Dondel's Deception

By Carl Burger

In the far distant past, the Dwarf Sagittarius Galaxy began to be consumed by the much larger and more powerful Milky Way Galaxy. As it was being torn apart, it was streaming by a solar system containing the planet Earth. Two warring planet's inhabitants escaped its destruction by fleeing to the Earth, where they continued their conflict. Dondel continued his deceptive behavior to manipulate the human race for his own selfish desires, while his adversaries attempted to foil his plans. As the number of Dondel's adversaries continues to increase, Dondel is faced with altering his plans or face eternal servitude to his adversaries. Meanwhile, the human race is at each other's throats after learning that members of the human race have been aiding Dondel. Read on, as the human race is faced with the realization that their history is littered with lies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carl Burger
• Release date: Sep 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215924440

Book preview

Dondel’s Deception

By

Carl Burger

Copyright 2019, Carl Burger

Published by Carl Burger at Smashwords

Thank you for downloading this e-book. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

This book is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all of the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product 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.

Formatting and cover design by Ebook Launch.

Contents

Prologue:

The Beginning

Epilogue

Other books by this author

Coming soon

Be careful what you believe,

For there are those that will deceive.

They’re watching you both day and night.

Deciding for you what’s wrong or right.

No one know from where they came,

Nor why they play their evil game.

They are not like you and I.

They are the masters of the lie.

Above us all is where they live.

Nothing at all do they care to give.

They live to take without regret,

But there are those that don’t forget.

For very soon will come the day,

When they will finally find a way.

For the human race to finally find,

The true source of all mankind.

Only then will the lying end,

As it’s blown away upon the wind.

Prologue:

In the far distant past, the small and ancient Dwarf Sagittarius galaxy began to be consumed by the much larger and more powerful Milky Way galaxy. As it was pulled into the Milky Way, it was torn into a long ribbon of debris that streamed by a solar system containing a planet referred to as the Earth. That fact was not discovered by the scientists on the Earth until the beginning of the twenty-first century. This story is about two warring planets whose inhabitants escaped the destruction of that galaxy and their planets by escaping to the Earth as their dying worlds streamed by the Earth’s solar system thousands of years ago.

***

The past is but a reminder of the future that no longer exists. The present is very fleeting, and it soon leaves behind what was once the future. The future is where hope lies, but it is soon lost as it quickly becomes the present and fades away to become the past. If one doesn’t keep up with the present, they will soon be living in the past, and the future will never be seen. It is past the time for a new beginning.

The Beginning

Let’s not pretend to be friends, Dondel. Our worlds have been at odds for thousands of years. If we reach an agreement here today, it will be for our own individual benefit and not for each other’s.

I could not agree more, Darius. Both of our worlds are facing certain destruction. All of our scientists agree that our much smaller galaxy is on the verge of being consumed by the much larger Milky Way galaxy. The only disagreement is just how destructive the initial result will be. Both of our worlds’ chances of surviving an initial trip through the plane of the Milky Way galaxy are slim to none. Their chances of surviving the next trip are next to nonexistent. The Milky Way will pull us in, spit us out, and then pull us in again. It will repeat this process until there is nothing left of our galaxy. It will be reduced to a long ribbon of debris before it is finally and totally absorbed by the Milky Way. What fate is in store for the solar systems that make up our galaxy is still being debated, but no one believes our civilizations will be able to survive the damage. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tidal waves will sweep our worlds. At the very least, we will face climate upheavals that will devastate our world’s ecosystems and lead to crop failures and widespread starvation.

I understand what both of our worlds are facing. It is doubtful that any solar system in our entire galaxy will survive. You know what we are planning to do to survive, but the question remains as to what you are planning to do?

There is little that either of us can do but prepare for the worst and hope for the best, Darius. We cannot do that and wage our petty warfare at the same time.

Dondel, I have no problem with putting a halt to our petty squabbling for now, but that is the only cooperation that I am prepared to offer you. Considering our past history, it is best that each of our worlds face this tragedy on our own. I speak for all of the inhabitants of Omega when I agree to this truce.

