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Rise of the Forgotten
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Rise of the Forgotten
The Farthest Star - Book 3
By Rebecca Mickley
Edited By: Kat Luck
Copyright © 2019 by Rebecca Mickley
eBook edition published by
Rebecca Mickley and Studio Prey, 2019
Content Editing by Katharine Luck & Maya Sora
Line Editing by Speedy876
Cover Illustration by Sara Coty
Copyright © 2018 by Studio Prey
Book design and production by Studio Prey
Beta Reading by the Studio Prey Final Draft Club
With special thanks to our Alarions: Karen Williamson & Benjamin Marin
E-mail the author at [email protected]
Visit the author's website at
www.studioprey.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products 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.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, used, or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for brief quotations in a book review.
First Edition
Other Titles By Rebecca Mickley
The Farthest Star Series
Available on StudioPrey.com
Gateways – Book 0.5 (Only available on StudioPrey.com)
Dawnbreak – Book 1
Exile’s Return – Book 2
Rise of the Forgotten – Book 3
The Farthest Star – Book 4
Sins of the Solar Republic – Book 5
Electronic Souls – Book 6
Captain Tosk – Book 7
Starfall – Book 8
Angels of Our Yesterday – Book 9
Demons of Our Tomorrow – Book 10
The Nightmare God Series
Hillsong Chronicles Series
Acknowledgements
Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge the quiet, unsung heroes that have worked with me, supported me, and encouraged me. Kat Luck, Britt Luck, Maya Sora, Waggs, Sarah Coty, and many others. I do not know where I'd be without you, save for at a sore disadvantage.
In addition, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my Patreon supporters, and most specifically our Alarions, Karen Williamson, and Benjamin Marin. We could not do this without your support.
Finally, to my friends and family, thank you for putting up with me, when I'm snarly over paragraphs, grumpy over grammar, and most especially, when I've run out of tea. I love you all and would be nowhere without you.
Onward, towards the Farthest Star...
CONTENTS
Cover
Copyright
Other Titles By Rebecca Mickley
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter. 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
From the author…
About Rebecca Mickley
Other Titles By Rebecca Mickley
(BONUS) Ghosts of the Nightmare Gods
This work is dedicated to my Grandfather, a man who has supported me endlessly throughout my life. I would have never found the confidence to strike out on my own and pursue my dreams as a writer were it not for his example, and his support.
—Rebecca Mickley
Chapter 1
// NEURAL ACTIVITY DETECTED, INITIATING LOG //Erebus Industries Ascension Protocol Online….//
I found myself in a familiar hell; standing in the corridor of the ship. It seemed to stretch on forever. Far off in the distance I heard a voice, as the ship pitched and groaned. Fear seized me and I took off in a run.
There was a darkness just behind me, gloomy and ominous, blacking out the corridor. I felt its chill nip at my hind paws as I tore down the passageway, my paws aching as I caught this toe or that in a grate.
“Come on Snow! There isn’t much time…” the voice coaxed me on… it sounded so familiar…
Charlie!
I ran faster, hoping to get to the source, when out of nowhere, a piercing noise invaded the dream.
My eyes shot open, as fatigue weighed upon me like an anchor. I shook it off. It was the same damn nightmare, again. My ears drooped almost instinctively, as then the pain hit.
A wave of nausea rocked me to one side, and then a splitting, burning fire seemingly erupted just below my ears. My vision went blurry for a moment and I closed my eyes, waiting for the sensation to pass.
Almost as suddenly as it hit, it began to subside, only to be replaced, again by the needling tone.
“Yes bridge, this is the ambassador, go ahead.” I rubbed at my aching temples. It was already shaping up to be some morning.
“You requested a notification as soon as we were ready to jump,” a ‘matter of fact, militarily efficient voice’ reported from over the intercom.
“Understood. Has my aide been notified?” I asked.
“Yes ma’am, as you instructed.”
“Very well, inform the night watch commander I will be on deck in an hour. In the meantime, radio Earth and Nest governments to inform them of our position.”
“Roger that, bridge out.” The intercom went silent, and I stretched and then settled in the cool dark of my quarters, clinging onto the last few moments of peace in what already promised to be a very busy day.
The door to my quarters slid open and a feminine yet resonant voice called out, “Good morning, Boss,” just as she hit the lights.
I scrunched up my eyes and wiggled back against the wall, my brain reminding me with gentle stabs of pain that I had already had a headache this morning and it was not afraid to inflict another. My vision slowly adjusted, revealing the form of my assistant, Jill Saito, a morphic black cat. “A) You could have knocked and B) you are supposed to warn me when you do that.”
