The Thirteenth Order III: Dawn

By Linda Arena

For millennia, the Guardians have carefully watched over and guided the evolution of all species throughout the universe, including Earth humans. On Earth, they monitored and guided from within Mt. Shasta in the western United States. However, a disagreement with Guardian Midas over the correction to Earth's axis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Authors' Tranquility Press
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960675668

Book preview

Prologue

In the history of the universe, twelve orders of Guardians had existed. Guardians Midas, Rhea, Hermes, Gideon, and Prometheus created life on planet Earth and were due to conceive, consummate, and successfully birth, The Thirteenth Order.

King Midas’s five hundred thousand-year lifespans was nearly over and the responsibility fell to him and Rhea to seed the next order of Guardians

When the Indonesian earthquake struck circa 2004 and threatened all of humanity with annihilation, Midas was able to convince Rachael, the only human he trusted, to help him and the Guardians save the planet. They were able to do so, but Prometheus was against the plan as he believed the humans deserved to die for their betrayal and abuse of the planet which caused the catastrophe.

Prometheus, blinded by rage at Midas’s loyalty to the humans, created a horde of minions, the Matuk, and relocated to the planet of Darius. He lured Midas, Hermes, Gideon, and Rhea there and trapped them in the sacred mountain.

Midas, at the first sign of trouble, sent for his Earth friends to take out the gravity field cage and save them from certain death. Rachael, Lane, Joshua, and their friends arrived at Darius. In one of the battles with the Matuk, Guardian Rhea was mortally wounded by a proton blast.

When it was clear Rhea would not survive her injuries, it became necessary to extract her sacred eggs and hide them from Prometheus, who was determined to consummate them himself so he could become the king of the new order. Midas summoned four shapeshifters named Janka, Foam, Nas’ra, and Phata and was given Rhea’s egg sacks to implant into the four human women, Rachael, Symone, Abbey, and Christine for safekeeping. It was during this process that Janka became obsessed with the idea that he could, in human form, fertilize Rachael’s eggs and start his race of offspring. He believed the Guardians would surely accept the shapeshifters into the new order, even though the new race would be considered halflings.

Lane discovered Janka’s plan. He and Dr. Brody switched out the Shapeshifter’s fertilized eggs for a new set of eggs fertilized by Lane. He hoped he could rescue the Guardians and leave the planet before Janka figured out their treachery.

In all the complexities in the egg swapping, a few of Janka’s fertilized eggs remained hidden behind Rhea’s egg sack in Rachael. They were born two weeks later. Janka took his children, and in a last-minute decision, also tried to kidnap Rachael, the mother of his new offspring. Lane caught Janka trying to escape through the portal with Rachael and fired his Proton Disruptor. Janka dropped Rachael as he slipped into the rock wall, but the sack containing his offspring was hit by the proton blast and they were destroyed. Janka vowed revenge.

Just before the consummation ceremony, Rachael gave birth to twin sons, one was Lane’s son the other was the son created by Christine Centuri and Steven Cotts.

Although Midas was devastated by the loss of Rhea, he still managed to consummate the eggs for the Thirteenth Order. As soon as the consummation ceremony was over, he boarded his spaceship and took off to drown his sorrows. He ordered the spaceship Rosie to take the humans back to Earth by herself. The guests were put in suspended animation and Rosie began the long journey. After Rosie turned off the monitor to their chamber, quite sure that her precious cargo was safe, the unthinkable happened. Janka and Foam stepped out of the wall and stood beside Rachael and Lane. Janka’s rage with Lane boiled within his veins and he knew exactly how to make him pay for destroying his children. He and Foam changed their appearances to match that of Lane and Rachael. Janka erased the memories of the real Rachael and Lane so that they would not remember the axis crises or anything after that. That way, they would not know each other, let alone remember they had children together. The shapeshifters took the three boys and left the ship.

As Rosie approached Earth, she turned on the monitor to begin the wake-up process only to discover that Joshua and the two babies were missing. Rosie contacted Midas immediately and he replayed the video from her crystal recorders. He watched in horror. He knew that if he didn’t find Janka and Foam, soon, the children would become breeding stock for the shapeshifters’ new race. They would be lost to Lane and Rachael forever.