As do I for all the inhabitants of Alpha when I agree, replied Dondel. I bid you farewell and good luck, Darius.

Dondel spun on his heel and left the meeting. He returned to his warship, and he quickly left on the return trip to his home world of Alpha.

***

Dondel is up to something. We need to know what it is as quickly as possible. He must know something that we don’t. He would never have agreed to this truce unless he believes that those on his world will survive. Otherwise, he would be doing everything possible to add to our demise, declared Darius.

Equarius stopped taking notes before replying.

Just this morning, I was notified that there has been a significant increase in Alpha’s production of transport ships. It has been going on for some time, but it has been kept very secret.

That is rather odd when we consider their request for a truce. What need could they have for more ships other than warfare against us? wondered Darius.

These do not appear to be vessels for warfare or transporting troops between our worlds. From what little information that I have received, they appear to be ships for a much longer journey, explained Equarius.

Where could they possibly go? There’s no place to run to or hide from what we are facing, replied Darius.

This truce protects their fleet from our warships. They would find it very difficult to defend that many large ships. From what I gather, they are not well armored, nor do they have defense capabilities, added Equarius.

One of their probes must have discovered a habitable world, but I can’t imagine where. Why else would they abandon their world and take a chance on dying before finding and reaching a habitable world. Nothing else makes any sense.

If they have, we have no way to follow them. Our warships are not equipped for such a long journey, replied Equarius.

Perhaps they plan on evacuating some of Alpha’s inhabitants until they can determine the results of the coming catastrophe and then return to their world if it survives.

We considered that course of action ourselves, but we finally decided that our time and resources would be better spent on underground facilities. Their ships would stand no better chance of surviving than our planets. The debris from the destruction of our galaxy would no doubt destroy them, replied Equarius.

Darius turned to the head of his astronomy division for his input.

We have recently discovered a solar system in the Milky Way Galaxy that our solar system may well be on a near collision course within the near future. As our galaxy is torn apart, our debris may wreak destruction on parts of that solar system. At the least, it will probably damage some of the planets. If Dondel is planning on abandoning Alpha in exchange for a planet in that solar system, his chances of success are minimal, explained Lazarius.

Are his chances any worse than ours? asked Darius.

They are not only facing the chance of being destroyed by the forces tearing our galaxy apart. They will be facing all of the debris as well. Then, if they do survive all of that, they will face all of the bacterial and viral diseases on a new world to which they have no resistance, added Lazarius.

Let me ask you one more question. If we survive our first pass through the Milky Way, will we ever pass near this same solar system again?

Darius, my calculations show that we will be sucked back into the Milky Way near the same solar system due to our angle of entry and the Milky Way’s rotation, answered Lazarius.

Then let us prepare for our reunion with Dondel. If he does manage to survive, we will relieve him of all that he and his fellow Alphans have accomplished by then. I want a fleet of starships and warships constructed to carry as many of us as possible on the day when we begin our journey to repay Dondel for all of his treachery.

***

When do you wish to launch our fleet of starships, Dondel?

Wondel, we have no choice but to wait until we are near enough to the solar system that we have chosen as our new home. If we launch too soon, we will not have the fuel or the supplies for the journey. Too late, and we may be pulled into the debris that the destruction of our galaxy creates. We’ll only get one chance at this. Alpha is not as stable as Omega. It will never survive what lies ahead. This is our only chance for some of us to survive.

The latest data shows us approaching our optimum jumping-off point in about two weeks. All the ships are loaded and fueled. We only need to board the passengers before the departure. When do you wish to address those that are to be left behind?

That may well be the hardest part of this catastrophe. What can I say to those that are doomed? Good luck? Thank you for your sacrifice? remarked Dondel with little remorse despite his obvious attempt to show empathy for those who would suffer and die a horrible death as their world was destroyed.

