PROLOGUE
March 21st 2017 CE (common era)
Her heart was stumbling like a semi teetering off the side of a cliff; her lungs drowning like a wet paper bag in high winds, her limbs were both surged by an electric fire and an alien numbness that pulsed from every wound. Somehow, she managed to cough a bloody, “don’t worry, I’ll be back” before her eyes tore off the Undercover’s surprised and worried face, rolled back, and took her into darkness.
Despite what she said, and she didn’t know why she said that, the woman (with only a fake passport to identify her) wasn’t so sure she was ever going to come back. Twenty three bullets. It was reasonable that no human body could be expected to survive it. Before the black became total lack of consciousness, her last thought just happened to be:
“Happy Birthday to me!” With a distant, subconscious nagging, “why didn’t anyone take the headshot?”
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On the 13th day in the Month of Jupiter, in the Space Era (SE) year 1526: Commander General Xerxes van Roy Bobeck is assassinated during negotiations with the Alttellurians. He is survived by, and leaves his massive estates and fortune to, his two sons: Doctor Theomaximus C. Bobeck and Corporal Jaisarzen C. Bobeck.
On Jupiter 14th, 1526 SE: Commander General Joppa Gustavo Montserrat succeeds General Bobeck in negotiations with the Alttellurians by the Order of Commander Succession.
On Jupiter 16th, 1526 SE: Commander Montserrat secures one year’s "peace" with the Alttellurians. One year to plan surrender to, or war with the Alttellurians more accurately. On the same day, at the Bobeck estate, Theo and Jai review and sign documents pertaining to their father’s last will and testament.
On Jupiter 17th, 1526 SE: Theo discovers an ancient document in his father’s will circa 2058 CE, written by a distant ancestor by the name of Adam Thibodaux Bobeck, beginning with a personal letter:
“Henri, my son, if you’re reading this than I am regretfully no longer available to answer your questions and you will have many. Your job is to keep the Trust Fund in place which provides for the continued suspension and preservation of Dahlia Echo. You will pass these documents and instructions on to your son, and he to his son, and so on until science has achieved what is currently impossible; saving Dahlia Echo.
You are probably wondering who is Dahlia Echo? Son, I can’t answer that question. What I can say is that in 2017, three years before you were born, I was on an undercover assignment in Jamaica. I only met her once, at the time of the incident. Miss Echo didn’t hesitate to kill the rest of them, she had no reason to believe me, but I lived because she let me and I’ve always wondered if it was so that I could save her in return.
Now, Henri, it is my will that she is saved. Her last words were ‘don’t worry, I’ll be back’ and I think you’ll understand why I’ve made it possible for that to be true despite current scientific limitations. So, you must impart this will upon your heir, and he to his until Dahlia Echo is saved, awakened, and reintroduced to the current society. I do not know what future she will wake up in, but I have to imagine her story didn’t end when mine began.
Please forgive me for this burden.
143x8
Dad
(Adam Thibodaux Bobeck)”
Between Jupiter 19th and Saturn 3rd, 1526 SE: Theo tracks down and reviews all the “Dahlia Echo” related documents and files. As a medical doctor, he is certain science has been able to “save” Dahlia Echo for well over a thousand years. He discovers additional documents from Bobeck descendants simply refusing to abide this ancestral request on the grounds of Dahlia Echo being, in Adam Bobeck’s own words, a killer; aside from being a killer, nothing else is known about Dahlia Echo. Theo double checks in their historical database (which he was quite familiar with) to be sure.
Between Saturn 4th and 22nd, 1526 SE: Theo tracks down Dahlia Echo’s body through various companies to one “Suspended Animation Solutions, Inc.” more commonly known as SASinc. Dahlia Echo still exists. Dr. Theo Bobeck must decide whether to pass on the instructions, or finally heal, wake, and reintroduce Dahlia Echo to their (possibly doomed) society. He sits on the decision for months to follow. Meanwhile, Commander General Montserrat faces scrutiny for a gross lack of practical resolutions to the Alttellurian Affairs Problem.
On Oort 27th, 1526 SE: Theo consults his brother Jai about the Dahlia Echo question, and Jai wants nothing to do with the decision, reluctantly agreeing only to assist with transportation of her suspended body from SASinc to Theo’s medical facility. On the same day, Commander General Montserrat resigns.
On Oort 28th, 1526 SE: Commander Owen Raj'iiral Novak (former Scholar) succeeds Montserrat by CTA (Coalition of Tellurian Affairs) appointment as the Order of Commander Succession was employed to no result; natural successors refused the position.
