

It was a remarkable planet by every means. With twenty-five times more surface area than planet Earth, a little less gravity and a less dense core, it whirled around it's star Keagu in 480 days.  It's tilted axis gave it four seasons - trees, plants and flowers waxed and waned accordingly, but there was no animal life.  Darrin had stumbled upon it on one of the missions he had undertaken for the Galactic Council, explored it a little and then filed claim as sole owner and occupant.  Once the transaction had been completed, Darrin had commenced exploitation of the valuable timber.

Darrin's son had wandered off with Pasha, and he would have to find them before cutting the giant trunk.  The cardinal rule was:  be sure to be in a safe position before you begin felling.  Darrin sat for a while and watched Robby align and place suspension beams to hold and lower the giant tree to the ground when it fell.  Robby approached slowly, looking to the right and left, examining the ground carefully. 

When he was within earshot, Darrin queried, Lost an 'eye'?

Robby stopped, still looking at the ground, the expression on his face serious.  I can't  work out why these striations are here.

Darrin rose and walked over to the human-like robot.  The bare ground at the spot where he stood was covered in fine, wavy lines, as though they were etched on metal by an engraver's tool.

Hmm!  murmured Darrin, wondering where he had seen these before.  A dim memory stirred in his mind but did not surface. 

Robby squatted on the ground and explored the grooves with his fingers.  Darrin followed suit.

Perhaps we're not the first ones to have visited this planet,  Darrin said softly.

They look fresh - perhaps whoever it is, might still be here.

Darrin rose.  We've got work to do – can you call Trask and Pasha?

Robby took a small shiny object from his side pocket and blew on it, creating a sharp plaintive sound.

Are all the beams set? Darrin asked.

Yes, I've placed six pairs – they should hold it.

Darrin grinned at him.  He liked the robot who was programmed to be  Free Autonomous and not  Subversomat. The Subs were absolutely dependable, much like the Frees, though the latter could at times be unpredictable.  Physically, Robby looked more muscular than Darrin; indeed, the robot's strength was nearly ten times that of any human's.

A crashing sound came from the forest and Pasha bounded into view.  Clinging to his back was a little chestnut haired boy who looked no older than seven.

Don't run so hard, Pasha – don't! yelled the boy. 

The panther ignored him, dashing over to Darrin.  His fur was thick, smooth and coal black, and his eyes burned with a yellow-green fire.

Take it easy, Pasha, said Darrin, reaching forward to scratch his magnificent head. The panther was exceptionally large for his species, having been chosen from a special breed known for great size and strength.

He butted me, cried Trask.  He bowled me over when I was bending down to pick up a stone.  He never did that before.

Darrin lifted his son off the panther and put him on the ground.  Both his son and the animal had been trained together, so that when called or in an emergency, they became a single unit.  The panther would push against the boy's legs and he instinctively would clamber onto his back and hold on to the big cat's harness to be carried to safety.

Something's bothering him, muttered Robby.

Darrin looked seriously at the robot for a few moments.  Then he looked around thoughtfully.  The air was oppressive and still with the heat of the day.  A faint breeze moved the tree tops above, while fleecy white clouds floated slowly along.  He looked again at the striations on the ground and frowned.  Trask was squatting down next to them and running his finger along the wavy grooves. 

Let's get this tree down first, before we investigate further, said Darrin.  He walked over to a pile of equipment, opened a metal case and lifted out a large laser.  Robby, can you move Trask and Pasha? 

OK, the robot grunted.  Grasping the panther by the collar and taking Trask by the hand, he walked them away from the giant tree.

