Fallen Meteor

By Stephen C Norton

Freya is an astro-geologist. Her job is to collect samples from the space rocks and other debris which circle the gas giant of her system. But something went awry on her last trip. She's lost chunks of her memory, has gaping holes where she remembers nothing.
Fearing contagion her government wants her captured and quarantined. Her scientific mentors want her cooperation in analyzing the contagion, but that too seems to involve confinement. She's hearing voices that aren't there, and doing things that make no sense. Impossible things are happening to her. Is she going mad, or is the contagion gradually taking over her mind? She desperately needs answers, but has no one to rely on except herself, and, perhaps, the voice in her head.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen C Norton
• Release date: Jul 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781927343937

Stephen C Norton

Stephen started his career as a marine biologist, later switched to managing computer support and development teams, and is now a full time author and artist. He lives on the West Coast of Canada with his wife and one crazy cat. He has sixteen books currently available in both paperback and e-book formats, including four novels, two guides on Soapstone Carving, one on Stained Glass Art, and multiple guides to various self-publishing topics. While currently working on a forth novel he has at least five other books planned for the next few years. An artist for most of his life, he's worked in many mediums, from oil painting to blown glass. For the last 20 years he's focused on carving soapstone sculptures and writing.He can be reached via his web site at www.stephencnorton.comTo purchase any of his books please go to his author pages atwww.amazon.com/author/stephencnorton on Amazon and www.smashwords.com/profile/view/northwind on Smashwords. His books are also available on Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other resellers.

Book preview

Part I

Jodi

The Last High Chancellor

Jodi landed her space shuttle on the front lawn of the High Chancellor's expansive estate. A twenty meter ovoid egg with four nacelles containing plasma jet engines along the sides, making it rather squarish in shape. It didn’t have true gravity control as it was a bit on the small side for that, but it did have the ability to land and take off on modified gravity thrusters. It gave her the option of wafting down silently on gravs or dropping to earth like an angry goddess, with plasma jets thundering and white-hot exhausts burning everything around. She’d chosen discrete silence for this particular visit.

She could have brought her hundred and eighty meter spacecraft, the one she called the Rukk, which was her sometimes home, but had decided against it. That could potentially have revealed far more about her technological capabilities than she wanted. She didn’t really want to terrify the natives and thought the egg looked a lot less threatening, though she also had no intention of letting anyone see it.

In this particular timeline continuum, the Chosen civilization had developed a rudimentary space industrial capability, but nothing like what she'd found in the other congruent timelines. Here, there had been no development of the Queens. No twenty-five kilometer wide rocks of semi-living, semi-intelligent and utterly ruthless colony ships. No failures of the ships’ programmed minds. No searching for habitable planets followed by the complete annihilation of the planet’s entire ecosystem when one was found. No casual genocidal slaughter of innocent civilizations, entire species and ecological systems burned to bare rock, all in the name of Chosen superiority and arrogance.

Here, in this timeline, their lack of significant space capabilities and technologies had driven the Chosen to turn inward. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Jodi didn’t know, and frankly didn’t really care. While this timeline’s  Chosen planetary culture hadn’t developed world killing Queens, it had instead focused much more on the oppression of the native non-Chosen. That, and almost continual internecine warfare between the thousands of land hungry Chosen warlords.

Jodi had seen the ugliness of the Chosen culture play out too many times, across too many timelines. Long ago, when she cleaned up and protected her own timeline, she had made the commitment to remove the scourge of the genocidal Queens from all the adjacent timelines. To end the abusive and oppressive rule by the Chosen of helpless non-Chosen. She had been doing that for a long time now. Petra had originally identified Chosen on thirty-two continuums on one side of Jodi’s home timeline and eighteen on the other. She, Catherine, and their living starships Petra and Athena, had been doggedly fulfilling that commitment ever since. Nearly two hundred years of lineal time, cleaning up timeline after timeline, saving almost the same races and civilizations time after time. Dealing with the ugliness of the Chosen, and the High Chancellor in particular, time and time again. The repetition had become mind-numbing. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted, and relieved beyond measure that this was the very last timeline to be done. She didn't know if it was her mood, or if this really was the ugliest culture of all the variations they’d dealt with, but she felt deeply depressed. That probably contributed to what happened next.

