Future Gateway Forgotten: Fight the Future, #1

By T. Ramsees

Future Gateway Forgotten is a science fiction novel set on a new planet some time in the future.

Centuries after leaving Earth, humanity has settled on the planet Knossos.

Our numbers have dwindled to a fraction of what they were on Earth in the 20th and 21st centuries and much of our history has been lost.

However, much of our culture, curiosity and survival instinct remain.

 

The other inhabitants of Knossos are at war with their less than humanoid neighbors on the orbiting moon, Tarsus.

One of the Tarsian refugees escapes from the battle through a portal to Knossos, encountering and being rescued by our protagonist, Pak.

Pak is a child, grieving the recent loss of his older sister to suicide. He rescues and names the fleeing Tarsian-Griblet. Little does he know a Knossian military monster is pursuing Griblet.

 

This novel covers the protagonist and his friends on a journey of self-discovery, unlocking mysteries of the planet, human history and their Knossian neighbors along the way. I hope it serves as a reminder to all humans that in spite of our differences, we are one. Being a collective minority on another planet might serve to remind us of that,

 

This is the first book in a planned 5 book collection. Though it was originally written in 2014 and 2015 I held off on publishing it in order to have it reviewed by editors and position myself to quickly release the sequels should it garner interest. Though it's set in the future, due to the loss of human history the technology isn't a huge-leap from modern 21st century technology (though it was greater at the time of first draft). There are a few inventions disclosed in here as well, most of which are patented, patent-pending or scorched earth at this point. I tried to ground it more in science-fiction than fantasy, while keeping things interesting. Future installments promise to be even more exciting since less time is needed for set-up. I hope you enjoy, as this is my first full length novel, and I started it while drafting a storyboard for a patent but got a bit carried away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tsemaaj Ramsees
• Release date: Sep 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215376386

T. Ramsees

T. Ramsees aka Tsemaaj Ramsees is a private individual who still enjoys life, people and freedom. At some point T would like to write full time, but due to STEM obligations and other financial burdens T is limited and apologizes for the short wait until the next novel.

Book preview

Introduction

In the endless Abyss of time and space...

Deeper than the wandering mind can fathom...

There existed an echo that resounded, throughout the ages, more-true than any other within these pages...

Spirits reform and souls coalesce as bodies return to ground...

Fires burn out and smoke reaches the clouds as burned wood become one with the world...

Yet near and far, and to and from, none know the amazing span...

Of an eternity in space, an eternity in time, an infinitely conscious soul or mind.

Part I: The Future

Prologue- The Argonaut  AD 2450

Man had long since left his home world. So long ago that the existence of Earth was passed down by the ancients as legend.  Many doubted the existence of such a dream. A lush world where one could breathe the air freely without the need for a constant resupply of Oxygen. Where fresh water was plentiful and did not require days of extraction. Where millions of species of Animalia existed despite the planet’s small size. Where all of mankind existed for tens of thousands of years yet remained determined not to die.

It was said that with a powerful enough telescope you could see her as she once was. If you knew just where to look, and where she would have been relative to Cera (the constellation in which she lay), on the edge of the same Perseus Arm within the Milky Way. Still most doubted it was there at all, after travelling since well before their great grandparent’s generation, the thought of anything different seemed like a lie. It was less believable than the fact that the remnants of humanity were headed towards a system, containing an earth-like planet, from where a signal was received supposedly 200 years prior. Still the Argonaut remained on course following a hope and a prayer. A prayer that life as it was before could begin a new there. A prayer that the signal came from a benevolent race willing to help us in that endeavor. A prayer that as refugees from a world in turmoil we would be able to enjoy the freedoms from a time forgotten; a time long before our few survivors set foot on a floating city whose life support systems could not survive another such journey. They would be there within a year. The millions of survivors’ descendants inhabiting the floating vessel had already given to calling their destined planet Knossos.

Chapter 0- Tarsus: New Terra (NT) 1491 (Approx. 500 Earth-years later)

In the dry windy atmosphere on a plateau some 20,000 meters above sea level on the moon of Tarsus a small bulbous creature fled in terror from its four humanoid pursuers. Pursuers who had broken away from the larger group fighting under General Zignee’s banner in the fierce battle some 20 km below.

