Inheritance of Stars: New Worlds

By Marc Baumgartner

An evil organisation called "the keepers of the light" violently oppresses one third of the galaxy and prepares future wars in order to establish their dominance. Florian, inhabitant of a Class-3-Planet called "Earth" doesn't know anything about the wars of the keepers. This changes drastically when he gets abducted by them ...
An adventurous journey to the stars begins when Florian tries to make his escape. Luckily he is not alone and has the ragtag crew of the spaceship Nobility on his side.

• Language: English
• Publisher: tredition
• Release date: Apr 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9783743908987

Book preview

INHERITANCE OF STARS

TRANSFORMATION

ABDUCTED

BAD AWAKENING

ESCAPE

LOST

THE CONTRACT

THE RESEARCH BASE

NEW GUESTS

NEW FRIENDS, OLD ENEMIES

THE ROBBERY

MONEY AND KEEPERS

INJURED

TRADE WORLD

CRASH LANDING

STRANDED

BREAKOUT

BREAK IN

NUCLEAR WAR

A LONG FLIGHT

HOMECOMING

CHAPTER 1

TRANSFORMATION

Mike opened his eyes and was forced to immediately close them again, a bright light directly above him was blindingly intense. He tried to raise his hand but it was bound to the table beside him. He desperately strained against his restraints a few times, but he couldn't break free. He was lying on his back on the cold metal table, unable to move an inch, and even his head was held in place by some kind of clamp.

He felt tears well up in his eyes and he struggled to remember how he had ended up here. He could only remember that he was going home from school but he had been caught in a bad thunderstorm that soaked him to the skin.

He remembered Bob and his gang. They had been bullying Mike since he had started school and they had stolen his umbrella lots of times, whenever a storm threatened. Mike was a nobody at school and the other kids mostly shunned him or made fun of him. Even Mike's teachers did the same. Some of them enjoyed harassing him, especially the sports teacher.

Mike's skull was pounding and it felt like there was a lump on the back of his head. His memory was slowly returning, but this just seemed to make his headache worse. He remembered the narrow path that led to his parents' home in the middle of the woods, and he also remembered his fear. Something seemed to be following him, something sinister in a long black robe, with glowing red eyes. He couldn't protect himself. Whatever it was, it just beat him to the ground, and he couldn't remember what happened after that. He thought he had seen a horribly disfigured face, with metal plates and cables sprouting from the back of its head.

Get these restraints off me, Mike's thoughts pleaded, and again he was overcome by a terrible wave of fear when he thought about the creature. He shook his restraints once more, a river of tears running down his face.

Please, let me go, Mike said meekly, in the hope somebody would hear him.

Hours went by and the light above Mike didn't dim at all. He lay there, bound to the table and crying quietly, his limbs starting to hurt from the tightness of the restraints and the pounding in his head seeming to get worse with every passing second.

He thought he could hear the dull hum of huge machines, seemingly in the midst of some endless production run. Sometimes he thought he could hear low stamping noises and, now and again, voices, somewhere off in the distance.

Suddenly Mike heard a quiet hissing noise and shambling footsteps somewhere nearby, and they sounded like they were coming directly towards him. He heard a rattling breath near his ear. Mike whimpered, as he suddenly caught the smell of something foul.

Please, don't hurt me. I just want to go back to my mum and dad, he begged, his voice almost silent.

A dark shadow interposed itself between Mike and the light above him. Hurt you? a voice like a death rattle asked, and Mike began to shiver uncontrollably. He tried to blink the tears from his eyes.

I'm not going to hurt you, the voice continued, I'm your doctor. I just want to help you.

A wave of relief flooded through Mike's body and he blinked away the last of his tears. Are my parents here, as well?

No, my ugly little friend. Unfortunately, your parents couldn't be here to marvel at my work. But you have me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bloodmind, the doctor said.

The name gave Mike the shivers, and he almost started crying again. Why am I restrained on this table? I want to go.

