The Split Skies (The Possessor Wars, Book 4): The Possessor Wars, Book 4 Read online

  The Possessor Wars

  Book 4

  The

  Split

  Skies

  Chad Spencer

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents used or described herein are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the publisher.

  Illustrator: David Conger

  Official Web Site: http://possessorwars.com/

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chad.spencer.165

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/PossessorWars

  To be notified of new releases, please sign up for the author’s newsletter at:

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  Copyright © 2018 Chad Spencer

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9980759-2-1

  Table of Contents

  Part 1: The Lonely Sky

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  Part 2: Arrival

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  Part 3: The Other Sky

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  Part 4: Departure

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  A Letter from the Author

  Part 1

  The Lonely Sky

  “Being different is always hard. But those who achieve happiness are those who realize that it’s ok to be different. We are what we are. For those of us who saw the dawn of the Second Age, there was a time when we didn’t even know if we were still human. But that was ok. We were still us. That was all that mattered. Our destinies were determined by our characters. Our characters were determined by our day-to-day habits. Our day-to-day habits were determined by the little choices we made each day. The accumulation of choosing each and every day was what shaped our lives. Everything mattered. Nothing was trivial. We were choosing for generations yet unborn. And because one boy was at the center of it all, he was the one who chose whether we all lived or died.” The Human Race in the Second Age, Hugh Benson, p. 81.

  1

  Far across the galaxy from Earth, and indeed all other humans, a battered and nearly derelict space freighter made its slow way toward a possible refuge in the nearest star system. At its journey’s end would be a planet that was hopefully habitable to humans, which orbited a gas giant similar to Jupiter. The habitable planet, the gas giant, and the entire star system itself had no name. No humans had ever been there to name them.

  The largely non-functional ship was propelled by crudely built, old-style water rockets that were hand-made, primarily from pipes, pumps, and other plumbing salvaged from the ship itself. Each of the five rockets had a boiler that superheated water into steam. At the back of each rocket, a computer-controlled valve opened every time the boiler reached maximum pressure. The escaping steam jetted out the back of the jury-rigged rocket and pushed the mile-long vessel slightly forward. The five rockets continually filled themselves with water, heated it to steam, and streamed the steam out into space. With each small push from its steam rockets, the ship made its ponderous way towards its destination.

  The ship was not in a hurry. The computer that controlled its movement was infinitely patient. It knew its journey would take slightly more than twenty years. That did not bother the computer. Nor did it bother the six humans inside because they were in cryogenic stasis. To the casual observer, they would have looked dead. But they were in a frozen sleep so that they could make the journey without needing food or water and without aging a single day.

  As the silent years went by, the rockets continued to send spurts of superhot steam into the vacuum of space. The hulking freighter slowly accelerated toward the nearby star, heedless of the dense swarm of distant suns and nebulae around it. The region of space through which the ship was traveling was far closer to the center of the galaxy than any human had ever been. Uncaring stars, pillar-like nebulae, angry clouds of broiling gasses, and scattered remnants of explosive astronomical events paid no more heed to the desperate freighter than they would to a spec of dust wafting along the solar winds. The ship traveled on its long path unobserved and unnoticed.

  Inside the ship, the intrepid computer did its best to use the homemade propulsion system to guide the freighter inward toward the sleeping passengers’ only hope of survival. After six years of continuous operation, the computer shut the rockets down. The tomb-like ship drifted along its way, carried by its own momentum and the increasing gravitational pull of the sun toward which it was speeding.

  Nine more lonely years passed. The ever-vigilant computer activated the steam rockets and flipped the ship end-for-end so that the back end of the ship pointed forward. The maneuver required a month to perform, but when it was complete the ship was positioned properly for deceleration.

  The computer carefully monitored the ship’s course as it fired the steam rockets to slow the massive freighter down enough so that it would drop into orbit around the small blue-green world that was still far, far ahead. It planned every step of the deceleration, which would require another five years.

  Finding that the ship was drifting slightly, the computer attempted to adjust its heading so that it matched the preprogrammed course. But with the crude steam rockets, it was nearly impossible to make the corrections properly. The computer dutifully displayed a warning on a console and waited for input from the crew. No one had told it that the crew was gone and the only people it could get input from were in a death-like frozen sleep.

  2

  Jeff Bowman stood on a wide beach covered with red sand. His mind was hazy. The light purple sky above him was dotted with fluffy clouds. A steady warm breeze flowed gently over him as he gazed wonderingly around himself. He peered out across the purple sea to his left. A mammoth red sun loomed over the horizon.

  Turning toward his right, Jeff saw a tangled jungle that seemed to be painted by an insane artist. The explosion of plant life that rimmed the shore was a hodge-podge of every color of the rainbow. Detecting a gap in the forest, Jeff drifted hazily in that direction. He wasn’t sure why.

