Sanctuary (Rise of the Empire Book 2) Read online

  Sanctuary

  Book two – Rise of the Empire series

  By

  IVAN KAL

  Copyright © 2014 by Ivan Kal

  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.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the 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.

  Cover art/illustrations Copyright © 2014 by Stefan Bela - [email protected]

  Contact the author: [email protected]

  Table of Contents

  Timeline

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Epilogue

  Timeline

  December 2018 – World economy approaching collapsing point, unemployment at an all-time high.

  April 2019 – Corruption and economic failing brings about the collapse of the European Union, United States struggles with ever increasing number of homeless, Europe struggles with food shortages.

  July 2020 – With the collapse of the EU most countries are forced to implement population control, food and water shortages increasing, the price of water skyrockets. North African countries declare bankruptcy.

  February 2021 – Natural oil and gas reserves approaching depletion. United States increases their presence in the Middle East, along with Russia and China. Relations between China and India deteriorate.

  November 2021 – African and South American countries reach bankruptcy points, people start rioting. Australia and Indonesian countries invest in solar, sea water, and thermal power research, they start building hydroponic and agroponic industries. Relations between Russia and United States deteriorate, China and India declare war.

  January 2022 – Russian military enters Iraq and Iran, United States responds by declaring war on the Russian Federation, the Middle East becomes a battle ground.

  February 2022 – UN tries to end the conflicts peacefully, most member countries unable to divert resources from their own problems. United States, Russia, China, India and other countries involved in the conflict withdraw from the UN.

  May 2022 – UN and NATO dissolved, most European countries approach bankruptcy points.

  Jun 2022 – United Kingdom joins the Middle Eastern war on the side of the United States.

  March 2024 – Australia and Indonesian countries sign a pact, creating the League.

  December 2024 – The League builds first hydrothermal power plant on the ocean bed in the Southern Ocean.

  January 2025 – United States forms an alliance with the UK and India, European and African countries struggle with food, water and oil shortages.

  March 2025 – United States soldiers bomb Iranian village due to faulty information, killing hundreds of innocent civilians. Using that as an excuse, Russian Federation arms their nuclear arsenal and points it at US major cities threatening to fire unless the US and their allies withdraw from the Middle East, with the dissolvent of the UN and NATO there is no world governing body to prevent them, US arms their arsenal as well.

  April 2025 – Remaining nuclear capable countries involved in the conflict arm their armament.

  May 2025 – Russian Federation fires their nuclear missiles, the US defense network isn’t able to shoot them all down, western coast totally destroyed, US fires their missiles in response, within hours both countries mayor cities are destroyed. India fires their nuclear weapons at China totally destroying most of their mayor cities. China subjected to sabotage, unable to fire all of their arsenal.

  July 2025 – Death count in the billion rising each day, millions more infected with radiation sickness, China becomes a wasteland. Refugees from the US west coast move to the east and south into Mexico and Southern America, Russian refugees move to Siberia, hard conditions add to the death count, few remaining Chinese refugees are given aid and living space in the League. Radiation clouds move to India, killing millions.

  August 2026 – Final death count approaching three billion. Shock from loss of life forces all involved parties to sign a peace treaty, retreating from war torn Middle East.

  October 2026 – Accord of Life signed all countries agree never again to use nuclear weapons on Earth soil.

  January 2030 – Germany offers financial aid to other European countries, and proposes a union of all European countries into a single entity. Already desperate, all save for UK, Spain, France and Italy accept the offer.

  March – September 2030 – A new country is formed, all governments abolished, elections on various matters held. English accepted as primary speaking language, former prime minister of Germany Jonas Bauer voted and appointed as President of this new state, which took the name Concordis – Latin for united. A new governing system implemented, Concordis split into three regions North – Scandinavia and the rest of former Baltic countries, Central – countries of former central Europe, and South – Balkan Peninsula. Each region elected a single representative, the council of three was created, with the power to overrule any presidential decision if all were in agreement.

  February 2031 – League starts to export food and power to other countries in Asia and Europe.

  August 2033 – Concordis economy stabilizes, quality of life improves. People not living in the League or Concordis suffer. Concordis starts their own hydroponic program on a large scale, most of the fertile land allocated to farming. Water refining programs started. Underground lakes tapped for water.

  November 2035 – Radiation clouds over Asia and North America dissipate.

  December 2035 - August 2039 – US, India, Russia and UK pool their remaining resources and begin to clean up the nuclear waste left by the war. Their economies slowly start to stabilize.

