Neo Hominum

By Tristan Valure

You might remember ‘Max the Magnificent’, the presenter of all those stupid shows that flooded the system over two hundred years ago? He’s back, but this time, the glitter and sequins are things of the past. Travellers who left home centuries ago to colonise the galaxy are now being hunted down by a mysterious scientist who has something against revenants. Max will have to face a far greater enemy than the one he was fleeing on board the Gemini II. Over the course of his adventures, this former jet-setter will have to take control of his own fate, but that will not be enough. He wants to know. Why are the revenants being hunted down in secret? Why are they worth such an astronomical sum on the black market? What on earth could this ‘doctor’ want with all these unfortunate souls? What he is about to discover will shock the entire galaxy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Jul 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781667407210

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Neo Hominum

Tristan Valure

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Translated by Keith Geaney 

Neo Hominum

Written By Tristan Valure

Copyright © 2021 Tristan Valure

All rights reserved

Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

www.babelcube.com

Translated by Keith Geaney

Cover Design © 2021 Guillaume Ducos

Babelcube Books and Babelcube are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

T r i s t a n V a l u r e

*******

Neo

Hominum

Translated by Keith Geaney

Cover: Guillaume Ducos

Contents

Chapter 1 – The job advert

Chapter 2 - The Gemini II

Chapter 3 - The signal

Chapter 4 – Extended Worlds

Chapter 5 - Lothan

Chapter 6 - 10%

Chapter 7 - Weldawn

Chapter 8 – The Venus Luxuria

Chapter 9 - The Red Zone

Chapter 10 - The fridge

Chapter 11 - Neo Hominum

Other novels by Tristan Valure

Chapter 1 – The job advert

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I hope this is going to work, for your sake. If it doesn’t, we’re dead.

Listen, Matt...it’s not as if we had any choice in the matter. I don’t know anything about this. How was I supposed to know? Besides, you didn’t think of it either...It’ll take six days to get to the zone, and the ship will arrive in seven days. We should think ourselves lucky we found that girl!

Valone, I think I’ve already got enough on my hands with...

Shh!, Valone interjected. She’s calling. Try to look presentable, he added, before activating the command for the hologram.

A young woman with long, straight black hair appeared in front of them, as if she were sitting on the other side of the table. Opposite her, Matt and Valone had put on suits for the occasion in an attempt to look ‘corporate’, as Valone had joked. The ship’s bridge had also been cleaned thoroughly for the occasion.

"Welcome on board the Damascus", Valone greeted the young woman with a smile as her pale green eyes discreetly surveyed the surroundings.

Good morning, gentlemen, she replied in a small, almost childlike voice. Thank you for this interview.

Pleased to meet you, Salila, said Matt. Don’t thank us just yet - you haven’t got the job yet, he joked. You passed all the tests, but that doesn’t mean you’re our new systems engineer. Are you aware of the context and what is at stake in this mission?

Yes, sir, Salila replied half-heartedly. We leave today for thirty days, no questions asked and no contact with the outside. I accept these conditions without reservation. As you know, I have just completed my training and I need my first job to prove my worth in the field. I am ready to show you how motivated I am if you give me the chance.

Just a moment, young lady, Matt interjected. "This mission is off the books, do you understand? We won’t be able to give you any sort of recommendation afterwards. As far as the company is concerned, you won’t even exist. There will be no trace of you in the files. Officially, you will never even have boarded the Damascus."

I know that, Salila responded. But, all questions of pay aside, I really need to put myself to the test, and see exactly what my role on board a ship involves.

Perfect. You’ll have our answer within two hours, Valone said as he cut the communication.

Wasn’t that a bit brief?, Matt asked.

I don’t know; I’ve never had a job interview, Valone answered, grinning like an idiot.

We’re lucky - this kid is ready for anything, Matt breathed as he sat up straight. Finding an available systems engineer in this backwater was a miracle.

Still, five thousand credits for thirty days’ work. It’s just a good job we found a nice, innocent little kid, fresh out of school. On the other hand, she might be surprised by her role on board a ship", Valone sniggered.

