Sisters of the Sixth Sun

By Dr Simon Holtby

A chance discovery in Mexico, in the year 2030, activates a dormant Aztec legacy, providing access to a veiled planet. Unaware that their findings represented a potential new destiny for the human race, the original four discoverers set about establishing a community, which they named Aztlan, after the mythical home of the Aztecs.

As the embryonic community developed, an inevitable conflict with the oppressive Terra Security Force on Earth loomed, the eventual confrontation which inadvertently delivered an unexpected, but needed dose of diversity into the Aztlan ranks; including an eclectic group of seven women, the sisters, with the required mix of energies to fulfil the original decree of an Aztec God.

Sisters of the Sixth Sun is an epic tale of adventure and relationships, culminating in an unexpected love story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jun 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398487567

Dr Simon Holtby

Dr Simon Holtby was born in the United Kingdom, migrating to Australia in 1982. He has travelled extensively to over 50 countries, covering all the continents in the world, and has frequently used encounters from his travels to provide inspiration for the characters for his novels. A retired civil engineer, he now enjoys writing.

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About the Author

Dr Simon Holtby was born in the United Kingdom, migrating to Australia in 1982. He has travelled extensively to over 50 countries, covering all the continents in the world, and has frequently used encounters from his travels to provide inspiration for the characters for his novels. A retired civil engineer, he now enjoys writing.

Dedication

To Yam Ha – and to those I have met on my travels who have inspired characters in this book.

Copyright Information ©

Dr Simon Holtby 2023

The right of Dr Simon Holtby to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398487550 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398487567 (ePub e-book)

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Prologue

The Years of Future Passed

The Year 2030

The year 2030 at last offered some respite from the disappointments of the preceding years. The cumulative effects of ongoing failures of the Earth governments to actually deliver on climate change promises that spanned beyond one electoral term had finally, and perhaps predictably, come home to roost! Only two years ago, the United Nations had tried to mandate the necessary controls, but national self-interests continued to trump logic as the world lumbered towards the ultimate cliff-edge tipping point. Finally, rationality had forced itself to the head of the emotional queue and all the world’s nations signed up, some more grudgingly than others, to the formation of the Terra United Alliance, or TUA, whose fundamental, and supposedly, sole purpose was to enforce climate change mitigations for the benefit of Earth as a whole. Hopes were high!

Expectations were also riding high regarding the results of the various probes to, and recent landings on, Mars—a range of high-value minerals had been located. The impending need to develop a Martian mining capability had spawned substantial funding in inter-planetary propulsion systems; resulting in the momentous discovery and harnessing of gravity waves. Space travel and exploration in 2030 was now perched on the verge of a new dawn.

While anticipation of better times ran high in the global media, not all of the world’s population was caught up in the euphoria. Previous false dawns had jaded the expectations of many and, for most, life just continued as before.

So it was that, in Mexico, a young botanist named Brandy Pickett took only passing interest in the global condition and focussed her interest in documenting the vegetation in a somewhat remote area under environmental threat. Twenty-two-year-old Brandy was passionate about her vocation but, while being strong-willed enough to travel widely, she held a latent anxiety about the brooding risks of her current environment.

She had recently engaged 23-year-old Bart Wyatt as her assistant, he being more interested in the opportunity to visit Mexico than any real interest in plants. His adventurous spirit had seen him wandering through South America in recent months and he viewed the opportunity to work with Brandy, albeit on a short-term contract basis, as being serendipitous. The fact that she didn’t always keep him fully occupied gave him the opportunity to sometimes go exploring the nearby rocky landscape.

It was early one morning when the couple came across another pair working in the same locality. This twosome, similarly refugees from worldly affairs, turned out to be 60-year-old Dr Craig, a professor in Meso-American history, and his 50-year-old assistant, Patrick Houghton. Unbeknown to the four, this innocuous encounter would result in a momentous outcome.