“Where’s the fun in that? I gotta keep you on your toes after all, and it’s not like I haven’t seen you naked.”
“Ha, ha,” I replied. “Now, before we do any more talking, please get the headache medicine.”
“Still having problems, Boss?” I could hear the worry in her tone.
“Not as many, I think they are getting better,” I lied. “Just aftershocks from a minor one this morning.”
I saw her look me over concernedly before disappearing to the bathroom and returning with two small pills. The headaches were not getting better, but every checkup I’d had showed I was healthy, so I just stopped complaining. There was no point, and I was too busy anyway. The last thing I needed were news reports doubting my competency, again.
She gave me an additional look of concern before surrendering to the
unmovable wall of my stubbornness.
“I have the day's order of events ready if you want to review them,” she said, changing the subject.
I looked it over as the early morning riot in my head began to subside, giving me room to focus on the day at hand.
“We have the interview with the press at 1000 hrs,” Jill spoke up, going from memory.
“Again?” I read over that particular bullet point and could swear I smelled rotten fish. “All praise the twenty-four hour news cycle.”
“For once they are actually on our side, Boss, cut them some slack. It’s first contact with a new species.”
“Yes and remind me to thank Darnack for insisting that this Honored One does the introductions,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my muzzle, as my aide set out a light breakfast of fruit and juice. I looked at it sourly.
“Don’t be so cranky. There’s a reason he relies on you so much,” she replied good-naturedly.
“I’m not cranky. I am in deep protest against 0530 wake ups. Inform Central Command.”
“Do you want to send that out as a press release or as an inter-governmental bulletin?” she replied.
“Smart ass.”
I lapsed into silence and tried to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. I had been the special ambassador to the Mendians for nine years now and had numerous press blitz days under my belt, but I still felt the butterflies, and it honestly terrified me even after all this time. I had simply gotten better at managing it. I nibbled at my breakfast, but felt no great pull of appetite, more a begrudging acceptance that I needed to eat. This day would only be worse hungry.
My morning descended into a deceptive meditative calm as I devoured the fruit. Time and forward motion seemed to fall to the backseat as I focused on the task at hand.
You have to keep going. A quiet whisper in my subconscious urged me on.
“We better get moving, Snow,” Jill said quietly, in seeming agreement with the whisper, snapping me out of my reflection.
“Roger that.”
I raced through a short but reliable routine, which was one of the perks of being a small fluffy creature. The reflection briefly crossed my mind as I wiggled into my harness, and then felt it snug home tight, eliciting a small squeak. Looking in a mirror to make sure I passed muster, I hopped out only to get a second confirmation from Jill, before we formed ranks and set out to face the day.
The trip was much shorter now than when I had started my career aboard her. The Danube placed officers of higher rank closer towards the bridge, and I was her ambassador now and flag officer by a special UEA act. In many ways, this was where both of our journeys started. Mine and humanity’s. The ship of first contact, converted into a diplomatic vessel; for eight years now, this ship had been my home. We very rarely saw Earth for more than a few days, spending most of our time en route ferrying messages and having conferences between the Nest and Earth Governments. I suppose in some ways, my life had come full circle.
We approached the door to the bridge, emblazoned now with the EDC diplomatic seal and Jill looked down at me. “Ready Boss?”
“As much as I’m gonna get. Alright, let’s make our entrance.”
The doors slid back before me and revealed the bridge of the Danube. It was crammed with reporters and officers, all in dress uniform. No sooner did the ensign call out “Attention! Ambassador on deck” than a flurry of flashes briefly blinded me. The brilliant washout of bright white light faded and my vision returned to normal with my headache now set to overdrive.
I wanted to be sick, but I didn't have the time. Pushing back against the nausea, I continued.
“At ease. Members of the press, I would like to officially welcome you to the bridge of the EDCS Danube on the day of this historic jump. As you know, one month ago, we received a message from the Mendians, that in accordance with the Treaty of Light and in the spirit of greater understanding, a new gate would come active today. The EDCS Danube will soon jump to an uncharted system known as Corval, where we will make contact with a new species.”
The room erupted in an ever-growing murmur of shouted questions. Jill stood in front of me and addressed the press. “While the ambassador is appreciative of the response of the press and the curiosity of all those at home, the Danube is still a working ship and we do have a jump to complete. Please, we ask that you hold all questions until the briefing at 1000 hours, universal galactic time.
I took my station as flag officer. My position was largely ceremonial, but today was all about diplomacy, not reality.
