City of Twilight Part III: The New Dawn (The Vanguard Chronicles Book 3) Read online

  City of Twilight

  Part III: The New Dawn

  By Donald D. Stephenson III

  The Vanguard Chronicles: City of Twilight © 2015 by Donald D. Stephenson III

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the author

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For Tif, who inspired me to not only begin this journey, but to finish it.

  It is our choice of good or evil that determines our character,

  not our opinion about good or evil.

  -Aristotle

  87

  ​Callista stood in front of the transparent metal window, watching the stars of space beyond it. She put one hand up, feeling the cool surface. Although it was metal, it amazed her that it someone was actually able to make it simulate glass. It made for much better protection against the outer elements of space. Well, that and the ship’s energy shields. She felt outward with her senses, watching everything on The White Dirge with her mind’s eye.

  ​There were only five conscious souls on the ship, excluding herself and her brother, blaring at her like beacons of light in darkness. There were also nearly five million people asleep, their appearance much different as they drifted unconsciously through the galaxy. Suspended animation. She shook her head silently as the words moved through her mind. So many people entrusted to so few. She thought about her brother, remembering how he’d told her that he would have to be in some kind of dire or desperate situation to use a stasis chamber. She shook her head again. He’s so untrustworthy.

  ​“Are you thinking of me, sister?” came a voice behind her. Startled, she turned to see Michael standing before her. He was wearing some khaki pants that looked slightly oversized on his slender form, along with a gray t-shirt. He smiled at her; a wry, mischievous grin. His face was cute, with fair skin and very blue eyes. He had short hair that was almost completely white, which was sculpted in small spikes.

  ​“Michael,” Callista said, “you changed your hair. I liked it long.” He shook his head at her as he smirked.

  ​“I needed something different,” Michael said. "It's almost time for our lessons. You don’t want to be late again, do you?” She acknowledged him with a nod, then crouched down and picked up the data screen she had leaned against the wall. She stopped once more to glance out into the emptiness of space.

  ​“Amazing, isn’t it?” Michael said as he looked out into space with her. "It's hard to imagine something that infinite.” She could see his reflection in the window.

  ​“I know, I still don’t understand where we fit in this place. This universe.” Her voice was calm, but with a hint of sadness in it.

  ​“I know we don’t fit in with the humans,” Michael said calmly. She turned to look at him. His face had turned serious.

  ​“Don’t say that, Michael.”

  ​“I heard Randy talking to Rachel this morning in one of the stasis maintenance halls. He thinks they should freeze us in stasis until the colonization. Then the scientists could take a look at us. Study us like we’re animals.” She stared at her brother for a moment.

  ​“What were you doing in a maintenance hall?”

  He looked down at the floor for a moment before answering.

  “I was just looking at the schematics and the wiring through one of the data screens down there. I was wondering if you could freeze a person in stasis and keep them conscious at the same time.” Callista looked at him incredulously.

  ​“You and your ideas. I’m not sure how that would ever be helpful.”

  ​She began walking down the narrow hallway. It was well-lit, with metallic black walls and floors made of a tactile metal, some sort of alloy that imitated rubber. Her feet were light on the floor, making only a slight tapping sound as she walked. Of course, her cloth shoes also had something to do with it. She wore a blue jumpsuit that was somewhat formfitting, although meant for an older girl.

  ​Michael followed suit, speeding up his walk enough to catch up to her until he matched her speed. He was very athletic, even though he had the physical appearance of a twelve-year-old. Being twins, they had similar features. She shared his blue eyes, and many of his facial features. Their hair had the same texture, although hers was blond, and his stark white. Both of them had fair skin, but not pale.

  ​“Some of the greatest minds could be preserved; they wouldn’t have to die,” Michael said. "They could live in stasis, forever solving the greatest questions of the universe. Besides, you’re just changing the topic. You heard what I’ve said. You see the way Randy looks at us, the way all of them do. They think we’re freaks. Maybe we are. They don’t see us the same, because we’re not.” She looked straight ahead as she walked.