CHAPTER 1

The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.

—Bob Moawad

Guardian Midas sounded the alarm to the entire Guardian fleet.

His orders were clear, Search every sector in every quadrant for the shapeshifter’s space pod. The instant anyone spots it, notify me immediately and do not engage them in any way. They have onboard two newborn human infants and a young human man who they plan to use for breeding a new race. Midas heard gasps fill the bridge, Good luck in your search. Time is of the essence.

After reviewing Rosie’s video, for the hundredth time, of the abduction, Midas decided his only course of action was to follow them in the direction they left Rosie. He knew they could veer off in any direction at any moment, but what choice did he have?

After several days of watching the plasma screen for any blip or ripple of the space pod, his eyes grew weary. He decided to leave the searching to the instruments for a while and rest.

While Guardians do not sleep, they can rest, typically in a standing position. Midas learned from his human friends, though, that lying down while resting was extremely comfortable and allowed his mind to wander.

He said aloud, A lounge please.

Instantly, an organic, green, leafy chaise lounge appeared beside him. He laid his nine-foot-tall frame down and closed his yellow almond-shaped eyes. He chastised himself for every decision he made on Darius while being held captive by Guardian Prometheus and the Matuk.

He did not foresee that Janka would discover how a human female becomes pregnant. The human female body is so complicated, and the implantation process had to be done precisely at the right moment to make sure of their success. I had to input the human anatomy into their data crystals. I had no idea that the implantation process would take two days to complete, which allowed Janka time to read every word of information I sent him. Normally, a crossbreeding implant takes only a few seconds, but since this was not a crossbreeding situation, the shapeshifters had to wait until the female ovulated before they could insert the sacred egg sacks. That gave Janka time to contemplate his discovery. I was told that’s when he got the foolish idea that, in human form, he could create a halfbreed shapeshifter suitable to be accepted into The Thirteenth Order. Thank the gods, Lane caught on to his plan and destroyed the halfbreed embryos. How could I have not seen this monumental shift in the shapeshifters longing to belong to the new order?

King Midas! Guardian Harkins’ voice boomed across the bridge.

Midas bolted upright. Yes, Guardian Harkins, I am here…

I have found Janka’s space pod!

Midas ran to the plasma screen and saw Harkins’ face bearing a wide grin. Where?

Fourth quadrant heading toward the Min’tar system.

A moment, Harkins… Midas quickly calculated the distance from his position to the Min’tar system. I can be there in two days. Will you keep an eye on him until I arrive?

Certainly. That space pod moves so slowly that I can leave the tracking to the instruments while I explore a couple of nearby planets.

Thank you. I will get their exact coordinates once I’m in the quadrant.

Safe journey, King.

You as well…

Midas set course and smiled. I have you now, Janka, and once I lock on to your heat signature you will not escape my grasp.

He used the two-day trip to study the Min’tar system to see if he might have overlooked a planet that could sustain the human children’s requirement for oxygen. There were none. So where is he going?

King Midas! Harkins here.

Yes, Harkins.

You have entered the quadrant. I’m sending you Janka’s coordinates.

Thank you. If you will wait to leave the quadrant until I have locked on to him, I would appreciate it.

Of course.

Midas entered the coordinates Harkins gave him and the space pod popped up on the screen. He is closer than I thought! I have him! Thank you, Harkins. You may return to your journey.

Good luck, Midas. I will be close by in case you need me.

Thank you.

Following Janka’s space pod, Midas banked a sharp right turn which put him on a direct course to the Min’tar star system. Interesting, thought Midas. I am puzzled as to why that blasted shapeshifter would go to an ancient galaxy that does not have a planet rich in oxygen, these children will not survive!

He shuddered as he thought about the children being on a planet where they could not breathe. These children are our future Kings. Without them, well… our future will be one of chaos at the hands of Prometheus, and, no doubt, with him as ruler, the humans would suffer greatly.

It only took a few seconds for Midas to realize that Janka was bypassing the Min’tar system and heading for uncharted territory. Without accurate maps, I could easily end up inside an asteroid belt or worse an exploding nebula!

