The Fall of Zrados: THE EDEN PROJECT, #4

By DP FITZSIMONS

THE FINAL BOOK of THE EDEN PROJECT -- THE FALL of ZRADOS

His crew was down to three, but Commander Thirdborn exhaled a shiver of relief. They were still in the game. The Homo sapien sapiens from the diseased planet Earth were still here in the cosmos of the living, still fighting for breath.

Read the thrilling final book of The Eden Project as Adam and Gen fight for survival on the savage planet of Zrados.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DP FITZSIMONS
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386719007

Book preview

-1-

THE KAJORAN STAYED clear of the wild lands. They had long since used the primitive planet of Zrados as their most distant penal colony. The main prison was buried a mile deep in the Qutori Mountain range on the island of Exos.

In all the worlds of the Kajoran Empire Zrados was known as the outpost of lost souls. The fact that the rest of the planet was inhabited mostly by savage, indigenous creatures was often forgotten.

One small, subterranean tribe of cerebrals known as the Madi lived beneath the surface in the far reaches of the Western Wilds. The carnivorous beasts that stalked the unchartered lands above the Madi stronghold were numerous and extremely bloodthirsty.

The Kajoran built the Kajoran Wall in the East of the tropical mainland on Zrados. Behind the great wall on the coast, they built a corridor of resort cities that only the richest of their kind would ever have had the means to visit.

Cade was none of these creatures. He was tall and skinny and gave off a scent that made him easy to track. They called him coteesi, the pale one. They also called him doke hatune, the strange bird.

He had abilities. Although he could not truly fly, Cade could leap great distances and run at breathtaking speeds. His unparalleled strength defied his skinny frame.

The Kajoran eventually caught up to him and fitted him with chains strong enough to keep his feet and hands quiet. Cade now dragged those chains deep in the dark caverns of Exos. His sentence had been determined by the Kajoran authority to be two patox, a time roughly equivalent to 170 years.

Cade knew he had already lived more than nineteen years. He also knew his kind lived no more than one hundred years in peaceful times. These were anything but peaceful times for the last of his species. Truth be told he was likely to survive longer in the gata furnaces of Exos than the others of his kind fleeing to the wild lands if they even yet breathed.

Of his nineteen years, the last fifteen had been alone. Cutoff from all he knew, he had no choice but to resort to thievery and consorting with numerous rank individuals of various species.

Survival in the wild lands of Zrados was an hourly challenge.

Inside Exos Cade had made one friend, a character of equally foul repute as himself. Glim was a rare half-breed welcome by none. Half Kajoran and half Madi. Unacceptable everywhere.

Standing only up to Cade’s chest despite having a long narrow neck, Glim’s facial features were vaguely like Cade’s people. Two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth. His eyes were big without pupils and his ears smallish.

There was not one strand of hair on his deep brown skull, but Glim was as close to a brother that Cade could ever hope to find in the dim and sweltering underworld he was never to leave.

In this realm, Glim said in Cade’s language, killing yourself is wise. The Madi were remarkable and able to learn languages in a matter of days. Even more remarkable, they could decode the rules of grammar as easily as breathing. After only two months, Glim had been known to correct Cade when he misspoke his own language.

"Killing them would be more amusing, Cade replied. Especially Juk. He’s a total ass beast."

That’s truth, Glim agreed.

Juk smiled through the steam as he bit into a fried meat of some type. Cade guessed it to be one of the bigger flying species. Nothing was more delicious than a hatune crisp. The prisoner diet featured boiled guts on an endless loop.

Cade dug his pick into the rock twice as fast as any other prisoner. His physical prowess garnered not praise from Juk and the other guards, but a sudden beating any time Cade dared to slow down.

But Madi do not kill others so easily, Glim said.

Good, Cade said. You can use your Kajoran side.

It’s not like that, Glim said. The Madi heart will suffer.

Juk walked through the steam and punched Cade on the back of the neck. "Ongus da," Juk grunted. Cade knew this phrase quite well. Glim translated its meaning long ago. Keep digging.

Cade smiled and winked at the tall beast. He began to dig faster until Juk faded back into the steam.

That night Cade lay on the rocky terrain of his sleeping space. There was no way to know if it were truly night but all poor souls confined to Exos considered their short sleeping time night.

Brother Beast, Glim whispered.

Cade climbed to his elbow. Glim, get back to your floor space. If they see you, they’ll make an example.

There’s a way in the dark, Glim said with his mouth to Cade’s ear. I have seen it in a vision.

It’s not a vision, it’s a dream, Cade told him. Get rest. We dig again in a short time.

Vision, he said. I see it clear and feel it in digestion cavity.

You mean your stomach?

Yes. I mean it and I speak it, Glim said.

You have a gut feeling? Cade whispered. There are miles of tunnels, most of them dead ends, diggers’ tunnels. We’ll get lost and they’ll send the sniffers. They’ll have to make an example, Glim.