What is happening is not your fault. It is beyond your control. The fleet’s chances of survival are as slim as our world’s chances of survival. I’m one of those who will be staying behind, and I hold no resentment against those who will be leaving, replied Wondel.

I doubt that Darius will feel so forgiving when he realizes what we’ve done. Our decision not to tell him our plans will not be taken lightly or kindly by those on Omega.

I have no doubt that he would have done the same thing if the situation was reversed, and I have no doubt that he will pursue you if he survives and can find a way to do so, added Wondel.

I would be inclined to agree with you. I would have done the same thing myself.

The odds are stacked against him, Dondel. I see little possibility for the Omegans’ survival.

How many times have we believed that they were doomed or defeated? But each time, they rose again. This time may be no different. I think it is best that we depart as soon as I address those that will remain behind. Who knows what kind of subterfuge that Darius might undertake when he discovers the truth about this matter? Better yet, I’ll make my address after we have departed. I’ll use a recorded message. By the time it is broadcast, our ships will be out of the reach of the Omegan warships. We’ll depart in two weeks.

***

My fellow Alphans. It is with a heavy heart that I leave all of you. Today, our race faces the ultimate challenge. We are faced with our very survival. If our race does not survive on our home world, then some of us may survive on a new world. We are already feeling the effects upon our world as we enter the galactic plane of a much larger and more powerful galaxy. Whether or not our solar system will survive this catastrophe is impossible to determine.

Dondel paused a moment to consider what to say to the Omegans before continuing.

To the Omegans, who I am sure are monitoring this transmission, I wish you well just as I do my own world’s inhabitants. At this point, our differences seem rather petty when we are all faced with the total destruction of our civilizations. If our two worlds survive, I would hope that we can reconcile those differences in the future. If indeed there is one.

Dondel is always looking for an advantage. A way to control the situation and paint himself in a good light, remarked Darius as he watched and listened to Dondel’s address. If he had really wanted to reconcile our differences, he had his chance. He could have revealed the location of the world that they discovered, so we could have joined them on their journey. His only reason for claiming to want reconciliation at this point is a weak attempt to make it appear that he cares about our worlds and those that he has deserted.

We can pursue them with our warships if you desire to do so, Darius.

No, Equarius. It would be a suicide mission for those aboard those ships. We need to see to the needs of our world for now. A time will come when we will encounter Dondel again. First, we survive. Then, we prepare for that time.

***

We’ve evacuated everyone from low lying areas and away from all fault zones, and we have ordered everyone to report to their designated underground shelters, remarked Equarius to Darius.

What do you have to report, Lazarius?

We have entered well into the Milky Way’s galactic plane. So far, our solar system’s heliosphere seems to be holding up. Just as we expected, the gravitational stress is causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes along with tidal waves. The good news is that we may well make our first pass through the galactic plane with our solar system’s heliosphere intact. The bad news is that above ground food production will be lowered for years to come.

What of Alpha?

It is impossible to tell at this point what the final result may be, but we are detecting widespread destruction taking place. Other solar systems are not faring as well as we are. We are detecting collapsing solar systems with planets colliding with their suns. There is debris colliding everywhere. We were fortunate to be one of the first solar systems to be sucked into the Milky Way’s galactic plane. After that, more mass was pulled into a narrowing stream of debris. That’s when the destruction began to increase, added Lazarius.

What of Dondel’s fleet?

The last we heard was a message we intercepted from the fleet to Alpha. At that point, they were leaving our solar system intact. They were proceeding towards the solar system that we are now streaming by, and I am detecting damage to that solar system, but there are no signs of Dondel’s fleet. He must have taken a roundabout course to avoid the debris.

How long will that solar system face the possibility of destruction?

The stream of debris will put that solar system in jeopardy for years to come. A lot depends on too many factors for me to determine the outcome. I’m guessing that it will receive considerable damage but not total annihilation, answered Lazarius.

Darius considered everything that Lazarius had reported before he replied.