Darrin positioned himself a hundred feet away from the tree, aiming the laser with both hands and pointing it at one edge of the trunk.  A pencil thin beam of light lanced forward through the wood.  Darrin cut at an angle of five degrees, moving sideways as he cut, placing each cut carefully on the course Robby had marked out.  The laser beam penetrated the wood and emerged on the other side in red and golden sheets of flame.  When he had cut through two-thirds of the trunk, he angled the cut upwards in a gentle curve.  The tree began to fall, and he rushed through the final bit before extinguishing the laser.  Immediately, the suspension beams which had been placed by Robby hit the tree's trunk at various points along its length and supported it's weight.  The beams of light, buzzing and crackling, gently lowered it to the ground.  Darrin switched the beams off.

Daddy, can I go up on top with Robby this time?  Trask yelled, running over to him.

No, I'll take you up.  Robby's got work to do.

He handed the laser to the robot who walked over to the fallen giant, bent his knees and vaulted sixty feet into the air to land upon the furrowed bark.  Darrin walked his son over to the cut end of the trunk which still smoked.  He liked the smell of the smoke of this species of wood.  He would probably name it Arboretum  Darrin Costainous Wanderer after himself when he got around to letting loose a team of botanists in this paradise. 

Robby was driving a spike into the top edge of the cut trunk.  Removing the rope ladder slung from his waist,  he hooked one end to the spike and let the ladder roll down the sloping side.  Darrin caught it and fastened the end to the trunk with another spike.

You go first, he instructed his son.  Together they made their way to the top.  As usual, Trask was bubbling with excitement.

There, he cried, I'm standing on top of the giant tree!

Stop jumping around, if you fall off  you might break your neck.

Robby was running away along the trunk towards the first branch.  When he reached it, he sliced through it with a laser and ran on to the next branch.

Darrin called Pasha, Up, my beauty!

The panther dug his claws into the wood and clambered up.

You stay in the middle, he told Trask.  Pasha – watch.

Can I go to Robby? the boy asked.

Sure, but keep to the middle of the trunk.

Darrin descended from the tree. He walked to his equipment pile near the cocoon that formed their temporary home and retrieved another laser.  This instrument was fitted with a tripod and was his slicer. With it, he would cut the thousand foot trunk into fifty foot lengths.  Rapidly and easily, he set up the tripod and aligned the laser to cut vertically.  As he marked the first fifty foot length of the giant tree, he heard the sound of the others returning. 

In spite of the oppressive heat, he felt elated.  For a brief moment, he wished that these trees grew in the temperate belts of the planet - it would make the job of extracting them more pleasant.  His sense of elation was due to the thought that here, lying at his feet, was money in the making.  Money meant security and the potential to develop the planet as he desired. There were mountains, valleys, rivers and continents to explore and map, oceans to cross and deserts to traverse. He was king of all he surveyed.  The thing that bothered him a little was the absolute absence of any  trace of animal life, both on land and in the water.  However, his concerns about colonizing the planet, had been dispelled by his discovery that there were thousands of species of edible fruits high in protein with complete amino acid patterns.  No one would ever starve or suffer from malnutrition here.

Pasha padded over, his tongue hanging out from the heat, to nuzzle Darrin's hand. He patted the head of the panther, smoothing the silky black fur.

We'll have to get a mate for you,  he murmured. You're the only one of your kind here.

The panther grunted softly, and turned to look the way he had come at the approaching figures of Robby and the boy.

Come on, Robby, said Darrin, we'll have to stay and get this finished by tonight.  Did you have any trouble up there?

No.  There was a rotten branch though, at the very top.

Any other problems?

None.  Robby was programmed for economy of conversation, though at a voice code, he could open up and talk about the infinite mystery of the universe and its galaxies or about the subtle intricacies of the andante movement of a classical sonata.

OK.  Get Trask up on the cocoon again with Pasha.  I'm going to begin slicing.

Darrin automatically thought first of the safety of the boy.  He was all that he had and before he used a tool, or a laser, he located him first to make sure of his safety.  The cocoon was their temporary habitation, constructed by one of the life support systems that both he and Robby carried all of  the time, strapped in their backpacks.  Robby led the boy away and returned quickly.  Darrin raised and aimed the laser at the upper surface of the trunk.  He adjusted the controls and stood back as the light beam sliced into the trunk and in a moment flashed out the other side in a clean cut.  Darrin picked up the tripod.

