The Great Symmetry E-Book

James R. Wells

• Herausgeber: James R. Wells
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Exoarchaeologist Evan McElroy has made a discovery about a long-extinct alien race. But his sponsors realize they can make huge gains if the new findings are kept completely secret. Step one of their plan is to kill the entire research team - starting with Evan. As Evan flees for his life, his trajectory awakens a long-buried struggle. The Infoterrorists, who believe all ideas are screaming to be free, have waited years for the right moment to take on the seven great families that control all of civilization. This could be their opportunity. Or, it could be time for millions to die. The Great Symmetry is classic science fiction from the great-grandson of H. G. Wells.

Leseprobe

The Great Symmetry

A novel by

James R. Wells

Without Fear, Speak What is True

Without Fear, Live What is True

-Axiom

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

2015 Travertine Books Paperback Edition

Copyright © 2015 by James R. Wells

All rights reserved.

Web site: www.TheGreatSymmetry.com

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 978-0-996142-50-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-996142-51-9 (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015905157

First Edition, First Printing, April 2015

First Edition, Second Printing, June 2015

First Edition, Third Printing, September 2015

Editor: Mariko Thompson

Design: Kate Weisel

Cover Image: Jeff Brown: http://www.jeffbrowngraphics.com

Back Cover Image: Copyright Peter and Anne Bosted

Author Photo: David Bass

For Sara

and

Katie Jane

Contents

Part 1: One Small Step

Part 2: Fly Casual

Part 3: How Many Lives

Part 4: Valley of Dreams

Part 5: The Daughters of Atlas

Part 6: Delusional Optimism

Part 7: Shabby Donkeys

Part 8: The Great Symmetry

Coda

Author’s Note

Glossary

Chronology

Acknowledgements

End Notes

About The Author

Glome: A naturally occurring hypersphere that allows near-instant travel between star systems. Every glome has a single point of emergence, usually light-years away, which cannot be determined except by entering the glome. Travel through a glome is not reversible – to return home, a ship must travel through one or more other glomes and create a circuit. As of the year 2304, humans have mapped glome travel routes between thirty star systems.

Part 1: One Small Step

Into The Void

Evan McElroy was heading straight down the throat of the glome.

A brilliant fountain took up most of his main display. Arcs of energy, rendered in vibrant false color from blue to violet, streamed out of the glome’s mouth, dissipating a few kilometers away in every direction.

The ship was pouring on every available iota of acceleration.

“Ship,” Evan asked, “will we make it to the glome before the missile reaches us?”

“Yes,” the ship answered. “We will arrive at the Alpha entry thirty-five seconds before missile impact.”

A voice came, piped in. “Runabout Delta, this is Tara. Now I’m really worried for you, Evan. Please change your course immediately, in any direction, and let me know that you have heard me.”

She had introduced herself as a visiting scientist, on her way to join Evan at the research station. Whoever she was, Tara seemed to know a lot about him.

Tara’s friendly voice continued. “Evan, the incoming unmanned vehicle will not harm you. It’s simply an escort to guide you back to a rendezvous with our task force. I am so looking forward to meeting you and working together on the next phase of your research.”

Incoming unmanned vehicle? It sure looked like a missile to him, accelerating at eight gravities.

Still, the missile could be redirected away from his ship. If he fled into the glome, he could be making the biggest, and possibly last, mistake of his life.

“Tara, what assurance can you provide that I’ll be safe?” he asked.

“Oh Evan.” Her tone was somewhere between talking and laughing. “Nothing has changed. You just surprised us when you left the station without telling anyone. All we need to do is rewind things a little, and get back to work. Your findings are so exciting!”

Evan was still trying to make sense of events. His unauthorized trip from the research station was stacking up to be pretty much the dumbest idea ever. Unable to sleep in the middle of the station’s nominal night, he had decided it was time to prove his theory, so he had grabbed one of the runabouts. Why was it such a big deal?

He checked the display. Seven minutes and thirty seconds to the glome. There was less time than that to decide whether he should believe Tara, and steer away from the dangerous spatial envelope of the hypersphere.

“Ship,” he asked, “If we want to miss the glome, how soon do we need to start maneuvers?”

“Four minutes and forty seconds,” the ship told him. “A countdown widget has been added to your secondary screen.”

This was madness. He needed to turn the runabout aside. Whatever trouble resulted from his impromptu excursion, he would face it.

“Ship,” he said, “Prepare a course that will avoid the glome, and wait for my instruction to do so. Plan for about two minutes from now.”

Just a few more moments, to think and to be absolutely sure.

“Evan, are you still with me?” Tara’s voice, piped in by the ship.

“Hi Tara, I’m just – calculating the best course.”

“Evan, it’s really time−”

Another voice cut in. “Mister McElroy, you must change course immediately! Do it now or face the consequences!” There was no mistaking the deep, full voice of Arn Lobeck. Or the anger in every word.

Arn Lobeck. Vice President – Senior Vice President, Evan corrected himself − of his Affirmatix sponsor. What Lobeck said was the last word, on anything that took place in the Aurora system.

Lobeck was a person whom everyone obeyed. It just wasn’t questioned. Beyond his forceful manner, there was the family he represented. Affirmatix, one of the seven most powerful families in all of civilization.

When someone in the top ranks of the Seven Sisters gave instructions, it was beyond customary to defer to them. There was no other option. What could one person do?

It was more than a wave of nausea, arriving all at once, everywhere. Evan knew better than to reach for the meds, as comforting as they might be. “Breathe,” he told himself. “Slowly.”

And if he fled to the Kelter system, what then?

As far as Evan knew, he was the only person who knew this glome went to Kelter. To the Affirmatix ships he would appear to simply vanish, destination unknown. However, there were only thirty explored star systems. If Affirmatix wanted to track him down, they could easily put out the word through all of civilization.

Breathe. Slowly.

The kaleidoscope of bad outcomes resolved into a triangle of fear. If he stayed in the Aurora system, the missile would probably destroy his runabout and kill him