Though the creature was able to shift from a solid gelatinous form to a liquid and creep between crevices at speeds in excess of 40kmph, that transformation and speed took energy, energy the creature did not have following its ascent up the dark side of the mountain. The creature had no gender, no nose from which to smell, no eyes from which to see, and at one time it had no color. It could however sense emotions and its proximity to them. It could also sense vibrations, and distinguish sources of energy, including that of the star which was its life source. It knew the wisdom of survival and knew to flee on the dark side of the mountain, where it could sense its pursuers’ confusion. It knew the tradeoff it made between exerting the vital energy it needed to make its vertical climb. It had not anticipated its opponents’ ability to fly using metallic wings, expanding behind their backs and radiated a fiery energy.

Charge your bo-staff and blast it to bits! We’ve got to regroup with Major Pelius before he returns at the end of the raid! one shouted through the vent which covered his face below his diamond shaped eyes, as the crest atop his head glowed bright red, slicing through the darkness of the dust storm.

But Captain, why are we chasing such a worthless maggot, surely this will barely register on Zignee’s count.

This isn’t about the competition with Jargus...we don’t want this thing relaying for help.

As the creature scurried about, a rifle in the hands of one of the pursuers hummed as it fired a blast, splitting the being in two. As one half sensed the panic of the other it turned back to regroup, only to feel its other half blasted to bits by a follow up shot from another.

Quickly it changed colors from brown to red to better hide on the Bauxite laden plain.

There was another, where did it go?

Shift your spectrometer to infrared

This thing stopped giving off heat the moment it went solid again...where’s that damned Seroxus Pelieus promised us?

At that time, the giant hunting vertebrate to which Captain Proteus referred was three quarters of the way up Mount Jinn on which they stood. Its orange and green ridged shell was still faintly visible to Zignee’s crew engaged in a fierce battle below, where green balls of energy hummed and explosions abounded.  Despite its approximate 10-meter height, 20-meter length and incredible jumping ability, it could not fly. Its cybernetic implants gave it the directive to hunt any target his Padagonian captors commanded. Once ordered, he would follow the faintest trail of energy left by his prey and seek them out like a blood hound using the two beaded sensors atop his nostril. Once in range he would fire an extremely corrosive ooze from an appendage that would emerge from his back then rip the remains of his victims in his mandibles as he devoured them. Cybernetics were rarely used by most generals in the Tarsian raids. Jargus viewed them as unholy monstrosities. Rhizner as typically unnecessary in light of robotics and Seltarus as unwieldy tools which would destroy the enemy before he could capture any for his human scientists to use cybernetics for interrogation. However, they were a favorite of Zignee and his crews had gotten used to them. They were especially relied upon for bringing some of the more unusual Tarsian creatures, such as the squid like Ilsephes. It moved underground and on land with over 20 regenerating tentacle arms and saw from the same aveolar shaped Sac that it used to breathe. Today that reliance would backfire resulting in an undesired incident for the Padagonian Government.

On the battlefield in the distance below, over 50 of the species of Tarsians battle with Padagonian and hybrid Assemblage soldiers lining the trenches. None of these creatures were seemingly docile as the one being pursued on the plains above but even it had defensive mechanisms, including the secretion of toxic gases, camouflaging ability, transformation of material state, limited shielding, and blinding powers.

Some of its Tarsian cohorts were capable of much more. A dithwat was one such creature, which had a single eye embedded into its torso. It could rotate around from its stomach to its back to look for prey below and predators above. It had serrated pincers in its maw, which comprised the front of its body. While not large enough to eat a Padagonian whole, it could rip one limb from limb. Its wings were capable of producing gusts strong enough to knock even general Jargus off balance.

Another such creature was called an Ildew. It was a horned creature which stood on two legs. It too had an eye in its torso. However instead of rolling from front to back, it extended telescopically. While in the torso the concave eye was shielded by several layers of translucent yet hardened flesh. Layer upon layer would open for it to extend its eyes around corners and into crevices. If one eye was destroyed its body would regenerate over time and develop another. For this it would have to stab its opponents with its tail and drain them of their life force.

