Paradox (Star Legacy Saga Book 3)

By J.P. Deceliere

A huge mistake jeopardized the lives of two important members of the Arks and now, humanity’s duty will be to save their kidnapped friends and survive another adventure. An old wise man warned the Razarians to avoid the seventh planet of the Traveler, yet, the illegitimate leader took the last survivors of his species towards doom. While exploring the rainforest planet, the human explorers will have to realize that to find their loved ones, they will need help of an old friend. Their encounter with an unfriendly hive will surely be tough for the last Razarians and the secrets inside that planet will leave them with a bitter taste.

Confused, aren’t you?

Two stories that don’t have anything in common, two timelines that have been separated by space and time until now. Here is where both stories connect, joined by the unexpected bursting of a red transformation and by the cosmic power of a blackhole.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796078206

J.P. Deceliere

J.P. Deceliere was born in 2001 in Mexico City. He has studied in the Tecnológico de Monterrey and in the Centre International de Valbonne in Nice, France. He is currently studying his professional career in the United States and he is planning to graduate in 2023. Jean Paul has written eight books that belong to the Star Legacy Saga and this is the third one to be published. You can know more about the series searching for star_legacy_saga on Instagram.

Book preview

SYNRISE

THIRD PART

EXPEDITION PRAEDONUM

CHAPTER 1

XV

Standing on the wooden branch of a tall beautiful tree, a small blue bird received the first sunrays of a new day as they hugged it with warmth and joy. Listening to many other members of its species singing in the background, the little creature lifted its left wing to peck its interior and clean it. Hiding its head behind its flight feathers, the tiny bird began his day-to-day routine as it felt the calmness of the morning; no disturbance or predator seemed to be near. Seconds after finishing its wing’s deep cleaning, the creature opened the other one and began to peck its insides to conclude its bath. In a sudden, as his surroundings gave the sensation of being calm and peaceful, an increasing noise began to disturb its routine as it came from the horizon. Paying attention to the sound’s origin, the bird paused his bath and turned into the depths of the beautiful rain forest, just where thousands of trees and leaves could be seen. Its eyes hadn’t been taken away from the rising sound as its author hadn’t been discovered yet.

The unrecognizable noise continued to get higher and higher as well as the little bird’s anxiety; it looked like it was about to fly away. Out of nowhere, coming from the rain forest’s depths, a herd of loud pirate motorcycles rushed into the scene as they were being chased by a group of human Speeder Flyers, a hurricane that drove the bird away. The persecution began deep in the rain forest of Praedonum while the sun was barely coming out. Aaron was also there with the soldiers while they were chasing the pirates at the speed of light. They were deep into the rain forest, a few meters away from the enemy. The tall wet tree branches covered the scene from the sun while they were speeding behind the pirates. The map on Aaron’s device showed that they were about to arrive in Furdesum, so they had to do something to prevent their arrival. As they dodged the thick trunks of the trees, the group of soldiers approached the pirates even more. Donna was inside the square cage as she saw Aaron and his group getting closer while carrying Eliot in her arms.

The old lady had a type of white cloth that covered her mouth, so she couldn’t say anything. After a few moments, the group of soldiers was in between the enemy’s vehicles, stalking the pirates. At the moment, Aaron was at the left of the individual that had Donna and Eliot as prisoners. The being removed his scarf and bandana so he could see better and aim with his gun out. Surprised, Aaron discovered how all the left part of the pirate’s face was being consumed by rare thin brown branches that had small green leaves that came out of them. When the enemy took out his gun, he pointed it at Aaron and shot him, but luckily, the soldier dodged the blast. The pirate kept firing at Aaron for a long time, but he still missed every shot. Finally, the soldier took out his gun and pointed it at the pirate’s head but then realized that it was too dangerous for Donna and Eliot; if he shot the pirate, they were going to crash into a tree. After thinking while he kept dodging the bullets and driving the Speeder, Aaron shot the pirate in the hand, so he dropped his gun after shouting in pain. Immediately, his vehicle lost speed, giving the opportunity for the soldier behind him to save Donna and Eliot.

It was a really tense moment for the guard that drove behind the pirate, thanks to his concern about falling off. After putting the Speeder in manual, the soldier began to stand up and reach for the cage that was at the back of the enemy’s vehicle. After he finally stood up, the soldier saw that there was a tree a few meters in front of them, so logically, the pirate was going to dodge it, leaving the Speeder to fly directly toward it and crash. The soldier had to react quickly and jump from his vehicle to Donna’s cage before that happened. In a matter of seconds, when the guy realized this, he jumped to the pirate’s vehicle and landed near the cage. Finally, the enemy dodged the tree before the Speeder crashed directly with the thick wooden trunk. It was difficult to stand in the pirate’s vehicle, forcing the soldier to crouch behind the cage. After he landed, the pirate felt how his steering wheel shook strangely, which made him look back to see what was happening.

