Humble Beginnings (Tri System's Edge Series Book 1) Read online

  Humble

  Beginnings

  Tri System’s Edge Series

  Book 1

  Ron Schrader

  Edited byEschler Editing

  Tri Systems Edge Series

  Humble Beginnings

  Volume 1, Third Edition

  Official Website

  RonSchrader.com

  Follow Ron Schrader on Facebook

  facebook.com/AuthorRonSchrader

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 KWYM Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher via email (below) with “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” in the subject line.

  KWYM Publishing

  kwympublishing.com

  [email protected]

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Paradise Unraveled— The Prelude

  Bonus

  Chapter 1

  Given the choice, she would have landed somewhere less middle-of-nowhere, but it was either land here or crash somewhere else. Now all she could think about was getting her ship fixed and getting off this planet, but the fog wasn’t helping. It was thick—unlike anything she’d ever seen before—and seemed to go on forever across the open field, choking out what little daylight remained. Just standing outside her ship sent a chill through her bones.

  “Kalla?” came the interruption from the rough familiar voice of her copilot, Dom, who stood a few meters to her right. “Way to land the ship and keep her in one piece!” he said. The fog curled around him as he spoke, rendering his smile barely visible.

  She nodded to acknowledge the compliment but then quickly returned to her own thoughts. The fog had engulfed Kalla and her crew, making it easy for her imagination to run wild with visions of unpleasant creatures just off in the distance, waiting to attack. Fighting back her paranoia, she stared back at the space cruiser still barely in view. She could see the damaged steel panel—damage from the explosion that could have been avoided. The worn out stabilizer had blown and nearly punched a hole on the port side of the ship. She was lucky to have landed at all. But with no spare stabilizer on board, they’d be stuck here indefinitely, which just wasn’t an option.

  “We’ve got a hot payload to move,” she said, breaking the silence, “and I, for one, am not interested in letting it sit out here in the open for the taking.”

  Her crew stood close, nodding in agreement as she spoke.

  “With the right parts,” she continued, “the damage to the ship should be an easy fix. So we find help tonight and get on our way. Agreed?”

  Once again, the men nodded in favor of the plan.

  “Okay, then. We’ll spread out in a line a couple meters apart and start looking for buildings. I swear I saw some not far from here on the way down, so we’ll keep walking until we find them,” she said, pointing in the direction she’d seen what she believed to be a city.

  She glanced back at the ship one last time to confirm its position before leaving it behind, but as she did, the fog billowed up and swallowed it like a great white cloud. “Not how I wanted to spend my evening,” she muttered under her breath.

  Twenty minutes later, with no sign of any buildings and the evening light fading fast, Kalla began to realize they should have waited for morning.

  “We should probably get back to the ship,” she finally said with some concern in her voice. But before anyone could respond, a foreboding screech echoed in the distance, followed immediately by several more coming from all directions. “Let’s move,” she said quietly.

  The group instinctively began moving back the way they’d come, hoping to reach the ship and avoid any unwanted attention.

  “What do you think’s out there?” Dom whispered to Kalla through the wall of fog separating them.

  “Almost sounds like they’re talkin’ to each other,” she heard another crew member say.

  Kalla remained silent, searching the fog for any sign of her ship, but everything looked the same. Finally, after several more minutes of walking, it became clear they were lost, having been disoriented in the thick cloud surrounding them.

  Still unable to see her crew, Kalla called out quietly. “Dom? Banks? Can anyone hear me?” But even as her men responded one by one, all still close by, she couldn’t shake the uneasy sensation deep in her gut. The screeches had stopped, and Kalla didn’t take that as a good sign.

  “Anyone else bothered by the silence?” Kalla whispered. But just as she finished, the sounds of gunfire broke the eerie silence. Screams from a few of her men followed, but as she strained her eyes in search of an attacker, none could be found.

  “Hold your fire!” she yelled, worried a stray bullet might find her. Unable to see the cause of this chaos that surrounded her, she stood with pistol in hand, wishing she’d brought more firepower as her eyes desperately searched the fog for anything that might become a target. With only a single pistol and no extra ammo on hand, she waited patiently, doing her best to ignore the fear that had come over her.

  Dom suddenly started yelling as he ran toward her. “Run, Kalla!” he shouted. “It’s right behind me!”

  Tense from the adrenaline now surging through her body, she stood still as Dom approached, aiming her pistol at a dark mass concealed by the low visibility of the fog, following close behind him.

  With her ship nowhere in sight, she waited for Dom to run past her before unloading her pistol at the dark shape until it was only a meter from where she stood. In disbelief, she squinted as her eyes made out not one but several dark shapes fast approaching.