It was Bart who casually mentioned that he had seen some glyph carvings at the entrance to a small cave he had discovered on one of his nearby wanderings. This had piqued Dr Craig’s interest as he was searching for any Aztec artefacts that may be under the same environmental threat as Brandy’s plants. Bart led the four to the cave, creating visible excitement in Dr Craig as he examined Bart’s discovery. As the others indulged Dr Craig’s elation, Bart’s natural inquisitiveness had drawn him into the cave where, following a line of further carvings, he had arrived at a smooth area of wall. He felt compelled to place his hands on the unnaturally flush surface, this almost involuntary action causing a doorway to open in front of him. It took a few moments before his astonished bewilderment subsided and he was able to call the others. Collective curiosity won and they tentatively entered—it was dark, but a growing glow very slowly started to illuminate their surroundings. As features became clearer, they shared a deep apprehension, it looked like they were in some sort of control room! Instinctively, they turned to leave, but the door they had entered through had quietly closed! As they feverishly tried to open it, concern turned to fear as the whole room shook and vibrated. They were trapped!

It was an extremely long time later that the door opened—of its own accord. But their shared sense of relief was instantly overwhelmed by the vista that welcomed them as they stepped out. They were no longer in a cave but on a beach! They immediately realised that the ‘room’ they thought they had been trapped in was actually a craft of some type, clearly having previously been buried in the Mexican cave.

The accidental passengers soon discovered the incredible reality that not only were they no longer in Mexico, but they were no longer on Earth! Now involuntarily stranded, the quartet explored their environment, only to be confronted with increasingly amazing revelations. They were on a planet with all the same characteristics as Earth, in the same orbit around the sun as the Earth; but appreciably smaller in size than the Earth. Its non-detection by the Earth was found to be due to its shrouding in some kind of force field, or what appeared to be a dimensional interface—this ‘bubble’ providing both anonymity and security.

Like pirates having found a treasure trove, they discovered a whole fleet of craft similar to the one they had arrived in, along with another fleet of much smaller craft. They also discovered an orbiting ring-shaped space station, a torus, the central opening of which they found provided the only access through the planet’s shroud. Perhaps most intriguingly, they found numerous Aztec glyph carvings everywhere; the most prominent being around the plinth where their craft had landed and a nearby obelisk—the latter piece of infrastructure holding an intense fascination for Bart.

They worked hard for a number of weeks trying to understand how to pilot the craft they had arrived in, so they could return home to Earth. The controls seemed highly intuitive, amazingly so, but as confidence in actually being able to make the flight grew, they started to question whether they actually wanted to return! At least right now!

They shared a concern about how they would be treated if they returned to Earth, but they also shared a concern of what would happen if the previous inhabitants, or occupiers, of the planet returned! They felt they had no right not to share the discovery, but they also felt a responsibility to do so, at least in a measured way. A compromise was agreed, they would selectively invite others to join them before any general disclosure to the population of Earth.

So, with collective consciences salved, they started planning a life on their shrouded planet. They needed a name for their newly-declared home, so in view of the obvious Aztec linkages, they decided to call the planet ‘Aztlan’; after the mythical ancestral home of the Aztec people.

The Following Years

With mastery of piloting the craft that had brought the four first inhabitants to Aztlan came the concurrent discovery that the ships had an invisibility function; being able to absorb and re-emit all forms of electromagnetic radiation. This made anonymous trips to Earth possible and facilitated the gradual growth of invited guests. It was decided early on that any new arrivals would have to share the values of the embryonic community, but this was easier said than done and care was taken in the selection process. After a period of acclimatisation to the Aztlan way of life, guests could be invited to become citizens, or choose to return to Earth; the latter option being recognised as a latent risk to their collective anonymity.

The population grew steadily, with only a very few guests deciding to return to Earth. However, the criterion for inviting new guests was unintentionally skewing the population make-up and restricting some measures of diversity. There was very good gender, race and nationality diversity, but the age range was weighted unintentionally towards older arrivals. The original vague intention of the founding four to eventually open up to the wider population of Earth gradually receded out of discussion. The Aztlan population was dynamic, exciting and sustainable—there was no incentive to change!

Meanwhile on Earth, not all of the change agenda was going to plan. As anticipated by the pessimists, or perhaps the realists, the TUA was having trouble enforcing the climate change agenda; words and intentions were not translating into actions. The TUA needed more teeth, and sharp teeth at that, so, it unilaterally established the Terra Security Force, or TSF; a body with seemingly unlimited powers to enforce compliance. Just to make sure of total obedience, the TSF established a more powerful sub-group—the Elite Corp.