As Midas approached the edge of the uncharted territory, he slowed to a stop. He watched Janka's heat signature begin to thin. I have no choice but to follow them. I have to rescue those children before Lane and Rachael’s memories come flooding back. At some point, they will remember the Axis-Shift-Crisis, Darius, and that they have children together. Hopefully, they will remember me as well. He hit the rose quartz crystal and crossed into unknown territory.

Suddenly, Midas thought, How could Janka possibly know about this outlying quadrant? Is it possible that a Guardian sent them out here to do their breeding? And, if so, that means there could be civilizations that already exist in this quadrant! Janka certainly seems to know where he is headed. I just wish I knew what lay ahead.

Janka, you fool, Midas’s rage came boiling to the surface so he bellowed. You had no right to remove Lane and Rachael’s memories and kidnap their children. If you had talked to me, I would have helped you to understand that altering shapeshifter DNA would ultimately destroy your race. Then all of this kidnapping business would not have occurred.

It took a long while before Midas calmed down so he could think rationally, and he changed the subject. How long has Janka been planning to create a new breed of shapeshifters—and are there other service races, like the miners or the herbalists, that might be evolving like the shapeshifters seem to be? I will notify the other Guardians to make a log of their service race’s evolution. Once that information is compiled, I will bet there will be a whole new picture of what they want or need.

While watching the space pod, he nearly sent a message to Joshua's medallion which would be a huge mistake! I hope Janka does not figure out the significance of Joshua’s medallion. If he discovers it, he will quickly understand the medallion can be used as a Guardian tracking device. But would he kill Joshua to keep me from finding them? Always a possibility when you have someone so desperate to make unnatural changes in the order of the universe. I must stop fretting and pay attention to the task at hand.

Midas sped up until Janka’s heat signature was discernible again, then he relaxed. I do not want to get too close for fear he will kill the children before I can rescue them. I have never tried to teleport onto or out of a metal spacecraft. I could kill them and I could not live with myself if I harmed them in any way.

Midas’s thoughts were interrupted by the smoky quartz and the rose quartz crystals when they began flashing. He tapped them simultaneously and watched as the viewing screen switched to a nearby sector. Midas sucked in a deep breath as a wormhole appeared on the screen. Surely, Janka would not consider entering that wormhole with that tiny space pod. In the time it took for Midas to finish his thought, Janka changed course and headed straight for the swirling black hole! He must have known the wormhole was in this sector! Navigating the ever-turning passage is extremely tricky. One millimeter is off course and one could end up in the ancient past or millennia into the future. The last thing Midas wanted was to spend his remaining fifty-thousand years scouring every century of the universe. No, I must finish this quest in time to see that The Thirteenth Order begins.

With every available instrument locked onto Janka’s heat signature, Midas was surprised that the tiny space pod managed to stay two clicks ahead no matter how many times Midas’s mighty spacecraft jumped to light speed. Is it possible that their space pod was altered in some way? Probably, but by whom? There was no time to contemplate that mystery as the vortex lay just ahead. Midas changed course to match Janka’s and prepared to enter the wormhole.

As Janka entered the wormhole, his heat signature vanished from view. Midas activated the ship’s forcefield, took a deep breath, and headed toward the vortex. As he entered, Janka’s heat signature looked like a corkscrew as it traversed through the whirling funnel. Midas’s only thought—I must survive!

The mothership shook violently as it sped through the center of the vortex. Keep off the sides, he repeated over and over. Watching the screen carefully, he looked for debris trapped within the walls. Boulders of all shapes and sizes flew by, along with pieces of metal spacecraft left over from pilots who thought they could fly next to the wormhole without getting trapped in its current.

The swirling black hole began to narrow. Midas knew he was nearing the end and, any minute, he would fall out the bottom. The mothership began rotating out of control in a dangerous downward spiral. Midas hit the citrine crystal in hopes of stabilizing the spacecraft. It was too late. He shot out of the end of the vortex at warp speed and was headed straight for an asteroid belt. He hit the smoky quartz and the quartz crystal to stop his forward momentum. After what seemed like forever, the mothership slowed enough to make a quick left turn and avoided the asteroid belt. Midas scoured the plasma screen for any trace of the space pod’s heat signature. I cannot lose them now!