The two odd friends stared into each other’s eyes in the near dark.

Skin us alive, they will, Cade added.

Last chance, Glim said. Only chance.

Cade sat up and nodded to Glim. A way in the dark? Cade repeated with his eyes wide open. Tonight, you say? He swallowed hard and stared uncertainly into the darkness of the first tunnel.

No talk, Glim whispered. Follow.

Cade watched as his shiny, cross-species friend disappeared into the black. Damn it, Glim, he said.

-2-

8,412 solar days (20 Earth years) earlier

THE BLUE CRYSTAL WATERFALLS appeared as if in a dream. Gen squatted down at the edge of the sparkling river and wrapped her arms around little Eli. His fresh eyes flashed happily at the spectral glimmer of the spray caused by dual fifty-foot waterfalls crashing splendidly into the cool, metallic blue of the magical forest tributary.

Freshwater, Adam said. The native beasts will be nearby.

Isn’t it glorious? Gen said, hugging Eli tight. Trinh dreamed of this. It’s a sign. This place will be remembered a thousand years.

Adam walked behind Gen and set his hand on her shoulder. Yeah, maybe, but it’s my job to get us through the first day.

Gen stood suddenly and kissed his lips. Are you always going to be this fun? she said. My social options are quite limited here.

Let’s get back to the ship, he said. We’ve wandered too far. I need a variety of weaponry and diversion devices if we are going to roam the wilds. This was reckless.

Yes, Commander Thirdborn, Gen said. At your command.

Eli bent down, picked up a flint-like orange pebble and threw it toward the water. The small splash it caused made Adam and Gen smile until a bright, purple beast with five or six eyes leapt from the surface stretching its narrow, four-foot reptilian body. The sleek apparition slid back down into the clear river and swam quickly up stream.

Adam scooped up Eli as they backpedaled away from the spectacular falls and the danger in its waters.

It’s almost dark, Gen agreed now. We should not be out here.

As they hurried through the woods to the Terra Rover, Eli turned back over Adam’s shoulder and marveled at the dense, savage land that he wished eagerly to explore. A fat, fluffy-tailed creature fell from a red-branched tree and swooped up just before hitting the ground to spread its enormous white wings and rise suddenly into the darkening sky.

Screeches and warbles and random calls of all kinds rang out from forest species hidden in the foliage all around them. The fiery orange-tinged brush began to bristle with activity as Adam waited at the bottom of the Rover’s ramp for Gen.

Eli fell fast asleep on Adam’s shoulder. Gen took the baby so Adam could secure the ship. He closed the ramp and turned on the Rover’s electrical pulse shield for their first night in a potentially hostile habitat.

His crew was down to three, but Commander Thirdborn exhaled a shiver of relief. They were still in the game. The Homo sapien sapiens from the diseased planet Earth were still here in the cosmos of the living, still fighting for breath. The human spirit yet endured even if all the odds of predestination had long since spun down to an infinite string of zeros.

Gen wore the thin white night dress that always made Adam blush. It was to be their first night on their new planet, the place they would forever call home. The lights had been dimmed and the starry skies mood effect had been turned on creating a romantic and inviting dome of twinkling silver light all around their bed.

Eli? Adam said quietly.

Dreaming with a sweet smile, Gen said as she pulled the blankets down. Now how about my sweet smile?

I need to wash up, he said.

Come to bed, she said. We can shower together in the morning.

Gen pulled the blankets up to her neck and a moment later produced the little white gown she had been wearing and threw it on the ground next to the bed.

Night lasts eleven hours here, Adam said nervously.

Gen smiled. Good, she said with a wink. We can maybe get a couple hours’ sleep, too.

Adam nodded. He started to unclip his suit at the neck. How did this happen? he said. You and I?

She smiled. Are you complaining?

He shook his head. No.

Then politely take off all your clothes and come to bed, she said. I’m getting cold here without you.

ON THE FIRST MORNING of the new world Gen’s eyes opened first. She slid out from under Adam’s arm and clicked on the huge screen that operated like a one-way window to the alien world. An external camera fed her eyes widescreen images of sunlight slowly emerging in the primordial forest.

The child slept safely in an infant chamber next to the bed. Adam slept warmly by her side. The new planet and its ferocious secrets slept in the shadows beyond the reach of dawn.

She walked to the screen naked and alive. The final heartbeats of her species were gathered together in this enchanted room. All the stories of all the peoples of Earth had now ended. One by one eternal sleep had enclosed them in the palm of history.

Beautiful, Adam said quietly behind her.

She smiled but did not turn around. She closed her eyes and felt his gaze on her shoulders and back and the rest of her feminine lines. They were simpler souls now. All vanity and all competition had melted away in the fires of their impossible journey.

Yes, Gen said. Every single thing our eyes might see today will be so incredibly beautiful.

