The New Horizon

By Scott C. Anderson

A familiar story told anew. The life of the leader of a prosperous civilization is coming to an end. This advanced society, born from slavery, searches for a leader in the most unlikely of places.
Candidates from earth are chosen and tested, and one stands out from the others. Each contender will find that leadership is never easy and freedom is seldom free.
A woman emerges who can lead her people, negotiate with the established inter traders, and deal with societies yet capable of working with offworld civilizations.
This leader never expected to meet a race bent on war and conquest. Living within a thriving secret city on an ancient world known as Tiffina pushes this strong and independent woman to challenge a way of life never discussed during her interview. And, finding support within her new society only opens the door to new adventures.
Written for all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329637245

Book preview

The New Horizon

The New Horizon

By Scott C. Anderson

This is a book of fiction. Characters, places, names, theories, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, alive or dead, along with their events or locations is purely coincidental.

Disclaimer:  These stories are written in a conversational style.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Lulu Publications

First Edition

© 2015 by Scott C. Anderson. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-3-6

A strange new world

From a distance, the never-ending starfield provided a serene backdrop for a small blue-water planet.  Placed within a crowded universe, the Tiffina Solar System was considered uninhabited.  Safely outside of the established trade routes, the treasure planet was a secret homeworld lost in the black ocean of star systems.   

The fourth planet, the blue-water world, was correctly placed within this solar system.  Its single moon orbited the world and helped provide a living, breathing biosphere.  The five major landmasses offered a variety of climates.  The two frozen polar caps easily contrasted with the lush greens and heat of the equator.

Deep within a populated valley on this blue-water planet, a young woman contacted her confidant.  Under the canopy of a large shade tree, just beyond the perimeter of the temple compound, Leah Tiam called softly into the cold night air.  The male image from the mist appeared as a forceful presence, powerful yet transparent.  The face familiar, her elder friend wore robes of minimal detail.  The image in near-transparent yellow stepped closer and spoke with purpose.  The young woman listened. 

The man from Tiffina’s distant past stood six feet tall and glowed the single color of soft yellow.  The man’s deep male voice was strong and practiced.  They have been contacted.

Then it has begun.  Leah looked hopeful.

Yes.  It has.  The man’s image faded and drifted with the breeze.

A galaxy away, a similar blue-water planet in the Palla Solar System moved within the confines of its spacial trajectory.  The native population called their home Earth, but to the known inter traders, this was Palla.

An intentionally informal wedding had been completed in a small church in San Luis Obispo, California.  The wedding party and a few chosen guests had moved to a small hotel overlooking the bluffs of Cambria, approximately an hour away.  The isolated hotel on the central coast north of the wedding chapel provided sanctuary for the newlywed couple.  This quiet area allowed family and friends the ability to celebrate in beautiful and peaceful surroundings. 

Larry and Zulma Merrit had changed from their weeding clothes to less formal attire.  The dinner and drinks after the long day was a welcome respite.  Overlooking the bluffs in Cambria, the majority of The Blue Haven Motel had been rented for the weekend.  Nine of the eleven rooms were reserved by the father of the bride, Joseph Espinoza.  The nine o’clock hour wasn’t particularly late, but signaled the end of a very long day. 

Larry loved Zulma, simply and completely.  He worked as a mechanic for a new car dealership in Ventura, California and she worked as a collector for the courts’ system.  Both found their jobs a mixture of tedium and excitement, and after living together for almost nine years, decided to tie the knot for reasons obvious to both. 

Zulma, of Mexican-American heritage, didn’t need a marriage license to be an honest woman, the thirty-three year old drew her honesty from her parents.  Larry, a thirty-four year old from the wrong side of town, would always feel that he had to prove himself.  Tanned by the sun, his Caucasian parents taught him to hate, discriminate, and the art of learning to fail gracefully.  Larry worked at fighting most of these teachings and had earned his promotions without the benefit or help of his parents. 

Sylvia Tennant was Larry’s lone aunt, and would be the only positive exposure in his life.  The woman helped push Larry through trade school, finally graduating and earning his patches as he turning wrenches for a large prestigious new car dealership.

Zulma’s parents traveled with them to The Blue Haven Motel.  Unfortunately Larry’s parents couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.  This didn’t dampen his spirits as the young man had to stand by his own code and take care of his own business.  And, after all, Zulma was well worth the effort.

The small picturesque motel sat on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  The two proprietors, Lannie and Marjorie Colston, had retired and bought the motel as a project and moneymaker in a beautiful setting.  The rooms were clean and well kept, the setting quiet and serene, and the nearby ocean provided a rhythmic song to lull you to sleep.