It's for your protection as much as mine, while I get on with my work. I hope you understand. But we can take that restraint off your head and we don't need all this light. If I can do anything to make this process any more comfortable for you, all you have to do is say, the doctor told him, then giggled softly to himself, which gave Mike goosebumps.

He heard a low metallic squeak as the clamp was taken from his head. As soon as it was loose enough he turned his head to the side, away from the blinding light, and wiped a couple of tears on his shoulders. A switch was flicked and the light above him immediately became dimmer.

Mike almost screamed out loud when he saw the small table at the side of the one he was fastened to. It held a large selection of dangerous looking surgical instruments, including a drill, several knives that looked more like handsaws than scalpels, a large syringe and a few containers holding a thick, black liquid.

Panicking now, Mike turned his gaze away from the instruments and instead looked in the other direction. This time he did scream. He was looking directly at a blood spattered surgeon's apron.

Hey, don't worry, it's all going to be okay, the voice said, in a tone that was anything but calming. I've introduced myself, so it's a little rude not to follow suit.

M-M-Mike, Mike stammered and directed his eyes slowly upwards.

The apron belonged to a gaunt man, wearing an equally blood spattered mask and glasses with lenses so thick and dark that there was no hint of his eyes behind them. Please don't hurt me. I just want to go home, Mike whimpered.

Bloodmind laid his bony hand on Mike's head and gave him an encouraging pat. I'm not going to hurt you, quite the contrary, I'm going to improve you.

Improve me? Mike stammered, panic in his voice, and snatched his head from Bloodmind's grip. He turned his head to look around the room, and tried his best not to start crying. He had never been particularly strong or fast or clever, and his parents spent a lot of their time arguing about which of them should look after him. They usually dumped him with a nanny because he didn't have any friends he could go to.

Mike was desperately looking for an escape route, but the only exit looked like it was barred shut. There were two men standing by it, wearing what looked a little like suits of armour. They were armed with long-barrelled guns, fed from drums of ammo. There was a huge mirror on the other side of the room, taking up the entire wall. Mike saw a couple of ventilation shafts above him in the ceiling and he thought he might be able to squeeze through one of them. The remaining walls looked like they were riveted together from metal plates.

Mike felt a shiver go down his spine when he saw that the black metal men were staring at him, each of them almost two metres tall with cold, red eyes. Mike didn't think for a second that he would be able to get by them.

They've got guns.

This is a little experiment that I designed myself, the doctor said, and giggled maniacally as he stroked the tools on the table.

Please, my parents have a lot of money, Mike begged between sobs.

The pitiful wealth amassed by your parents is of no interest to me, the doctor replied, his voice cold, and he picked up the syringe. You should consider it an honour to be in my presence, not many are lucky enough to meet me in person.

They'll look for me, and when they find me, they'll put you in prison.

Bloodmind exploded into loud laughter. They'll never find you here, my ugly little friend, we're much too far away for your pitiful human technology to have a hope of reaching us here. As for prison, we are already within one, and I am the governor, Bloodmind said, laughing maniacally and spreading his arms wide. Nobody is going to find you here, you're all mine.

Please … I am … am … a very … erm … important person.

Don't you lie to me! You're a nobody, useless, a fat little idiot, which is precisely why the catcher selected you. I'm afraid that nobody is going to miss you, and nobody is going to care what happens to you. Bloodmind giggled. But don't worry, you'll do just fine for what I have in mind.

I'm not a nobody... Mike said, his voice quiet.

Oh yes you are, otherwise I wouldn't be having the pleasure of making your acquaintance.

Is that thing that was following me a catcher? Mike asked, his voice still low.

Bloodmind inserted the needle of the syringe into one of the containers of black liquid, and filled it. The red eyes of the metal men watched, neither of them moving at all.

Another one of my inventions. I hope you realise how significant it is for a great doctor, such as myself, to stoop to working with the likes of you. It was difficult to make the catchers so pliable, requiring a considerable amount of alteration. Did you like my catcher?

