Progenitors (eBook)

Scott Jacobsen (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
468 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-2763-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Five people have been recruited by an ancient alien AI to save Earth from the imminent threat of a gigantic asteroid. They have ten years to build five Exodus ships to convey Earth's best and brightest to Mars. Will they succeed?

Scott Jacobsen is a seasoned broadcast engineer and proud alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, where he honed his storytelling skills studying journalism. In his free time, he enjoys the thrill of the open road, frequently embarking on exhilarating bicycle tours. In 1975, he not only participated in a prestigious cross-country bicycle tour, but also captured his adventure on the big screen, starring in the feature film, 'The Great American Bike Tour.' A romantic at heart, Scott fondly recalls chasing his future wife, Peggy, up Gates Pass to ask her out on their first date-a testament to his love for both cycling and his life partner. Currently, Scott and Peggy enjoy the picturesque landscapes of Tucson, Arizona, which they call home. Always inspired by his journeys, both on two wheels and through the airwaves, Scott continues to share his unique experiences with a broad audience.

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British librarian Ken Harper must face being torn suddenly from his great love Betty Gibson after they finally acknowledge and consummate a years-long love. Ken awakens on a beautiful world with two moons which is occupied by another woman, crass American bicycle tour guide Nancy Perry. This world of great mystery holds the answer to man's survival of human extinction under the impending celestial hammer of a huge asteroid. Ken tries for months to find a way back to Earth and his Betty, while Nancy wants nothing more than to have him for herself. Ken's love for Betty is strong and so is his resolve to resist the wiles of an increasingly alluring Nancy-a Nancy who is changing to a new form of human-a change orchestrated by an ancient Artificial Intelligence who has a plan of rescue for the human race. This ancient AI, Saldana, has contacted Jim and Angela Manning, the two people closest to Nancy Perry's departure point, as they, like Ken and Nancy, have been infused with advanced nanotechnology to fulfill the terrestrial side of Saldana's human survival plan. They must gather 300 of earth's best and brightest while their genius children infiltrate NASA's ranks to build Exodus Ships in secret to bring them to Mars, Despite selection safeguards, an insane recruit is bent on the destruction of the Exodus members for leaving behind the people of Earth. Saldana can see across the threads of possibility she sets in motion by her interference with the natural course of human events, and many false starts range from man becoming extinct resulting from interplanetary nuclear exchange or die-out from simple apathy. Saldana discovers a key individual whose invention frees man from the confines of the Solar System, but there are many parallel histories in which her plan fails. Will she discover the right timeline to ensure long-term survival?

Textauszug

1

Years Past

Ken Harper stood at the counter before the old catalogue rolodex. Bloody computers couldn’t hold a candle to this type of filing system. You came to the counter, pulled the card file before you, and you looked up your number or title in the sequence of cards.

Simple, fast, reliable—and there was none of the waiting for the computer to boot up, worrying whether the silly thing was going to function at all, what with the rest of the employees looking up stuff on the internet and downloading Trojans and worms that could muck up any system with alacrity. And then there was the necessary computer support staff, computer maintenance staff, data entry flunkies, and on and on…what a pile of rubbish!

Bubbly Mary over there, always glued to her machine, had said repeatedly, “What ever would we do without computers?”

We got along just fine, thank you very much. People these days seemed to have it in their minds that if a task could be accomplished with a computer, then that’s the way it should be done, no matter how much more complex or laborious than the old method. Oh, Lord, for the simpler times!

His fingers rolled over the edges of the file, bringing the tactile feedback he loved, like the running of the thumb over the edge of the pages of a book to arrive at a favorite chapter or verse. But more than that, there was the feel and smell of old book paper and ink that gave it substance instead of the sterility of the computer monitor or e-reader.

He sighed and looked up at the clock mounted above the shelves of reference books the students hardly touched anymore. In fact, the library occupancy had fallen off rapidly in the advent of widespread wireless internet access. Still, though, there were those few who preferred the quiet environment of the library over the distracting dormitory, café or coffee shop.

Five ‘til six, almost the end of shift; time to gather up things and head for home…with a stop at Bartleby’s on the way. A mug of Guinness and a hot meal always set one straight for the evening.

As Ken exited the library, he deployed his brolly against drizzle that had started up. It was a good sign that the fog which had settled in for much of the day was breaking up and, indeed, he could see further down the street than he had at noon, even in the evening’s dusky light. And yet, he enjoyed the foggy, drizzly surround as it had the effect of silencing the small, annoying sounds, leaving a hushed version of the normal street noises to strike his eardrums—which made for a more civilized transition from the library to Bartleby’s.

As a student, Bartleby’s Pub had captured his conservative tastes. Its relaxed, unobtrusive nature had appealed to him from the start and, in fact, it was Bartleby’s that had led to his library employment, for it was also a favorite of Library Director Betty Gibson. Now there was a woman of classic nature and refined taste, truly civilized. None among his peers possessed such elegant unpresuming intelligence and dry wit. If he hadn’t been ten years her junior he would have pursued her eagerly. In the beginning, when they’d first met at Bartleby’s, he was enthralled with her, enjoying many lively conversations as they turned out to have many common interests.