  March 2040 – Olympus Corporation founded in Concordis southern region, primarily focuses on the development of new technology.

  September 2041 – League and Concordis finally able to sustain their populations and send aid to critical regions, League sends food packages to Asia, Concordis to Africa.

  February 2042 – November 2046 – Olympus buys the designs for the Leagues thermal power plants. Starts research on underwater habitats and development. Olympus builds first underwater farms at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean powered by thermal plants. Olympus invests into genetic research, hoping to improve crop yields, and battle radiation sickness in refugees.

  August 2047 – Olympus starts
mining the Atlantic Ocean’s bed for metals and oil. League does the same in the Pacific.

  January 2048 – African countries unite and jointly ask for the inclusion in Concordis, following their example Asian countries except Russia and India, do the same with the League, and are accepted. The Middle Eastern countries remain independent.

  July 2048 – November 2054 – Conditions everywhere begin to improve, the League and Concordis enter a time of technological advancement, Olympus develops first brain implants intended to help people with their everyday lives.

  February 2056 – January 2070 – Olympus builds first underwater city at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, it is named Nephthys. Population control is removed.

  March 2074 – January 2081 – Implant technology now widespread throughout Concordis and League. North and South American countries reach their prewar states.

  February 2081 – Olympus finds an Alien craft at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

  October 2081 – August 2094 – Olympus develops technologies found in the Alien craft, and starts building facilities in space, mining operations on the moon and in the asteroid belt begin.

  November 2094 – Olympus announces sedition from Earth, they create their own state, based in space.

  January 2095 – February 2103 – Tensions between Earth and Olympus rise, Earth economy dependent on Olympus.

  March 2103 – Concordis attacks Olympus, resulting in the destruction of the Olympus station in Earth orbit and a Concordis warship.

  November 2103 – Olympus leaves the Solar system, taking all their technology and people with them.

  October 2109 – Lack of resources, and animosities between world leaders result in Earth being engulfed in a world war.

  May 2129 – End of the Great War, Earth population decimated, estimated population 4.5 billion.

  February 2159 – Ra’a’zani, an alien race, arrive and conquer Earth, enslaving the population.

  November 2160 – Ra’a’zani execute one third of the human population in retaliation against actions of human resistance fighters. Estimated human population 3.5 billion.

  May 2164 – Olympus arrives at their new home, they name the planet Sanctuary.

  August 2169 – Human resistance in Sol finds Olympus Scout ship left in the asteroid field.

  Prologue

  Seventh partial of 2896th rotation - Ra’a’zani world Lu’tal

  Ninth taskmaster Vit’r’an of the clan Ooruvan watched his screen in disbelief. He had spent the entire tenth of a partial on this post as a penance for his failure to notice a slave trouble maker. The slave in question tried to organize an escape, and even managed to pull two slaves, which were known for their obedience, in his plan. All three were executed when caught, an escape was, of course, impossible. The Ooruvan clan had been in charge of this world for more than 50 rotations, and had complete control over the planet and all traffic in the system. The Yunkari slaves were a primitive race, they had barely started constructing machines when the Ooruvan clan found them. The clan was trying to increase their holdings, and gain more influence with the great clans in the core. They were planning on setting a mining operation here, far away from the other clans, as they did not want to share the profits. It then came as a great surprise when they found one of the planets in the targeted system habitable, and an even greater surprise when they realized that it was inhabited with life forms of higher intelligence. The clan leaders immediately realized that they had found a source of great profit. Not only would they have a supply of workers for their mines, they would also be able to sell those acceptable specimens back in the core, earning influence. High intelligence life forms were rare, and very valuable. The Ra’a’zani had enslaved every other race of higher intelligence they found, and there were only three such races, including the Yunkari, that the Ra’a’zani encountered since they entered the great void. The encountering and acquisition of slaves brought a great deal of influence to a clan, the other two clans, the Uunaran and the Virnan, that encountered and enslaved other races gained much influence, and in time became the core of Ra’a’zani. Then, with the discovery of another source of slaves the Ooruvan gained enough influence to become one of the core clans as well, it had been more than 1000 rotations since another race was discovered, and the other slaves had become integrated in Ra’a’zani society. The Ooruvan clan’s influence was lesser than that of the other two of course, the others had a long time to build influence and connections among the clans, but Ooruvan were still one of the core. The other six clans now had to offer gifts, and seek influence with the Ooruvan if they wanted to expand in their vicinity. The Yunkari were very different than the Ra’a’zani, just like the other two slave races. The template was similar, they had four limbs, the Ra’a’zani had six, they had four digits on each limb, while Ra’a’zani had three on their upper, and none but the boney sharp spike on the lower, they breathed the same air composition as the Ra’a’zani and the other two slave races. But their skin was covered in short hairs, while Ra’a’zani had hard scales. One other great difference was that like the other slave races, the Yunkari reproduced via internal egg fertilization. The new life grew inside the female Yunkari which were numerous, unlike the Ra’a’zani. Ra’a’zani females were few, and each clan protected their females savagely. Only those with the greatest influence among a clan would be able to fertilize the eggs that the female lays, and so ensure passing on of their genes.