There were many creatures more dangerous than this, with claws, beams, sonic screams, burrowing abilities and worse. There were even rumors of Tarsians resembling human myths of gorgons and other such creatures. Their spit contained cement mixtures capable of hardening several large enemies. Others were said to be able to control their enemies through the mind. However, neither of those were on the battlefield, and they were reported to exist only in colder climates nearer to the Tarsian poles.

The Tarsians were intelligent, yet unorganized, powerful, yet none were as powerful as the monsters the Padagonian’s retrieved from their country of Padagonia on the planet of Knossos below. The Seroxus were hardly the most dangerous creatures in Padagonia’s Wahs forest. At one time the Tarsians had good relations with creatures of Knossos, Knossos current rulers had used the aid of human scientists to turn even former allies against them. And to a small creature such as the currently unidentified blob fleeing atop Mount Jinn, the Seroxus presented enough of a threat.

The fleeing creature sensed the vicious yet controlled thoughts of the giant beast which had reached the top of the mountain and now hastily tore after it. While the beast was fast, the smaller creature had gathered enough energy from the light of Persephone to transform once more. Tarsians of any species would rarely ascend such high mountains these days, particularly because it made them easy targets for bombing raids led by some Padagonian forces, as well as sniping targets for the command center in Falmouth on the planet Tarsus orbited. Having been chased there however, the small creature sensed the warm thoughts from a species whose presence he had not felt since his ancestor 49 times removed broke away from its ancestor. Though separated by some distortion and even then, a few days travel, it knew that it could reach an ally from a once forgotten race for protection within a few days’ time.

As the Seroxus arched its back to aim a venomous shot at the creature, the small thing quickly dodged and dove into the hole created within the plateau, barely escaping the monster’s mandibles. Therein it felt the energy radiating from the swirling blue vortex, and entered, just in time for the Seroxus to break through the ceiling above, with the four Padagonian soldiers following closely behind.

As it entered, a flashing blue light blinded its pursuers.

Gods be damned! What the hell is that!? One of the soldiers exclaimed covering his sensitive eyes.

No! Seroxus do not pursue! the captain yelled, too late to stop the monster which followed the creature through the portal, triggering another blinding flash of light.

As one of the four chased to the spiraling blue vortex, he was sent flying 10 feet into a nearby wall.

This is one of those Gateways General Zignee warned us about The captain noted. Somehow it seems like we can’t enter.

Where does it lead? his lieutenant questioned.

Back to Knossos. Everyone we’ve found is in human territory. A voice noted in the groups’ headsets.

General Zignee! You were listening? Captain Proteus asked.

Yes, and we’re going to have an incident on our hands. I’ll have to return to Falmouth to give an official report informing Seltarus that we’ve got a Seroxus on the loose in Paradia. This will probably pave the way for another of that bastard Lishern’s promotions if he can avert a panic there somehow.

Can’t we just regain control of it and call it off? One of the four present asked.

Even if our signal could reach it, once the Seroxus is called to attack and gets a sense of its prey, its feral brain overrides any attempt to command it. Proteus noted.

If only I’d ordered that damned Dr. Tennabaut to install a choke collar or a bomb in one of these things. But no, he said, we’ve only programmed it to hunt Tarsians, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.

General Zignee...sir..what are our orders?

Your orders are to get off the damn mountain and return to Major Pelius...you’ve screwed things up enough chasing a damn blob.

But sir..what if he was going to warn the surv-... Proteus started as his troops shrugged behind him.

Warn who? Which of them could come that I could not destroy in this new TITAN? Now Go Damn You!

Chapter 1- Knossos 

Patrick Quinn Obuchi, or Pak as his friends called him for short, had gotten used to running while learning by the age of 5. Not long after he could walk, he put on his sister’s Advisor, or Vizor for short.  Though his father yanked the neural attachments which generated the Vizor’s screen from young Pak’s temples, yelling  if he knew how much it had cost him, his sister taught him how to activate it and enjoyed watching him play with it. Though few students owned the once popular personal vizor’s much less brought customized Vizor’s to school. Returning to school after his bereavement break, Pak was wearing his Vizor to school for the first time. His sister had named the Vizor Preach.

A

Pak saw the letter flash across his Vizor just as soon as he had heard it. He instantly jumped then continued to run and heard Preach’s beeping approval.

