Ceasarea

By Nerissa McNaughton

Melissa Huthel's landmark voyage to inner Venus was met with tragedy when her Sun Cruiser mysteriously powered down, went off course, and disappeared. Years later, as her younger sister Leslie is on the brink of graduation from the Galexerium, she learns that the missing craft has never stopped transmitting distress calls. Unbeknownst to the general public, a secret and ongoing investigation into the failed mission revealed a mass deep in the planet of Venus, and Leslie quickly accepts an assignment to travel there and salvage what everyone believes are the remains of the Cruiser – and her sister.

 

But it's more than just a mass. 

 

A small trio of sister worlds thrives in the heart of Venus and Melissa, who survived the journey, has been adopted into the royal family. Scared and alienated by her ambitious adopted sister Tachoma, who has unstoppable designs on the crown, Melissa is just trying desperately to survive and return to Earth. Tachoma has other plans. She has no intention of releasing Melissa and every intention of conquering the two neighboring worlds so she will have the army and the resources she needs to invade Earth.

 

Melissa learns, to her horror, that her adopted family and new circle of friends know all about Earth – because that is where these three distinct species came from. Banished and forgotten by the human race, two of the species are content to live out their days in peace in their new home, but Tachoma's restlessness and drive for vengeance threatens them all.

 

For Tachoma, Earth is not without its challenges, but the cunning princess has a plan. Her eyes and ears on Earth is someone - or rather something - nobody suspects. An intergalactic war is looming, and Leslie is about to fly right into the heart of the storm, bringing all of humanity with her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nerissa McNaughton
• Release date: Aug 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223880707

Book preview

Prologue

Leslie stepped out of the ship and down the extended staircase.  She jumped over the last stair and landed nimbly on the dock.  Cameras flashed as the excited teenager turned to look back at her traveling companion. Travis followed Leslie at a slower pace. The aging professor held the railing for support as he made his way down the stairs. Halfway down, he paused briefly and smiled into the nearest camera. 

Professor! What do you have to say about the people that think this mission is too dangerous for a 25 year old girl?

Professor! Can we expect more of these missions if this flight is successful?

Professor! What insights do you hope to gain from this voyage?

Leslie took the professor’s arm and helped him down the last stair. They both ignored the questions and followed their armed bodyguards off the landing platform and into Alpha.

The teenage girl sighed with relief when the doors closed behind them, shutting out the cameras and the press. Only authorized personnel were allowed inside of Alpha. 

How did Melissa ever get used to that? she asked as she drew her coat around herself to ward off the sudden blast of cold air.

Travis smiled as he fastened his own coat, She just ignored them, mostly. It’s terrible, really, the way they’d hound her. So, Leslie, you don’t like being a celebrity?

Leslie wrinkled her nose, No!

Travis laughed. 

The pair walked quickly to keep up with their guards.  They paused in front of a set of heavy double doors and waited for the head guard to enter the code. It took six sets of doors, six fourteen-digit codes, and several biometric scans before they reached the control center in the core of Alpha. The core was, as usual, a hubbub of activity. 

The core was the nerve center of the entire station.  Not only did it control the climate, power levels, and energy of the floating city, it also monitored all the galactic highways between the planets and into deep space.  All ships docked at Alpha before traveling into space, and not just anybody could land on a planet.  Since Travis’s great, great grandfather had discovered and mapped the galactic highways so many years ago, only researchers were allowed to land on them.  Small habitats had been set up on the moon and closest planets, allowing teams to stay for weeks at a time before traveling back to Alpha for supplies and fuel.

Leslie flashed her guest pass at the woman guarding the entry doors, but it was an unnecessary gesture. 

We’ve been waiting for you! She exclaimed as she shook the young girl’s hand.  Leslie Huthel, welcome to Alpha. Professor, it’s nice to have you back with us, as always.

Leslie could barely mumble out a reply.  She was too busy drinking in the sights and sounds of the station.  I had no idea! she gasped, her eyes widening. "Melissa described it to me a hundred times, but...wow! This is awesome!"

Travis laughed and the guards joined in. 

That’s the reaction most people have when they come to Alpha for the first time.  We’re quite proud of the city, Travis smiled as Leslie strained her neck back to view the Decks towering above her. This way, dear, he steered her to the elevator.  Melissa’s communication system is rigged into Deck 6.