It took a day and a half before he found Janka. As he locked on to the tiny ship once again, he relaxed. The very next thought was of the embryos and Rosie.

He touched the citrine and smoky quartz crystals simultaneously, Rosie, where are you?

I am inside Mt. Shasta, Midas. Did you find Janka and the children?

I am following him now. How are the embryos?

They are fine. I have not taken my instruments off the chamber for one nanosecond.

I believe you, Rosie. I see from my instrument panel that you have deposited all your passengers in their new lives.

Yes.

Was there any problem with the relocation process?

Rosie didn’t know how to answer him.

"Does your silence mean there was a problem?"

No, not exactly. But… I do have a quandary.

Rosie, what is your quandary?

As I entered Earth’s gravity field, I activated the Relocation Proxsimator.

And?

All the passenger’s relocation markers were blinking except one which was already solid green near a place called the District of Columbia, Maryland.

Whose marker was it?

Steven Cotts! He was not removed from my passenger list after he died on Darius and according to my instruments he lives here in this dimension.

Awe, yes he would. Let me explain his presence in this parallel. Humans are many aspects of themselves and exist in every dimension in some form or another. In this dimension, he is, most likely, the same person with different experiences, but he could also be a completely different person entirely.

Would he recognize Lane and Rachael if he met them?

Not with his conscious mind, but his soul would recognize them instantly which would be very unsettling for him. Rosie, it is unlikely that they will meet in this parallel as they are on opposite sides of the continent.

That is too bad. Lane was devastated when he lost his best friend.

That he was, as we all are when we lose someone dear to us. Instantly, he thought of Rhea and shook his head to keep the tears away. How hard was it to get everyone placed?

Steven Cotts told Lane that he had Homeland Security preserve Rachael's farm in the original dimension for ninety-nine years, and that action transferred into this dimension. All I had to do was place her there. Um, Midas, I did something that I am not sure was correct.

Puzzled, Midas asked, What do you mean?

At the time of her placement here in this dimension, she was still lactating which would become a problem when she woke up. She would know instantly she had given birth, so I temporarily disguised her condition.

What did you do?

I gave her an Earth ailment to mask the differences in her body.

Which ailment would that be? They have so many.

It is called anorexia. It is an eating disorder. She will be very thin and sickly for a long while, but hopefully, it will stop her production of milk.

Is she in any danger?

No. This disorder is treatable.

As long as she is safe, I will not worry. What about Lane?

Lane was the easiest placement. After his disappearance, Lane’s house was bought by an elderly couple who recently passed away. So the house was empty.

Surely they had a family to assume the property as is the human custom.

I do not know, Midas. I just put him inside.

Okay... let us hope that no one comes to claim the property for a while. Is he all right?

Quite. Since he is such a large human specimen, the only symptom he will experience is extreme hunger for a few days due to his long months in suspended animation.

Justin Schultz?

Getting Justin Schultz and his grown twins back to the right ages was impossible. I followed your instructions, but I had to repeat the slingshot process around the sun many times to get the precise time frame. However, both of the twins remained adults. I am concerned that since Justin and his offspring still have their memories they too will become confused and disoriented.

Thank you, Rosie. I know this will be confusing for them, but Justin Schultz will be able to remind them about the events that led them to this dimension. Just keep track of those embryos along with Lane and Rachael.

I will... and Midas?

Yes, Rosie?

Since Janka only removed one part of their memories and not their memories entirely, they will become extremely confused. There are many differences between the two dimensions—the dimension they now inhabit and their native dimension have noticeable differences even in this small metropolis of Shasta City. The longer they live here the crazier their world will become. They may not be able to cope with the bewilderment.

Midas thought about her analysis for a minute. You very well might be correct Rosie. How did you become so wise?

Joshua taught me to read and they have many frequencies for me to monitor—exposing me to all sorts of knowledge.

That is good, Rosie, you keep reading. Is there more I should know about?

Only that Lane will find Rachael in a matter of hours and take her to a hospital where she will receive medical attention. So there is little time to find their children.