  ​“That’s their problem, not ours...and speak for yourself.” Callista spoke authoritatively as she continued to look forward. They continued their walk from there in silence. Michael held his own small data screen under his arm. The White Dirge was a massive ship, built large out of necessity. Still, it was small compared to many of the satellite colonies in the Colonial Alliance. At least, that’s what they’d been told. Neither of them had actually seen anything beyond the massive ship they were on. Not exactly like we’ve had time to, she thought as they walked.

  ​She spent most of her time in the upper decks of the ship. Moving around the stasis chambers made her nervous, so she generally avoided them whenever possible. The primary purpose of the White Dirge was colonization; transportation of large numbers of people through stasis. It was one of many ships built for this specific purpose. Since her mind’s eye had awakened, she could see the auras of all the people in their sleep chambers. People were not supposed to dream during stasis, but Callista could see with her mind’s eye that many did so anyway. It unnerved her, seeing their dreams and nightmares in different colors and auras.

  ​She and Michael's abilities had awakened at the same time, giving them the same extra-sensory perceptions. There was something else, though. She glanced over at him as they walked.

  ​“Michael, do you ever wonder?” She paused, trying to figure out what to say.

  ​“Wonder what?” he said.

  ​“Wonder why we use the same words,” Callista said, “why we both called it ‘awakened.' Why we both refer to our sixth sense as our mind’s eye? Both of us came up with that name on our own.” She could tell he was thinking it over as they walked. After a few minutes of contemplating the question, he finally spoke.

  ​“I’ve been getting thoughts,” he said, “words and characters that belong to a language that I haven’t learned. As my mind’s eye gets stronger, it becomes clearer. I think our race is somehow able to instill knowledge and skills in others. I’m not sure, but maybe we can learn how to do that one day. Terminology and wording is probably just a small bit of what we can possibly remember. Our parents, or someone else probably gave us that knowledge and memories, possibly as a method of survival.” As he said this, a light went on in Callista’s head.

  ​“I understand; I’ve seen the words, the characters of that other language in my head. I didn’t understand, but it makes sense when you say it like that.” He nodded to her, and smiled. They continued to walk in silence for a few more minutes. They finally stopped at a set of closed double doors, the electronic lift. There was a small data screen embedded on the metal wall next to the doors. Michael approached it and tapped his finger on a
few symbols. After a moment there was a positive green beep and the doors silently opened.

  ​They stepped forward onto the lift, a cylindrical room that could transport them to different areas of the ship. The doors closed and it moved upward several levels, but only a few seconds' worth, and stopped. The doors opened, and they moved together to the cartography room. It took only a few moments, for they were on the main deck of The White Dirge. Most of the main controls of the ship were located on this level, including the bridge. The ship was designed to be run by a small number of people. It still amazed Callista. So few protecting so many.

  ​The cartography room was round with a dome ceiling. There was a large orb of hardware in the center of the room on the floor with several data screens all around it. Above the orb, hovering under the domed ceiling were several holographic constellations. The room glowed in a blue light, the holographic stars dancing as a symphony of light on the curved walls of the room. Charlotte stood in the room staring at a data screen of her own, a strong silhouette of her shadow on the wall behind her.

  ​“You two are late,” Charlotte said without looking up from her data screen. They approached her from the doorway. The door slid closed quietly as they entered.

  ​“Sorry,” Michael said, “we lost track of time.” Charlotte smiled at them as she looked up from the screen.

  ​“It’s all right, you’re here now,” Charlotte said. Callista could not help but smile back at her. The woman was in her lower thirties, but had a youthful face. She had green eyes and a warm smile. She was average height for a woman, around five and a half feet. Her shoulder-length hair, kept in a ponytail, was black. Callista had started imitating the woman’s hairstyle two days before. Charlotte wore a white outfit with blue stripes down the front and back, and a small badge on her chest that carried her rank and insignia for the ship.