**********

It was late afternoon when Salila arrived at the B13 docking bay of the Foxite – H station. This small space base was built in the FX-83 system when massive deposits of iridium were discovered on the system’s third planet. The planet containing the precious metal was so dense that powerful heavy equipment had to be used to overcome its surface gravity. The discovery of this rare metal, an essential component in the manufacture of hulls for vessels that travel by vortex, triggered an orgy of spending to mine it, similar to the Gold Rush on Earth centuries before. An orbital station was built around the planet by technicians and engineers who seemed to flock in from every corner of the galaxy. Unfortunately for the investors, decades of intensive mining later, the deposit turned out to be less profitable than expected. A large number of other deposits were found, in systems where the mining conditions were far more favourable. The price of iridium plummeted and stabilised at a level that made continuing mining on FX-83 just about worthwhile. Although most of the engineers and operators had left the station since then, the company left some personnel on site and a skeleton crew to continue mining. Perhaps they were speculating on iridium prices in the hope of seeing them return to their former heights one day. In the meantime, other metals that were easier to extract were mined on other planets in the system. This paved the way for a few people to crew the Foxite – H station again. The station itself, the eighth facility owned by the Foxite mining company, was taken out of its orbit around the third planet and placed in what was thought to be the perfect location for all the activities of the miners, who had to travel to three different planets.

Salila was the daughter of one of the engineers sent to Foxite – H, nicknamed ‘FH’ by its inhabitants, to seek out new deposits in the system. Life on board this commuter station was anything but thrilling for the young woman, who dreamed of exploring space. With her lengthy university studies now behind her, her qualification as a systems engineer was finally going to allow her to realise her dream: boarding a spaceship. When the Damascus arrived at the station, Salila could not help hanging around in the docking bay area. Arrivals and departures were rare enough, but the arrival of a foreign vessel was even rarer. For once, it was not the latest in a long line of cargo vessels stopping off before joining the vortex; it was a marauder, a ship built to handle any type of situation. The sort of vessel used by mercenaries or the wealthy. The job advert from the Damascus’ crew for a systems engineer was straight out of the young woman’s wildest dreams.

The interior of the Damascus was in sharp contrast with the station. The vessel’s construction was relatively recent. It was well-lit, equipped with cutting-edge technology and, most of all, it was clean! Nervously, Salila reported to the bridge, accompanied by a crew member who had spotted her wandering around near the entry door. Valone welcomed her aboard and led her to her cabin, a miniscule room that she would be sharing with another member of the crew, a taciturn woman named Line.

One hour later, the Damascus released its moorings and slowly left the FH station. From her position at a control desk, located in a small section cut off from the bridge, Salila watched several screens attentively. Behind her, another operator, who was far less qualified than she was, was spending his time chatting over the intercom. Once it was a safe distance away from the station, the Damascus fired its two main rear thrusters and the ship disappeared into space. The next moment, the FH had vanished from their screens. Salila’s heart swelled and she drank in the moment. She was no longer a miners’ daughter exiled on a dilapidated station; she was now a systems engineer on board a marauder and en route to her mission. As she thought about it, Salila mused that she actually had no idea what they were setting off to do. Even if her role was more or less confined to keeping the ship running, her employers could at least have had the courtesy to tell her more about it.

Six days passed. Salila was having a very hard time blending in with the crew, which she was now convinced was composed of mercenaries. They showed little inclination of wanting to talk to the new arrival, but all of them were awaiting the big job in store. The Damascus was heading for a rendezvous point, where it was to take possession of an extremely valuable cargo. The largest section of the ship, the cargo area, had furthermore been completely emptied in preparation for this precious commodity. The systems engineer’s hopes were fizzling out over time. Her role on board a modern ship was limited to monitoring the control screens and carrying out routine checks. Salila had never imagined working in this capacity when she opted for this career. She even thought it was strange. The Damascus did not really need a systems engineer. Later on, when she was off-duty in her quarters, she heard an alarm sound throughout the cabin of the ship and saw on her multifunction wristband that Valone, the second-in-command, was calling her. He was asking her to stand by and prepare some light equipment. Salila went to the workshop. She had just finished putting together her equipment bundle, comprising a multiscanner, a sort of portable computer packed with sensors, and a few other tools for cutting, disassembling or reassembling, when a jolt rocked the Damascus. A new message from Valone ordered her to get to one of the ship’s airlocks immediately. Salila complied and rushed to where she had been instructed to go. She was surprised to find a dozen armed men waiting at the airlock door. Through the airlock’s porthole she glimpsed another metal door: the Damascus had docked with a ship. Valone arrived shortly afterwards.