On Oort 29th, 1526 SE: Theo begins necessary legal steps for the release of Dahlia Echo from the custody of SASinc to the custody of the Bobeck Holding Company’s (BHC) medical facility. No date is yet set for the release of Dahlia Echo from SASinc. On the same day, Commander Novak assigns Corporal Jaisarzen Bobeck to his CoF (Council of Five) which requires the relocation and reassignment of Corporal Bobeck into the Disputed Territories where Alttellurian Affairs are conducted.
On Oort 30th, 1526 SE: Jai tells his brother Theo about his new assignment and relocation. The release of Dahlia Echo is postponed until further notice. Theo continues the proceedings with SASinc.
On Gravitii 2nd, 1526 SE: SASinc is prepared to release Dahlia Echo; Theo postpones in order to arrange transportation. Jai has been briefed by Commander Novak and dares to insist the Commander add Theo to the final seat in his CoF. Commander Novak agrees without reviewing Dr. Bobecks resume or credentials, and rumors spread about former Commander General Bobeck’s son’s being summoned to the Disputed Territories so soon (six months) after their father’s assassination. Public opinion is held like a fates breath to see what happens.
On Gravitii 3rd, 1526 SE: Jai serves Theo his reassignment, an argument ensues, eventually Theo agrees to the assignment and relocation on the conditions his progress with their ancestral request is not hindered. Commander Novak is notified, he requests the documents pertaining to the “suspended being” and discussions are put in limbo.
On Gravitii 4th, 1526 SE: Commander Novak agrees to Dr. Bobeck’s conditions. SASinc is served transportation plans for the suspended body of Dahlia Echo, via Corporal Bobeck’s transport affiliations, and Dr. Bobeck begins relocation to the Disputed Territories.
On Gravitii 5th, 1526 SE: the Halo Medical Facility (in the Ztor Asteroid belt surrounding the rogue planet Hejex 32; center of the Disputed Territories) is authorized for upgrades to accommodate Dr. Bobeck’s Ancestral request, per his specifications.
On Gravitii 16th, 1526 SE: Corporal Jaisarzen Bobeck arrives in the Disputed Territories at the Mirage Command Base located along side the Halo Medical Facility.
On Gavitii 30th, 1526 SE: Dr. Theomaximus Bobeck arrives in the Disputed Territories at the Halo Medical Facility. Commander Novak calls his CoF to order and discusses the Alttellurian Affairs problem. Theo is briefed on the dispute:
1. Alttellurians are basically humanity (Tellurians) evolved differently over time, in a parallel reality. How they got in this reality is in question, but what is not in question is how the "Alttellurians began conquering or destroying everything in their path once they got here."
2. Alttellurians claim to have visited the Disputed Territories long before Tellurian arrival, and the Rogue Planet Hejex 32 is a "sacred star in the sky [they] first arrived in." Tellurians are now mining it, and provde evidence there were no indicators of claim or visit to the territory prior to arrival.
3. Alttellurians do not have a word for peace. They require Tellurian surrender, or destruction.
4. Tellurians cannot simply stop mining and leave (even if they wanted to) because the Alttellurians have assured to hunt and destroy for the attempt to avoid the confrontation or admission of weakness.
5. Alttellurians are more advanced technologically, and [presumed] biologically than Tellurians, in a war toe to toe... Tellurians will lose.
(Proof Positive: before Commander Bobeck’s death, Alttellurians entirely destroyed five Tellurian occupied planetary systems in as many days. There are 37 Tellurian occupied colonies left.)
No resolutions are proposed in the meeting. Theo postpones unpacking or settling in until he sleeps on the Alttellurian problem. Theo only dreams of history reborn.
On the first solar day of the transition month of Equinoxii 1526 SE: [the last month before the new year] Commander Novak orders the reconvening of his CoF. Theo declines the order and requests instead, all material pertaining to their dealings with the Attellurians, including the base data conclusions were drawn from. Novak declines, reissues his order. Theo declines and reissues his request, including a note that reads “I’m a doctor, Commander, allow me educate myself on my new patient.” Novak agrees and orders the files sent to Dr. Bobeck; he sends Bobeck a note that reads “Tell me what the previous administration missed.” The rest of the Commander’s CoF meets, no resolutions are offered.
On Equinoxii 2nd, 1526 SE: Novak and his CoF reconvene, minus Dr. Bobeck who sends a note “the previous administration was sloppy. Where are the Bobeck administration files?” While the CoF end another day without a proposed resolution to the Alttellurian problem, Dr. Bobeck receives the files from his father’s administration, the first to face the Alttellurians. It was a lot more raw data to work from.
On Equinoxii 3rd, 1526 SE: Commander Novak reconvenes his CoF, minus Dr. Bobeck whom he sends a message reading: “No more notes. Don’t bother showing up until and unless you have a solution to propose.” The CoF continues with their no-joy streak. Dr. Bobeck files a check-status report with SASinc on Dahlia Echo’s transportation and spends the rest of the day getting to know the Alttellurians from the files. He realizes his stuff is unpacked but forgets to ask by whom.