Mike couldn't speak for sheer terror at the sight of Bloodmind extracting the syringe from the bottle. The viscous liquid moved languidly within.

Please...

Oh, please, please, please, what use is it to keep begging like this. It's starting to get boring, hearing the same word over and over. Why can't anyone ever come up with anything more original to say. Ah yes, before I forget, I have to ask you to excuse my appearance. Before you, I had a little bit of a tussle with a Tarkan, a damned obstinate species. But they all come round in the end, just as you will.

Bloodmind stepped towards Mike, the syringe in his hand, accompanied by a terrible smell of decay. Bloodmind slowly raised the syringe while Mike tried to wriggle free of the restraints. The restraints seemed to tighten around his limbs with every attempt to break free. He felt his hands and feet go numb.

Why are you doing this? Mike asked between sobs, still hoping he could persuade Bloodmind not to inject him.

Why? Bloodmind repeated, the syringe lowering. On his orders, Bloodmind said, tapping the side of his head with a finger. I receive his orders right here. He told me to make sure new test subjects are gathered and that they are then modified, so we can use them in battle.

B-B-But that's just a voice in your head.

Bloodmind giggled like a lunatic. No, that's what everybody says when they are on the table. He's real, just as real as you and me, and he gives me orders. You can't disobey his orders. Anyone who does is severely punished. Bloodmind raised the syringe again and placed it against Mike's neck.

Mike pulled away from it as far as he could, turning his head away so he didn't have to look at it. He desperately tried to break free, thrashing backward and forward as best he could.

Hold still! Bloodmind hissed at Mike. No-good human! The Drazal are so much easier to handle, they know when they are beaten. You're just postponing the inevitable, your fate is sealed.

Please ... Mike begged again and began to weep, his sobs filling the room. His eyes closed tight and he stopped struggling.

Ah, look at this, now the human's crying, Bloodmind quietly giggled. Don't worry, it will only hurt a hell of a lot. Bloodmind burst into peals of maniacal laughter.

Then Mike felt the prick of the needle in his neck and screamed. He could feel the contents of the syringe flowing into him. A moment or two later, Bloodmind withdrew the needle. Mike didn't feel any different. He cautiously opened his eyes again, still quietly sobbing. He was flooded by sheer terror at the thought of what was inside the syringe.

There you go, Bloodmind said. You see, that wasn't so bad now, was it? It will take a moment or two before the mutagen takes effect. It's another of my inventions. Again Bloodmind laughed hideously.

You're crazy, completely nuts, Mike stammered, his voice hoarse from crying while an uncomfortable warm feeling spread from the area where he had been injected.

I prefer the term, visionary. Can you feel how the serum is already taking effect? It took decades to develop, and there was a lot of sacrifice, but now it has been perfected. Thanks to you humans. You can be used in so many different ways. But, I'm afraid we still need to do more trials.

Mike felt a horrible tingling sensation spreading through his entire body. The feeling wasn't confined to his skin, but was also deep within him, even in his bones. Then he felt some pain from his fingertips, and they started to turn dark brown, his fingernails growing at lightning speed and curling into claws.

His veins also started to turn brown and this colour kept on spreading. Mike's whole body suddenly clenched up in agony as the tingling sensation transformed into burning pain. Mike had never in his life felt this much pain. It felt like every cell in his body was on fire.

Mike let out an ear-splitting scream as he jackknifed against his restraints. He could feel how his body was changing. His legs seemed to be getting thinner but more muscular and both his toenails and his feet became elongated, until they had become the same claws as his fingernails.

His skin pulled painfully tighter around his body and his ribs started to stick out. He felt the teeth in his mouth becoming longer and sharper, and something was growing just above his backside. There was more pain as his body became enlarged and his muscles grew. His clothes ripped and fell to the table he was still fastened to.

Mike screamed louder and louder, the screams changing in tone until they sounded more like the roaring of a beast than the screams of a person.