  As he drew closer, he could see a stony path leading up from the beach. It meandered to a large castle-like structure made of pale blue crystal. Continuing to walk, Jeff was drawn toward the building. When he drew near, two people emerged from the large entrance. Jeff stopped. Feeling very detached from himself, he watched as the couple came closer. Gradually, he realized he knew one of them. When they arrived at where he was standing, Jeff asked simply, “Madison?”

  She smiled. “Yes, Jeff. I’m Madison Burke. Or at least, I was.”

  “Huh?” was all Jeff could blearily manage in reply.

  Madison looked older,
probably about thirty. But he still recognized her even though she had very long hair, nearly down to her knees. She seemed paler than when he had last seen her. Standing and holding hands with her was a man about her own age. Like Madison, he had long hair, down to his waist. Both were crisply dressed in what appeared to be uniforms that were common on freighters in the Federated Alliance.

  Jeff couldn’t quite figure out why, but he felt that there was something very strange about these two. Maybe it was the way they didn’t blink much. Or perhaps it was because they were just a bit too still and stiff when they stood. Both had an air of authority about them, as if they were very used to being in charge of those around them.

  Madison smiled again and said, “Jeff. It’s so wonderful that you remember me. I hoped you would. I was very much in love with you when I was a girl. But now I have someone else.” She glanced shyly at the man holding her hand.

  “Where … am I?”

  “You are still on the ship–on the Ellsworth,” Madison replied. “Everything you see now is a kind of dream or vision. I am communicating with you telepathically over a vast interstellar distance.”

  Jeff thought about this. Doing his best to sound intelligent, he asked, “Huh?” His mind was still foggy.

  An intense look of urgency passed across Madison’s face, partially obscured by the cloak-like flow of her flowing brown hair. “Jeff, try to focus on me. The link between us could be lost very easily. It’s hard to maintain it. It helps that your memories of me are still so strong.”

  “Jeff,” Madison continued, “I am no longer the person you knew. When the wormhole collapsed, I was on a ship bound for the California system. We were thrown far across the galaxy. Everyone else died. Then we came into contact with two aliens, named Senthil and Jex. They were energy beings. To survive, we had to merge with them. I am now called Eden. This,” she said indicating the man next to her, “is Genesis. We met on the ship and fell in love. His name was Allen then. The aliens we merged with were also a couple. Now we are all together. We need each other to survive.”

  Feeling himself totter a bit, Jeff asked, “Aliens? Madison, is that a joke?”

  Shaking her head, she answered, “No, Jeff. It’s no joke. I’m everything Madison was, and more. I know everything Madison knew, and everything Senthil knew. We are reborn. You must call us Eden and Genesis.” She seemed to draw herself more erect in a way that was nearly royal.

  “Uh … ok … I guess. How come you’re so much older than me now? We’re supposed to be the same age.”

  Gently, Eden explained, “You’ve been asleep for fifteen years, Jeff. You haven’t aged in cryostasis. But fifteen years have passed for Genesis and I. We have lived alone here on this far planet.”

  Eden paused, sighed softly, and then said, “It took years, but I was able to focus my powers to interrupt the sleep cycle of your cryostasis unit and wake you up. I needed to communicate with you. Humanity is in danger, Jeff. We will help you protect all of your race.”

  “Wait,” Jeff wondered aloud. “How could you find me in this whole galaxy, especially when I was in cryostasis? Didn’t you have to already know where I was?”

  Eden smiled gently and replied, “Yes, Jeff. You’re right. Our ship crashed about the same time yours did. I used my memories of you to reach out telepathically before you went into cryostasis. I even brought you here before, do you remember?”

  Shaking his head, Jeff countered, “But how did you find me?”

  “Through your memories of me as Madison. Telepathy doesn’t work like calling someone on a gridPhone. It’s more like sending up a flare and having the flare be attracted to certain things. Your strong memories of me attracted my mind to yours across higher dimensions of space.”

  “Were … were you watching me?”

  “Kind of,” Eden affirmed. “You gave me information about what was going on when I first contacted you. After we established contact, I was able to get bits and pieces of what was happening in your life. But you don’t remember because I could only contact you in your sleep. It just seemed like dreams to you. All this happened before you went into cryostasis.”

  “So … what is this big dangerous thing you’re trying to warn me about?”

  “It’s complicated to explain right now, Jeff. But I’ll give you more information when you’re in a safer situation. The important thing to remember right now is that I need your help.”

  Jeff hesitated. “So what am I supposed to do?”

  Smiling, Eden nodded. “Well, to start with, you must save yourself and your family. Your ship is off course. You and your family will fall into the gas giant you’re moving towards unless you fix your trajectory. You must wake your father and help him get the ship back on course.”