Everyone seemed to drift off to bed as room lights began to extinguish.  The almost full moon bathed the motel in soft moonlight.  With all rooms rented for the weekend, even the proprietors were asleep.

The sudden earthquake shook the rambling wooden structure.  Lasting more than a few seconds, the rumbling didn’t settle as quickly as a standard earthquake took to quiet.  The late evening hour didn’t hamper Richard Rogers, as he feverishly knocked on the bridal suite door. 

Richard was saying something loud but was drowned out by the rumbling and rattling within the room.  Larry bolted out of bed and immediately tried to get his footing.  Zulma sat up and reached for her clothes.  Larry could tell the earthquake was a big one as it lasted for more than a few seconds.  He opened the door and saw Richard white as a ghost.

It’s a big one!  Come on and get out of the hotel!  Richard moved to the next room. 

Zulma didn’t want to leave the warmth of the chamber.  Do we really need to go?

Better safe than sorry!  Anyway, we can talk to everyone in the moonlight.  Larry continued with his usual optimism.

Yes dear.  Zulma forced her smile, as she laughed to herself that the motel still appeared to be rumbling.  She was out the door in moments.

The walkway outside of their room was narrow, or seemed narrow, and dropped to the ground through a series of easy stairs.  Crossing the two-lane roadway, the grassy area several yards from the cliff felt cool on Zulma’s bare feet.  The bright moonlight allowed everyone to see where they were going. 

The rumbling seemed to stop, but Richard’s panic continued.  On the opposite side of the roadway, across from the motel, Richard motioned toward a basement door.  At the time both Larry and Zulma thought this was an unlikely place for a basement or safe place, but at the time neither spoke of their concern. 

To everyone else, the basement door seemed to be out of place.  The doorway was wide enough, but the door appeared to have been at least three feet thick and open on massive hinges.  The dark basement smelled fresh, but lights were very low, just enough to see the stairs. 

Richard stood at the doorway and guided his friends to safety.  Elizabeth Kohli, Judy Irwin, and Jason Kehoe had already entered the basement when Larry, Zulma, and Zulma’s parents arrived.  Richard held his hand up, indicating that Larry and Zulma should enter first.  This didn’t seem unusual at the time, until Richard turned and simply said to the frightened parents, Maybe next time…

His face was hard and determined, as though completing a job.  But Richard took two steps down the basement and turned, raising his hand to again stop anyone else from entering.  The large heavy door electrically closed and pressure sealed.  The door was completely visible, as the patch of metal glistened in the moonlight.

Joseph and Mercedes Espinoza stared at the door and Joseph kicked at it with his foot.  The confused parents looked at each other in the moonlight and wondered what was going on.

The ground surrounding the doorway began to shake again as the family and friends stepped back from the metallic patch in the ground.  The owners had come out and joined the group on the bluff.  The rumbling continued and they all moved back and onto the empty roadway. 

Lannie and Marjorie looked out toward the ocean and noticed that the cliff appeared different.  There was definitely more lawn area between the roadway and the bluff.  The moonlight shining off the ocean was the same, as were the rest of the coastline, but this area seemed different.

The initial rumbling had stopped and Lannie stepped closer to the lawn area, wondering what had caused the change.  Joseph was close behind as they both suddenly stopped.

The ground began to rumble, and then it moved.  Pulling away from the lawn and bluff, the saucer moved out and away from the Cliffside.  Partially covered in grass and dirt, large clumps of lawn fell away from the metallic hull.  The moonlight reflected off of the skin of the saucer as it headed out to sea. 

The wedding party and motel owners could clearly see the details of the saucer.  Moving at a slow but steady pace, the saucer angled straight up and flew through the few clouds.  In a moment, the big round ship was gone.

Marjorie Colston asked Mercedes Espinoza, Did you plan this?

Mercedes held her robe together with cold lonely hands, I was about to ask you the same thing.

Where are we?  Zulma knew something was wrong.  She could feel pressure on her chest, as though she were on an amusement park ride.

Larry grabbed Richard by his shirt, What’s going on?

Richard seemed calm, too calm.  With Larry still holding onto his shirt, Richard said, View.  Richard didn’t need to look over his shoulder as two popup viewscreens lit up the room.  The left viewscreen showed the forward view, with the moon rapidly filling the screen.  The right viewscreen displayed the rear view, showed the earth shrinking ever smaller.

Larry released Richard and searched for Zulma’s hand, all the while staring at the viewscreen.  Larry had been practicing his breathing, to ensure he was prepared for the wedding.  He was breathing deep and steady.