He saw how the soldier tried to open his prisoner’s cage, just about to unlock the door. Immediately, the pirate took out a strange device and got it near his mouth, warning his group about the human’s attempt to free their prisoners. To avoid this, the nearest pirate took out his gun and shot the soldier in the head, making him fall off the vehicle. Part of the guy’s blood spilled on Donna’s face while they kept speeding through the forest and dodging trees. Immediately after hearing the gunshot, Aaron ordered the rest of his group to fire at all the pirates except for the one that had Donna and Eliot at the back of his vehicle; apparently, he had a plan. The group obeyed and took out their guns before they began to shoot at the enemy. Some of the pirates jumped from their vehicles when they saw what was happening, of course; thanks to the speed they were going, the pirates were killed when they crashed with the ground. Now, the only pirate that was still alive was the one that had Donna and Eliot at the back of his vehicle. The soldiers began to get closer and closer to the enemy as they prepared to stop him from escaping; their opportunity was leaving faster than their vehicles. When the pirate noticed this, he took out a smaller provisional gun with his right hand and pointed it at Donna’s head, threatening to kill her if the group of soldiers dared to get any closer. After realizing this, Aaron ordered his group to hold their fire and to back up to let the pirate escape. Aaron didn’t have any choice; that was the last option he was left with.

What’s next, sir? asked one of the soldiers when the Speeders completely stopped.

Look for survivors, Aaron proposed before his vehicle began to turn around.

The pirate pantheon wasn’t supposed to be so far; it was a few meters behind them, so they took almost no time to get there. Between the trees, the floor was full of vehicle pieces that were spread around, accompanied by smoke and burning engines. There were some pirate corpses lying on the ground as well, and the group of soldiers searched for survivors with hopes of finding any. Aaron came up with the wise supposition of capturing some pirates so they could negotiate with their boss to exchange them with Donna and Eliot. After a long time of only seeing steel rubble, dead enemies, and no sign of life, the group’s hope began to drop as low as the broken branches. Aaron was about to give up and return back to the Ark, but he then heard some tree sticks crack from not so far away. He began to look around in search for answers until he discovered what made the noise. There they were, a pirate helping another injured one escaped into the rain forest as they hoped not to be discovered.

Hey, you! shouted Aaron before he jumped out of his Speeder and ran after them. Both pirates turned around immediately and saw how the soldier was running toward them. The injured pirate took out his gun and pointed it at Aaron before he arrived and pushed the pistol away from his direction. The gun fired to the air, provoking a loud that allowed Aaron to punch both pirates in the face, making them fall down unconscious. Seconds after, the other soldiers arrived in their Speeders.

What do you want us to do with them, sir? asked one of them with curiosity.

Lay them on the back of your seat and be prepared to ride back to the base, ordered Aaron before he took out a device and called Lenin. When he answered, the soldier spoke.

General, we couldn’t rescue the prisoners, but we have two men that could work for negotiation, said Aaron through the phone, while all the soldiers looked at the rain forest with eyes of amusement. This was the beginning of a great adventure; it was the beginning of Expedition Praedonum.

CHAPTER 2

Endless

After the soldiers threw the pirates at the backseat of two Speeders, the group of six returned to the base. They passed quickly between all the trees of the rain forest while the birds sang. It was kind of difficult to hear the flying animals because of the loud sound of the Speeder’s engine. After a long time of dodging the trees, they finally arrived at the deforested area where Ark One was. The Speeders went all the way up the boarding ramp and parked inside the room in front of the dead bodies of soldiers that were killed by the pirates in the great massacre. While they were getting off their vehicles, unexpectedly, one of the pirates woke up and suddenly discovered where he was. After realizing that he was back in the Ark, he began to freak out and shout at his fellow pirate before he also woke up. Both of them were awake and shouting in their dialect, forcing the soldiers to run toward them and cuff their hands at their back so they couldn’t move; they also were forced to wear a type of black cloth that covered their mouth to stop them from shouting.

We have to take them with Lenin and Stewart. They are in the platform with the other two teens, said Aaron while he began to walk up the stairs toward the observatory platform. Two soldiers began to push both pirates to the front so they could walk as they wore their handcuffs and the cloth around their mouth. They made their path all the way up the stairs, while they saw all the massacred people in between the decks. It began to smell horribly, and there was blood everywhere. After a short time of walking up the stairs, they arrived at the observatory platform where Lenin, Stewart, Zach, and Sarah were sitting nervously while they waited for them to arrive. After a few seconds, Aaron arrived with the pirates, and Lenin stood up immediately.

