Sundered Epsilon: Open Faith, Part 1 (eBook)

Cameron Hahn (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
436 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-8153-7 (ISBN)

Infos

In a distant colonized world well into the future of humanity's unbridled expansion, there are those who defy the nuanced grasp of the one unifying government. Delve into the story of two brothers, trapped in a world of perpetual conflict of both lethal and traumatic consequences. See the effects on them, and how years of sustained war continuously strains their lives and the lives of those who enter them.

Cameron Hahn is an aspiring hobby writer who started his journey releasing his first novel at the age of seventeen. He endeavors to improve with each release and captivate the attention of those with a similar passion and love for science fiction and fantasy storytelling.

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Expanding across the galaxy, Earth's United Interplanetary Government (UIG) has exerted its dominance over numerous planets capable of supporting life, colonized to support the human form. However, their unstoppable way of life by freedom through control has encountered resistance by way of the Liberator Conglomerate Administration (LCA), who would dare to defy a weaponized utopia. One such front of retaliation inhabits the planet Epsilon, where one of the strongest forces of the LCA's industrial might chooses to make their stand against the prideful UIG. For soldiers of a political and ideological war, this conflict is one of righteousness and its reasons are absolute. But for two men like the Duncan brothers, Jimmy and Tucker, the bloodshed serves only as a blockade between them and a reasonable course of life. When their story of simple suburban folk embracing the working family life comes to a halt as war meets them on its terms, their lives are set on an irreversible path to find a new means of survival.

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1.

Prologue

 

 

As he pulled into the driveway of the Duncan property, James (Jimmy) Duncan let out a deep sigh, a culmination of relief for the end of a long day’s work. He stopped just a smidgen of distance to the shut garage door. Switching the manual mode of his pickup to park–he then pressed a round button beneath the wheel to shut off the engine. He opened the driver door and exited, where he then took in a grateful breath of the evening air. The light of day was almost absent by now. Illumination came almost exclusively from the sparse house lights decorated around their suburban neighborhood. That, and the distant beam of brilliance from a denser pack of windows, billboards, and holographic advertisements painted all over the city. To look towards the city of Greenhorn was like glancing at the Christmas tree in the center of a town square. 

Jimmy approached the front door of their two-story house. He put a hand to smooth a strand of hair that had come loose from his ponytail’s tie. He was ready to see some familiar faces, even if much of the day was yet spent. When he twisted his key on the door, a smile drew itself over his face as he opened it ajar and walked on in. 

Immediately the first sound he heard was a broadcast from the television in the family room. It was on a low volume, leading him to suspect that someone was awake who shouldn’t be. 

Cassie, the youngest of the Duncan household, to the least of his surprise, was sprawled out on the family couch watching the broadcast with her attentive hazel eyes. Her expression went sheepish when she saw him. 

“What’re you doin’ up?” Jimmy questioned her. His tone demanded answers, but his face showed a more truthful appreciation to see her up even this late. “Do you have any idea how much past your bedtime you are?” 

“Sorry…” Cassie sat upright on the couch, tapping the empty seat beside herself for her uncle to join in watch. With both hands she drew back her long, coffee-colored hair to tie it in one simple tail to keep it from going everywhere. “Mom and Dad aren’t home yet, and I couldn’t sleep. I guess they’re still out workin’ late, too.” She pointed at the screen. “Come see what’s on the news.” 

“You get all your homework done?” Jimmy had to ask it, knowing the grudgeful risk of putting his brother in a bugged mood. 

She answered matter-of-factly. “You bet.” 

He sighed, feigning a fed-up demeanor for modern political happenings. “Alright,” he said as he headed over and sat down. “Let’s see what the world’s up to tonight.” As he rested his back against the couch, his expression almost instantly shifted to a seriousness when he saw what the broadcast was about. It was an airborne perspective from a helicopter overlooking and circling a building. The building was indiscernible, obliterated and scorched black and ash in vast majority by what he could only guess was a bomb or terrible accident of some kind. “Woah,” he said. “Where the hell is this?” 

“Listen,” Cassie said, taking the remote from the coffee table before them. She raised the audio of the broadcast, clarifying the reporter’s words starting from the address to the newscaster. 

“Yes, Chester. As we speak, UIGMC Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel are clearing the ParaOrdnance military research building and searching for survivors. The casualty count still remains unclear, but public concerns regarding a possible LCA undercover attack have heightened in the last hour. Subsidiary officials assure us that…”

While the reporter continued, Jimmy cut her off by saying, “Wait a minute, I know that building. That’s near Savant Medical.” 

“Do you think that’s why Mom’s working late?” Cassie inquired with a miniscule dose of concern injected into her voice. 

“That’s probably it, yeah.” 

He turned his head toward the sound of the front door unlocking and opening again. Tucker entered, speaking to someone on smartphone. Jimmy eyed his niece with a whisper, “Hey, turn this off. If he wants to blame someone let him blame me if need be.” 