***

Deck 6 to Sun Cruiser I, come in please.  Deck 6 to Sun Cruiser I, come in please. Janie Kim, Deck 6’s manager, was trying to make contact when Travis and Leslie stepped from the elevator.  Deck 6 to Sun Cruiser I. Come on, Melissa!

Trouble? Travis asked as he came up behind her.

Oh! Professor! Janie Kim jumped and whirled around.  I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were arriving so soon.  She glanced at her watch. Wow! I guess time got away from me.  We’re having a little trouble raising the Sun Cruiser.  We’ve received clear transmissions all morning, but they’ve gone static in the last half hour."

Sun Cruiser I to Deck Six.  Come in, Janie Kim. Melissa’s voice flooded the Deck and they all began to cheer. 

Melissa! Welcome back! I thought I’d lost you. Janie Kim sighed in relief.  Please report.

All’s well. Static blurred the line blurred and Melissa’s voice faded into garbles.

Melissa, if you can still hear me, try switching over to Comm2.

Sun Cruiser I to Deck 6 on Comm2. Do you read me, Janie Kim? The transmission was still a little static, but definitely understandable.

Much better, Melissa. We’ve got a surprise for you. She’s just arrived. Janie Kim motioned Leslie to the Comm and made a quick adjustment on one of the panels.

Melissa? Hi! Leslie giggled in excitement and nervousness as she addressed her older sister.

Leslie? Les? Is that you? How in the world did you get to Alpha?"

Surprise! Travis brought me.  Oh Melissa, it’s so beautiful! I envy you so much! It’s huge! And I just can’t believe I’m here talking to you! I miss you!

Aw, I miss you too, but this will all be over in a couple of weeks and I’ll be home for two months.  I can’t wait, Les!

You should see what’s going on outside in the landing zone, Mel.  The press is going crazy.  You’re a real hero.  How does it feel?

Melissa laughed.  I’m no hero.  I’m just a lucky... The signal blurred and static filled the Comm.  Think...losing you...very....something’s wrong...I.... I need....

Janie Kim stepped in and quickly began making adjustments again.  Melissa? Melissa I’m losing you again.  Switching to Comm3. More static. Comm4. More static.

Leslie stepped back, Travis? What’s going on? Is this normal?

Travis frowned in concern.  Actually, no.  A little interference was expected given her destination and the instability of the portal, but we usually can pick up the signal by switching Comms.

Janie Kim glanced over her shoulder, her face white and her lips drawn in tight.  Travis, this is no routine flight and you know it.  I should have quit before I accepted the Deck manager position for the mission. She pressed the button to page all the Decks and the control center.  This is Deck 6.  We have lost contact with Sun Cruiser I.  Stand by for code yellow.

Travis? What is it? Leslie suddenly felt short of breath.  Something felt very wrong.

It’s okay, Leslie, Travis tried his best to be reassuring.  It’s only a precaution.

Janie Kim’s hands were a blur as she worked the Comm controls. Status. No communication between Deck 6 and Sun Cruiser I for 10 minutes. Code yellow. Standby for code red.

Travis?

He didn’t reply, but put his hand on Leslie’s shoulder. He tried not to let his worry show.

Suddenly a loud noise that sounded like a zipper being ripped open tore through the radio and traveled through the Comms that had been activated on all the decks.  Melissa’s voice flooded the control center with a loud, clear, urgent cry.

Sun Cruiser I to Deck 6! Sun Cruiser I to Deck 6!

Comm8! Travis cried.

Janie Kim switched the Comm.  Sun Cruiser I, this is Deck 6 responding.  Do you have an emergency?

Recall. Recall. I am off course.  I repeat. I am off course.  My navigation system is failing.

Travis’s face went white.

Deck 6 to Eagle III. Adjust your course immediately to intercept Sun Cruiser I.  Lock onto to signal pattern 86 tango delta 3 and tow her to the coordinates I’m uploading to your system, Janie Kim ordered the nearest ship to come to Melissa’s aid. Eagle III, do you copy?

Deck 6, this is Eagle III. We are unable to get a lock.  Repeat, we are unable to get a lock. The Cruiser has moved past our position. Standing by in hover for subject recovery.

Deck 6 to Sun Cruiser I.  Abort Mission.  Repeat. Abort mission. Melissa, get to your pod, eject and hover.  Eagle III will rendezvous to your position in 30 minutes.

I can’t.

Activity and noise on all Decks went suddenly still.

Melissa, Janie Kim said in a low voice, dispensing with protocol.  Don’t panic.  Get to your pod.  You can do this.