“Ops, retract the blast shutters,” I ordered. Slowly, the noise of well-maintained machinery hummed through the ship and the large metal covers that shielded the bridge of the Danube retracted, revealing the large Mendian Gate just beyond.
“Helm, check status of Higgs field manipulator, and transmit codes to the gate,” came my next order.
“Roger that. Higgs field within tolerance and the gate has accepted the codes. Ambassador, all stations report green. We can jump on your command,” Helm replied.
“Take us in,” I ordered.
The Danube began slowly moving closer and closer towards the gate, a familiar flash of brilliant light washed over the ship, then gave way to an oppressive darkness; for a moment, it seemed as if we were forever anchored to the void, then a welcome but violent blast of multi-chromatic light rippled across the hull and we were back in normal space, amongst different stars.
“All stop. Post jump status report,” I ordered.
“It was a textbook jump. We are stable and at the rendezvous coordinates.”
“Ambassador, we have received a message from Darnack and the Mendian council. They welcome us to the Corvaldian System and request a confirmation of our current position.”
“Transmit our position and prepare for Mendian arrival.”
Thirty seconds went by, then a minute. “Ambassador. Sensors are detecting a massive energy buildup, less than a kilometer off our starboard position.”
“And that would be Darnack,” I said, as the House Lethine completed her Leap into regular space.
“Operations, rig our systems for Mendian escort and silence those proximity alarms.”
“Roger that, entering macros into the system. Program Darnack-1 is online. Maintaining one kilometer distance.”
Something… Itched just behind my eyes, driving me mad for the briefest of moments before ceasing.
“Hello Shifted One of Earth. We are not too close this time are we?” I picked up Darnack through the Link.
“We just reset our proximity alarms, but thank you for not jumping a half click in this time. We are still trying to pry the chief engineer off the bulkhead from the last time you did that.”
“We will soon teach him courage!” he chuckled through the link.
“Or severe PTSD, whichever comes first.”
“You know we cannot reveal the Great Link, Shifted One. We must be this close to facilitate contact,” he replied.
“Of course. It is good to hear you again, old friend.”
“It is always good to connect with this Honored One of Earth.”
“It is always good to escape UEA bureaucracy and be here amongst the stars where things make sense,” I replied.
“You begin to sound more and more like a Mendian, with your search for simplicity Shifted One. A very fuzzy Mendian,” he chuckled through the link.
“Stuff it, space snake. What would you know, anyway?” I replied mirthful.
”I have missed your aggressive jocularity, Shifted One”
“It’s called being a smart ass.”
“Boss. You still with us?” Jill snapped me out of my focus. Suddenly my head screamed and I felt woozy, and rocked in place; as quickly as it came, it ended.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought a minute. This damn cat keeps waking me up at reveille.” I shot her a conspiratorial glance.
She made a few notes on her clipboard. “I’ll remember that one, Boss.”
“Helm, coordinate with the Mendian Bridge and set course for Corval Prime. Standard cruising speed, no need to be in a rush.”
I turned and addressed the press corps. “Alright, the jump went according to plan; everything looks good and we are currently in the process of setting a course for Corval Prime. Our Mendian allies will accompany us and facilitate first contact when we enter orbit in three weeks.”
"Ambassador, Daniel Rogan of the Intergalactic Daily here, do you know why the Corvaldians neglected to send a delegation to the Gate and are instead waiting until we are well within their territory to facilitate introductions?”
“A very good question. Please be sure to ask it again during the press briefing at 10 AM. Until then, ladies and gentleman, I have other business that demands my immediate attention.” I bowed and handed command back to the night commander for the last thirty minutes of his shift. He nodded and I made my way back towards my quarters.
Chapter 2
1000 hours came quickly, and it seemed that before I knew it, I was in front of a podium full of eager and hungry reporters. I supposed it was time to feed the dogs.
“The ambassador will now take your questions,” Jill said, standing beside me.
The room erupted with an eagerness seen only in those who were drowning, and other similarly desperate people. Hands went up and the room strummed with an intense murmur. I motioned with a paw to a reporter I was somewhat friendly with, hoping for a softball question.
“Daniel Highfield with the Lunar Daily, go ahead.”
“Do you feel that first contact with the Corvaldians is taking needed attention away from morphic concerns over The Farthest Star Act?” I quickly gave up hopes on there being any easy questions in this briefing.
“I have already made my position very clear on the proposed act before UEA parliament, but let me state again that any act that forcibly relocates morphics while, at the same time, disenfranchises them of UEA citizenship is in blatant violation of our right to self-determination which is protected under UEA Charter. Next question please. Perhaps something about our mission to Corval Prime?”
Exile's Return
Rise of the Forgotten