Quarksandrium: Beyond Earth

By B. Martinez

Our Heroine Continues Her Time and Space Travel to Save Humanity

Zillah wakes up on a different planet after her abduction and invasive surgery. She has to start from scratch to rebuild memories but later finds a way to regain access to her memories. Upon arriving at her new home, she trains for missions a mysterious authority guides her through. With a new exosuit, she uses her training and enhanced power to go on missions through time intended to sabotage her previous efforts of saving Earth from the Quenomoly while maintaining the current government and social status of the elites in the future. Along the way, she makes many discoveries on both planets that rejuvenate her purpose to save people from centuries of a tyrannical government aligning with corrupt organizations who benefited from turning its population into mindless followers of the alliance. In addition, a rekindled trust develops in an unexpected friendship with Goramaius that will guide her moves in the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Jan 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781977252005

B. Martinez

B. Martinez is the author of a science fiction book series, Quarksandrium. Growing up in an average Midwestern city, he loved watching movies of all different genres to prepare for his writing career. A career in information technology rounded out his knowledge for great novels in science fiction.

Book preview

GENERAL’S MISSION

An enormous spaceship, dark silver and tarnished metal, crested the sizable hillside leading to a large field of red soil with pink vegetation overgrowth. It was a large, jagged, multi-layered warship gliding over the land at considerable altitude as it slowly crossed the sky above the lush shades of pink reflecting off its dull undercarriage. The vessel carried a large army of men and women outfitted with dense, lightweight armor and various weapons stored in every crevice. In its belly was a sizable number of workers that kept it afloat, and a considerable crowd of elites that reigned above the ordinary people in many cities on Mars.

The command center for the enormous vessel was high on top, perched on the ship’s leading edge, overlooking the grand landscape under its bow. Nearby was a luxurious meeting room that included various amenities and technology enhancements. The meeting room for the new world council had been established to maintain sovereignty over the lesser of the elites who ventured to this new world from Earth. But, unfortunately, those who trusted their leaders to make the best choices for their livelihood were the ones who imprisoned them into servitude of the ultimate elites who spearheaded this endeavor. Thus, the chain of power was extrapolated among those who never rose up against the authority.

Let the council of the elite come to order, Emperor Shopan said as he stood near the end of a long table with dignitaries staggered across from each other the length of the table. "We have made significant progress over the past two hundred fifty years since we have inhabited this planet. It has been a great endeavor that we have conquered and transcended the reimagination of Earth. However, there are items we failed to account for in this journey that must be addressed.

As you know, our existence here has deteriorated from the change in nourishment to our bodies due to the lack of resources on this planet. Although we have plentiful food sources, essential amino acids in our food supply have dwindled over the years and caused our people a twenty-nine percent decrease in overall height. Mining efforts have also taken a toll on our bodies with the recent release of Raynaud’s jaundice disease, attacking the liver and kidneys, causing thinner skin densities and a greenish appearance. Thankfully, chip implants have dissipated revolts and kept our citizens calm over this period. Still, if we don’t do something soon, we will no longer continue to exist on this planet much longer than a few centuries. General Belov, do you have any more information on the mining efforts in the western hemisphere? the emperor asked as he sat down to relinquish the speaking stand to General Belov.

We have continued mining along the impact ridge of the Quenomoly and discovered a trove of artifacts just below the surface. Unfortunately, it will take several years to mine all that have been found with subsonic laser mapping. However, we have found some interesting properties that may allow us to navigate time and space. Still, we don’t have the proper specifications or atmosphere to generate the test field for this project, General Belov concluded.

General Phillips, do you have any additional resources you can add to this scenario on Earth through the Zander project? the emperor asked.

The Zander project is moving along as planned. There have been advances in clearing the debris field in the atmosphere to conduct more consistent missions between our planets. Also, we have prospects, and I am personally working on a plan to develop a time and space travel operation. The discovery of the artifacts here could be the key to the survival of the Martian inhabitants. They will play a critical role in our success. The new building in Parlin is in progress and will be completed soon. Our operatives will continue on their schedule until the extended plan comes into effect, General Phillips explained.