I can’t, she said again, her voice breaking.  I’m in total failure. None of my systems are responding but something is pulling me towards the point of entry in the portal.

Oh no, Travis breathed. 

Leslie’s wide eyes darted between Travis and Janie Kim.

Deck 6 do you have me on visual? I want to say something to Leslie.

Janie looked back at Leslie.  Then she turned her attention back to the Comm. We have no visual confirmation of your status or position.  Repeat, we do not have you on visual.

Leslie stepped towards the Comm. Mel?  Melissa? she said in a small voice.

Hey, Les.

The Decks were silent but for the sounds of the two sisters. Leslie put her hand on the screen, which showed nothing but static, as if was trying to reach out and touch her older sister.

Leslie, I’m...sss....I....  Static.

Janie Kim reacted instantly. Switching down. Comm1. Failure. Comm2. Failure. Comm3. Failure.

There!  She’s there! Travis pointed to a small screen below the main one.  She’s on text data. Text data was always a last resort.

Incoming message, on screen, Janie Kim flicked the screen with the pad of her gloved forefinger, sending the incoming message to the larger viewer.

The message had two words. I’m sorry.

Leslie began to cry.  Travis bit his lip so hard he drew blood. Melissa, no. He whispered hoarsely. No.  Stay with us.

Unacceptable, Melissa! Janie Kim yelled as her fingers flew across the screen, typing instructions. We are going to get you out of this.  Stay with me.

I adsf jiijje ioj o, The text Comm garbled out and Janie immediately switched back to voice. 

Comm1. Failure.  Comm2. Failure. Comm3...Melissa I have you on Comm3.

Within seconds Janie Kim wished they were able to stick with text.  What they heard through the Comm would haunt everyone on Alpha for many years to come. 

Janie... Melissa’s broken voice was merely a whisper but it was filled with a strange kind of awe, Janie Kim...I’m transmitting an image. Are you getting this? I don’t believe it. I...I... And then she started screaming.

The first scream pierced the air like a bullet and the screams went on and on.

Do something! Leslie screamed at the crew on the Deck.  Do something!  Melissa! Melissa! Can you hear me?  Melissa! She pounded on the screen in vain.

The screams stopped when they heard the sound of the Sun Cruiser crashing and breaking apart, and then there was silence.

Melissa? Janie’s voice filled the room.  Melissa? her voice broke.

There was no reply.  The screens showing the monitoring of the Cruiser’s position and vitals showed a thin, red line. 

I...I...  Janie looked frantically around the room.  Nobody moved. Leslie saw Janie Kim do a quick movement with her left hand and the screens that were monitoring the Cruiser and its mission went blank.  

Travis somberly spoke into the microphone for the paging system and addressed all of Alpha. Melissa Huthel. Time of death. 13:07. He put his hand on Leslie’s shoulder. I’m sorry, Leslie. I truly am.

Janie Kim walked off the Deck, her back ridged and her hands clenched.  Nobody made a move to stop her.

––––––––

Three years later

Mother, please! Leslie slammed down the trunk of her car in frustration.  I’m leaving in 15 minutes.  I’d rather not fight about this now. What’s done is done. I’m going and there’s nothing you can say to stop me!

You’re only 19, Leslie.  I lost one daughter this way. I don’t think I can bear to lose another.

Leslie sighed and closed her eyes.  Katherine Huthel never did recover from the tragic loss of her oldest daughter on her ill-fated mission.  Now her youngest and only surviving child was heading off to the Galexerium to study– just like her prodigy of an older sister did when she was 18.

Mom, Leslie’s voice softened considerably.  I’m going to be just fine.  It’s going to be three years before I even qualify for a mission and I seriously doubt that there will be any more trips to inner Venus. That mission has been the only failure of its kind since the inception of Alpha.  It’s going to be fine.

You’re forgetting that disaster en route to Pluto. Katherine referred to the mission that resulted in a ship being sucked away, lost from tracking, and suddenly resurfacing far off course.  

That was an unmanned ship.  They anticipated the danger and took the proper precautions.

And they couldn’t send an unmanned ship to Venus? What were they thinking? Letting a 23 year old girl on such a mission...

Mother! Melissa knew the risk.  She was a celebrity. A hero! What happened was a complete accident and you know it.  She would have been just fine if she had stayed on course...