B

Pak again saw the letter flash across his Vizor, but instead of jumping, ignored it and continued to run as he heard his trodding along, without needing to temporarily deactivate Preach’s screen or make its base more transparent.

E

Pak glanced up and leapt again, before his feet hit the ground running again.

Y

Pak continued to run, when he heard the machine noise of his station ramp down.

*VROOOOOOoooooooom*

The tread table he was working on came to a jolting halt.

Preach! What the hell! Pak snarled in an annoyed voice.

Vowel.

No, it’s a consonant, I’m not stupid

Don’t jump if it’s always a consonant, or did you forget how this lesson works?

Shenta! I’m tired of this crap

You are a little young for that language.

Crap?! Are you serious Pak shouted a bit loudly attracting the attention of a couple of the students engaged in lessons nearby, including one Rata Kalili.

You know what you said, my language filter isn’t that light The Vizor whispered to his user having sensed his sudden embarrassment.

You’re not my mom. Preach Open up! Pak whispered angrily, as the image projecting a from temple to temple disappeared and his eyes adjusted to the light in the room. He could see his classmates still doing their exercise lessons as the teacher stood on a platform that loomed over them. He figured she thought he might be going for the restroom but as soon as he was in the hallway he walked at a normal pace towards the door.

In the hallway Pak looked ahead at the exit but saw his friend Carlos Chew returning from the restroom. Carlos was an outgoing amicable fellow that most people found it easy to talk to when they were feeling down or embarrassed about something. This was helped by the fact that Carlos was the youngest of seven and had a lot of advice to hand down. His siblings called him Porkchop because of his voracious appetite for the meat which had again grown in popularity recently. The name stuck with his friends, who eventually shortened it to Chop. Though his name shrunk, its frame grew. He was convinced he was just combatting baby-fat at the time but never concerned himself with it to worry.

Get out of my way Chop! Pak who was in no mood for conversation pushed past his friend and bolted for the door.

Woah there Pak, what’s gotten into you lately? Chop asked, surprised to see the usually quiet and reserved Pak push past him in such an aggressive manner.

Pak continued past the exit without saying a word and descended the steps into the marshy field. While the electronic door sent a notice to the teacher’s physical headset of his exit, she was engaged in helping a student, Hoshni Bains, with understanding a rather advanced concept for his age, even in those times, of what happens when you take the square root of a negative number. Most students had just grasped the concept of negative numbers, however he trudged along on his station’s vizor, as the teacher ignored the prompt on her own, instead focused on explaining the possibilities of irrational numbers.

As Pak descended the stairway of his local elementary school, he noticed the guard sitting at his post, distracted by a holographic show listing the most beautiful women of Padagonia.  Pak muted Preach temporarily and headed into the nearby woods, unsure of where he’d go.

Minus a few of the native fluorescent plants that appeared black and gray to Pak’s untrained eye, most of the vegetation would not appear out of place in a lush place such as Jamaica on Earth. The earthling settlers of Paradia, who were mostly Agriculturalists on the Argonaut, had repopulated much of the fertile soil with vegetation from their home world, and while it took the earth developed plants substantially longer to adjust to the planets gravity and achieve the heights of the sycamores and sequoia on earth, the planet Knossos’s atmosphere, higher occurrence of sunlight with 18 hour days and 10 hour nights in that area of Paradia, which was often lit by 2 of the 3 orbiting moons, more frequent and nourishing rains, and a distant star as bright as our own moon from that distance helped preserve much of the species of vegetation, which had already shown adaptability in surviving the artificial gravity mankind lived with for nearly half a millennia in space transit.

Pak, where are you heading? It’s still daylight Preach asked the boy whose jacket pocket he had been slipped into.

Am I going to have to switch you off?

Pak this isn’t the way home."

I know... Preach... I wouldn’t go home... if you paid me Pak stammered, hiccupping slightly as his eyes watered.

I’d have to get paid first to pay you yah know... Preach began...not evoking the chuckle he hoped to hear.

It’s ok, I understand and will give you some alone time. Just don’t begrudge me for watching your back if it’s the Amarok woods. Preach continued.

Preach.... why’d she have to die? I tried to be good.

She was a complicated person, and I’m sure she wasn’t in her right mind when she did it

didn’t she care, about me, about us?