  Kalla immediately realized that with her sidearm now empty, all but her and Dom likely dead, and her ship lost in the never-ending fog, she had no other option but to run with the hope that she’d find safety.

  She quickly holstered her pistol and began sprinting, catching up to Dom in no time.

  “Run!” he ordered as Kalla ran alongside him. “You get back to the ship. I’ll buy you some time!” Her old shipmate then slowed his pace, giving her a good lead. Dom’s heavy feet pounded the ground behind her, stumbling and desperate. Then suddenly the pounding stopped, replaced by the sound of more gunfire, then a scream.

  “Dom!” she yelled. But there was no response, just silence accompanied by the faint sound of footsteps pattering quietly behind her.

  With nothing left to do, Kalla sprinted through the dark mist, trying to fight the exhaustion that weakened her legs with each step. Should’ve replaced that stabilizer weeks ago, she thought angrily to herself. Her thoughts then quickly turned to the crew she’d just lost.

  Fost
er, her mechanic, had warned her well over a month ago that it wouldn’t last much longer, but a new stabilizer meant a lot of money they didn’t have yet. They just needed to get through this last big job and everything would have been fine. But now, with her crew gone, she only had her own life to worry about, and with each step she took, her body begging for rest, she began to think that even her life might end very soon. And though the tightening muscles in her toned arms and legs were those of a seasoned athlete, pushing her forward with an appearance of ease, she knew this couldn’t go on forever.

  From behind she could only hear the occasional screech of a predator unwilling to end its pursuit. Whether it was only one now or still several, she didn’t know, nor did she care to find out. But the sound alone was enough to keep her motivated while her entire body cried out in pain echoing from the tip of her toes to the throbbing in her skull. And yet, in spite of the growing exhaustion, she ran as if her life depended on it—and it did. The burning sensation in her muscles had long ago been replaced by a deep, penetrating ache that would not be ignored, yet somehow she managed to keep going. And each time the need for rest would arise, the fear and terror still residing within would rush through her body like an adrenaline shot, allowing her to somehow exceed her physical limitations just a little longer. But, like a drug, she knew the fear-induced adrenaline would eventually have to wear off, forcing her body into total exhaustion. It was only a matter of time before she would find herself in their reach.

  Running in a slightly curved line, she hoped that with some luck she might stumble across her ship again, where she’d at least be safe until help came, if it ever did. But with the thick fog that seemed to go on forever, she had no way of knowing if her ship was anywhere near. She just knew that stopping wasn’t an option unless she wanted to end up like the crew she’d just lost. So, productive or not, she moved forward with all the fight she could muster as her body continued to tell her no. If she were going to die, giving up would not be the cause.

  In spite of her resolve to keep going, the fatigue her body felt eventually became overwhelming. Her mind began to accept the likely fate, a death she could not avoid much longer. The sweat that had poured down her smooth, tanned face was mostly dry now as her body had little moisture left to give, leaving her skin feeling tight and chapped. Her mouth and lips were so dry that it hurt to even inhale as she ran, panting and gasping for breath.

  For a moment, she wondered how she would fare against the creatures in hand-to-hand combat. With her pistol empty, she was left with only the dagger her mentor and friend Aurelia Zar had given her, but as comforting as it was, she doubted the small blade would be of much use against the predators behind her. So she gathered her remaining strength and continued to run. Still, she realized that each step only brought her closer to the inevitable, the same fate her crew had already endured.

  After what seemed like hours of pushing herself beyond human limits, the adrenaline that had allowed her to last so long began to fade, her mind quickly slipping away from the nightmare she was living. Just before her consciousness drifted away into darkness, one final muted scream passed between her lips. She was about to die, and all for nothing more than a payday, albeit a very big payday.

  She tried to look back over her shoulder, wanting to face the threat head on, but the muscles in her legs finally gave out. Gravity took hold of her body and she fell into the mist, colliding with the cold, hard ground.

  Her mind drifted to a place of rest and peace where her old friend Aurelia greeted her in the distance. She reached for the carved handle of Aurelia’s dagger, expecting to return it to her friend, only to find herself unable to move. And in her exhaustion, she barely saw the blurred image of a large man appear just as a sharp pain pierced her back.

  Oblivion finally took hold as Aurelia called out to her. Then, there was nothing but darkness.

  Chapter 2

  Gasping for air, she sat up in bed to find herself drenched in sweat from the nightmare she’d just had. All the other dreams had been an ongoing adventure, one she was enjoying, but this most recent experience had thrown her off guard.