  “Don’t worry Jeff,” Eden assured him. “When you wake from this vision, you can go to the computer and see that I’m telling you the truth. We’ll talk again after you reach safety. But before you go, I have some gifts for you.”

  Eden stretched out her hand and pointed toward Jeff’s forehead. “I give you three companions. In the world of Senthil, they are the equivalent of animals. They’re domesticated and serve her people, just like humans have dogs and cats.”

  Touching Jeff’s forehead with her finger, Eden told him, “I give you intelligence, wisdom, and insight. I make you a protector. You will have the power to shield yourself and others from danger.” A bright yellow circle of light appeared on Jeff’s forehead and formed itself into a strange symbol. It sank into his skull.

  Taking Jeff’s right hand, Eden said, “I give you power over lightning, that you may strike the enemies of your people.” A bluish-white circle appeared in Jeff’s palm where her finger pointed. It formed itself into another unfamiliar symbol, and then it soaked into his skin.

  Lifting Jeff’s left hand, Eden intoned, “I give you power over fire, that you may burn away all that oppose you.” A reddish-orange circle appeared in his left palm under her index finger, formed into a symbol, and seeped into his hand. Eden put Jeff’s two hands together. “With fire and lightning, you can forge the LightSword. No one will be able to stand before you except Akio, who is your equal.” She released his hands and smiled.

  Gazing dumbfounded at his hands, Jeff asked, “Madison, are you nuts?”

  Eden shook her head and chuckled. She said simply, “Jeff, someday you’ll understand and appreciate the gifts I’ve give you. You’re safe now. But remember that you must come to me. Together, we’ll protect the human race.”

  “My last gift to you,” Eden continued, “is the one thing you love most—Harriet.”

  “What?”

  “Harriet. I’ve sent her to you, Jeff. She’s on her way. She has been for years now. But she won’t reach you for years.” She paused and then told him, “Akio and Hugh will come to you too. And others. When they do, you must all come to me.”

  The vision faded. “Goodbye, Jeff,” Eden’s voice wafted to him through an increasing haze.

  Jeff awoke. The door of his cryogenic stasis unit was open. Stiffly, he climbed out. The lights in Engineering came on automatically, hurting his eyes. Shaking his head, Jeff asked himself, “What was that? Some kind of dream?” He took a few deep breaths of the cold, musty air to clear his head. The sound of the ventilation system turning on thudded loudly through the starkly empty Engineering module where their cryogenic stasis pods were situated. He felt gushes of warm air meandering through the large room and saw it stirring the layers of dust that had settled on everything. ‘The computer must have automatically adjusted the temperature,’ he realized.

  Jeff decided to check their trajectory to see if they were really off course. The computer quickly confirmed it. They had drifted slightly from their intended flight vector and the computer had been asking for years what to do. But no one had been around to give it input.

  Striding purposefully to his father’s cryostasis unit, Jeff pressed the button to end the sleep cycle. In about a half an hour, Kent was aw
ake and on his feet.

  After Jeff explained that they were off course, Kent checked the computer. “You’re right son,” Kent told him. “It’s a good thing you woke up. There was some kind of lucky glitch in the computer on your stasis unit. It ended your sleep cycle. Boy I’d hate to think of what might have happened if it hadn’t. Someone out there must be watching over us.”

  Starting in surprise, Jeff stared at him apprehensively. “What? Who do you mean?”

  Kent chuckled, “No one. It’s just an old saying, Jeff. Let’s get our course fixed and get back to sleep. The computer on your stasis unit says everything’s ok now. But if there’s a problem again, you wake me up, ok?”

  “Sure, Dad.”

  Kent went just forward of Engineering to where a small shuttle pod was docked to the side of the freighter. Using the maximum output of the pod’s engines, he was able to make the trajectory corrections that would send them safely to their destination.

  Returning to their cryostasis units, Kent used a hypospray to give them both shots to keep them alive even when they were frozen. As he drifted back to sleep, Jeff wondered at the strange dream he’d had. But it wasn’t long before he returned to his slumber. Kent checked Jeff’s cryostasis unit one more time and then went into stasis himself. The computer lowered the room temperature and shut down most of the functionality of the life support system to save power. It even turned down the gravity. Soon the lights went off automatically. Stillness descended again over the ship.

  3

  “Jeff, Jeff wake up.” Kent’s voice came to Jeff through a thick fog. With a huge effort of will, Jeff opened his eyes and lifted his head. Kent hovered over him with an urgent expression. “I know I’m hurrying you through your reanimation sequence, but you’ve got to get up son,” he ordered.

  Shakily, Jeff dragged himself out of his stasis unit. His head hurt and he wanted to barf.

  Kent had turned to the next unit and was lifting Denise out of it. Jeff staggered to his feet and clung onto the side of his stasis unit for support. “Wha … what’s the matter Dad?” he stammered.