She double-checked that her modifications to her nanite based body still presented her as a large, middle-aged Chosen male then stepped out of the shuttle. Surveying the empty field where she had landed her shuttle, she enabled it’s cloaking function, watched it fade from view and then headed towards the Chancellor’s palatial estate. She hadn’t gone very far before she was surrounded by heavily armed non-Chosen soldiers, led by a young Chosen. Male of course, as there were no female Chosen, and never had been on any of the continuums she’d visited. Careful to make no sudden moves, she pressed the button on her wrist which activated the aerosol dispenser resting around her neck. A cloud of the Chosen pheromone wafted across the group. She waited a couple of seconds to make sure everyone had been affected and then spoke to the young Chosen leader.

Take me to the High Chancellor, she said, Immediately.

The Chosen hesitated, then relaxed into the embrace of the pheromone. The Chosen possessed it naturally, and used it ruthlessly to control any and all of the non-Chosen. The non-Chosen lacked the biological capability to release pheromone but they were entirely susceptible to its influence. It made them the perfect slave species, completely obedient to the Chosen. However, the Chosen themselves were susceptible too, to some extent, though only to someone who released a more potent form of the pheromone. Thus they automatically fell into a hierarchical society of descending dominance, with the High Chancellor at the apex. The pheromone contained in Jodi's aerosol was artificial, but probably the most potent on the planet. The troop meekly escorted her to see the High Chancellor.

She strode into his office as if she owned the place and came to an abrupt halt in the doorway in momentary surprise. The High Chancellor stood on the far side of the room. A large fan stood on each side of him, blowing towards Jodi. Large ornamental windows opened on the wall to one side of the doorway where Jodi stood.

I've been studying you. The High Chancellor said. You’ve been quite prominent, moving so brazenly and openly among the non-Chosen scum, so I assume you’re the leader of this little revolt. You appear to be quite potent. Obviously you think yourself as potent as I am, possibly even more so. I assume you’ve come to challenge me for my position, perhaps seeing yourself as the next High Chancellor, but as you can see I've taken certain precautions to ensure that doesn't happen.

Jodi faced into the breeze from the fans. There was no way any pheromone that she released could possibly reach the High Chancellor.

Well then, I guess we’ll just have to do this the hard way. She sighed. Surrender now and I'll see you imprisoned but not mistreated. You’ll be allowed to live reasonably comfortably for the rest of your life, just not in the style you’re obviously accustomed to.

The rest of my life. Ha! You little fool, do you have any idea how old I am?

Yes. A little over seventeen hundred years.

The High Chancellor looked surprised. How do you…

I also know that your longevity is acquired by cannibalizing newly hatched chicks every six months. A chick of your own bloodline, no less. Jodi interrupted brusquely. "That ends as of today.

You appear to have developed a rather rudimentary understanding of the genetics and hereditary involved. I, and my people, have a far better understanding. We have engineered two viruses that have already been spread across your entire planet. Even now, they're beginning to take effect.

The first virus cancels out any benefit that you would gain from your repugnant ritual of consuming chicks from your own bloodline to reset your aging cells. As of now that simply doesn't work anymore.

The second virus cancels out the susceptibility of the non-Chosen to the Chosen pheromone. As of today, they are completely immune to it. They're free of you and your kind, free to make their own choices and their own decisions."

Jodi watched as her statements hammered home against the High Chancellor's confidence.

How have you done that? He gasped. How could you possibly have acquired that knowledge. I’ve had all biological and genetic research outlawed for more than a thousand years. He paused, took a few breaths, gathering his thoughts. Bah. It doesn’t matter. You think you have won? You haven't. I’ve ruled this world for seventeen hundred years. You think I’m just going to roll over and submit to some little hatchling who’s barely out of the shell? I will not be relegated to some miserable little prison at your behest.

You don’t seem to understand. It's too late to stop. You're already beaten.