Then it appears that Dondel’s fleet may have survived. Perhaps that is for the best. When we do catch up to him, it will be less time and work for us. We will simply takeover what they have accomplished. It will be a fitting payback for Dondel’s deception over the truce and hiding their discovery from us. Their survival gives us even more reasons to survive, and it serves as a goal to work towards. How soon can we leave our underground facilities and begin to repair our damaged infrastructure?

I believe that we have endured the worst of what we faced. Our planet is very geologically stable, and the volcanic eruptions were limited around the world. I see no reason why we can’t venture out as we continue through the galactic plane. Looking at the damage that we have suffered, I would hazard a guess that Alpha has suffered far worse. That world is far more geologically unstable than ours with many active volcanoes and faults. The Alphans will take a long time to recover if they ever do. Their civilization has probably been totally devastated, and their infrastructure probably lies in ruins. Their manufacturing capabilities are undoubtedly destroyed, and it will take decades to rebuild them even if they manage to survive with their food production capabilities destroyed, explained Lazarius.

We could easily eliminate those that have survived, suggested Equarius.

I think we should offer them a helping hand. Demonstrate that we are not the enemy. Show them that we are willing to aid them after Dondel abandoned them, replied Darius.

Wondel is now the leader of what is left of Alpha. He was always loyal to Dondel, replied Equarius. It will be difficult for us to sway his opinion.

We have nothing to lose by trying, and the sooner we do that the better, replied Darius. How soon can we send a ship with supplies to Alpha?

I see no need to wait, replied Lazarius. Our solar system has stabilized. We should see only minor disruptions when we emerge from the other side of the Milky Way’s galactic plane. There have been no transmissions from Alpha for quite some time, and that includes any transmissions to Alpha from Dondel’s fleet. Alpha’s ability to communicate may have been destroyed.

Let me know when the ship is ready. I want to personally offer aid to Wondel if he has survived, insisted Darius.

***

The trip to Alpha was safe and uneventful, but their arrival left them all in shock. The planet was blanketed in a layer of volcanic ash. The atmosphere was choked with ash from not only the volcanic eruptions, but also from the fires that the eruptions had caused. The cities were destroyed beyond repair. All of the coastal areas had been flattened by tsunamis while earthquakes flattened the inland cities. No lights were visible on either side of the planet as the Omegan ship was placed in a low orbit, and a shuttle craft ventured to the planet’s surface. Plant life was either dead or dying. It was being choked by the ash and gases that were emitted by the fires and volcanic eruptions. The forms of dead animals could be seen buried beneath the layer of volcanic ash. Forest fires continued to rage out of control.

How do we find their command center or underground shelters? Surely, they had some, inquired Darius of his ship’s Captain.

I’m looking for electrical fields beneath the planet’s surface. We can’t use heat sensors with all of the heat from the fires. They won’t be circulating any outside air with the atmosphere choked with ash and poisonous gases. There. That area just outside the capital city that’s showing up on the screen. That must be where their leaders took refuge. If anyone is alive there, they will know where the rest of the shelters are located.

Very good. Land nearby, and have your men prepare to depart. They will assist us in finding the entrance.

Darius and the crew aboard the shuttlecraft donned protective suits and exited the shuttle. The wind had created drifts of ash that they struggled through to reach what they thought was the entrance. They began digging through the nearly three feet of ash that blanketed the ground and walls of the structure until they exposed what appeared to be an entranceway.

Now that we’ve found it, how do we get in, wondered Darius out loud.

If they have any video cameras, they are covered with so much ash that they are useless, remarked the Captain.

I guess we do this the old-fashioned way and knock, replied Darius as he took a shovel and began pounding out an old code on the heavy metal door that was sizable enough to drive a large vehicle through.

Just as Darius was about to give up and resort to blasting through the door, it began to descend into the ground. The opening revealed a wide hallway that declined as it led them to another door. When they arrived at the second door, the first door closed behind them, and there was a sucking sound as the contaminated air was removed from what appeared to be a large airlock.