OK, Robby, contact the freighter and send it up...and if you get a chance, I could use a drink.

Darrin had already sliced through several more fifty foot lengths of the tree before the robot returned dragging two large rockets.

The freighter is ready, he said, hurrying himself with the rockets.  Each rocket was six feet long and weighed close to two hundred pounds, a major part of the weight being taken up with solid fuel. Two long, flexible tautanium cables were attached near the top and Robby lashed each one to a log.  He linked the two rockets side by side with synchronizing cables and propped them into standing position.

First log raft is ready to go,  he said to Darrin who was just completing his sixth cut. 

They began to walk back towards the base.  The rockets, fired by remote control, would take the log raft up and place it in orbit around the planet for the freighter to pick up. 

Ready to go, Trask! yelled Darrin, visually locating the boy and panther sitting on top of the cocoon.

Robby pressed a button on the remote control and the rockets leaped up simultaneously in a fury of flame and smoke. The cables snapped taut and the logs lifted slowly at first and then gathered speed.   In a matter of minutes, the raft was out of sight.  Robby continued to attach logs to rockets as Darrin sliced the trunk.  Trask sat on the cocoon watching the whole operation with fascination.  Pasha lay beside him with patient endurance as Trask would sometimes tug lightly at his ears, pat him on the back or just wrap his arms around him and hug him.  The sun was setting by the time the last log was sent up. 

The little group retired to a pool which was about fifty yards away from the cocoon.  The pool was watered by a clear, flowing stream and was a thing of shining beauty, completely surrounded and shaded by small trees.  Darrin plunged in first and enjoyed it's refreshing coolness.  Trask followed, and then the panther leaped in.  Robby waded in and submerged himself for a walk on the bottom.  Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees and dappled the surface of the water. 

That night, they sat around a fire which Trask requested because he wanted to toast the kidney shaped nuts he had collected on his morning jaunt with Pasha.  The nuts were as big as fists and when held over the heat of the fire, popped open, releasing a delicious, nutty aroma.

Trask, can you  remember anything strange that happened when Pasha bowled you over this morning? Darrin brought up the subject that had nagged at him several times during the day.

Not really, said Trask, munching contentedly while toasting another nut.

Think... maybe a noise, or a flash of light?

Trask was silent for a moment and then looked up at his father's serious face.  I can't think of anything, Dad.

What do you think? Darrin looked at Robby.

It is a little strange.  I could follow their trail tonight and investigate.

Yes, I think you should.

On the ground, beside the fire, stood a life support pack.  It was a rectangular box about a foot and a half high, a foot wide, six inches thick and it was covered in rows and rows of tiny buttons.  A telescopic antenna rose out of the top with a ball shaped tip which emitted a brilliant light, illuminating the area around it.  On one side of the box, was a ten inch by five inch wide screen with more rows of oval, ball shaped buttons beside it.  On the other side was a discharge vent and more buttons.  On the underside of the pack, a synthetic root grew downward into the soil, extracting minerals, elements, and energy required for its operation.  Darrin had several of these packs stored in the cocoon and in other locations that he had explored on the planet.  In an emergency, the life support pack was all that was necessary for survival since it produced almost everything - food, water and shelter from basic raw materials drawn from the soil by its synthetic root.  The bright antenna dimmed momentarily as the pack suddenly made a buzzing sound.  Pasha was alerted.  He stood up, tail swishing from side to side, wide eyes fixed on the pack. Darrin strode over to the pack.

Huh, he grunted, that was a relay.

Audra had sent a message from Zychus.  It had come as a concentrated collection of information, traveling with a velocity far exceeding that of light, to the support pack he had placed on the peak of the ram's head mountain which in turn had relayed the message.

Trask, bedtime, said Darrin.