No! Pure rage now, barely contained. It’s you who don’t understand. I’ve had centuries to prepare for an event like this. For some upstart to try to take away my empire, my world. I decided long ago that if I can't rule here then I will see that no one else does. I will rain death and destruction down upon this planet. If I am to fall then this entire world will fall with me. He stepped over to his desk, pulled open a drawer and pressed the button inside. Jodi made no move to try and stop him.

I have just issued an order to my space force. They are now in the process of releasing a multitude of asteroids, massive rocks, all targeting this world. If I can't have it I will see it burn.

Petra, Jodi spoke softly. Implement Umbrella.

Yes Jodi. Petra replied. Her voice echoing slightly around the High Chancellor's office.

The High Chancellor looked disconcerted. Who was that?

I told you, I have access to technology far beyond your own. It's not just restricted to genetics either. I have just ordered my spaceship to protect this world. It will not burn, because the rocks will not be allowed to fall. My ship will stop them all, and ensure your ships are unable to do any further damage.

No! The High Chancellor screamed in fury. I will see it burned. If not from above, then with my armies from the ground. First I’ll take care of you, and then I will lead my army out and destroy everything in sight. I will leave nothing behind me but scorched-earth and death.

He pulled a gun from his holster, pointed it directly at Jodi’s face and fired the entire magazine at her. Then he stared in shock as the bullets seem to hit an invisible wall an inch or so in front of Jodi's head.

Apart from being technologically more advanced than you, I've dealt with more High Chancellor's than you could ever imagine. I've been through this conversation quite a few times before, including numerous variations on this particular theme. Unsurprisingly, a very large number of them ended like this, and I've learned a thing or two. The first High Chancellor I encountered managed to kill me. You, being the last one, had no chance at all of managing that. I gave you a choice. You've obviously made it. Now accept the consequences.

With that she pulled her own gun and put two bullets through the High Chancellor's head. Blood and grey matter sprayed across the wall behind him and his dead body collapsed to the floor. Then, disheartened beyond measure, Jodi turned and left. Two hours later she was back on Petra, sitting in the lounge, sipping a glass of wine.

You will not believe what is happening down on the planet, Catherine announced dejectedly as she walked into the lounge.

I probably will, Jodi sighed, but go ahead and tell me anyway.

The non-Chosen have revolted, all across the planet. All those agreements we had with Asher and her groups for the peaceful replacement of the Chosen have been flushed right down the tubes. They have done exactly what they promised us that they wouldn't do. Risen in revolt and then slaughtered every single Chosen they can lay their hands on. The mobs are storming through the cities, killing anyone who might possibly be a Chosen. They're even slaughtering those poor bastards who were Chosen bodyguards, those who had no choice but to obey the Chosen. By the end of the week I doubt there’ll be a single Chosen left alive on the entire planet. And given the genetic modifications from our viruses there’ll never be another one born.

Jodi sighed in pain and disillusionment. She’d half expected it, but had hoped that all the negotiations they’d had with the non-Chosen would have avoided such a bloodbath. Had they gotten sloppy? Had they done this so many times before that they’d missed the signs of more extreme levels of fear and pain and hate. She didn’t think so. She mentally reviewed their actions since landing on this world of the Chosen. She couldn’t see anything they’d missed, anything they could or should have done differently. They’d even taken extra precautions, made sure to have multiple, detailed discussions with dozens of the non-Chosen leaders. But given how ruthless the Chosen had been for so many centuries, treating the non-Chosen like tools and implements and furniture, she’d suspected that any hope for a relatively bloodless coup would be in vain.

I'm done. She said. Petra, take us out of here. Signal Athena that we're leaving.

Where to? Petra asked.

Anywhere that's not here. Someplace that doesn't have anyone else living on it. Somewhere peaceful. Some place where I can drown my sorrows in endless days of peace and quiet.