It appears that we are trapped, remarked the Captain as he looked for a way to open the second door but to no avail.

There are audio and visual capabilities in here, replied Darius as he pointed to a camera that was mounted on the ceiling next to a speaker. We come in peace, Wondel. After all, we did agree to a truce.

I think it’s more likely that you’ve come here to take what’s left of our world, replied Wondel.

If we wanted to destroy those of you that have survived, we could have blasted your underground facilities without even landing. Besides, there is nothing left on your world that is worth taking, replied Darius.

What is it that you want, Darius? Are you here to gloat over our misfortune?

I’ve come here to offer you aid and assistance in surviving. From what we have seen of your world, you need our help.

And what strings are attached to this assistance?

No strings, Wondel. Your world is finished. The air above ground is not fit to breathe, and it won’t be for decades or longer. Everything is dead or dying. As will you be, if you don’t accept our offer to evacuate you and the rest of the survivors to our world.

And then what, Darius? Will we be your slaves and serve you?

We have never enslaved anyone. It was Dondel who enslaved us before we revolted. He didn’t treat your kind much better. He used those like you as cannon fodder in the wars that he waged against our world. Now, in your time of need, Dondel and his arrogant, pompous, elitist supporters have abandoned all of you. They have left their servants to suffer and die. I heard his farewell message. A heavy heart my ass. His only regret was having to leave his servants behind. Now, he has no one to serve him and his royal friends. You, and the rest of those that he left behind, were not even allowed to marry into the royalty that ruled your world. That would have contaminated their pure race.

I see your point, Darius. There were times when I considered revolting myself, but Dondel’s support was too widespread. The religion on our world was used to control the majority. If I had led a rebellion, they would have helped Dondel slaughter all of those that joined the revolt. We would have been declared heretics for challenging Dondel and his Chosen Ones.

What has happened to those that supported Dondel and his Chosen Ones? asked Darius of Wondel.

They stayed above ground. Dondel convinced them that their god would save them. This catastrophe was a part of the prophecies that Dondel created. He also prophesied that one day he would return and carry them away to a new world.

There is nothing left of your infrastructure, and there is no one left alive above ground, Wondel. There is no one left to carry away to a new world.

He took genetic samples from many of us. He supposedly needed it to be able to identify us later, but I believe he had different plans for it.

What kind of genetic material?

Frozen embryos, semen, and blood samples, replied Wondel as he began to consider the conversations that he had overheard between Dondel and some of his Supreme Council members. I have reasons to believe that he was planning on creating a new slave race to serve him on the new world that our astronomers had located.

It appears that we both have reasons for wanting to put an end to Dondel and his pure race.

I accept your aid, Darius. May we work together for the benefit of Alphans and Omegans and for the destruction of Dondel if we ever catch up to him.

We will, Wondel. It is only a matter of time, replied Darius.

***

Dondel’s fleet of starships had exited from their solar system’s heliosphere and entered into interstellar space shortly before it began to be pulled into the galactic plane of the Milky Way. As more of their old galaxy was consumed, the debris was being concentrated, so Dondel had chosen to make an early exit and enter the Earth’s solar system from the opposite side where there was little debris. Upon their arrival, there was still some debris being pulled into the Earth’s solar system, and it was causing serious damage. The two planets that were on each side of the Earth’s orbit suffered severe damage as Dondel’s fleet neared the Earth. The one in a closer orbit to the sun was struck with a very large chunk of debris. The impact was hard enough to reverse its rotation and cause severe volcanic eruptions that completely altered its climate. The other planet that was outside the Earth’s orbit was struck with enough debris to burn off its atmosphere and leave the planet with a lopsided appearance. They watched intently as the planet, that they had journeyed four long years to reach, was spared any major damage.

They had taken refuge on the solitary moon which orbited the planet that they named the Earth, and they began to build underground lunar bases. From these bases, they proceeded to launch expeditions to the planet’s surface to ascertain what dangers were present there.