Needless to say, there was massive opposition to the powers of the TSF, but all demonstrations were brutally put down—fear was going to be the order of the day. Mandatory barcoding of the entire Earth population was introduced, with the inevitable backlash. The resulting turmoil spawned numerous refugees and rebel groups, all of which continually absorbed Terra resources aimed at their subjugation. However, the underlying objective behind forming the Terra organisations was achieved—with total control, the necessary changes to manage climate change was actually achieved!

From a technical perspective, gravity wave technology had substantially progressed space travel capabilities and the mineral exploitation of Mars was developing apace, along with an associated moon transfer base. The resulting growth in associated interplanetary traffic provided the opportunity for some rebel groups to hijack craft and effectively lead the life of space pirates; thereby attracting a growing interest and response by Terra. The latter started developing the dominant space presence with a number of space stations and a growing fleet of fighter and transporter craft.

As the Aztlan population anxiously witnessed the changes on Earth, they slowly realised they could never open up to the Terra overlords.

The Year 2042

By 2042, Terra had asserted its mastery over not only the Earth nations but also over the growing commercial mining activities in space. However, total control eluded them as rebel and pirate activities stubbornly refused to capitulate to their efforts to eradicate them.

Meanwhile, the Aztlan community was well established and, they thought, sustainable. The question that occupied the minds of each Aztlan citizen though was whether their survival could be maintained in the event of any direct conflict with Terra. Their invisible craft meant that they could still easily make surreptitious trips to Earth—but the big question was whether Terra knew of their existence or not! Ripples of concern washed over their collective consciousness—an uneasiness somewhat soothed by a perhaps unjustified belief that their inherited technological superiority would protect them!

Chapter 1

The Awakening

Bart dropped clumsily into a seat on the shuttle, he was in a hurry. The automated flight from the surface of Aztlan to the orbiting space station would only take a few minutes, but always seemed to take longer when there was a sense of urgency. An almost imperceptible jolt advertised the take-off as he contemplated the reason for Patrick’s need for his immediate attendance. He had an uneasy feeling; he knew what it was, an uncomfortable feeling of inevitability engulfing him! He watched the screen as the image of the orbiting space station slowly grew, culminating in a gentle docking as the diminutive craft entered one of the portals on the inside of the torus ring.

With a growing feeling of unease, he hurried to the control room, where a continuous bank of peripheral screens flooded his senses with their images.

Patrick, now aged 62, came to front him. He was visibly worried. Look at that screen over there!

Bart, now aged 35, had become calmer over the last 12 years and remained composed as he examined the image. He thought he knew what it showed, but Patrick continued before he could make any observation.

Terra craft! Three of them! They are getting progressively closer to us!

Bart was peering at the vision when Alan came and stood alongside him. Alan Taylor was a long-standing friend of Bart’s that he had met while backpacking in South America, the relationship preceding the discovery of Aztlan 12 years ago.

They are probably from that recently-commissioned nearby Terra space station, added Alan.

They don’t appear to be heading directly towards us, observed Bart.

Alan nodded. Not yet! It looks like they are just making repeated sweeps of the area!

Like they know we are here, but not exactly where. Patrick announced anxiously, running his fingers from his forehead back and down through his still jet-black hair.

Bart was philosophical. I suppose it was inevitable that we would be discovered eventually. Over the years, there have been a number of our guests that chose to return to Earth, rather than become citizens.

Patrick was getting agitated, hearing statements of the obvious wasn’t what he needed right now! But what are we going to do? If we do nothing, they will probably eventually collide with our shroud’s energy field and be destroyed!

Alan filled the growing pause with the alternative action. And if we warn them, we will be confirming our existence and precise location!

Patrick felt distinctly uncomfortable. As the elected leader of Aztlan, he should have anticipated the possibility, perhaps inevitability, of the present scenario and had discussions about responses a long time ago!

The three looked at each other in silence, the wake-up call had arrived and they had to make a response decision now!

If we do nothing, they will probably still collide with the shroud and then know our whereabouts anyway! Alan offered.

Not to mention us having knowingly letting them get destroyed! Bart added.

Patrick was getting irritated by what he regarded as too much concern for the wellbeing of the Terra craft. His long-distant military experience was subconsciously putting him in a combat mindset. Our priority must be to defend Aztlan! Do you think Terra will ever be considering our welfare?

Bart treated the question as rhetorical. Let’s wait and see whether impact looks inevitable—there is a chance their sweeps might just miss us!

The trio observed the screens as the computers plotted out the projected trajectories of the three Terra craft.