Between Equinoxii 4th and 13th, 1526 SE: the CoF produces no resolutions, SASinc confirms delivery will be by Equinoxii 27th, and Corporal Bobeck begins missing CoF meetings to confer with his brother (he fails to notify anyone).
On Equinoxii 14th, 1526 SE: Commander Novak moves the CoF meeting to the Halo Medical Facility, because the Bobecks became unresponsive to summons, and catch up to the arguments the brothers have been engaged in for days. As rundown by Theo:
“Problem….
1. “Alts (Alttellurians) are nomadic and superior technologically; we can’t spy on them because we do not know where they are so, we must rely solely on data gathered during negotiations. As already noted, this is unacceptable.
2. “Alts conquer or destroy; we never received clear demands for our terms of surrender except “absolute surrender”… what does that mean to the Alts if destruction is the alternative?
3. “We’ll never conceive a plan to defeat the Alts because we do not know enough about them as a species, or people. So, the question is not whether to surrender or be destroyed, how much to surrender or how to effectively avoid destruction… the question is how do we learn more about the Alts so we can throw something at them they’ve never seen before?”
Debate ensued into the early solar hours of Equinoxii 15th, 1526 CE and by the end of the day, Commander Novak petitioned CTA for a grant in order to deploy a sentinel net of space jockeys and nomads for information on the Alts.
On Equinoxii 16th, 1526 SE: CTA issues the grant, and declares Rewards for verifiable information on the Alts is in effect; rewards are issued to the remaining 37 Tellurian Occupied quadrant’s Tellurian Affairs Departments (TADs) with sole discretion to hand out rewards based on verifiable information, under the condition reports are sent to CTA and the Novak Administration.
Between Equinoxii 17th and 26th, 1526 SE: reports come in across three galaxies, information is verified by each quadrant’s TAD, which then has copies sent to CTA, Commander Novak and his CoF real time, as requested. The CoF spends the time collating the data into categories of usefulness (sometimes in debate). By the 26th, Dr. Bobeck requests the next solar week off to receive and revive Dahlia Echo, Commander Novak reluctantly agrees.
On Equinoxii 27th, 1526 SE: SASinc personnel arrive on Corporal Bobeck’s arranged transportation with the suspended body of Dahlia Echo. Final documents of release are signed and Dr. Theomaximus Bobeck gains custody of Dahlia Echo. She is transported into the reanimation lab upgraded in the Halo Medical Facility. Reanimation procedures begin immediately with the semi-suspended state required to repair all injuries prior to full reanimation.
Between Equinoxii 28th 1526 SE and Mercury 3rd 1527 SE: Dahlia Echo is fully repaired and put into the second and final stages of reanimation under the watchful eye of Dr. Bobeck. Commander Novak and the CoF discover a series of reports that include copies from files that should have been in the Bobeck Administration files, but seemed to have been lost during the Montserrat Administration; they add a 4th problem to Theo’s model “Alt mole or carelessness?”
Mercury 4th, 1527 SE: Commander Novak is impatient for Dr. Bobeck's return to his CoF duties and sends him a message; “We have five months, twelve days, and six hours on the Alts doomsday clock, what are you doing?” Theo replies: “she just woke up, give me one more day.” Novak responds: “I give you 20 hours and I’m sending the new files to your personal library; you’d better come back with insight.” Theo doesn’t get the note, but he does notice the receipt of new files in his library; Dahlia Echo is awake and makes history as the oldest body ever reanimated… a staggering 1,732 (relative) years into her future.
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Note For Science/Math Junkies Already Doing The Calculations: If Theo wakes Dahlia on Mercury 4th (their January 4th) in the year 1527 SE, (and she's been suspended since 2017 CE, 1,732 years ago...) than observing United States Daylight Savings Time Leap Year calendars would make the year for Dahlia Echo 3749 CE…. But that's only if SE time were also observing daylight savings time leap years... They don't.
SE time has been in effect since the end of the year 2222 CE (I explain why in the book), where 1 solar year still consists of 12 months but there are 30 days in the first 11 months, and 31 days in the 12th (each day with 24 solar hours which still consist of 60 minutes, with 60 seconds per minute) without leap years...
Therefore, there are actually about 6,490 less days in the SE calendars in the 1,527 years since the change in 2222 CE.
With that in mind, the actual date for Dahlia's awakening would be more like March 30th 3731 CE to Theo’s Mercury 4th 1527 SE... if the CE calendar was also converted to the shortage of days in the SE year. Hope that makes sense.
Perspective. ;)
Enjoy!
-M.E.
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