Richard stepped to the forward screen, Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.  This trip isn’t particularly far, but it could be quite difficult.

Elizabeth Kohli didn’t seem surprised, Where are we going?

Richard took a seat and noticed that his passengers were looking for seatbelts.  There are no seatbelts.  You’d be surprised, but we don’t need them.  Elizabeth, we are headed for a solar system known as Tiffina.  This should take a few hours.

Judy Irwin was about to get angry.  The sixty-seven year old was in her nightgown, heading for somewhere she didn’t know, and ready to bite someone’s head off.  Thinking about her situation, Judy realized that she actually had been in worse situations and decided to wait and see what was at the end of the trip.  But she did want to say something.  Richard this isn’t right.  I don’t know what you’ve got planned, but you can leave me out of it.  Now take me home.  Her words were specific and edged in resentment.

Jason Kehoe was young.  He had always said that he was twenty-three, but could pass for nineteen.  He had no place to go for the weekend and quietly waited with the others.

While in her bed, almost dead asleep, Zulma found the intrusion of waking up and walking to the basement an annoyance.  Fully awake and trying to keep her temper, the new bride had known Richard and knew this wasn’t something she expected from him.  Richard.  What is this all about?  We all want to know.

Glancing at his wristwatch, Richard looked over his shoulder at the viewscreen.  That.  That’s Pluto.  It really is.  This isn’t a ride and that’s not a projection.  In a few more minutes we’ll be in deep open space.  This isn’t a kidnapping or an abduction.  I work with people who need your help.  That’s all. 

Zulma and Elizabeth were both going to say something.  They both had the feeling that Richard was telling the truth, but needed to know more.  Before they could say anything, Richard held up his hand.

Please.  All of your questions will be answered, but not at this moment.  Please rest.  Richard indicated with his hands that everyone should calm down.  A moment later, everyone in the room, except Richard, was fast asleep.

This is a ship?

Captain Reneau Adler patiently waited until Richard found him.  Sitting on his bridge, the senior captain guided lightship Tiffina Seven as it coursed through the deep reaches of open space.  His perfectly round saucer had been wiped clear after exiting the Palla upper atmosphere. 

The saucer, almost eighty-eight feet in diameter housed three levels of comfort and storage.  The light grey skin incorporated two rows of exterior lighting that ran along the ridge.  Suitable for many purposes, the lightship was only one of two saucers of the reclusive society.

To shorten the journey, Captain Adler scanned and found the anomaly that would propel him halfway across the known galaxy.  A marker buoy, located near a slipstream lay only ten minutes ahead.  By using a slipstream for travel, the time in space could be cut down from three years to fourteen minutes. 

This was a risky undertaking, and Reneau Adler was no fool.  He believed in Richard’s mission and fully supported the young man.  Reneau would review his life from time to time, looking for the good, bad, or manipulated stretches.  In this case he was glad to see Richard take on this duty.  The young man impressed the seasoned captain, but he was mindful of being too optimistic too early.

Deep within her compound near a green-grass valley, Leah Tiam looked at her desktop screen and saw that Tiffina Seven was within the slipstream.  Her home was painfully quiet, as her parents had long since retired for the night.  The screen, filled with images, gave her no solace, no evidence of comfort.

Restless, Leah stood and walked to the broad veranda of her parent’s home.  Looking out and up, she saw the familiar flash of green.  The protective shielding that covered the City of Calais was in force.  That meant that someone or some device was searching the area, possibly for her people.  For several more minutes the flash of iridescent green rippled toward the mountains that sheltered Calais, before dissipating and allowing the moonlight to once again fill the valley.

The never-ending starfield returned and filled the night sky with wonder and possibilities.  Leah could see the lights within homes turning off as the evening wore on.  In a few more minutes she would be the only citizen standing in the open, in the dark.

Richard Rogers checked on his sleeping charges one more time.  The two-hour trip would be over soon.  With the slipstream taking only fourteen minutes, the remainder of the time was taken up by traveling to and from the anomaly in space.

Restless, Richard stepped onto the bridge and found Captain Adler.  Reneau was scanning and checking his status screens. 

Are we close?  Richard had known the captain literally all of his life.

Close enough.  We should be home in less than twenty minutes.  Reneau had rarely traveled these routes and knew to depend on his onboard systems.  Is everyone resting comfortably?

They’re all here.  I can’t believe what I’ve done.

All we’ve ever asked for was a fighting chance.  This should do it. 

Elizabeth Kohli began to wake from her very restful nap.  She knew the difference between falling asleep and being put to sleep.  Before sitting up, she listened, and then looked around the room to see what trouble she was in.