Salila, suit up and go open that door, he ordered the young woman.

You just have to...

Don’t question my orders, Valone cut her off in an authoritative tone of voice. Put a suit on and go and open it.

Shortly afterwards, the systems engineer found herself wearing an airtight spacesuit with its own oxygen supply and diving into the airlock with her bag. There was a loud whistling sound in the tight space, indicating an air leak: the docking between the two ships was not perfect and the area was depressurising. Once she had activated her suit’s oxygen supply, Salila pulled the multiscanner from her bag and made her way to the door of the other ship. She gathered together her belongings, which had begun to drift around her in the absence of gravity, then started typing into a console before freezing with a gasp of surprise.

What’s going on?, Valone asked in a concerned voice over the intercom.

"It’s not...Well, I mean...Nothing is standard here. The ship isn’t reacting to the protocol and I can’t see any connection interface. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

Find a way to get it open!, Valone ordered.

Salila tilted downward, letting her multiscanner float alongside her, and grabbed a screwdriver in order to unscrew a small metal plate beside the door. She picked out some connection cables and attached them to an electronic card, which she slotted into the little nook she had just opened. She then connected her multiscanner and used it in an attempt to understand how the system worked. After trying for a few minutes without success, Salila began to have doubts as to whether she would be able to open the door. She began to lose hope. She was going to fail her first non-routine task.

Well?, Valone asked impatiently over the intercom.

I’m sorry. The onboard systems of this ship are incompatible. I’ve never seen this before!

We know that. You already told us. Are you a systems engineer or a cook? Open the bloody door!, Valone yelled with a mixture of authority and anger.

The airlock isn’t pressurised. There must be a safety mechanism that’s preventing the other door from opening as a result, Salila cried in desperation.

OK, I get it. Get out of there!

Salila climbed out of the airlock under the scornful glares of the mercenaries, who had been waiting to board the second vessel. Valone did not show her any particular concern. He sent for equipment to plug the airlock temporarily and a plasma cutter with which to gut the vessel’s hull.

Salila stood back and watched the man cut up the cabin. Expanding foam had been sprayed all around the rim of the airlock, stopping the whistling. In a short space of time, the uncooperative door was completely cut free. It span around slowly in the other vessel’s airlock, its edges still glowing red from the plasma cutting. The men dived straight into the airlock. They joined hands tightly in order to move forward in the weightless atmosphere.

Before joining the others, Valone stopped next to Salila, who had not moved. He stared coldly into her eyes.

There’s one more thing you need to do. Don’t disappoint me again. Come on, get your suit on. We’re going on board.

Salila entered the vessel, squeezing her way past the thick door still floating in the middle of the airlock. On board the second ship, it was totally dark. Valone switched on his torch. The temperature, although much cooler than in the Damascus, was bearable. They moved past the airlock and arrived in a corridor. A few diodes in scattered locations were the only signs that there was still activity on board the vessel. Valone grabbed Salila by the arm and marched her forward. They arrived in a small room that branched out into three other corridors. In two of them, the torches of the mercenaries ahead of them could be seen whirling in the distance. There was a strange and indescribably complex smell in the air.

Look!, Valone shouted suddenly and dragged Salila over by the arm as they passed what looked like a control console. Let’s have some light in here.