  Which brought Vit’r’an back to his screen, the disbelief was slowly replaced with eagerness, and excitement. If what he was seeing was true, he might just ensure his spot as one of the fathers of his clan. The computer was still processing the data. But the preliminary reports suggested another high intelligence life form! The signals his station was picking up, according to the computer were communications from another race, and they were sent into the open! It boggled Vit’r’an’s mind, that another intelligent race would announce their existence so freely. The computer of course couldn’t translate the contents from the signals, that would take many partials, or rotations maybe. But Vit’r’an was certain, they had discovered another life form. He verified the data three more times, he didn’t want to risk being executed if he was wrong. He went straight to the clan Rakar, the leader of his parter. If he was right his clan would soon gain a lot more influence. Finding two slave races in a span of less than 100 rotations! Their influence will rise far above the other two core clans. And if he was the one to bring this information to the clan Rakar, the leader of the entire clan, he would gain influence enough to perhaps one day become the Rakar himself.

  Chapter One

  August 2169 – Olympus Explorer Ship Star Gazer – Sol

  Mathias sat on the cold floor of the strange spaceship, the floor didn’t bother him, he was accustomed to sleeping on hard and uncomfortable surfaces. He spent ten years as a slave of the Ra’a’zani, the aliens that conquered Earth. But even before then, he learned how to survive on the streets of the slum city Berlin when he was just a little boy. He was 13 years old when the Ra’a’zani came. No, the cold and hard floor didn’t bother him. Beside him sat Gloria, she, like him was until recently a slave. They escaped their slavery with the help of human resistance, who sent them on a task deep in the asteroid field that resulted in them finding this ship. Across from them on a floorplate, stood an image of a human man, a hologram. The hologram activated when they stepped on the ship's bridge. At first Mathias assumed that the hologram was a part of an interactive program, but then it told them that it was in fact a representation of an artificial intelligence. It introduced itself as Asumy. Mathias had no idea what that was, the Ra’a’zani had nothing like that, and his knowledge on prewar Human technology was lacking, but the hologram explained that it was a computer that was self-aware. He claimed that he could think and learn just like any other intelligent being. Mathias struggled with the concept. He knew little about the technology humanity had before the war, but he never heard about anything like tha
t.

  “We need to contact the resistance.” Gloria said.

  “Yeah.” Mathias said, as a part of the resistance, they knew the low-band radio frequency that the resistance monitored. It was a way that those in the resistance communicated, as the Ra’a’zani didn’t have the capability to monitor such a low frequency. They just needed the equipment capable of sending the signal. It suddenly dawned on Mathias that they were given orders by the resistance to investigate these coordinates, but no way to let them know what they found. The Ra’a’zani shuttle they came in didn’t have the capability to send a low radio signal.

  “Gloria, did the resistance message say how we can contact them?” Mathias asked. The messages in the resistance were passed on via small paper notes, from one person to another. So that no one knew where they came from.

  She frowned for a second. “Oh, right. The equipment parts we were supposed to transfer to another mining station is in fact a radio transmitter. I think that they switched the parts somehow.” She said.

  Mathias sighed, he should have asked her that before they even boarded the shuttle. He was too distracted by the prospect of escaping slavery to think clearly.

  “Alright then, let’s go back to the shuttle and tell them about the ship.” He got to his legs and started towards the door, but the hologram interrupted him.

  “There is no need, this ship’s communication device can send the message on the frequency your friends are using.” It, Asumy said.

  Mathias turned towards the hologram. It looked like a young man, maybe twenty five years old, with short brown hair, dressed in a dark blue uniform. The uniform had a strange symbol on its shoulder, it looked like a winged sword of some kind, and Mathias didn’t recognize it.

  “And how do you know the frequency of our ‘friends’?” Mathias asked suspiciously.

  “I have been monitoring all communications inside the Solar system for the past 66 years.” Asumy said simply.