Vast (eBook)

Volume I

Drew Chenault (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
316 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3178-0429-9 (ISBN)

Infos

A young man goes from retail work to being flung across the galaxy. Dangers, excitement, war, adventure, and colorful characters await him as he looks to find a place to belong.

Born February 5th, 1987, Drew Chenault has always loved storytelling in all it's forms. Whether books, games, television, or movies, he's been fascinated by the weave of words and imagination that brings people such joy to so many. The youngest of three brothers, He comes from a simple Christian home in Arkansas. In his own writing, he values fun and ease of reading. He seeks to give a imaginative experience that can be easily understood. He prioritizes visual descriptions and a focuses on a spirit of adventure and likable characters.

---

Ryan Thompson was a isolated young man that feels stuck. He has a dead end job and all his dreams have died. He assumes he'll be in the same apartment forever. Little does he realize that he's about to be forcefully taken very far indeed. He is abducted by an evil alien regime bent on conquest, and subsequently saved by a small band of guerilla fighters. Now a refugee in a strange place untold light years from earth, he seeks to make a new life for himself.

Textauszug

Chapter 3

The massive alien space station looms in the distance. Light glitters off the metallic structures and the swarm of countless ships come into view. The station is as a hive now struck and angry. It’s sending out drones in full force to avenge the insult. Already, over a dozen fighters are in range and begin peppering the jump ship with fire. The jump ship is twisting and weaving to avoid what fire it can, but is unable to avoid all of the onslaught. Fortunately, the shots are being deflected by a barrier. It ripples with light as it disperses the bolts of energy. From the two gun stations on opposite wings of the jump ship, Ryan and Alandra return fire.

“Please tell me we don’t have to shoot down every ship in that enormous cloud coming after us!” Ryan yelled.

The intercom barks a response. “Stay calm, we’ve just got to buy a little time. Then we can outmaneuver them. ‘Till then just keep them from surrounding us.”

“Right…” Ryan says as he takes aim at the nearest fighter. He fires and the enemy craft weaves out of the way, but Ryan corrects his aim and fires bolts of high energy rounds into the fighters flank causing it to spiral out of control. “Yeah! Got one!” He yells but before the words are even fully formed the ship reels from a hit and Ryan hits his head on some of the machinery. “Ow!” Ryan winces then reprimands himself. “Celebrate later. Fire now.”

Alandra fires into the main formation of the swarm whenever she gets the chance, focusing on slowing their approach. A small formation of three ships get close and she’s able to shoot one down. The remaining two swoop to Ryan’s side, and she calls out their heading. “Two more heading your way. Coming in low.” Ryan has to flip his whole turret position on its head, but is ready to take them out as soon as they enter his field of vision.

A new formation from the mass begins to close in. The masculine voice calls out. “Neutron Formation incoming. Grit your teeth and hold on cause this is gonna be tricky.”

Six fighters had gotten a lead on the jump ship and taken up positions surrounding the ship, forming a diamond. Before the lead fighter gets directly in front of the ship, the thrusters in the nose of the ship fire. This causes it to spin in a forward flip. From that position, the main engines perform a max power burst to propel directly away from the formation. It is just in time as the fighters self-detonate, releasing converging circular wave pulses that would have undoubtedly ripped the jump ship apart. The swarm shifts to avoid the shock waves and continue pursuit.

“Did they just blow themselves up to try and take us out!?” Ryan yells, still reeling from the g-forces created by the evasive maneuver.

Alandra’s voice replies “Yes they did, but it didn’t work and I think that gave us the room to pull off a ripple!”

“A ripple? What on earth do you mean by a ripple?” he asked frantically.

“Ripple is what’s gonna get us out of this mess and get us as far away from ‘on earth’ as possible.” squawked the pilot’s voice.

As the swarm prepares to renew the chase, Ryan notices in his peripheral vision that the space outside the ship is beginning to change. The stars begin to shimmer. He turns in wonder to see what appears to be a depression in the blackness, a single wave forms in the center of the depression and moves toward the edges. Following behind the wave is a reflection of the jump ship, the hive ship, the swarm, and even the earth. When the wave touches the edge of the depression, it seems reality itself snaps to correct some change. Ryan is aware and can somehow feel space close up behind them creating what he could only describe as a ripple upon the surface of nothing. He then realizes that the ripple is already farther behind them then he can comprehend is possible. A swirling vortex of energy with vivid colors and alternating currents seemed to have surrounded the ship. The ship itself felt perfectly still and calm. Like a ship in a bottle. The contradiction feals unnerving, and Ryan struggles to fight down a sense of vertigo. Slowly he comprehended the cheering and relief of voices from the intercom. He focuses on the voices and turns toward the door.