It looks like a certain impact in about 20 minutes if they stay on their current course! Alan muttered, not diverting his attention from a screen.

Patrick sighed deeply, an internal conflict of emotions constraining his decision making.

We must warn them! Alan announced, staring directly at Patrick.

Patrick looked to Bart, implicitly inviting his opinion.

I agree!

Patrick just raised his eyebrows slightly—he didn’t really like either of the two options. His own endorsement was implicit as he moved to the console and prepared to initiate contact with the Terra craft. He paused briefly as he reflected on the monumental nature of what he was about to do—he was going to make the first-ever contact between Aztlan and the Terra organisation! He took a deep breath. This is Aztlan! Calling the three Terra craft encroaching on our territorial space! Acknowledge!

Bart and Alan glanced at each other, Patrick’s use of words didn’t sound too professional—but then, Aztlan wasn’t used to making formal communications!

Bart was concerned about the lack of any response. Are they able to hear us?

Alan attended the console. The channels are shown to be open—it looks like they are just ignoring us!

Bart moved forward to send a follow up message. Your ships are all approaching a force field on our shroud that will automatically destroy your craft when you impact it! You must change course! Now!

There was still no verbal response from the craft, but Alan noted evidence that they had received the warning. Look, two of the craft have changed course and are moving away, but one is still heading towards us!

Patrick was pensive. Perhaps, they are calling our bluff! It looks like they are prepared to sacrifice one of their craft to check our story!

Bart and Alan were both stunned at this possibility, how could an organisation value its own people so lightly?

A sudden glow on the screen and a recorded ripple in the shroud confirmed Patrick’s proposition. He looked intently at Bart and Alan. Now you know the sort of people we are up against! And now they know for sure that we exist and where we are! Our world has just changed!

With his emotions juggling between anger and despondency, he left the control room, leaving Bart and Alan to watch the remaining two Terra craft head off into the distance.

It was early the next day that Patrick had called a meeting, on the planet’s surface, to discuss the consequences and implications of the previous day’s events. He had been the accepted leader of Aztlan since the very early days; a position he had never coveted and one that nobody had ever sought to take over from him. Up until now, it had really been a simple and informal role with the population, now numbering over 3,000, having little internal conflict or disagreement with their almost designer-like shared values. He would have to address the whole population, but first, he wanted a meeting with just Bart, Brandy and Dr Craig; the three, along with himself, representing the founding members of the whole community. He wanted to understand their respective positions in advance.

When Bart received his invite to the meeting, his immediate reaction was to go and see Dora first. Dora Blake, a 28-year-old young woman with long dark brown hair, was a very early arrival on Aztlan; being just 16-years-old at the time. She was a quiet, unassuming young lady who, by choice, lived alone on a farm, producing vegetables for the populace. A few horses seemed to satisfy her social needs. He always found it calming talking with her, she seemed to help him clarify his thoughts! He hesitated. He knew Patrick didn’t think much of him placing a high value on his interactions with her; he just viewed it as a sign of his lack of self-confidence. Anyway, a moment’s reflection made him realise he wouldn’t have time before the meeting anyway!

Bart entered the meeting room to find the other three already there and seated—he was never late; they were just early. There was a sombre presence in the room, their serious expressions being a surrogate for the feelings of the rest of the population.

Patrick’s countenance was particularly grave. Thank you all for coming. I would like to get all your views on the situation before I address the whole community later today. But first, I would like to apologise to each of you!

What on earth for? The now 72-year-old Dr Craig quizzed.

For failing in my leadership role! Right from day one, we never properly addressed the question of our eventual long-term relationship with the Earth nations. It was always something we would get round to—but never did. Then, with the rise of Terra and their increasing venturing into space, we still did nothing! As the leader, I should have ensured we had a shared position on the matter and made plans for eventualities like yesterday! I’m so deeply sorry for my failure!

Brandy, by now aged 34, was on her feet in an instant and went to comfort him. You have nothing to be sorry for! We all share the responsibility! It’s not like everyone was raising the matter! We were all lulled into a false sense of security by our technological inheritance!

As Brandy returned to her seat, Dr Craig decided to weigh in. She is right! But just think, supposing we had opened up to Earth in the past, what would our lives have been like now under Terra?

Assuming we were still alive anyway! Bart added. Irrespective, the past is the past and we can’t revisit sunk decisions, explicit or implicit! And there is no point in airing any recriminations! We are where we are and need to decide where to from here!