Take the cloth off their mouths as well as their bandana. Mars, be prepared to translate everything I say, said Lenin before Aaron walked toward the pirates and took the cloth and bandana away to reveal their faces. All the left part of their head was made of thin branches where small green leaves came out, just like the pirate that had Donna and Eliot in the cage at the back of his vehicle. The two soldiers kicked the legs of the pirates, forcing them to fall on their knees. Both guys looked down to the floor with courage.

Mars, transduce this. Who is your leader? he asked before Mars came out from the speaker on the roof and said something in the pirate’s dialect. One of the guys barked angrily in his language, and Mars transduced.

He says that he won’t reveal the identity of his leader, said the machine emotionless before Lenin turned at the pirate with angry eyes and slapped him in the face so hard that some of the branches fell off. The enemy looked back at him with fear after he shouted in pain before he cried something, and then Mars transduced.

He says that we know who she is, said the machine from the speaker. Lenin crouched down to see the pirate’s face, while the other one stared at him with fear and a speechless mouth. The general grabbed the being by the jaw and moved his head at him so he could see his face, and then he continued.

Mars, ask him why he says that, said Lenin furiously, while the pirate cried in fear. The machine came out of the speaker and said something in their dialect. The pirate answered, and Mars transduced.

He says that Zach knows her. Both of them had contact in a club, said the machine emotionless with his British accent. Everyone looked at the boy with confused eyes while he stared with amusement. Zach knew perfectly whom he was talking about; it was the girl with green hair he kissed back in the club. Lenin stared at the boy for just a moment until he looked back at the pirate.

Mars, ask him if he can communicate with her. Tell him that his life will be negotiated, ordered the general before the machine transduced. The pirate said something, and then Mars continued.

He says that he can communicate with his leader, but he has to take out a device to call her, which he can’t because his hands are cuffed, said the machine.

Remove his handcuffs, he ordered before he stood up from crouching.

In a matter of seconds, the soldier at the pirate’s back took the artifact off the enemy’s extremities before the pirate moved his hand into his pocket and reached for the device he was about to use to call Womba. The stick was made of steel, and it had a small aperture at the end that had a microphone. The enemy pushed a button, and in a matter of seconds, the voice of a woman came out. The pirate was about to speak until Lenin interrupted him.

Mars, tell him to say that he has been kidnapped by the people they massacred and that we want to negotiate. Please make me a favor, translate everything they say without us having to ask you, ordered the general.

Mars began to speak in the pirate’s dialect before the enemy said something. Seconds after, the female voice came out of the speaker and Mars said, She says that she is not willing to negotiate with us. The woman mentioned that the two beings they kidnapped are more valuable than both of them, said the machine through the speaker, while Lenin stared at the two crying pirates. They couldn’t believe it. One of them began to shout through the steel stick in signs of begging until Lenin took out his magnum gun and shot both pirates in the head without hesitating. Both bullets passed through the guys’ cranium before they fell down to the floor and provoked a shocking reaction on Stewart.

Why did you kill them? We had the chance of knowing where they had Donna and my son, he said amazed while seeing Lenin put his gun back on his hip, and then he continued.

They were never going to tell us where their base is, and it was too riskful to have them alive, said the general seriously before he continued.

Mars, did you catch anything they shouted before I killed them? asked Lenin with his arms crossed.

Then the machine answered. Not much, sir. I only got the name of their leader, which is Womba, Mars said emotionless, while everyone in the room looked at Lenin, and then he continued.

OK, everyone, except Stewart and Zach, leave the room. We have to talk about important stuff, ordered the general before Sarah and Aaron walked out of the observatory platform, while the two soldiers dragged the pirates’ bodies from the scene. Zach knew what was about to happen; he was about to get extremely grounded by his father’s will.

We want to talk about the consequences of your acts when you disobeyed me and Lenin, said his father while he leaned on the right wall of the room.

Then Zach continued. Am I getting grounded? asked the boy, ashamed.

Then Lenin continued. Of course, and it will be so big that you won’t forget about it for the rest of your life, said the general with his Russian accent before he kept talking.

And I already know what is going to happen to you. Tomorrow morning, a group of soldiers will begin to drag the dead bodies out of the Ark before they burn them. You are going to help the soldiers with their duty, said Lenin with a smile on his face; he wanted to see him suffer after all he had done.

Then Zach continued. No, please, I could never do this, said the boy worriedly, while he saw Stewart with eyes that asked for help. His father didn’t do anything because he deserved it; thanks to Zach, the majority of the operation’s population was killed.

And you know what, after you are done, you will start washing dishes in the dining hall’s kitchen. You will stop when you come up with an effective idea to save Donna and your brother, commanded Lenin, while Zach tried not to cry; he really couldn’t believe it, and then the general continued.