Salila approached a recess in the structure that housed a large screen overlooking a control keyboard. Once again, she found herself confronted by a system with which she was unfamiliar. Nothing she had learned over the course of her extensive studies was of any use to her in deciphering this interface, whose origins she was beginning to sense. The layout of the controls, the interfaces present and even the components used to build the equipment all suggested that this was a huge throwback: she was looking at a console over one century old. Under Valone’s impatient stare, Salila managed to connect her multiscanner to the console. A few commands later and she was looking at the home screen of the Gemini II, a colonisation vessel built over two hundred years ago. Salila started to understand why Matt and Valone needed her for this mission, but what were those mercenaries doing on board? Had she signed onto a wreck-robbing crew without knowing it?

Are we nearly there?, Valone barked, now more impatient than ever.

Yes, got it, Salila replied and ran a command.

The entire Gemini II was flooded with light. Here and there, control consoles and equipment required for everyday living blinked back into life after two centuries of silence.

Perfect. Come on. We’re not quite finished yet, Valone said and almost sounded relieved.

Salila barely had time to get her things together. Valone had just received confirmation via his intercom that his men had found the longed-for cargo. They rushed down a long corridor and found themselves in a gigantic chamber with a large number of windows in its ceiling. From where they were, Salila could finally make out part of the vessel they were exploring. It was very long and was slowly rotating, like all ships equipped with that generation of gravity generators. On the other side of the room was an opening in the wall from which a long passageway led to the second part of the Gemini II.

We’re going through the tube, Valone said. Hang on and follow me.

Valone took hold of one of the carabiners on the side wall of a long metal tube with barely any lighting. He pressed a button and was pulled along by a mechanical system connected to the carabiner. Salila did likewise and found herself being towed weightlessly down the long tunnel. They made their way to the front of the ship, an area that had probably been less exposed to the radiation from the fusion reactor. Most large ships from the period were similarly stretched out in order to keep the living quarters far away from the propulsion system. At the other end of the tube, a panel indicated their return to gravity as the carabiner transport system slowed to a halt. As she coasted towards the end of the tube, Salila observed the slow spin of the room ahead. Valone angled his legs downwards and fell abruptly onto the metal floor as soon as he exited the tunnel. Salila copied him and then cast an eye over their surroundings. They appeared to be in some sort of cloakroom. The walls of the room were equipped with small lockers made of composite material. Salila did not have time to investigate further. Without a word, Valone grabbed her by the arm again and marched her further into the ship. They went down a corridor and passed another room filled with a number of screens and desks before eventually arriving in a large, dimly lit room containing dozens of cryogenic capsules. These machines, arranged alongside each other in two columns separated by a corridor, allowed their occupants to enter a soporific state in which their bodies were virtually immune to the ravages of time. These plastic and metal sarcophagi gave no indication as to their contents, with the exception of the small control screen at the foot of each one. This screen displayed the identity of the person inside and their vital functions. All of the mercenaries had gathered in this room. Some were examining the capsules while others were talking, probably waiting for Valone to get there. One of them, a small and lean man, strode confidently up to Valone.

There are fifty-five of them. Six are buggered, but the other forty-nine are still working.

Perfect, Valone exclaimed with great satisfaction.

It’s not over yet. There are three other rooms like this on the other decks. In total, a hundred and ninety-six of them are alive. As expected, they’re locked. As for us, we’re ready.

Thanks lads, good job, Valone replied before turning to Salila.

Salila, listen very carefully, he began, the serious tone of authority once more in his voice. One hundred and ninety-six people are in cryogenic stasis on this vessel. They left two centuries ago and the system will not wake them up before they’ve reached their destination. The problem is that their destination has since been colonised, and their journey is now therefore useless. You’re going to have to hack the system to trigger the wake-up procedure. One room at a time.

OK, but why....

Remember, Salila: no questions. Take as long as you need to make sure there is no risk of harming these people. When you’re ready, let me know. We’ll wake up one room, then, once we’ve got its population back from the grave, we’ll wake up another room, and so on. Is that clear?

Salila nodded. Under the stare of the mercenaries, she approached a cryogenic capsule. It was smooth and rounded all over and looked like a cocoon. She knelt