I am urgently working to get the children back. And Rosie?

Yes, Midas.

Do not look into the future again unless I ask you to.

Yes, Midas.

Midas closed the comlink between the two spaceships.

CHAPTER 2

A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.

—Hal Borland.

As the sunlight streamed through the second-story window. It warmed Rachael’s face and caused her to awaken. When she opened her eyes, she was startled.

Sunlight! No! Damn it! I've overslept!

The clock read 10:00 AM. What?! There is no way I slept until ten! She racked her brain trying to figure out what she had done differently last night that would cause her to sleep so late. Her routine had not varied her entire life. When nothing came to mind, she started retracing the events of last night in her mind.

Up at 4:00 AM, made coffee, and sat on the porch to watch the sun come up. I fed my horse, Brawny and then I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon inspecting the fencing. As I moved down the fencing, I rotated the sprinklers. What happened next? Let’s see, well… I came inside at about 6 PM, showered, and cooked a light dinner at about seven o’clock. I cleaned up the kitchen and fed Brawny his evening meal. I watched the news at eight and was in bed by nine. Nothing I did was out of the ordinary, so why did I oversleep? No matter, I need to get downstairs and make coffee.

When she leaped out of bed, she fell to her knees and struggled to get back next to the bed. What the hell? Her legs felt like rubber bands, wobbling and shaking, nearly out of control. Am I sick? She felt her forehead—no fever. So if I’m not sick, what's the matter with me?

Maybe, I’ve had an allergic reaction to something I ate or did! Well, now that I think about it, I did use a different brand of weed spray around the porch yesterday.

Where is my mirror? She spotted her purse on the nightstand and stretched over to reach it. Digging through her purse, she found her compact and opened it up. A gaunt, haunting, gray face stared back at her.

Am I dead? No one is this gray without being dead! What has happened to me?

As she stared at the gray skin and hollow eyes she thought, It doesn’t matter how sick I am, I can’t just sit here. The migrant pickers are due to arrive today. Oh crap! Are they here already? Rocky usually comes to the house when they are ready to start.

Soto Mendez and Rachael’s grandpa were the best of friends. When Mr. Mendez discovered that Rachael would be living on the farm permanently, he brought her rock candy from Arizona when he returned in the fall. And, oh how I loved the rock candy. Mr. Mendez’s son, Rocky, now harvested Rachael’s fields twice a year with his sons and their wives and children. And Rocky still brings me rock candy. Surely, I would hear him if he knocked on the door.

Carefully, she rolled up on her knees and stayed perfectly still to make sure her thighs were going to hold her up. The thigh muscles quivered slightly, but they held. She took a deep breath and crawled across the bedroom floor and out the door. Her arms shook and then cramped so badly that she had to lie down on the floor. The muscle spasms burned relentlessly and the pain was excruciating.

Without warning, tears filled her eyes and she yelled out in agony, Aw damn! Stop! Stop! Please stop!

While lying there, she had a perfect view of the first floor through the banister posts. No doubt now! I’m going to have to scoot down on my butt just like I did when I broke my leg. She plotted her course down the stairway and began the arduous journey to the first stair landing. She gripped the banister posts with both hands to help pull her along the floor, but she felt every muscle strain and began to ache. By the time she reached the landing, she was exhausted. She curled up on her grandma’s braided rug to rest and she fell asleep for about an hour.

When Rachael woke, she continued the journey to the first floor. Her arms and legs shook violently, but she was determined to make it to the bottom of the stairs. Thirty minutes later, she sat on the bottom step. She could see out of the big bay window. Interesting, she thought, not one pickup truck in sight. Did the whole world oversleep?

The next hurdle was to get to the cupboards where the coffee was. Crawling to the sink was easy, but getting upright onto her feet turned out to be nearly an impossible task. She grabbed the edge of the counter and pulled her upper body upright, with her weight on her knees. She made several attempts to pull herself to her feet but failed and she collapsed on the floor. Her arm muscles burned like fire. Suddenly, a new round of spasms gripped her legs and she screamed out in agony.

"Oh... damn that hurts! And, she let the tears flow. What the hell am I going to do if I can’t stand up?"