How can we trust this Earth, General? He hasn’t proven himself at all. He looks nothing like us and most likely doesn’t have our best interest in mind. Therefore, I vote to veto this movement and seek an alternate way of resolving our issue without involving any humans from Earth. They are barbaric and don’t understand our way of life. Their contempt for us by not adhering to our elite way of conjecture is abhorrent and detestable. So again, I vote to disregard this project and find an alternative on this planet, another general said with contempt.

The emperor said nothing as the rest of the generals sat quietly and waited for a response. Finally, the emperor leaned forward and swiped across the screen in front of him twice until a viewable diagram of the office appeared. It showed the general’s name who disagreed with the project, in the seat at the table. He touched the name of the general and brought up a menu of the diagnostics of his implant. After touching another menu button, he selected insubordination. He pressed the continue button that had popped up to assure it was the correct action to carry out. Immediately after he pushed to continue, the general who disagreed fell limp to the table and would never be heard again.

Would anyone else like to disagree with the action the council will take? the emperor asked as he scanned the room. He reset his screen and pushed a call button for security guards to assist. Shortly after, the doors to the meeting room opened, and guards removed the body slumped over the conference table and exited the room. Everyone remained quiet and in disbelief at what had just happened.

Great, let’s move forward with the plans on Earth that General Phillips has outlined. Also, when the quarry has finished excavating the relics, there should be a city built on its edge that will be called Parmathius. It will house all Earth migrants that we select from Earth for these experiments. It will also contain Earth vegetation and animals for their food supply to the northeast of the city. Furthermore, it will mirror the city of Artesia, where our base experiment is on Earth. More information will follow, but this is the trajectory our efforts will take to restore our human livelihood, the emperor concluded. General Phillips stood from the long table as a few others began to stand with him. He towered over the rest in stature since he had been born on Earth and not exposed to the same food supply as the Martians.

General Phillips, a word in the observatory, the emperor said briefly before turning and talking among the other dignitaries. General Phillips returned a glance but no expression to his superior before following one of the guards to the observatory in another area of the top deck on the battleship. When he arrived, the lush green gardens provided a tranquil environment, with birds singing in the trees. It was a garden that would have been common on Earth centuries ago. The general walked the long path around the garden on the large gunship waiting for the emperor. He stood near the middle along the ship’s edge that cantilevered out over the terrain below. His gaze wandered out over the plains between two larger cities.

The ship patrolled several routes between the cities on Mars before and after the council convened. Each city was populated with various wealth classes of humans who had made the journey to the planet after the Quenomoly. The assembled generals on the ship each had a city they governed in their own territory and annually paid allegiance to the Emperor when the council gathered.

General Phillips, thank you for coming. I know you have traveled a great distance to be here, the emperor said as he approached him. The general was still looking over the desolate land between cities. Tell me more about this family and the plan you have to sustain symbiosis between planets, the emperor emplored.

Time is an all-encompassing, fluid construct. I can’t tell you about the future. It would jeopardize our missions in that time. Just know, it has begun, and we are on our second mission to complete the cycle. It is intricate and must be precise. We can’t change what has happened, but maybe we can alter our path in the future. My plan is to restore Martians to their former human glory and have a hierarchical power between planets that can be sustained for future times. Your position would effectively be the ruler of both worlds, the general explained, without turning toward the emperor.

We will begin implanting chips in Earth people after we begin transporting them to the new city of Parmathius once it is completed. They will also not be inoculated, in case that has affected the Martian people’s bloodlines. Once the city is built, I will send someone to build a transporter to complete the cycle, and we will begin the second phase of migration. That is the main plan you need to be aware of at this point. I can’t give you any more information until this has been completed, the general continued explaining, as he turned to the emperor in his final comments.