You can leave. Go with Adam and tell him what happened with his grandmother if Sarah hasn’t told him yet, said Lenin with a smile; he was a very mean person. Stewart felt bad for his son, but it was the only way to make him learn from his errors. Zach walked out of the room in devastation while he looked down.

Once he was out of the observatory platform, Lenin spoke. I’m sorry, but that was the only way, and he deserved it, said the general with pity; he was a huge hypocrite, and then he continued.

Margarita, Angela, and Issac just reencountered with each other, and they are now moving toward Habantes, announced Lenin before he sat down, followed by Stewart.

Did they send you the video reports? asked Stewart curiously.

Then Lenin continued. Yes, everything was mission failed. Not a single moon had potential to become our new home, said Lenin with sadness.

Then Stewart continued. Why, what happened? he asked worriedly.

Lenin began to think; he tried to remember what the three of them had sent him. After a few seconds of recovering memories, he spoke. Angela went to Velut, and she said that there was a type of huge moths that tried to eat her, responded Lenin seriously.

Stewart looked at him with eyes of amusement that forced him to ask the following: What did Issac say? he questioned seriously.

Lenin tried to remember what had happened to his French coworker until he answered. Tempestatis had a great potential, but it was full of huge storms that covered the surface of the moon, he said while he scratched the back of his almost-bald head. Stewart raised his right hand toward his eyes to express that he couldn’t believe it.

Then Lenin spoke. And the most amazing of the three was Margarita’s case. Herba was full of giant carnivore plants that ate a big part of her group, announced the general seriously. Stewart was actually amazed and worried at the same time. Habantes was their only hope. If it didn’t have the potential to be their next household, the amount of possibilities of finding a new planet was over; that moon was their last chance to find Earth’s replacement.

I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless, said Stewart amazed as he couldn’t believe it.

Lenin gasped and continued. "That’s not the worst part. Trappist 1 will make its first stop in three days. We are stopping by the corpses of what was Groombridge 34," said the general as he looked at Stewart with worried eyes. Groombridge 34 was a very interesting celestial body. It was formed by two dwarf stars that orbited a common center of mass. Given the operation’s bad luck, this binary star system was inside the celestial neighborhood and right on their way.

You mean the binary stars … why is that so worrying? asked Stewart curiously as he had no idea of what the general was talking about.

"Operation Synrise tried to cover this information from us when we were back on Earth. For some reason the scientists couldn’t explain, the two stars collided with each other, creating a massive black hole with enough gravity to stop Trappist 1 for a few days. Not even the planets that orbited the system survived the explosion. The black hole will appear soon in the night sky, and that will announce the beginning of a nightmare," revealed Lenin as he tried to make Stewart understand. Zach’s father was extremely paranoid about the situation. Although he had a lot of questions, he knew that things couldn’t get any worse.

CHAPTER 3

Need You

After exploring Herba, Velut, and Tempestatis, the group of six Arks reunited and moved slowly toward Habantes, while the committee people sat down thoughtful in three different ships. Angela was sitting down on the observatory platform while she thought about Margarita. Was it worth it to be with her? After all that happened back in Velut, Angela questioned a lot if she really liked her, maybe because she hadn’t seen her for a while. While Angela was thinking about her situation, Mars came out of the speaker.

Miss, we have arrived in Habantes. We will park as soon as possible, announced the machine from the roof. Angela stood up from her seat and walked toward the window to see the moon. It wasn’t far away from them. It was small, white, and gave the impression that it was completely empty. Angela saw the moon with strangeness; it was different from everything they had seen. She was afraid about what was going to be inside the small enigma. In a matter of seconds, the group of six Arks entered the atmosphere of Habantes, and Angela could see that a large portion of the surface was covered in dead white trees and the soil of the ground was gray. They began to descend quickly toward the floor while they looked for a place to park. They took a short time until they found a deforested area, so the six ships began to descend onto the floor. When the Arks finally touched the ground, Angela could see from the window all the dead white trees that surrounded the ships. The forest had a cold look inside. She had a bad feeling about this place. While Angela kept looking out of the window, her phone rang, so she took it out of her pocket and answered.

Hello? asked Angela while she had the phone near her ear.

Hi, Angela, it’s me, Margarita, she said at the other side of the phone.

Immediately, Angela felt happy after hearing Margarita’s voice. Hey, how is it going? Angela asked with happiness.

Then Margarita continued. Fine, thanks. Have you seen the forest? I don’t have a good feeling about this. I don’t want to go down, she said with fear.

Then Angela continued. Yeah, me neither, but then Issac needs to go down, she said, questioning.

Then Margarita continued. Yes, I just talked with him, and he told me that he is willing to explore the moon. I think we should make a plan first. Is it OK if we meet with you in your platform? she asked politely.

Then Angela continued. Yeah, sure, she said before Margarita hung up the phone. Angela