Robby took the boy's hand and led him away.  The pack at Darrin's feet began to hum and from the back issued a thin ribbon of paper.  Kneeling beside the pack, Darrin took up the message and began to read:

AUDRA/DARRIN – RETURN IMMED/SIKKRA

CONSULT/EMERGENCY – TOP PRI

The hum ceased and the end of the paper ribbon detached itself.  Darrin carried it back to his seat beside the fire.  His brow was furrowed in thought.  Sikkra was Chief of Security of  Zychus.  Unassuming and frail looking, yet with immense intelligence and steely penetrating eyes, he was a man of harsh self-discipline and absolutely fearless.  He maintained a formal and polite relationship with Darrin, who had completed several assignments for him in the past.  Obviously, he needed him for another space jaunt.  Robby stepped back into the firelight.

Put that through your computer, requested Darrin, handing him the ribbon of paper.  Robby took it and pressed an area near his left wrist.  A flap of artificial skin lifted on the back of his hand, revealing a slot.  Robby fed the end of the paper ribbon into it and as it was drawn in, the skin flap closed after it.  Robby sat down before the fire.

A few minutes later, he began to speak. Message authentic... message pattern totally different from former ones...highly probable that this mission is extremely dangerous.

Analyze further, requested Darrin.

The commencement of the message is not usual.  Audra always begins with your name and not her's.

I noted that.

The other thing is that the abbreviations are irregular.

What's that mean?  Maybe Audra is under duress?

Possibly.

What's your feeling about a hidden meaning?

I don't know, I'll have to work on it.

What's your immediate evaluation?

It seems to have de-emphasized two words by abbreviating them -  'immediately' and 'priority'.

So, we're not to return immediately and it's a matter of low priority?

It could be that or the reverse.

Work on it tonight.  I'm tired.

Darrin rose and stretched.  Robby also rose and then touched the side of his face activating his auditory sensors.

I'm going to check on what bothered Pasha this morning, he said and moved out into the night. Pasha, who was lying next to the fire, rose after a few minutes and followed.

Darrin dimmed the light on his life support pack and walked over to the cocoon.  Trask lay on his wide bunk, his arms stretched out, mouth hanging open.  Darrin closed his son's mouth and the boy stirred and turned on his side.  Darrin looked with tenderness at him.  His face had the same sweet curve of the cheek as that of his dead mother.  Darrin sighed as memories flitted through his mind.  His sleep was troubled during the night.

Chapter 2

In the early morning, they broke camp and piled into the jungle buggy.  There were about a hundred miles of forest and swamp to traverse before they reached the base camp where the spaceship was parked.  It would take them several hours.  Darrin drove the buggy while Robby sat beside him to navigate and watch the radar screen on his life support pack.  The huge balloon tires of the buggy cushioned the vehicle from the rough ride, while the sealed interior cabin shut out the engine sounds and the crashing of the wheels over the undergrowth.

Something bothered Pasha last night on our foray, said Robby at last.

Darrin pondered this for a while.  Any clues?

None.  The patterns on the ground at the camp indicate it was a recent visit.

How recent?

About a month ago.  This time, they might have parked farther out.  Perhaps they were watching Trask and startled the panther.

Very likely.  How's your scanning?

No action on the radar since we left.

Going to send out any 'eyes'?

Presently.

Trask lay on the padded floor of the buggy nodding off to sleep.  Pasha lay beside him, head between his paws.  A silent air climatizer kept the buggy cool.  The forest was covered with low underbrush and the large balloon tires of the vehicle rolled over it with little difficulty.  Every now and then, Darrin skirted around a larger bush or tree.  They followed a southward course to the river, down which they had to travel to reach their base camp. 

Robby rolled down the window on his side, pressed a couple of buttons on his life support pack and leaned back in his seat.  Four tiny metallic spheres emerged from the pack and whizzed out of the window.  One rose up through the foliage, high above the trees, while another zoomed forward, going ahead of the buggy.  The third went back along the trail which they had traveled.  The fourth penetrated the forest on either side of the buggy, swinging from side to side.  These were the eyes that helped guide the vehicle through magnetic fields by transmitting their gathered information back to the life support pack.