Catherine looked at her quizzically but said nothing. Outside, the ship moved away from the Chosen planet and dropped into the no space, no time realm of their star drive. Behind them, what had once been a semi-civilized world, burned. And bled. A world that had been steeped in violent oppression and life-long slavery for so many centuries quickly descended into revolt and retribution, vengeance and blood. The non-Chosen, once so meek and mild, releasing centuries worth of rage and hate in just a few days. It would be centuries before their civilization recovered. The non-Chosen they'd helped and negotiated with had obviously given them whatever agreements they asked for. Kept the powerful aliens happy long enough to get the Chosen dealt with, and then carried on with whatever plans they'd already made for themselves. The blood and destruction which now engulfed their world and civilization was the result. In her heart, Jodi knew that nothing she or Catherine could have said or done would have changed that outcome. It had been inevitable. But still she felt responsible. She’d tried to save a civilization and this was the result.

~~~

I'm done, Jodi repeated a week later. We've dealt with all the continuums with Queens, and now we've dealt with all the continuums that have Chosen. I never want to see or hear about Chosen or Queens ever again. I am thoroughly sick and tired of it all.

But we succeeded. Catherine said encouragingly. We saved their civilization. The never-ending oppression of the Chosen has been broken and the non-chosen are finally free. Though I will admit the cost was quite a bit higher than I’d expected. But we won. Surely you can see that. It wasn’t in vain.

Not in vain, no, but the cost in blood and lives was far too high.

I'm sure you'll feel better in a few weeks, You just need to take a break.

Yes, I do need to take a break, but no, it will take a lot more than a few weeks. I’m thinking I need to take a vacation. A long, long vacation, maybe a hundred years or so. Maybe longer.

What? Catherine, Petra and Athena squawked in unison.

Yes, Jodi replied, quickly warming to her new idea. "A hundred year vacation. All by myself.

Look Catherine, I know you've been with me all this time, and you've dealt with all the same continuums that I've dealt with, but I'm also a hundred and fifty years or so older than you. I've been at this game a lot longer than you. And I'm a lot closer to my breaking point. That last world just pushed me right up to the very edge.

So I'm going to go find me a nice quiet and above all, empty, solar system. There, I'm going to build myself a nice little house, the perfect vacation home, and there I'm going to live in complete isolation for a while. You and Athena and Petra can carry on without me, and Petra can come and get me in a hundred years. Hopefully by then I'll have recovered."

And that was that. Catherine argued for a couple of days, but Jodi was adamant. And so, after doing her own mulling and thinking, Catherine and Athena headed back to her own continuum, her own Earth, in her own timeline, to renew old acquaintances, see how the old world was doing. Jodi and Petra went looking for the perfect vacation hideaway.

Surveying the planet

What's the verdict Petra?

They had been orbiting the planet for a week now, scanning it almost meter by meter.

It looks good. Petra replied. "I haven't found a single non-natural heat source anywhere down there. No sign of any sort power generation of any kind. No nuclear hot spots, dams, solar or wind farms, nothing. Not even campfires. The landmasses are covered in dense vegetation, quite similar to Earth's in biological function. Forests of things very much like massive oaks, birch and ash cover the largest continent. Other continents are covered forests of conifers or conifer-type growths. Douglas Fir or California Redwood equivalents at the large end and little cedar bushes at the other. There are huge prairies covered in grass, massive marshlands all along the river deltas. Where there’s no trees, everything is covered in various types of flowering plant. There are some truly spectacular rivers and freshwater lakes, complementing the other half of the planet which is covered in saltwater oceans with a few small islands scattered around.

But there is absolutely nothing down there that you could possibly call a civilization. Lots of land animals, again many of them earthlike. Doppelgängers for things like antelope, bison and buffalo. Something that resembles an elephant but is colored like a giraffe. Lion and tiger equivalents in the tropical regions, wolves in the temperate zones. Bears too. But nothing resembling a sentient creature. There isn’t even anything down there I could point to and say that might be pre-sentient, let alone sentient."

What about the oceans?

"Pretty much the same thing. Various sea life, roughly equivalent to the species filling the earth-type oceanic ecological niches. Things very much like plankton and krill at the bottom end of the food pyramid. Little fish, feeding bigger fish. Seal equivalents. Dolphin and whale-like creatures. Lots of oceanic flyers. Not really birds, more closely resembling reptiles, but filling the bird niche. Definitely nothing sentient or pre-sentient in the oceans either. At least, nothing that's building anything that I can find. There's no sign of any sort of tool use or language on the entire planet. It's to be expected though, I suppose. In all the worlds we’ve visited, we've never yet encountered a purely marine based intelligence. The Otter world was as close as we've come, and they didn't really begin to develop a civilization until they moved onto the land.