The pain became unbelievable as Mike's head elongated and a tail sprouted from his behind. At the end of it, a dagger-like protrusion of bone formed. His fingers and his feet reached the end of their transformation and were now considerably longer and terminated in claws. He felt his new, stronger muscles flexing beneath his leathery hide. But the pain didn't subside, instead Mike felt like his insides were burning.

He screamed again, loud and long. Bloodmind, meanwhile, stood silently at his side, his arms folded behind his back, contentedly watching Mike's transformation. The metal forms showed no sign of emotion. Bloodmind seemed to be smiling coldly to himself behind his surgeon’s mask.

After what seemed to Mike to be an eternity, the pain at last started to subside and he relaxed in his metal restraints, which were now tighter than ever.

Numbed by the pain, Mike looked up into the dim light above him and it seemed brighter than before. He quickly looked away to the side. His gaze caught a hand that didn't seem to belong to him. He tried moving one of his fingers, and the finger he was looking at moved too. So it was his hand, but now it was a muddy brown and equipped with long claws.

Mike felt panic threatening to overwhelm him again, and he tried to look at the rest of his body, but it took an effort to turn his head. The body he was looking at couldn't possibly be his, he thought, it was the twisted body of a monster. The brown leathery hide, the powerful muscles beneath, the thick veins and protruding bones looked horrific.

His senses seemed to have gone through their own transformation because everything was pin sharp with a red hue. Smells were more intense. Mike screamed in terror, but the noise he heard from his own throat was even more frightening. His voice was barely human any more, just like the rest of his body.

Mike could feel a new limb, a kind of tail that he could hardly control.

It works, Bloodmind said quietly, his voice bursting with joy. After all these years, and so many attempts, it finally works. It still isn't perfect, but it works.

What have you done to me? Mike screamed in panic, but all that emerged from his throat were almost unintelligible sounds.

I told you I was going to improve you. You look wonderful. I don't normally like to sing my own praises, but you've turned out so well, Bloodmind said laughing. Now it's time to bring you under control, my little experiment.

Bloodmind picked up the drill in one hand and one of the cleavers in the other. Mike screamed in fear and struggled as hard as he could against his restraints. Bloodmind stepped behind Mike's head. He could smell the terrible odour that Bloodmind gave off even more distinctly now. Mike suddenly felt one of the restraints give in a little, and he pulled at it with all his strength. It suddenly came away all together and Mike's claws struck at the air. Bloodmind immediately sprang back a couple of steps. Mike launched a powerful strike at him.

Grab him, Bloodmind yelled to his metal servants.

At their master's command they lunged towards Mike, putting their guns on their backs as they ran. Mike swung at one of the metal forms before it could reach him. His claws penetrated the chest armour of one, exposing the wires and hydraulics beneath.

The metal creature didn't seem to notice, and it grabbed Mike's wrist in a vice-like grip. Mike tried to escape, but he couldn't get his second hand free. He lashed out in the direction of the other metal creature with his new tail, but he didn't have good control over the tail and didn't hit as cleanly as he wanted.

The dagger-like point did hit the second metal creature, but it got stuck in its hip. The metal man didn't allow this to distract it, and it grappled Mike before he could pull out his tail.

Very good, Bloodmind said appreciatively. Much stronger than expected, strong enough even to penetrate a knight's armour. I'm impressed, you're a very nice specimen. It's fascinating that you can use your tail at such an early stage.

The metal forms had a firm grip on Mike, and he couldn't shake free no matter how hard he tried. Then he heard Bloodmind switch on the drill, a horribly high-pitched noise filling the room.

Struggle all you want. Your pitiful attempts to escape just make this all the more entertaining, Bloodmind said, laughing like he had completely lost his mind, and placed the drill against Mike's head.

Nooooo! Mike shrieked with his distorted voice and tried again to escape. Once again his efforts were in vain. There was nothing he could do to free himself from the grip of the metal figures. The next moment he felt the drill penetrate the back of his head and touch bone. Mike suddenly stopped moving and lay still. The drill broke through the bone and plunged into Mike's brain.