Robby tuned in the visual on the first eye.  The screen on the pack lit up, showing a vast expanse of tree tops that stretched away to the horizon.  The robot turned the eye over a 360 degree circle and when satisfied, switched the visual to the second one in front.  There was a view of underbrush fleeting past.  Robby raised the eye and the screen showed the trunks of small trees passing.  Robby continuously checked each eye and murmured to Darrin every minute or so.

Back trail clear – horizon clear – side trail clear – trail ahead clear.

Trask got up and came over to stand behind his father.  Have we much farther to go? he asked.

No. There's the river. Robby showed him the screen where a small rippling of water was visibly transmitted by the forward eye.

We'll soon be floating, said Darrin, Perhaps you'd like a swim, Trask.

Yes, Dad, said Trask.  He climbed to the back of the buggy to open the cooler for something to drink and sat down to wait patiently.

Ah, murmured Robby.

What? exclaimed Darrin glancing at Robby's screen.

Robby had tuned in to the first eye in the sky.  On the screen was the wide expanse of the heavens and he pointed to a tiny object that appeared to be falling towards the surface of the planet.

Magnify, snapped Darrin, stopping the buggy in its tracks and turning off the motor.

I'll have to send the 'eye' in closer, said Robby, fiddling with the buttons and knobs.  The eye was sent racing towards the falling object.  It's at least a hundred miles away – seems to be in the vicinity of our timber camp. 

The object which was a pin point on the screen began to grow in size as the eye rushed towards it.

I don't think the 'eye' will make it in time to give us a view of what it is, said Darrin tersely.

The third 'eye' is on the trail in that vicinity, said Robby.

Tune that one in, but keep the first on top of it if you can.

Robby touched another button and the screen was filled with a view of the camp they had just left.  The seconds passed as they waited tensely.   There was silence in the buggy, and even Pasha had sensed uneasiness for he got up quickly and padded over to stand behind their seats.

What is it Daddy? asked Trask tremulously.

We'll know in a minute... Darrin whispered, watching the screen.

The object descended into view.  It slowed as it approached the ground and hovered about three feet above it.  The eye approached the object and the image on the screen grew large.

Looks like a cylinder, Darrin remarked.

Robby pushed another button on the life support pack.  Lines of figures began to appear on the edges of the screen.

Self-propelled...solar powered...magnetic suspension... Robby looked alertly at Darrin, and manipulated more buttons sending the eye systematically around the object.  Cylinder shaped and tapered at one end like a bullet, it was metallic in appearance and gleamed in the sunlight.  Darrin glanced at the cryptic symbols on the edge of the screen.

Ferro-tautanium alloy - about half an inch thick, deciphered Robby.

The eyemoved towards the back of the cylinder and Robby focused in on a spinning propeller.

Wind propulsion – intended to move it forward.

What is it? Darrin asked. A probe?

Robby was quiet for a few moments.  Ha! he exclaimed.  The cylinder was moving out of view of the eye.

It's moving, cried Trask excitedly.

I think it's... began Robby slowly.

What - what? Darrin implored impatiently.

I think it's a missile that has been pre-programmed to come for us.  Robby manipulated the eye so that it began to follow the missile. 

It gradually increased speed and was clearly following the route they had taken.

How long before it catches up to us?  asked Darrin grimly.

Robby pushed another button on the pack.  About thirty minutes.

How long to the river?

Three or four...

Darrin started the engine of the buggy and sent it surging forward.  His mind was racing.  There was someone out there intending to destroy them and he didn't doubt that the strangely worded message they had received last night was somehow connected.

"This type of missile could have come only from a mother ship, Robby.  Send an 'eye' up to find out who it is, if you can.  I'm going to get to the river and we're going down it.  I don't know if that thing is programmed to hit the