As soon as the words left her mouth, Leslie wished she could take them back.  After Melissa’s tragic death, an investigation was launched into why the Sun Cruiser had mysteriously altered course, sending it through the most unstable point of the portal. Years of research had indicated cool spots in the atmosphere of Venus based on its turbulent weather patterns. A careful calibration of time and precise planning were required, but two successful unmanned missions had touched down and transmitted surface data from Venus.  It was a landmark mission, and Melissa had fought long and hard for the coveted position. She had even undergone extensive surgery to have an ION (internal oxygen navigational) system placed in her left lung enabling foreign gases to be processed into oxygen inside her lungs.

The investigation turned up no reasonable answer.  Janie Kim had come under suspicion of altering the Sun Cruiser’s course, but there was no motive and no proof, so the investigation came to an inconclusive end.  Janie Kim, mortified at having been a suspect, resigned her position on Alpha and disappeared from the public eye. Most everyone, including Leslie, thought that Janie Kim was being used as a scapegoat, a way for Alpha to blame away the guilt of the disaster.

Mother. Leslie gently took her mom’s face in her hands. I’ll be coming home again. I promise you this.

Katherine’s hands covered her daughters as tears slipped unchecked down her cheeks.  I’ll hold you to this promise, she whispered. 

High above them in the stars spaceships traveled between the terrestrial planets. The space station Alpha had been remodeled, updated, and expanded.

And on a newly built wing, sealed off and held under strict security, Alpha held a terrible secret.

***

Leslie

Leslie was so deeply engrossed in her work that she failed to hear the approaching footsteps.  The intruder stopped at her workstation and stood for several minutes, hoping to be noticed voluntarily. 

Finally he cleared his throat, ahem...Leslie?

Leslie gasped and swung around on her stool, dropping her test tube and splattering blue liquid over the marble surface.  The liquid turned to hard orange drops as they came in contact with the oxygen and quickly adhered to their new surface.

Brian! For crying out loud, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?

With a sigh of resignation, Brian went to the cupboard for solvent and a rag.  In the first place, Leslie, I didn’t sneak up on you.  Secondly, if you take your head out of the sky for a few minutes and join us back here on Earth, you would realize that you were supposed to meet Travis half an hour ago.

Oh crap. I completely lost track of time. Leslie frowned as she wiped her hands on her lab coat.

Big shock there, came the dry reply.  Run along, Les.  I’ll clean this up for you.

Leslie shot Brian a grateful look and took off down the hall at a run.  She was breathless by the time she reached the giant oak doors that shut Travis away from the rest of the world. 

Travis had taken Melissa’s failed mission especially hard.  Like Janie Kim, he had fled the accusations of the public eye. Now he spent most of his time doing paperwork in his ornate study in the Galexerium, far away from Alpha. Most people excused his actions as the work of a shamed old man, but Leslie didn’t.  She remembered Melissa’s glowing reports about Travis’s work and her own encounter with him on Alpha.  She couldn’t understand how a man so in love with his work would prefer to hide from it. 

Raising a timid hand, Leslie knocked on the oak door.

Come in, Leslie.

Leslie opened the door and peeked around it. How did you know it was me?

Because all my other appointments show up on time.

Leslie grinned sheepishly until Travis grinned back at her.

You know, he said softly, you look a little more like your sister every day.

With an unladylike snort, Leslie ran her hand over her disheveled hair. Thanks, I think.  That would be quite a compliment if I actually believed you!

Sit down, dear, and lock the door.

Leslie kicked the door shut with her foot, slid the bolt, and sank into a leather chair.  What’s up Professor? You look so serious.

I’ve got something important to tell you, Leslie.  It’s about the Sun Cruiser.

Instinctively, Leslie stiffened. Travis rose and walked warily to the bookshelf in the corner of his office.  He pulled out a particularly large volume and carried it with both hands to his desk.  When he slowly pulled back the heavy cover, Leslie gasped.  It was not a book at all, but a dummy cover for a silver flask and a glass.

Do you know what this is, Leslie?

Of course she knew.  All the students at the Galexerium knew of the fabled flask whose contents would erase the memory of any conversation not meant to be leaked to the outside world.  Leslie had signed a waver along with all the other new Galexerium freshmen two years ago allowing the drug to be administered if she ever came into such information. 

Travis? Why...?

Travis poured a dose into the glass and placed it between them on the desk.  Leslie, I’m not going to force you to drink this.  Listen to what I have to say, then decide.  Do you understand?