  ​“What will we talk about today?” Michael asked. Charlotte turned to face them, holding the data screen under her arm.

  ​“Well, what have you been learning in your studies?” she asked.

  ​“I read the histories,” Michael said, “and the sciences twice. I’ve been working on classic literature for the past few hours. I’ve also been studying the engineering of The White Dirge..” He looked over at Callista, waiting for her answer to Charlotte’s question.

  ​“Well, I’ve gone through the history and sciences too.” She blushed a little, “I’ve also finished the classic literature.” She glanced at the data screen for a moment, and looked back up at her. Charlotte quietly watched them with a slight grin.

  ​“What have you all thought about the classics?” Michael immediately straightened.

  ​“I loved The Divine Comedy,” Michael said, “the descriptions really pulled me in. I also thought it was kind of fun.” Callista rolled her eyes at him. Charlotte noticed.

  ​“Callie, you disagree?” Charlotte said.

  ​“I thought Dante’s writings were a bit graphic,” Callista said, “and a little boring too.” Michael did everything he could to not interrupt her, but his face said he disagreed. “I really loved Romeo and Juliet. It made me cry. There were some other books that I liked, but nothing like that.” Michael silently shook his head.

  ​“I find it ironic,” Michael said, “that my favorite story was the one that ends in a wedding, and her favorite was the one that ends in the tragic death of two lovers.” Charlotte nodded slightly in agreement, despite herself.

  ​“What of the histories?” Charlotte said.

  ​“There’s so much,” Michael said, “it seems all of human history can be placed into periods of either war or postwar. All of the historically significant events were due to or the result of conflicts. It’s kind of sad, really."

  ​“Yes,” Charlotte said, “people can be sad in that way. An unfortunate side effect of being self-aware and possessing the ability to make our own choices, is the ability to make the wrong ones. Some might say the violent tendencies of human nature are stronger than the positive ones.”

  ​“What traits would count as positive?” Michael questioned.

  ​“Kindness,” Callista spoke up before Charlotte could answer, “goodness, peace, joy, love.” She emphasized the last word. Michael looked at her, almost puzzled.

  ​“What good is peace when you’re being attacked,” he said, “and what is goodness anyway? What is good to a group of cannibals isn’t the same as what is good to us. It’s all relative.”

  ​“That philosophy,” Charlotte said, “is called postmodernism.” He nodded.

  ​“I know,” he said. Callista looked at him, and shook her head.

  ​“I’ve read about that philosophy,” Callista said, “and I disagree with it. People don’t just need laws. They need codes; morality. Right and wrong. There were societies where they sacrificed children. Just because it was a part of their culture, doesn’t make it right.”

  ​“That’s another very good point,” Charlotte said. She seemed impressed by both of them. Callista saw someone through her mind’s eye entering the room, coming through the door behind them. Michael turned to look at the person, seeing him with his mind’s eye as well. Callista didn’t turn, but instead watched Charlotte’s face. She always loved watching her when this person entered the room. There was always a change in her, in her eyes. Love.

  ​“Isaac,” Charlotte said, “I’m glad you could come.” The Vanguard of the ship The White Dirge walked into the room. He wasn’t very tall physically, but his mannerisms commanded a presence that Callista could only assume was inherent in men of his stature. He had green eyes and brown hair with a strong face.

  ​Isaac Vanguard was the ship's guardian protector. Vanguard was’t only a name, but a rank he would carry forever. Very few people in the Colonial Alliance had been given the title, and it it was a great honor. Isaac was a veteran of two colonial wars, and had been elevated to Vanguard only a year ago. It was hard to believe he was only thirty. Most ships had captains, but when a Vanguard was present, they superseded all military authority with only a few exceptions. Thus, there was no captain on The White Dirge. Isaac made all the decisions that protected those five million people it held in stasis.