The sound of Eli chattering gibberish filled their hearts. Gen wrapped herself in a white robe and met Adam at the infant chamber.

The little boy smiled for his new parents.

Bah, said Eli, trying to explain himself.

Yes, I know, Gen said as she picked him up and held him against her chest. I feel the same, Eli! Today is so exciting.

Adam raised his eyebrows as his lips formed a grateful grin. Can this be real? Are we actually alive?

Gen handed Eli to Adam and the boy grabbed his nose.

Who cares? Gen said. We’re here and we’re smiling. Stop looking for a dark side. Nothing has stopped us so far. The three of us make the dream a reality. And not just us, right?

Adam bent his face trying to understand. You mean the DNA panels?

Gen touched Adam’s messy hair happily. It was a rough trip through the atmosphere, but they are more than safe. They are kind of a key element to this whole thing. We would have perished before the embryonic compartments would have.

I know, Adam said. But we’ll need more than a Rover to be able to use them. We’ll need to build a lab. Without the necessary supply capsules that could be difficult.

Eli tried to open Gen’s robe at the neck. She took his small hands in hers. She fought back the truth of what Adam had just told her. Well, difficult is kind of our thing, Gen said defiantly. Until then, we’ll just hang out with Eli. He’s the best baby anyway, right Eli?

Bah! Eli agreed.

And if I have to, I’ll go back to Magnussen’s procedural. He made great progress in his work with barren women. He was not far from producing healthy embryos under lab conditions. And Henderson did some ground-breaking work on correcting any inherent genetic issues that might randomly arise in inbred couplings. My point is, we’ll find a way, Gen assured Adam.

Right, Adam said, unsure of everything but the fact that Gen was capable of anything. I’ll leave those miracles to you.

You better get used to miracles, Gen suggested. Every breath we take on this new world is a miracle.

Adam wrapped his long arms around Gen and Eli both. The baby laid his head back against Adam’s chest and glanced up at his protector.

Their eyes locked.

Eli’s eyes were the freshest Adam had ever seen. The sparkling polish of the baby’s jewel-like brown eyes mesmerized him. He raised the boy above his head. He could see his friend Ozzie in the shape of the boy’s face and he could see Maya in his tender smile.

Adam’s heartbeat echoed all the way up to his ears. The day that had come before lasted forever and the day to come felt like it would be over before it started. Only yesterday he was a disillusioned child caught in the eternal light of the dome and then he blinked, one single blink, and now the light was uncertain and everything depended upon him.

-3-

ON THE FIFTH DAY, ADAM sat in the lunch space and reviewed the area map he had plotted on his scroll pad. Gen estimated a year on this world lasted about 419 solar days. A day here ran about 21 Earth hours.

Eli helped his new father by pointing at his favorite color on the screen. The blue spots represented water in the form of various waterways and waterfalls. The boy’s small finger touched every last spot that Adam had discovered in the short half-day scouting trips he took in the small, one-person hover craft.

I don’t like the sound of New Earth, Gen said as she entered with steaming plates of nutrient cake. There has to be a better name. Something that won’t forever lament a fallen world.

Eden, Adam suggested. Short and sweet and meaningful to us and to future scholars.

That’s better, I guess, Gen said, but let’s give this place a chance to speak for itself. It’s been here billions of years before we arrived.

Okay, Adam said with a heavy sigh. We could call it toothy bird world or bear dog planet.

Okay, you’re fired from the planet-naming committee. Eli will help me with that. You suck at it. And those bear dog things have jaws like crocodiles. Don’t even joke about them.

They seem relatively docile, Adam said. They’ll learn to stay clear of human settlements in the future.

We could have been eaten the first night, Gen reminded him.

They missed their one chance, Adam said dismissively. We will best every creature here just like we did long ago on Earth.

Ah, Gen said. The return of the arrogant human. You might want to remember what happened the last time our kind tried to control and capture the power of the natural world.

I haven’t forgotten, Adam said quietly as he studied the map.

Good, she said and then kissed his cheek and patted his butt. When do we move off this ship? I want a home. Did you figure out that thing you were working on? The weak blips on the grid?

I studied the orientation points. There are three in total I’ve decided. They have to be homebuilding capsules. Artie must have had just enough time to eject a couple at the end.

Arthur Sixtyborn’s gift from the sky, Gen said happily. Let’s name something big after him. The first city or first university.

Do as you wish, he said. I’m no longer on that committee.

He smiled and she jumped into his arms to kiss his lips. Three capsules? What can we do with them?

I don’t know, Adam answered slowly. Maybe build one complete abode. We can build more things later. We have all the specs for other necessary structures and systems. We just have to find compatible material resources and extract them over time. We’ll spend our lives building, Gen. Eli and his children will do the same.

Sounds exhausting, she teased. "I just want to travel and discover