One evening, he had discovered that Betty was not only a widow, but the Oxford library director as well. He practically fell in love with her on the spot and would have asked her out on a formal date right there—but then she offered him a position on the library staff. “It’s not much,” she had said jovially, “but it might defray some of the expenses a student like you might incur.” He would forever remember the smile she flashed him then, and it broke his heart every time he recalled it.

Of course as Betty’s subordinate, such a relationship would not be proper and their age difference meant that she would be ready to settle down and he, as a student, was just starting out in a life filled with possibilities. And then his heart was broken once more when Betty took the position as Director of Edinburgh University Library and moved away to leave him feeling at once alone and betrayed, feelings to which he had no just claim.

He remembered a particularly quiet evening at Bartleby’s before her departure when Betty had seemed to sense his sadness, and she had weakly offered reasons of prestige of the new position and proximity to family in Scotland. It was as though she was as sad to leave him as he was to see her go. Oh, how he’d wished at times that he had followed through with his impulse to offer his services at her new venue. But this would have been trite and presuming. He was a student enrolled at Oxford after all, and he did not want to appear the clinging boy that worshipped the ground she walked on.

Finishing the eight-block walk to Bartleby’s, he hesitated, examining the heavy, red-with-gold-trim doors framing the old leaded windows with a new perspective his musings had reawakened. Old England still survived in the pub here amidst the more modern structures which sprouted like mushrooms in the dampness. Most people said change was a good thing, because it assured the progress of humanity toward bigger and better things. The trouble was that much of the change nowadays was rife with the business of noise and hurry of an increasingly crowded world. Most people were anxious to get here or there and they did not react well to anyone who blocked their way, even if only for a moment.

Nearby wailing of police sirens propelled him into his favorite haunt. The familiar warmth and atmosphere of Bartleby’s surrounded him and the regulars at the bar gave him nods and murmurs of quiet greeting, which he returned. He was surprised to see that his friend Sam had moved one stool down from his usual spot, and the man was grinning from ear to ear. Curious, Ken approached to ask him why when he leaned over and patted the seat of his usual stool.

“Set your arse down there, lad.” Sam looked as though he was about to burst with some secret, but when Ken opened his mouth to ask, he said, “Don’t give us any grief, man. Do as you’re told, that’s a good lad.” He slapped Ken’s seat again to leave no doubt. Ken sighed and took the seat gingerly, expecting some sort of prank, which Sam had pulled on occasion. Tonight was different, however. There was a certain gleam in Sam’s rheumy eyes that indicated his mood was sincere. “Ah, there we go,” Sam commended when Ken had seated himself. “Stubbins, get this lad a Guinness, and make it snappy, will you?” Stubbins, the large, burly bartender, nodded curtly with a conspiring smirk, ran Kens draught and slid it expertly before him, not spilling so much as a drop with its speedy delivery.

Sam leaned toward him over his reserved stool. “Special guest for you tonight, lad,” he whispered with a wink. The brandy on his breath stank, but Ken hardly noticed such was his apprehension. That was it! He was being set up. Sam had been giving him grief about his living alone with his books and his sorry library job. “One day,” he had said, “I’m going to set you up with the lady of your dreams.”

Sam slapped the bar. “Stubbins! Where’s the lady’s drink?” So, there it was, out of the bag. Ken risked a glimpse of the regulars lining the bar and they all bore the same knowing smiles on their smug faces. Right now he wanted to disappear. Either this “special guest” was totally unaware of the ruse, or it was one of the regulars made up as a frumpy prude, was his guess. But all of the regulars were accounted for. Well, this should prove interesting, indeed.

Ken was absolutely floored when Stubbins set daintily down on the napkin with the Bartleby’s logo a Sister Mary Lightfeather. It was a drink specially made here to the specification of Betty Gibson! The look on his face must have been priceless, for Sam and Stubbins started cackling like old cronies after winning a hand of poker.

Sam slapped his knee. “We got him with that one, Stubbins!” His laughter blared and Stubbins joined him with vigor.

Ken spat, “Oh, for the love of…” but he was interrupted by the loveliest sound he’d heard in years.

“I know you men can be cruel, but you’ve outdone yourselves this time.” It was really Betty Gibson! He spun about on his stool and practically fell off of it in the process. Her radiance left him speechless. Betty actually looked ten years younger than when he last saw her. She wore a flowing, white, knee-length dress with navy polka dots, cinched with a sash at the waist to accentuate her figure. Betty had also let her auburn hair grow to shoulder length from its former feathered business cut, and it framed her features in such a way as to make her gray eyes appear large and luminous. But most of all it was her lips that caught his eye; the curve at their corners that made it appear as if she was always on the edge of a suggestive smile had filled his imagination for countless daydreaming hours—hours of regret that he had let her go without at least letting her know how he felt about her.

Now, though, all that had changed in a heartbeat. The woman of his fantasies stood before him, waiting. She raised her brows. “Is this seat taken, sir?”

His mouth moved, but he could not seem to connect his brain to his vocal cords. He felt like a fool, suddenly...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.10.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-2763-4 / 9798350927634