Now you belong to me, Mike heard Bloodmind say, before he fell unconscious.

CHAPTER 2

ABDUCTED

Florian sat up, bathed in sweat. His pulse was racing and his breathing was fast and irregular. Dog tired and angry at the annoying noise, he reached for the alarm clock before slapping it off the bedside table. There was only darkness to be seen in the gap between his curtains and the alarm clock was showing 6:20 from where it lay on the floor.

Florian took a couple of deep breaths and waited for his heart to stop pounding. His system was full of adrenaline and his nose was running. As his heart was approaching something like a normal rate, he lay back down on the bed and rubbed his eyes. He could still see the images from his nightmare. He had dreamed of a boy, perhaps a couple of years younger than him. The boy had been running through a dark forest, followed by a figure that Florian couldn't quite make out. There was panic in the boy's eyes and Florian couldn't do anything to help him, almost as if somebody was holding him back. Florian wanted to scream, but no sound escaped his lips. The shape neared the boy, closer and closer, and eventually reached him. It grabbed the young boy, took him away and, as Florian was about to follow, the shape turned to look at him. It's gaze bored into him, deeper than anything ever before. He couldn't move and could only watch as the shape came closer to him. The shape was stretching its hand out towards him as, that same moment, it disappeared in a blue flash. A booming voice could be heard, Run, or you'll be next. Then he was woken by the sound of his alarm clock.

There was no point trying to get back to sleep, so Florian got up and opened his window to get rid of the stink of sweat. It was still dark outside but Florian knew his way around his room, skilfully avoiding all the trash and piles of washing that were strewn everywhere across the floor. He felt the cool morning air on his skin and took another couple of deep breaths. He wondered what the dream could mean, if it meant anything, and put his hand to his forehead.

It was red hot. Great, a fever dream, Florian thought and he closed the bedroom window. Then he heard his mother's voice from downstairs, Breakfast is ready!

I'll be there in a minute! Florian yelled back and wiped the snot from his running nose. He quickly turned on the light and started searching the mountains of dirty clothes for something he could wear. After a few minutes he thought he had found clothes to wear that didn't stink as bad as the rest, and he put them on.

It took an effort to open the door to his room, and it wasn't easy to find either because it was covered in posters for movies that he had once thought were cool. Florian was one of the biggest sci-fi fans in school and was always adding new posters to the collection on his walls. The door opposite opened almost at the same time he forced open his, and his sister Elia joined him in the corridor. Her brown hair was a mess at this time in the morning. Her blue eyes were looking daggers at him.

You stink of sweat, she said the moment she saw him.

You don't exactly smell like a rose garden either, Florian replied in a bad mood. He wasn’t about to take any nonsense from his sister, who didn't even come up to his chest. They had been fighting more and more lately and she really got on his nerves. Unfortunately, his parents usually took her side when they were fighting.

And you look ill, get away from me with your germs!

She slammed the door in his face without waiting for an answer. Florian really didn't feel great and was thinking about staying home.

Are you coming down for breakfast or not? his mother yelled up from the kitchen again. Florian sighed and shuffled downstairs into the kitchen, past his father's framed medals from his time in the military. At the bottom of the stairs, next to the medals, there was an old family photo from their last trip to Brazil with the whole family on the beach.

Did you sleep well? his mother asked as she cooked breakfast for his father. She tossed back her long brown hair and gave him an encouraging smile. Florian just mumbled something indecipherable as an answer. That usually stopped his mother asking any more questions. His mother was always so annoyingly talkative in the morning and was always ready to explain the latest advances in environmental technology to the family. Florian sat down at the kitchen table and ate the muesli his mother had made for him. Florian took a tired sip at his coffee but didn't feel much more awake. His father was sitting opposite him, hidden behind a newspaper that he was casually leafing through. You couldn't really talk to him so early in the morning and Florian preferred the silence at the breakfast table anyway. There was a big bunch of sunflowers on the table between them, his mother's favourite flowers. They were from a big bed in front of the house that his mother had grown.