  ​Callista could not help but stare at him in awe when she did turn to see him. His presence through her mind’s eye was peaceful, strong, and confident. She wondered how many other humans there were like him that had such inherent goodness in them.

  ​He walked into the room, stopping next to Charlotte. He wore a gray military uniform with a single badge on it: a small, silver ‘v.' He put his arm on her shoulder. He stared at them for a moment, his eyes studying Callista, and then Michael.

  ​“Charlotte and I have discussed it,” Isaac said, “and we’ve agreed that you two are ready to know the purpose of this vessel.” He turned for a moment and tapped a data screen on the hardwired CPU in the center of the room under the holograms. The lights and stars flickered for a moment, and then changed to another image: that of a planet. The planet was brown with streaks of red and green stretched around its diameter.

  ​“This is Cirrus. It’s a decent sized, but remote planet at the edge of the Colonial Alliance territory.” He tapped the screen some more and the planet became slightly smaller, with a moon orbiting it. “The image you’re looking at was taken about forty, maybe fifty years ago. By now, the planet should hold a significantly larger presence of plant and animal life.” Both Michael and Callista looked slightly confused.

  ​“You two have developed amazingly over a short period of time. That being said, you both seem to have the intelligence capabilities that will enable you to comprehend more than even I can.” He held up his data screen for them to see, displaying a picture of a tube that glowed with a green energy and several mathematical equations next to it.

  ​“Crystal fusion was an energy source discovered nearly three hundred years ago. It revolutionized everything: our technology, our way of life, our very understanding of the fabric o
f physics and space. One of the ways we were able to utilize this technology is in the terraforming of an otherwise uninhabitable moon or planet. The process takes several decades, but by the time it’s complete, the planet holds similar conditions to our home planet of Earth. Thus, humans could not only have satellite colonies and homes in asteroids, but on planets as well.”

  ​“What about gravity,” Michael said, “gravity is relative to the mass of a body, so if the planet were twice as big as Earth, then people on it would be twice as heavy. On any larger planets, the weight of a person’s head would break their neck.” Isaac nodded at him.

  ​“That’s a good point,” Isaac said, “the answer goes back to the discovery of crystal fusion. It was an accident that came of some laboratory tests of some meteors that were discovered. There was a crystal element found in those rocks in space that held properties we never knew existed. When the fusion was discovered, the energy could be used to alter the gravitational fields on a piece of mass. We’re essentially altering physics in a way that was previously thought to be impossible, making gravity either more dense or less.

  ​“One of the reasons terraforming takes several decades is not only the change in the planet’s atmosphere, but altering the very nature of the planet and its physics on a molecular and atomic level. We could then change the gravity closer to an Earth-norm field. We’ve even adapted the technology to make gravity in ships and satellites, so they no longer have to be round or spherical.”

  ​“So,” Callista said, “we’re going to Cirrus, which has been terraformed. We will be a colony then.” Isaac nodded.

  ​“Why is this colony so large?” Michael asked. "Why not establish smaller colonies with multiple fleets instead of a single large ship?"

  ​“Well,” Isaac said, “that has to do with Earth. There was talk of terraforming Earth, to start over with the planet that’s been almost ruined from pollution and natural resource exhaustion. That’s a drastic measure, though, with which many have disagreed. We could all see that the planet was dying. Many experts claimed it had to do with the nuclear war, which decimated half the planet nearly four hundred years ago. That definitely contributed, but there was nothing we could do at this point. Many of us just decided to leave, and let the decision rest with those who stayed. There was even talk of a war over the issue when we were leaving. The White Dirge is just one of several hundred ships headed to newly terraformed worlds and colonies all across known space. We’re the only ones going to Cirrus because the planet is so remote. Many people didn’t want to be that far from the Alliance, but the passengers of this ship all opted to go to Cirrus to start anew.