  “Are you all right, Anna? Was it another dream?” Dr. Carter entered the room, standing just over one-and-a-half meters tall and nearly a half-meter wide. His hair was sandy brown and unkempt. He wore a long white coat buttoned in the front, revealing only his pant legs beneath the coat’s hem. His face looked friendly enough as he smiled, but the smile almost seemed forced. And aside from taking her blood numerous times, he’d only been drilling her with questions since she’d arrived here. Was he even really a doctor? She didn’t know for certain, but something about him didn’t feel right. He rarely made eye contact with her and always seemed to twitch when he spoke to her. She didn’t trust him.

  “Yes, just another dream,” she lied, still covered in perspiration from the intense nightmare she’d just had. “I’m fine, Dr. Carter.” But she wasn’t fine. Up until now, the dreams had been a pleasant release from a reality that didn’t feel real to her. But this most recent experience was quite disturbing. The fact that her dreams had been taking her on a continuous journey had never crossed her mind, picking up each time where the last one ended. But now, after this most recent experience, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was something more. She felt a hint of guilt as though she was responsible for what had happened in her dream. It felt a little too real, more like a memory than a dream.

  Awake in her reality, she spent her days in a gloomy white room, stuck in a bed she never left, her arms and legs restrained. The doctor just said she was ill, dying of something she’d never heard of, and this was all for her own good. But she didn’t feel sick, not like she figured she would with a terminal disease. “I think . . . I just need something to drink, please,” she asked politely.

  “Yes, of course, Anna. It’s time to take your pills anyhow. I’ll send the orderly right in.”

  She watched as Dr. Carter turned and left the room. Every time she mentioned her dreams, he gave her more medication. How could she know for sure that he was even being honest with her? After all, he did seem to go out of his way to avoid answering her questions whenever she asked. And then there was that twitch. He always seemed nervous around her. Something just wasn’t right about him or this place, but chained to this bed like a prisoner, she was helpless to do anything about it.

  Not five minutes later, the orderly walked out of the room leaving her to rest once more, having given her the daily round of pills to go along with yet another shot. As she lay in bed, the drugs now beginning to take effect once more as they moved through her system, she hardly noticed the restraints holding her arms and legs, allowing some free movement on the bed but preventing any escape. She couldn’t even remember how long she had been in this place, just that for some reason it didn’t feel right here. But as the drugs took hold, she could only hope that no more nightmares were waiting in her dreams as another forced sleep came over her.

  ~

  As the darkness of night slowly faded and the warmth of the sun spilled into the opening of the room where Kalla lay, a peaceful calm spread over her entire body. She could feel the warmth from the sunlight on her skin as she opened her eyes to the blur of light. After allowing her eyes time to acclimate to the bright light, she stared out into the beautiful morning sky, feeling briefly at peace. But her instincts quickly woke her from the moment as she began trying to figure out where she was and how she’d gotten here. She jumped to her feet, fists clenched in preparation to defend herself should the need arise. Frantically surveying the room Kalla discovered she was alone.

  Looking around she observed that uneven rock walls surrounded her, except for the large opening where sunlight spilled into the room. It was obvious she was inside a cave, one that couldn’t be more than four or five meters in diameter.

  The walls of the cave were mostly straight until just before reaching the ceiling where they gradually curved upward, making a bowl-like shape above
her. The texture of the rock in the entire room, while still bumpy and jagged in places, looked smoother than she expected a cave to look.

  The air in the cave was cool and dry, but the sunlight shining in the opening provided sufficient light and warmth, making it a quite comfortable place to be for a cave. And the only sounds Kalla could hear came from the distant whistle of birds outside, and the breeze against the outer rock wall.

  A ragged blanket lay on the rock slab protruding from the wall where she’d been sleeping, and across from the slab was an old wooden chair that sat alone. The room looked otherwise empty. It was mostly clean too, except for some trace amounts of dirt that could be seen scattered randomly on the floor. Kalla concluded that this must be someone’s home.

  “Where am I?” she breathed softly, only wanting to hear her own voice as proof she wasn’t dead. Unsure where she was or what to do, Kalla backed toward the opening to find that she wasn’t just standing in an ordinary cave.

  Looking outside the entrance, she found that the cave rested several thousand meters above the valley floor in the side of a cliff. Her heart began to race as she wondered how to get out of here. Knowing logically that this couldn’t possibly be the way out, she turned her head toward the room, expecting to find something she’d missed before. Instead, she caught a glimpse of a large shape approaching from behind her.

  She turned in midair and jumped toward the stone bed, preparing to fight for her life. “Where did you come from?” she demanded, standing defensively with both fists clenched in front of her as she faced the man who’d entered the room. But as she stared at the calm figure before her, a rough-looking man, large in stature with the rugged appearance of someone who’d been living primitively, she was somewhat surprised by his lack of aggression.

  He just stood quietly, leaning casually against the rock wall of the cave with his arms folded, staring blankly toward her.