When the tears subsided, she thought, if only I could make coffee. I’m sure it will revive me, at the very least, give me a bit of energy. I need my grandpa to make me coffee just like he did when I was twelve.

Drink up, young lady, he’d say. It will keep you warm on these cold mornings. She recalled having the jitters all day and late into the night, and was quite sure she would never sleep again.

Well, she thought, I certainly can’t stay like this all day. She looked around the room for anything she could use to help hold her up. Her eyes landed on the coffee pot which appeared to have at least one cup left in the bottom.

Yesterday’s coffee, she thought. No doubt, it will taste bitter as hell, but at this point who cares? She crawled to the end of the counter, pulled herself to her knees, and reached for the pot.

Yes! Coffee!

After pouring the coffee into yesterday’s cup, she sidestepped on her knees the foot or so it took to reach the microwave. She heard the ding of the timer and pulled out the steaming cup. The aroma alone lifted her spirits and, with shaking hands, she pulled the cup to her lips. The first sip tasted strong, stale, and bitter—just as she imagined it would be. But, every sip thereafter didn’t matter, because she could feel a caffeine rush beginning to pulse through her veins.

She thought it was odd she was feeling such a rush because she drank coffee every day. No matter, I’ve got to try and get up on my feet.

She drank the last drop and said, Well, old girl, let’s give it another try.

She decided to use drawers to help steady herself while she tried to reach the sink counter. After pulling a drawer open, she gripped the counter ledge with her right hand and used the top of the open drawer for leverage with the other.

She whispered, Okay, here we go.

Every muscle screamed as she inched her way up the front of the cupboards. Come on, Rachael, just a little bit more...

Determination surged through her as she attempted to pull herself up high enough to get one foot flat on the floor, and then hopefully the other. Using her left hand to push her upward, she managed to get her right forearm on the counter.

She whimpered as she tried to bring her foot up, Hold me, hold me… please hold me!

She removed her hand from the drawer and rested both elbows on the counter and just hung there, waiting for her legs to stop shaking. Little by little, she was able to put more and more weight on her legs and feet. After a while, she leaned her body against the counter without using her hands. Progress, she thought, now I can make a fresh pot of coffee.

She reached up to open the cupboard door, felt for the can of coffee, and then filled the small four-cup pot. While the coffee perked, she rested against the sink, not wanting to move away from it in case her wobbly legs started to give way again.

The aroma of brewing coffee filled the room. When she poured her first cup, she cried. The first sip burnt her lips but she didn’t care. Never could she remember a time when coffee tasted this good. She pushed away from the counter and stood without support. Okay, can I walk?

She looked longingly at the front door. Just beyond it was her porch swing. The swing served as a solace when the frustrations with pestilence, broken tractors, or intruders turned her world upside down.

Rachael shuffled a few feet to test her legs. So far, so good! She wobbled across the hardwood floor using the furniture as support. She opened the front door, stepped outside, and leaned against the sun-warmed brick wall. Breathing in the fresh air alone made her giddy. The warmth of the sun was life-altering against her cool skin. She used the wall for support and shuffled toward the porch swing. She set the cup down on the end table, grabbed the armrest with both hands to turn herself around, and sat down. Nearly out of breath, she sipped her coffee while she looked at the lake.

It was nearly noon and she couldn’t help but notice a difference in the view before her. Mt. Shasta was usually a black silhouette at this time of day, and the lake should have silver-capped glints across the top. Now, the mountain had vivid browns and greens, and the lake was draped in golden hues; a very striking contrast indeed.

Her eyes darted to a small alcove of pine trees across the lake... empty. She couldn’t put her finger on why she felt as though someone should be sitting there. Why do I feel a sense of disappointment?

As she raised her cup to her lips, she whispered, You really must be losing it, Rachael. No one but an occasional hiker ever comes this far away from town, and never this late in the fall. Each year, once the squash was off to market, she would prepare the farm for winter and didn’t typically see another soul, except one, until spring. Dr. Oscario lived next door and tended to Brawny’s physical health.

By the way, where are the pickers? Could I possibly have the wrong day? I’ll have to check the calendar when I go back inside. Right now, all I want to do is sit