A loud thumping bass started coming from his sister's room and Florian guessed she was listening to all her Britney Spears CDs at the same time again. Florian's father carried on flicking angrily through his newspaper but he didn't say anything. Considering he used to be a soldier, he found it surprisingly difficult to instil some discipline in his children. Florian's mother had always been the dominant one in the relationship. She had forced him to quit the military years ago.

Florian got angrily up from the table and put his bowl and almost full coffee cup in the dish washer. He was about to go back upstairs but his mother stopped him.

You don't look too well, she said, concern in her voice, and put a hand to his forehead. Florian let himself be examined because there was no point trying to stop her. She would just keep on at him until he let her have her way.

You have a slight fever, you'd better get back to bed, she said, giving him the results of her examination.

He doesn't look all that bad, and his marks haven't been great lately, Florian's father muttered and rustled his newspaper.

No, he's staying home today. He hardly touched his coffee and you know how much he loves his coffee. If he goes to school, he'll just give it to all the other students. Besides, he can use the time to revise for his maths test, next week, his mother replied in a stern tone that brooked no argument.

Florian's father just muttered something from behind his newspaper, his way of throwing in the towel.

Even if the house was burning down I would probably have to do some revision before they let me escape, Florian thought, but he was smart enough not to say it out loud. Instead he disappeared upstairs as soon as his parents stopped talking, went into his room and fought through the knee-deep trash to his bed. Florian lay down and piled pillows over his head to block out the noise of the pounding music his sister was playing.

As if there wasn't enough noise, his mother started doing the hoovering and the neighbour's dog seemed to have decided it was time to bark like mad.

Can't anyone get a couple of minutes peace around here? Florian yelled into his pillow.

He was tired of it, tired of all of it, including his parents who only paid attention to him if it was about his marks. He was tired of his sister talking down to him as if he was some kind of house pet. And, above all, he was tired of dragging himself off to school and sitting for seven hours while his teachers lectured him. Sometimes, I just want to get away from here! he quietly mumbled under his pillows.

It took a half hour for silence to descend on the house. Florian's parents both went off to work and his sister went to school. Florian heard her slam the door as she went. Even the neighbour's dog quieted down for a change and Florian thanked God for that because his headache had been getting steadily worse. After everything had been silent for a while, Florian pulled his head out from under his pillows and listened. All he could hear was the feint sound of cars that now and again went by outside, apart from that there was silence. He took a few deep breaths and then let his head sink back onto his pillow. His head was pounding but, at last, he had some peace. His tired eyes fluttered closed and he instantly fell asleep.

∞

Two hours later, he woke up bathed in sweat. It was the same nightmare, but this time it was him who was being followed. He had tried to flee but he stumbled in the darkness, waking up as the form bent over him. The same voice, once again, had told him that he had to run away.

Just a dream, it was all a dream, Florian said to himself. He could still see the lifelike images before his eyes.

Florian was trying to get back to sleep when he heard a loud rumbling in the distance. Only dim light was coming into the room through the gap in the curtains. Despite still having a slight headache, Florian got up and went to the window. He flung the curtains wide open and looked outside.

Everything was shades of grey outside and the sky was steadily darkening. A storm was fast approaching. His eyes flicked around the small garden in front of the house. Everything looked just the same as always but also somehow different. A single car went by, its headlights illuminating everything in golden light for a moment. Florian reached to close the curtains again but instead he noticed movement between the two tall office buildings on the other side of the street.

The side street between the two buildings, where he had seen the movement, was quite narrow and most of it lay in darkness. Florian stared at the side street for a while. He was sure something was moving among the rubbish bins and he kept his eyes fixed on the darkness. There seemed to be two small red points moving around and it seemed to Florian that they were looking right at him.

Probably just the lights of a bike, Florian thought and closed the curtains. Then he suddenly remembered his nightmare. He remembered the