All in all, this world is surprisingly similar to Earth. If we'd been hunting for a potential colony this would be near perfect. It's as close to Eden as we are likely to find, but without people of any shape or size."

So is there any point in dropping AICs here?

I suppose we could, but they’d just lay around dormant for a few million years waiting for something to happen that might be worth their attention. I’d say it's not really worth the bother. We can always do it later. Check the place every hundred thousand years or so, see if anything develops. If anything does, we can always drop AICs then.

In that case, do we build my vacation villa here on the planet, or out on that gas giant’s moon like I'd planned to begin with?

"Completely your choice Jodi. Here, you’ll have to contend with the native wildlife. Plus there's always the possibility of inadvertently contaminating the planet with something from our travels. You'd have to decontaminate whenever you went outside. Or at least for the first few months or so.

On the moon there'd be no potential contamination issues, but the build would be a little more complex. We’d have to add our own atmosphere and gravity. You’d been living beneath a shield, though we could certainly make it a pretty big shield. Something you wouldn’t notice most of the time.

However, neither choice would present any sort of major issues. We just plan what you want, generate the nanites and let them lose. Jump forward five years or so and you can move in to the finished product."

So I have a choice. Planetary sunrises and variable weather, or gas giant atmospheric displays and stars. She thought for a while. You know, I think I'd prefer to leave the planet to go its own way, in its own time. I’ve had more than enough of dealing with other life forms. Yeah, let's head out to the gas giant. Build me a nice airy villa with a great big patio and pool. I can relax, watch storms on the giant while I sit back and drink my wine. Watch the universe go by in peace and quiet. If I'm on the planet I might be tempted to interfere, and I've done far too much of that already. More than enough for one lifetime, maybe enough for several lifetimes.

In that case, you'd better get busy designing your new home so we have some plans to give to the construction nanites. I'll take a lazy man's route back out to the giant. Give you some time to play.

Farewell Petra

Must I go, Jodi? Why can't I stay here with you? I still don’t really understand why you want to stay here alone. She asked, her voice quite plaintive.

Petra my dear, tell me, how many times have we defeated the Chosen? Jodi was sitting in the starship’s command lounge. How many times have we destroyed the last Queen? Killed the last High Chancellor?

We have killed the Queens thirty-seven times now. And checked a hundred and forty-eight solar systems to ensure the Queens will never arrive there. Ended the Chosen sub species forty-two times. Killed the last High Chancellor forty-two times.

And how long have we been doing that?

Two hundred and twenty-one real-time years.

"And there's your answer, Petra. I'm tired. Bone tired. I've been saving continuums for too many years. Two hundred and twenty-one is far too long for me, even if I am functionally immortal. I can’t face an eternity of doing nothing more than that.

I want to be able to wake up in the morning and not have to deal with protecting the Otter's world from destruction. Not have to worry about moving the Salander race to another planet. Not have to worry about how much psychological damage we might do to those people. Just because it was the right thing to do doesn’t completely justify the pain we’ve caused.

I want to wake up and laze around in bed, just watching the sun rise, or in this case, the gas giant rise. To lay beside the pool and watch the clouds race across the face of the giant and know that if I want, I can just sit, all day long, watching the clouds play. To know that I am not responsible for doing anything. Not responsible for saving anyone. Not responsible for continually fighting against evil. Not responsible for killing the bad to save the good."

But you're leaving us behind. Petra sobbed.

Jody had always known AICs had emotions. She had just never realized they could experience grief as deeply as any other species. She longed to put her arms around Petra, hug her, wipe the tears from her eyes. She couldn't. You can't hug a starship that's two kilometers long. Nor can the starship hug you back.

"It's not forever Petra. I just need a rest. I am so tired of saving worlds. I'm just going to take a very long vacation. You go and join Catherine and Athena. Carry on saving the universe. I will be here, just resting for a while.

Come back to me in a hundred years. I should be recovered by then. Probably by then I'll be completely bored out of my mind. Then you and I can carry on, saving people, discovering new