With a grateful smirk, she did as he suggested and turned off the broadcast. Jimmy stood up and went to the kitchen isle, where his older brother headed to. 

“Yeah… Yeah, okay. Just… don’t overwork yourself, alright honey? Okay. Yup. I’ll see you in a little while.” Tucker sighed as he put down the phone. 

“Everything fine?” asked the younger brother. 

“About as can be.” Tucker rubbed his eyes with one hand and two fingers. “That was Ferris. They’re havin’ her clock some extra hours because of some local emergency.” He took a deep breath, tired like his brother with the course of the day. “I can’t believe they make nurses stay in this late.” 

“Well… Savant Medical’s barely a distance away. Don’t worry, she’ll be home soon enough.” 

“They were probably bringin’ in a bunch of people hurt from the bombin’,” Cassie suggested from the family room. 

The moment her father noticed her presence, he stated his mind quickly, ignoring what she just said. “Speakin’ of late. What’re you doin’ up?” 

“What do you think? Keepin’ up to date with my country’s issues. Doin’ my due gosh-darn diligence,” she answered smugly with a mocking fervor of patriotic and nationalistic stereotypes. She even emphasized her Old Southerner’s drawl, possibly in the same vein to poke fun at him. Jimmy hung his head down slightly, accompanied by a guilty chuckle. 

Tucker glared at him, assuming it was his idea. But he scoffed and shook his head, lacking neither the energy nor care to argue with his brother on how to raise a daughter and her habits. He looked at the analogue clock above the refrigerator, seeing how close the hour hand was to the top. “Ah, whatever,” he muttered. He turned to face Cassie to ask, “Anyone make you some dinner?”

“Nope. Unless you count corn flakes.”

“You want a midnight snack?” 

Knowing that meant he was about to make her a “prize-winning” Duncan Sandwich, her whole body perked up instantly with the impulsive answer of “Yes, please!” 

With a relaxed glance at Jimmy, he asked him as well albeit in a quieter tone. “What about you, little brother?” 

“Nah.” Jimmy waved his hand in a thankful gesture. “I’m good, old brother.” 

Tucker nodded with a quiet acknowledgement, turning to the refrigerator and gathering cold bread and some sandwich meat before placing them on the counter. As he did, Cassie grunted with effort as she stood up for the first time in several hours, leaving the couch to join her father and uncle. “Don’t you got an exam comin’ up tomorrow?” he questioned. 

“It’s just a math test. I’ve been studying all week, there ain’t no way I’m forgetting the material. If anything, I’m more worried for the hockey game.” 

He smirked for a second. “Good on ya, kiddo. You’ll do fine.” 

“Knock ‘em dead,” Jimmy added. 

A glimmer of ego briefly overcame her. “Thanks.” Cassie paused. “So… What kept you out this late?” she asked. 

“Hm?” Her father was sorting out the ingredients, placing cheese slices on the bread. 

“Your job, duh.” 

“Oh, that.” He exhaled sharply at the thought of work. By now the cheese and bread was placed in a toaster oven, set to reheat with intent to melt the cheese over warm bread. “It was just some tree too close to the second deck on the house we were at. Place was far out, the drive was long. The branches were spread all over, would’ve been too risky not gettin’ it all tangled up with the deck if we cut it down. That’s about it, really. Just one stubborn old tree clingin’ to its property.” 

“Sounds like it was a fun time,” Cassie told him. 

Tucker scoffed. “Sure.” 

Jimmy chuckled. “Hey, you’re still doin’ your part, old man.” He caught his brother’s side-eyed glare. “Each of us has their say in keepin’ this house together. Money’s money, right? Regardless of the job.” 

“Seriously? You gonna run this again?” Tucker crossed his arms and leaned against the counter as he waited by the oven. He raised his chin to tell Jimmy, “You’re an electrical engineer. Good with most basic hardware.” He looked at his daughter to say, “Your Momma’s a nurse workin’ day and night at a hospital. You know what that means, right?” 

Cassie laughed softly, amused but unsure where he was going. “What?” 

“It means that while your uncle and mother are out there helpin’ people, I get to cut down trees and scare little critters into the dark like some off brand exterminator.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. You used to help people, Daddy. You served the country, a real army man. Fightin’ the LCA. Now you’re a wood man and a family man. There’s nothin’ wrong with that,” she refuted. It sounded as though she were somewhat offended that he didn’t take himself more seriously. 

Jimmy’s lips curled up a smidge, taking a secondhand warmth from Cassie’s sentiment towards her father. But Tucker looked as though he couldn’t at first agree with his daughter. There was plenty he wouldn’t have her know about what the service entails. He seemed ready to retort, as if to explain a fuller picture, though he refrained. Instead, he exhaled and smiled along, opting to accept her feelings if not her words. “Yeah. I s’pose,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 26.10.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kinder- / Jugendbuch
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-8153-7 / 9798350981537