Patrick was relieved at their respective, and common, viewpoints. Thank you all for your supportive words! They are much appreciated! But the question is, what do we do now?

We defend ourselves! Dr Craig declared loudly, surprised that there should be any question.

But what happens if the community decides they would rather surrender to Terra? Patrick asked, somewhat taken aback by the ferocity of Dr Craig’s declaration.

Then we all die! Dr Craig announced, with an icy stare.

Are people talking about surrendering or abandoning Aztlan then? Brandy asked of Patrick, somewhat apprehensively.

Not that I am aware of—but it is not unreasonable for it to be considered an option!

Bart was thoughtful. Rightly or wrongly, we have gathered together a population of substantially like-minded people. Alignment, or otherwise, to our values determined whether guests, carefully selected in the first place, became citizens or returned to Earth. If we share the same values, surely, we should share the same opinion on the way forward!

Dr Craig was wise enough to see some fallacies in Bart’s assertion, but also wise enough not to openly question it. He saw an opportunity to focus their views. Well said! We all have values that we share with each other, but values that cannot be shared with Terra. Tell me, Brandy, what is your most important value?

Trust! She announced, not even having to think about it.

Dr Craig looked towards Bart. And you?

Freedom!

And you, Patrick?

Respect!

So, trust, freedom and respect! Do you think we would have been treated with these by the Terra United Alliance back in 2030 if we had told Earth of our existence? Dr Craig paused.

The others treated the question as somewhat rhetorical and didn’t respond.

He continued. So, do you think the Terra Security Force would treat us with these values if we were to try and make peace with them now?

Put like this, the whole question of what they should do seemed blindingly obvious; there was no logical alternative!

So, our view is that we fight! Patrick declared. But I really need to provide some comfort to the community as to how we will be able to do that!

We have our strong motivation! Brandy offered.

Bart wasn’t so sure. We need that to be an outcome of this afternoon’s meeting! It will be vital, but it can’t be taken as a given yet!

Surely, our inherited technological resources must be way superior to anything Terra has! Why not run through those! Dr Craig suggested.

Good point! Bart encouraged.

Patrick made a few reminder notes as the four assessed their inherited legacy. Firstly, there were the 29 so-called invisible craft, named for their shrouding capability, of the type originally found in the Mexican cave. These had a dull, featureless black exterior and the shape of a squashed down sphere; an oblate spheroid. They had gained the nickname of ‘Hawk craft,’ a not species-exact reference to the Aztec myth where an eagle had defined where the Aztecs should first settle in Mesoamerica.

In addition, there was a fleet of 30 much smaller, apparently single-manned, fighter craft with a triangular shape at the rear and a squat rectangular shape at the front. These, euphemistically and unimaginatively called ‘Wedge craft’ after their appearance, had a ghosting function, enabling them to give a false impression of their actual location. While the Hawk craft were intuitively easy to fly, the Wedges proved more difficult; requiring very sensitive handling and fast reaction times.

Perhaps, the most comfort-giving and important tangible asset was the planet’s shroud. While its invisibility benefit had been rendered void by recent events, it still represented an impenetrable barrier; access to the planet only being through the ‘eye’ of the torus-shaped space station.

With review complete, Patrick now felt more confident in addressing the whole community, a confidence proving to be well justified with the population fully endorsing a decision never to surrender to Terra! It wasn’t regarded as the best option—it was the only option! The Aztlan citizens were, by nature of their biased selection, not an aggressive people and their newly-affirmed stance was based explicitly on defending Aztlan, not on fighting Terra—a perspective that would come to categorise their future actions.

With the decisive meeting now over, Bart went down to the beach for a walk; he needed to contemplate their new collective position. Deep in thought, he soon diverted to the short path that led to the obelisk. This stone structure had fascinated him ever since seeing it on their first arrival on Aztlan 12 years ago. Its regular seven-sided polygon shape, a heptagon, was intriguing to him—why seven sides? He wanted to believe it was somehow associated with what Dr Craig had told him about the mythical seven caves that the Aztec people were believed to have originally emerged from.

He ran his hand over the glyph that Dr Craig said represented the name of Ometecuhtli, the supreme creator God; this just being one member of the Aztec pantheon. This God of duality, appearing in both male and female forms, was said to