Gentlemen, it has been two long lunar years, and we are no closer to being able to set up colonies on the Earth. Despite our near immortal longevity, there will come a day, albeit it in the far distant future, when our race will cease to exist. Our inability to reproduce successfully under the conditions that exist on our lunar colonies will be the end of us. I feel we have no choice but to begin a breeding program. We will use the several primitive hominid species’ females as surrogate mothers to carry fertilized embryos containing our DNA. We will capture, impregnate, and release the surrogates to give birth while passing along their natural immunity to the fetuses. That will give them immunity to the diseases that have sickened some of our explorers, explained Dondel to the rest of the Supreme Council that he ruled over.

Even if we succeed, and these primitive species actually raise the children of our race rather than killing them off due to their different appearance, what is to stop them from inbreeding with those that they have raised? Won’t we end up with a mixed race? asked the second in command known as Tindel.

Given the other choices, which at this time are none, we have little choice. Our social scientists, who have been studying these primitive species, feel that they will raise the children of our race, and those children will eventually form tribes of their own. In time, they will eliminate the original primitive races. Any inbreeding will eventually leave only traces of the primitive species’ DNA in the races that emerge from them since I’ve made our DNA dominant in most respects. We will use three primitive species: the Neanderthals, the Denisovans, and the Africanus. From these three primitive species will emerge three new races that will be similar to us, but they will not be identical.

How long do our social scientists believe this process will take? asked Condel.

In the neighborhood of ten thousand years to establish the mixed races, and up to twenty-five thousand years for the true three races to emerge, explained Dondel.

It was my understanding that the reasons this planet is not compatible with our race is due not only to the viral and bacterial problems, but also its unique electromagnetic field that disrupts the natural electrical frequency that our species operates on. How will these children be able to survive and flourish if we cannot? asked Condel.

As you know, I was our world’s leading geneticist before I was called upon to lead our world. I will alter the fertilized embryos of these primitive hominids by inserting our genes into them. I will alter them in a way that our genes will eventually become dominant. Over time and successive generations, our DNA will adapt to this world’s electromagnetic field while at the same time our DNA will become more and more dominant until only traces of the primitive species will remain. That is how my new race will become adapted to this world. However, the race that finally emerges will not have our near immortal longevity. We will be doing this at various locations around the planet. This will create three similar but not identical races over time, replied Dondel.

Then this will not be an actual rebirth of our race. I’m sensing that there is something that you are leaving out.

As usual, Condel, you are correct. I am creating a slave race to fulfill our needs. We will control them as their civilizations progress until they have the ability to create the technology that we need. Once their manufacturing capabilities reach a high enough level, we will create a new fleet of advanced starships that can carry us to an acceptable planet where we can sustain our pure race.

And how do you plan on controlling the direction of this slave race that we are going to create?

Part of that will be your job, Condel. You will nurture them into a warring tendency that will be backed up by the religions that Jandel and our other social scientists are already developing. They will be religions of conquest, submission, and blind obedience to a god that we will create. You will teach them the art of warfare early on in the development of their civilizations. Eventually their superstitious nature, their lust for war, and their destructive behavior will be used to eliminate them when they have served their purpose. We do not want what happened on Omega to happen again, explained Dondel.

So, you believe that they won’t catch on to our plan, and they can be controlled by these religions?

Dondel ignored the question and continued to address the council as he saw fit.

"Jandel will also create the concept of money. It will be the base of the economic system that we will direct them to create by creating the necessary situations. As far as these religions are concerned, they will use donations from their followers to spread their control across the entire Earth. That way, they will be self-funding. I have also altered their genetics to limit their life spans as well as the eventual termination of their species if all else fails. Their short life spans will not give them time to notice our manipulation that will span generations. Twenty years to maturity, forty years of productivity, and then a rapid decline with death arriving at about eighty years for most of them. Their society will be one of inequality that will be ruled over by the elite minority. Their