Richard stepped into the lounge and saw the young woman awake.  Elizabeth.  Are you awake?

Awake?  You can’t even believe the amount of trouble you’re in?  Taking us this way wasn’t necessary, not in my case anyway.  Elizabeth was visibly angry but knew she had no phone, no weapons for protection, and had been put in an induced sleep where anything could have happened while she was unconscious.  She saw that the others were still sleeping soundly.

We’ll be at our destination in just a few minutes.  I have someone who can explain all of this, and I’m asking you to trust me for the time it takes to meet them.  Richard was being truthful.

Elizabeth could instinctively tell that Richard was telling her the truth, but this situation was something that made her feel uneasy.

Richard could sense her concern.  No one has touched you.  Your sleep was not induced by a drug, and no one, no one here was touched or tampered with in any way.

For a moment, Elizabeth could swear that he could read her thoughts and concerns.  It may have been her heightened awareness of the situation, as she felt that she was in danger.  Crossing her arms, she decided to force herself to stay awake during the trip and take in every detail of what was happening.  Richard looked at the woman with the sheepish expression of a boy caught doing something wrong.  Good, Elizabeth thought to herself, let him squirm for a while.

Richard continued to scan the other passengers as he attempted to avoid the stare that Elizabeth was giving him.  The next few minutes seemed like hours until a slight warning chime sounded and the remaining passengers awoke from sleep.

Larry and Zulma Merrit awoke with a start, as though alerted to danger. 

Judy Irwin stretched as if on a vacation.  She looked around wondering where she was and looked to others for direction.

Jason Kehoe awoke, ready to fight.  He stood up suddenly and then sat down, confused but ready for a confrontation.

Richard carefully listened to the slightly audible instructions from a nearby panel.  Pointing, Richard indicated the far wall.  Two popup screens, four feet wide by three feet high sat side-by-side against the empty wall. 

The left image looked like a small ball against the panoramic starfield.  The ball turned into a dark planet and then flew past the screen.

The right screen was the rear view, showing the planet they had just passed as it became a speck in space.

The screen took the attention of everyone in the room as planet after planet passed by the viewscreen.  Suddenly a blue-water world came into view.  The ship began to slow.

Elizabeth was the first to ask.  Is that where we’re headed?

Zulma was about to ask the same question, with her husband also anxious for an explanation.  Both glanced at each other, with the knowing look of passengers in an aircraft with mechanical problems.  They wanted to know everything, but didn’t want all the bad news at once.

Possibly due to experience or loneliness, Judy seemed to be taking the whole trip in stride.  Is this where you’re taking us?  Are we in some kind of trouble, or are we to be questioned?  Judy’s late husband worked as a 911 operator for the Sheriff’s Department.  The alien planet thing was fascinating, but she knew that people were either taken in for questioning or to solve a problem.  Either way, there was work involved.

It was obvious that Richard wanted this trip to end and end soon.  His words were simple.  This is the Tiffina Solar System.  We will be landing at a city called Calais.  This is where I was born.  This is my homeworld.

The five passengers turned and looked at Richard in a new way, as though he were alien.  For almost all of the passengers, this didn’t make sense, as they knew Richard to be from earth and as human as anyone else in the room.

Elizabeth continued her vigil of silence as she listened.  She knew that most people talked way too much, which always gave her an edge in a conversation or investigation.  She didn’t worry about Richard’s origins.  It was still too early to come to any conclusions about what they’d seen so far.  For a moment she even questioned the images on the viewscreen.  After all, it was entirely possible that this was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. 

The Allport at Calais

Captain Adler asked his only other crewman, Samuel Hee, if he would check-in with the allport stationmaster.  Samuel was in his early twenties and a good co-pilot. 

There was only one allport on Tiffina, and Calais was the only true city on the planet.  The quiet municipality rambled through most of the valley and several hundred feet into the surrounding hills.  The allport sat at the northern end of the valley, surrounded by the high mountains that also surrounded the City of Calais.

Samuel ticked the stationmaster and waited for his channel to open.  Boradin Lawrence, the allport stationmaster, glanced at his timepiece and then opened the channel to the lightship.  The large man of thirty-eight was nibbling on a piece of baked bread, which was something he did all the time. 

Offworld traffic was very, very light and it always appeared to the seasoned stationmaster that ships would arrive during the dead of night.

Reneau nodded to Samuel and initiated the call.  Boradin, is it safe to land? 

Very safe.  Sending pad location now.  Glad to hear from you Reneau.  Boradin understood that the ship should be returning around this