“Ha ha ha!” comes a hearty laugh. “We got away free and clear.”

Alandra’s voice comes through soft and concerned if distorted. “Ryan? Are you alright? You haven’t said anything since the ripple.”

“I feel like I just got hit by a truck… while on a roller coaster.” Came out a panting, weak reply in a voice that Ryan did not initially recognize as his own. “What happened?” he managed to ask

“Like I said we made a ripple. Don’t worry. The first time can be a bit jarring. I’ll be right there to have a look at you.”

“Yeah don’t worry. Bending the laws of physics can be a bit jolting. That was a ripple caused by spatial distortion. We’re taking light-years and mushing them into something a bit more manageable. If you were a weak root, you’d have died already!” comes the gruff voice, followed by an earthy chuckle.

Ryan looks toward the intercom dizzily and shakes his head. “Yeah, yeah. You laugh, but I’m about to puke in your ship.”

Alandra opens the door with a smirk. “Please don’t. He’d complain for weeks about having to clean it up.” She then takes a more serious posture and looks Ryan over. “and for the record this is my ship.” She has him follow her finger with his eyes to make sure he is focusing properly. She then looks briefly for any signs of physical or mental trauma. She feels his face gently. As his body adjusts to the strange space, his hearing also seems to clear.

Feeling better, Ryan smiles ironically “Do you even know what my temperature is supposed to feel like?”

She gives him a scolding look while speaking in a teasing tone, “I have a rough idea from the data we took from the station and from having to hold your hand most of the way out of that place.”

“ah… right” Ryan says, a little embarrassed. Her hands are cool to him and a bit moist, but smooth and gentle. It reminds him of a moist rag being lightly patted on his forehead, and has a similar calming effect. It does little to abate his headache; but it does all but dissolve his vertigo, allowing his stomach to settle.

She then stands up. “Well you’re a bit shaken up, but there doesn’t seem to be any significant damage. Come on, let’s head to the helm and we’ll talk.”

Ryan stands up shakily, but holds up a hand when she appears to want to assist him. When he is sure he has attained his equilibrium he gestures toward the door. “After you.”

“Alright tough guy, this way.” she says as she walks down the short hall. Now able to take in what was going on, Ryan is able to see that the hall is more open than he originally noticed. The air lock is on a far wall and across appears to be storage panels of some kind. Farther back is a door Ryan hadn’t been in yet. It is likely the engine room. Directly across is the other gun station, and to his right is a sturdy door that Alandra opens revealing the helm.

“So how’s our Fresh plucked root?” says the earthy voice from before. Ryan is surprised to see what appears to be a very short, broad shouldered human with his left eye, right arm, and left leg replaced by some type of mechanical prosthetics. He is wearing simple shorts and a shirt with a floral pattern on it.

“A Dwarf? A Cyborg-Dwarf?” Ryan blurts out in shock.

“Is that what your people calls us? Dwaaarf?” he says the word as if he is weighing it on his tongue. He looks at Alandra quickly “I like that one. Easier to pronounce then some I’ve heard.” He then turns back to Ryan and hops out of the helmsman’s chair revealing that he is maybe just at 4 feet tall but nearly as broad. He squints his eyes, showing fine wrinkles across his face. His hair is a dusty blonde, almost grey. It is balding on top but what he has is about shoulder length, a bit shorter on the sides then in the back. A beam of light is emitted from his cybernetic eye and it seems to scan Ryan. He strokes one side of his impressive mustache and beard; then the other, as he walks around Ryan, sizing him up.

“This is Thuun. He’s one of my oldest and most trusted friends and crew mates.” Alandra explains.

“So this is what we got away with eh? Well he’s a bit of a scrawny root for my taste, but I like the glint in his eye and the swiftness of his tongue.” He then sniffs at Ryan “And, he managed to keep from peeing himself in all the ruckus. He’ll do.”

Ryan thinks back to his day. The man referring to the trunk, saying “This will do,” and also to the voice in the tank saying “he’ll do.” Both times referring to an object to be used. Emotions began welling up and his face turned a bit sour.

“I’m beginning to hate that phrase.” The adrenaline from the danger has worn off. The focus of a single goal of survival is no longer there to help him maintain mental discipline. He is at his physical and mental limit. With frustration and fatigue in his voice, he speaks up. “So what exactly will I ‘do’ for?” he then lifts his hand and continues. “Wait…actually, I have other questions first.” With a touch of desperation he adds. “What’s going on? Who are you people?” He shakes his head as he asks “How can I even understand you since you’re clearly not from around here?” He pauses and takes a breath before he looks them both straight in their eyes. “But the first and most important question I want answered...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.5.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Science Fiction
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3178-0429-9 / 9798317804299