The young girl could only nod.

As you know, we only release a certain amount of information to the public about what we find when we travel in space, Travis began.  Unfortunately, most of what we know is also kept from all but a select few of our brightest and best graduating students. You could understand what a general panic it would cause if documents were leaked. Six members of the Jupiter team were administered the drug after their...ah...findings on their mission.

Leslie clearly remembered the incident.  It had happened only months after her arrival at the Academy.  The Jupiter team had returned to Alpha after a brief term of observation a scant million miles from the giant planet. After docking, they were refused entry into the station for three days.  The docking bay and several surrounding wings were sealed off, and Travis himself was escorted from the Galexerium to Alpha in a Space Concord.  Six members of the crew were then off the ship and immediately rushed into containment under tight security.  When they came out, they could only say that they had been on a routine research trip.  The other three members of the crew remained on Alpha and had not been back to Earth since.  Their ship was de-commissioned and destroyed. When Travis returned to the Galexerium, everyone knew better than to ask questions.  Such a breach of conduct could cause expulsion.  Those that fought long and hard for a coveted spot at the academy were not about to take such a risk.  Such was the daily life for those that chose this path. 

Please, Travis, just spit it out. Leslie begged.  The suspense is killing me.

With a deep breath, Travis pushed on. There was a mission to Venus that took place long before your sister’s.  It was an unmanned craft named Sun’s Destiny, and the data it brought back stunned all that knew about it. There are not three layers in the atmosphere of Venus. There are four.  The first is the layer Melissa was to penetrate and collect from.  The second and third are similar, but much cooler.  The fourth, well, it’s an atmosphere that is very comparable to Earth’s.  It has oxygen.  Under this layer is a mass that we have yet to identify.  We all believed that the Sun Cruiser went off course and was sucked through the portal on the day she disappeared. Six weeks after the disaster, a receiver on Alpha picked something up. Travis reached into his desk and pulled out several long sheets of paper.  He laid them side by side so Leslie could read the lines on the graph. Do you know what this is, Leslie?

It’s a data print out of a signal from a ship in distress. She recalled her basic training. The signature is odd.  I don’t recognize it. Is it a Beta?

Travis shook his head, watching her closely.  It’s the Sun Cruiser.

Leslie shot out of her chair and snatched up the graph paper. No! Travis! It can’t be.  Look at the dates!

Even as she spoke she knew that Travis knew exactly what she was going to say. The pupil had the eyes of an eagle.  

Look at the sequence and frame pattern.  This signal was sent at the same time every day for three weeks! That’s impossible.

We thought that too, Leslie, but the signature is unmistakable.  No other ship was or has ever been fitted with a pattern or anything close to it.  After the three weeks, the signal fell to a random pattern.  It was broadcast periodically, but not with the same precision and timing that we’d previously seen.

Leslie sank back into her chair, sorting out her thoughts aloud. If the ship went through the first layer off-course, it’s possible that it wasn’t completely destroyed.  The damage would automatically start the distress signal, and the preciseness of the pattern could be a fluke...

Leslie, Travis broke in. Think logically.

I can’t, the girl snapped.  Six weeks after? Do you really think Melissa could have lived that long alone in the ship, even with her emergency rations? You were there.  You heard those screams.  I still hear those screams, Travis.  They keep me up at night.  I prefer to think she died quickly, not lived for six weeks to broadcast that signal with her flesh burned and decaying while she starved to death.

Travis bowed his head.  Leslie had painted a grim picture. She had medical supplies.  Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as all that.  We have no other conclusion, Leslie.  Look at the time when the signals came in.  Peak hour at Alpha when they are most likely to be received without interference.

Why didn’t you send someone after her?

The signals didn’t come from the first layer, they came from somewhere deeper inside.  Much deeper.  They came from the mass below.

Leslie swallowed hard as she surveyed the lines on the paper. After the three weeks they became more and more sporadic and shorter in length.  She imagined Melissa growing weaker and weaker, trying to reach up to the controls, using her last bit of strength to reach out to Alpha.

When did the signals stop?

Travis ignored the question.  Leslie, when was your last trip to Alpha?

The Moon mission that all graduating students take before the end of their term.  We set up camp in the large crater and assisted the research team living there.

And did you see anything unusual on Alpha?

Just renovations on Alpha. They wouldn’t let us into the new wing.

"It’s not a new wing. It’s a decoy. It’s a secret lab that only a very select group of people know about.  I haven’t