Obviously she loved you very much, and your father, but—

But what? She wanted to make him suffer more than she cared about me?

She was young and in a dark place. I can’t say full well, but if she had taken the time to know how it affected you all, I believe she would have arrived at a different conclusion.

Then why didn’t you say something to her?

What can one say to get through the mind of a depr—

Wait no this is my fault for borrowing you all those times.

This is not your fault...and if you wish to punish me for not knowing to say anything you have my permission to switch me off as you earlier suggested.

I won’t shut you off preach, then I’d be alone. Just ..I just wish there was some way I could talk to her, or convince her she was loved and needed...if only.

Paquin, as Preach referred to him when he was lecturing, as Anna had before him you have to move forward, the past is the past. She won’t be brought back by worrying.

Pak put his head on the tree in front of him, tears visibly streaming down.

As he kneeled down, tears streaming down his face, he was unsure how much time had passed however the denseness of the forest alone was not responsible for the darkness around him, illuminated only by the lighted plants and the faint glow of Moksha 8 dust from the reactors spraying overhead.

Pak..it’s getting dark, we should probably return now Preach said to deaf ears.

Suddenly a small pinkish glob slid up the kneeling boys arm and clung to his back startling him.

WOAH! What the hell is that!? Hey get it off! Pak shouted trying to shake the scared creature loose.

I don’t know how I missed it...it all happened rather quickly and it barely has any presence though I don’t detect any danger from it Preach said as Pak pulled the creature from his back and held it in his hands before him.

Wow it’s kind of cool..I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this. Pak said..partially smiling though still weeping as it reminded him of the odd insects and creatures he’d bring home only for his sister to tell him to return them to where they came from.

This creature however ran out of his hands and into his left shirt pocket.

Heh..what are you doing hiding in there?

In that forest slits of eyes which glowed in the light peered at the frame of this small humanoid.

Pak, you’ve got company, 5 o clock

huh Pak stammered as he swallowed his tears and raised his head.

turn around slowly, it’s neither human nor Padagonian. I think it’s an adolescent...

Orci... the being which approached him finished the Vizor’s scentence.

Wha! Pak exclaimed as he turned around with a bewildered look on his face, his eyes meeting the bull like face of a creature that had not eyes as we know them but instead 2 long, mostly vertical yet partially diagonal strips on either side of what appeared to be a head, with which it used to perceive its surroundings in infrared and ultraviolet. There were also what looked to be ears on top, but not like human ears. These were black as her coat was, but forward facing semi-spherical, but without much depth to them.

Human child does my appearance fighten you The Orci’s mouth did not move up and down as a humans when it talked but instead its maw only opened and words were emitted, perhaps deeper within its throat. This was very different for Pak who had been accustomed seeing the Padagonians speak through his Vizor for lectures but had physically only encountered talking humans.

Nothing could really scare me now, I’m ready to die be it monster or demon, but you wouldn’t scare me anymore than a poodle. I’m more surprised by the fact that you speak perfect English? Despite being what? 12?

Mind your tongue descendant of earth or I will kill you for lack of respect. And surely you jest, 249. My mother just moved here. She’s a diplomat and had me enroll in language courses for padagonian and...

You realize our cycles and your years are different

Stop interrupting me, yes I’ve heard you Paradians still choose to convert to what it was on your home planet nearly a millennia ago.

So if you’re not Paradian, what are you doing here? Pak asked, blowing his nose on his sleeve as he wiped his remaining tears.

I could ask you the same thing, but it appears you’re sulking. Did you skip out on the school near here?

What are you going to snitch on me now?

Well since I start there next semester I could, I suppose...

Hey!  I just needed some time alone.

Just joking. And my father swears Paradian wit is superior. Anyway, I’m Xalus, whats your name.

Patrick, but you can call me Pak.

Nice to meet you...Pak

yeah, likewise. Pak responded in slang which was foreign to Xalus.

Yeah?

As in yes.. and you never did explain exactly what it was that brought you to this area of the woods..surely diplomats aren’t living here.

You’re quite perceptive for a toddler.

A toddler!? Hey...whatever you are...watch it...I’m a kid.

Anyway, I picked up on the scent of something...unusual headed this way. My parents are in Hannathon but...

"You followed something all