Very well, enjoy your stay in my garden. When you are finished, see security at the entrance, and they will show you to the living quarters you have requested. The door locks from the inside, and it will not be opened until your return. Although I am the emperor, you have given us great foresight and hopefully a chance to repair our people. Therefore, you will be held in high regard while you are here. I await your return, the emperor concluded as he walked deeper into the garden, vanishing amongst the trees and foliage as the path twisted along the length of the ship.

The general walked steadily, but without haste, back toward the veranda entrance where several guards were standing, awaiting orders. They saluted the general, and one turned to lead the way to his quarters. An elevator took them lower into the bowels of the ship. Distant clanking sounds of metal on metal rang out across the floor as the elevator doors opened when they arrived on a lower level. It wasn’t as pristine and presentable as the upper decks had been. Dark, grungy, steam-filled hallways with faint sounds of workers grunting as they moved objects around in the distance. While the upper floors had been purely technology-driven, the lower levels were reminiscent of early industrial life, with heavy iron and moving mechanisms. It almost seemed as if the lower in the ship they went, the farther back in time they would go. They walked down the long corridor past numerous doors that hung higher on the wall, similar to an old oceanliner or submarine.

While the general was a bit taken aback, he still proceeded forward as if it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. He peered out the corner of his eye as they passed unusual living quarters inside the innards of the vessel. Occasionally they would walk by a room with an open door. The open doors seem to be somewhat symmetrically scattered along the long hallway. Still, each living quarters had a small ration of water, a small green plant with a light above it, and a strange iridescent light transitioning through different colors from the opposite corner. The beds and furniture were arranged differently in the rooms, but the first few items remained constant. None of these phenomena had been in the briefing material he read in the future.

As they passed the last few doors in this hallway, a young girl played on the ground near one of the doors. It seemed odd that someone this small would be on this floor in the harsh working and poor living conditions. Her light-green skin radiated with a beautiful complexion to it. Although her hair was beginning to turn a similar color near the roots, most of its length was black. The general’s first thought was that the disease only began affecting her recently, and she wasn’t always like this. He tried to look away as they walked by, but he couldn’t seem to let her out of his sight. Finally, before he was too far by, he looked back as she looked up and looked through him with her beautiful green eyes that immediately changed to blue as she tilted her head. She held a small crudely made figurine in her hand as she watched him walk through the work area of the ship.

Continuing down the hall, he let the brief memory erode as he completed the last of his mission. They approached another corridor of rooms when the guard stopped at the third door on the left. The serviceman opened the door, saluted, then waited for the general to enter the room before returning to his post in the upper decks of the enormous vessel.

A short while later, The general was preparing his return to the future. He stretched a strip of rubber-like material out and placed it on the floor. Just as he was about to program his destination, he heard a soft knock on the door. He stood up and cautiously moved toward the door, shielding himself behind the door enough to prevent it from opening all the way. He peeked through the gap of the door as he opened it slightly to see the young girl standing nearby. She waited patiently, clutching her small carved toy. Finally, he opened the door wider and gazed with astonishment that she had followed him to his room.

Are you okay? Can I help you with something? the general asked the little girl.

Are you here to help us? Everyone is getting sick and turning green, the girl asked.

It’s complicated, but yes. I will do what I can to help, he replied compassionately.

Then, as he was about to close the door again, the girl extended her arms to hand him her toy that resembled a doll.

Thank you, but why would you give me your only toy? the general questioned compassionately. After receiving it, the general paused a moment, then set it on a nearby table. The small girl stood patiently at the door, waiting for his response. Then, reaching into his suit, he pulled out a medal that was on his chest, a shiny coin-like object that had many colors on the front of it. The general had received this medal from one of his missions when he was younger. He had saved a group of children that got trapped in a building on Earth. Their air was running low, and storms had decimated the exterior of the structure. He got to them just as their last minutes of air were about to expire. Many of the suits had sustained damage and couldn’t produce air the way they were intended to. Nevertheless, he led them to safety and was awarded this medal. The little girl on the front of the coin reminded him of the one standing at the door. As he placed it in her hand, she gripped it tightly,