TIRANATH E-Book

Ronia Richter

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Long ago, their home being threatened by a cosmic catastrophe, some Tirnaens left their planet to create a new life for themselves on Tiranath. Several hundred years later, after much hardship, they have successfully colonized the new planet and apparently established a stable society. When the eminent scientist Camil is assigned to a new project, he has no idea of the consequences his genetic research will trigger.

Leseprobe

Ronia Richter

TIRANATH

English Edition

Science Fiction

All rights reserved.

Unauthorized use, such as reproduction, transfer, distribution or storage, is prohibited and may result in civil or criminal prosecution.

Copyright © Original German Edition 2014 Ronia Richter

Copyright © English Edition 2014 Ronia Richter

English editing RR

Edited by Francine Richter

Copyright © Cover Design & Artwork Ronia & Roland Richter

Composition & Layout Roland Richter

Font STR created by Max Callaghan

More about the author @ www.tiranath.de

D – Thanks for the great support!

Content

PROLOGUE

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

EPILOGUE

For those who love me

PROLOGUE

They knew that their time on the planet they called home was drawing to a close. Their scientists had calculated the event several hundred years ago and so they were in a position to plan, research and decide what to do when the moment was upon them. Thanks to their advanced technology, they had been able to procure the necessary respite for their researchers. Some of the scientists even went as far as claiming that they could cope with X0-12113, the asteroid which, according to their reckoning, was going to destroy their world. Ever since the asteroid’s discovery a thousand years ago, the brightest and most competent minds had been working on potential solutions. While one group tried to discover means of annihilating X0-12113, or at least sufficiently diverting its trajectory to no longer pose a threat, other teams researched promising alternatives. One of them was to create a new home on a different planet.

A hundred years before the X0-12113’s anticipated entry into their solar system, the leading scientists had split into two factions. One argued that, based on their technological advancements, it was no longer necessary to leave. The other viewed the colonization of a safe new planet as the better option. Most of the population was extremely attached to the familiar surroundings and stayed despite the risk. Only a minority decided to venture forth towards new horizons.

The creators of the new civilization were proud that not only had they survived but also been instrumental in establishing the foundation for the new society. Owing to the difficult circumstances the world encountered, however, it took several centuries before the new type of society had stabilized and established itself. Naturally, as with all profound and radical changes, creating this new order initially also met with occasional pockets of resistance, but they were tracked with merciless determination and oppressed with extreme severity. Virtually every reminder of the old, bygone era was destroyed and erased from public sources and therefore from public awareness. But, as usual, the past couldn’t be completely obliterated and a small number of people managed to preserve the memory of earlier times so that some day it could be rediscovered by those searching for the lost history.

One

Camil was one of the most eminent scientists inside the field of reproduction. This was hardly surprising seeing that the former director of the institute had personally overseen his creation. It wasn’t unusual that the Patriarch in charge of a particular faculty produced a suitable heir for himself, also called Inherit, or had him produced. The Inherit would eventually become the Patriarch’s successor, to resume and preserve his work, thus ensuring continuity and that the previous incumbent’s work, after that office-holder had died or retired, would be equally well managed in public and private establishments by the new dignitary. Besides bestowing their genetic legacy, the Patriarchs trained their successors themselves, so that these were familiar with their mentors’ mindsets and principles from an early age on.

Although Camil had specialized in a different branch within his creator’s main field, there was still no doubt that he would one day assume the leadership of the medical institute. But until he would be in charge of running the entire establishment, he could concentrate completely on his specialist subject. His work over the last decade had further enhanced the institute’s prestige, thereby securing additional business even from far distant regions. By now Camil’s department had gained a reputation for being able to satisfy more or less any request – regardless how strange or unusual.

While Camil went through the previous week’s assignments and sorted them by degree of difficulty, Marnak, one of the scientists on his main team, approached him to place an envelope on his desk. The envelope consisted of special paper, which was basically a flexible data carrier that stored information as well as visually displaying it. Camil didn’t even glance at it; instead he kept on concentrating on the list in front of him.

“Aren’t you at all curious to know what’s inside?” Marnak tried to divert him from his work, emphasizing what he’d just said by picking the envelope up again and waving it in front of Camil’s face until his colleague leaned back in exasperation and looked up.

“Not really, but you seem to be,” Camil replied while grabbing the envelope and unfolding it. He had to enter a multi-digit authorization code and answer a secret question before he could read the message. By now, messages were usually only transmitted digitally and displayed directly in the recipient’s inbox, but in some circles a certain kind of nostalgia endured whereby they still delivered messages on tangible, paper-like data carriers.

As expected, the message was displayed in simulated handwriting and therefore partly illegible. Camil sighed. It annoyed him when time was wasted on such needless exercises, particularly if it was his own time. The note was an official invitation to an anniversary celebration – including an overnight stay in an exclusive hotel – by some wealthy industrialist who would dearly appreciate the opportunity to meet Camil seeing that he’d already heard so much about him. The host discreetly hinted that Camil would certainly not regret attending and that it would be worth it for the scientist and the institute.

Camil placed the digital paper in front of him on his desk and deliberated. The institute was financially independent and didn’t have to rely on ‘donations’. Its commissions paid well and it consequently didn’t need any rich benefactors to finance the research it deemed important. Only once or twice in the past had there been clients requesting something outside the institute’s current state of knowledge. In those cases the institute agreed to assemble a research team to try and satisfy the client’s request – provided that the institute, following an in-depth analysis, had reached the conclusion that the research would also be of in-house use. As soon as the client’s solvency had been established and he had committed himself to cover all expenses for the duration of the research, including downtime costs, the institute provided a team which devoted itself exclusively to the project.

Depending on the client’s age and the time required for the research, it was possible that results wouldn’t be delivered in time. As a safeguard against potential lawsuits, the contract therefore contained an explicit provision whereby the institute was guaranteed a minimum of 60 to 80 percent of the agreed fee even if the client died before the research was concluded or if he was unable to use the end result for other reasons. As such, the institute didn’t take any risks and the contractee couldn’t cancel the commission once he had accepted the conditions. As far as Camil was aware, the institute’s financial independence had been attained through just such a contract that had yielded a small fortune which had accumulated ever since.

Marnak was still standing beside Camil, waiting for him to disclose the nature of the message, but Camil appeared to have forgotten about him and seemed lost in thought. Marnak was about to say something when Camil turned around to him.

“I’ve been invited to some big shot’s anniversary party,” Camil finally enlightened Marnak. For a moment, the two of them looked at each other without saying a word.

“And you’re not in the mood to put in an appearance,” Marnak added and Camil nodded.