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    The Ones Before
    The Ones Before
    The Ones Before
    Ebook206 pages3 hours

    The Ones Before

    By Stephen Brandon

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    About this ebook

    Archaeologist have found anomalies in their exploration of Earths historical record.
    So my curiosity ask what happened in those reaches of history that aren't documented and what causes those anomalies.

    Call the Captain quick, I've spotted several old type ships. We can't hide from them if they get close. Get the chief engineer up here also. I'll take evasive actions and loop around to the asteroid belt and hide us there.

    Atrophy is a bummer because once something is gone, IT'S GONE. Or is it?

    The DNA samples showed some changes from the Freestone's samples, but not as many as the samples furnished by the Saturn medical community. The junk DNA had many indications that they were of later ancestry than Captain Freestone's crew, but some of the our junk DNA wasn't there. From that, the doctors determined that the natives of DIRT must have settled that planet between the exodus and the present age. However, there were no indications of advanced technology. This presented a mystery.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStephen Brandon
    Release dateAug 16, 2014
    ISBN9781311158963
    The Ones Before
    Author

    Stephen Brandon

    I've loved westerns and science fiction since I picked up my first book at the public library. I've been writing on my computer for years. I never planned on any of my stories being published, just to be read by myself, family, and friends. The base journal is on forty spreadsheets with links to about a thousand files of short one day paragraphs plus other stories. {My claim to fame, written by someone else. Thanks.} "As an earthbound retiree, Stephen writes mostly science fiction and short stories. He is a voracious reader and has written for a few years, publishing his stories on Smashwords."

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      Book preview

      The Ones Before - Stephen Brandon

      The Ones Before

      by Stephen Brandon

      Copyright 2014 Stephen Brandon

      Smashwords Edition

      * * *

      Other stories related to this time line:

      THE SHIP located in The Plan and other short stories published in 2013

      The Saturn2020 series, books 3 and 4 (background)

      The Alliance (being revised)

      * * *

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

      * * * * * * * * * *

      Author's Note

      This book is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, incidents, and dialogue are from the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or other persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Real and fictional locations are used for background only.

      * * * * * * * * * *

      Table of Contents * (ToC) *

      Acknowledgments

      Prologize

      Chapter 1 Discovery and Contact

      Chapter 2 Nanobot technology

      Chapter 3 Visiting Earth

      Chapter 4 Observation

      Chapter 5 Uranus

      Chapter 6 Rendezvous

      Chapter 7 The Captains Talk

      Chapter 8 Greetings

      Chapter 9 The Assembly

      Chapter 10 The Settlement

      Chapter 11 Saturn

      Chapter 12 Departure, Rendezvous, and a New Mission

      Chapter 13 junk DNA

      Chapter 14 The Survey

      Chapter 15 The Knife

      Chapter 16 the fat trader

      Chapter 17 she Hermit

      Chapter 18 the hunters son

      Chapter 19 The Old Man

      Chapter 20 the trip north

      Chapter 21 The Capitol

      Chapter 22 That's supposed to be a Secret?

      Chapter 23 Hunter's woman & sister

      Chapter 24 Trade Contact

      Chapter 25 New Contact

      About Stephen Brandon

      Other books by Stephen Brandon

      Connect with Stephen Brandon

      The History of LOST (A short story)

      * * * * *

      Acknowledgments

      My wife has put up with me for over forty four years. Without her support and love I don't know who, what, or where I would be, so I thank her from the bottom of my heart, and I dedicate the Saturn series of books to her!

      * * * * *

      Prologize

      Archaeologist have found anomalies in their exploration of Earths historical record.

      So my curiosity ask what happened in those reaches of history that aren't documented and what causes those anomalies.

      For all we know know our ancient ancient ancestors had a green tint to their skin because they had a small quantity of chlorophyll in their systems. Maybe their bodies produced vitamin C in large enough quantities that they hardly ever got sick. And what other miracles of the human body do we not know about.

      After all the lower animals can drink water right out of the mud puddles and creeks without serious side effects and resistance to many of the diseases that affect humans. Why do some of God's creatures have that ability and humans don't? Were those abilities removed from the human race when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden? Or were they removed when the Flood happened? Or was there another event that we aren't smart enough to recognize.

      ? ? ?

      When one dreams a dream or imagines something, would one imagine it in context with what they know and are familiar with. Or would they imagine it as it actually happened in it's true context. That could mean that it would be in the language of the actual occurrence, and the people would have their actual names. If something radical was dreamed, would the dreamer experience cultural shock? Does a racial memory exist that vaguely remembers something great or horrible happening?

      Lets just guess that sometime after the garden of Eden there was an ice age. Man occupied mainly the equatorial regions and retreated to the caves and caverns to survive.

      Enough time passed living in the caves that the chlorophyll that was in the body faded out because it wasn't used.

      Also the human body could have lost its ability to produce vitamin C. It's immune system could also have become limited.

      Atrophy is a bummer because once something is gone, IT'S GONE.

      ~ ~ ~

      There are still people now that wouldn't leave a flooded city if water was up to their knees. If they were showed the facts that the water level would rise another foot they would still refuse to move. These are the ones who proclaim, 'Don't confuse me with the facts.'

      A Utopian climate around the equator would spoil a civilization. When the climate changes some will be sure that it is global warming, global cooling, changing ocean currents, or even the sin of man.

      The largest of the super cities was called Oceania. It grew up around a large inland salt sea. From the outlet to the great ocean in the west to the great Cedar forest in the east was about 2400 miles. To the south were the great farms in the rich plains of what we now call the Sahara desert. All five million inhabitants profited from the hard work of their ancestors. The government furnished everything. Everyone was required to work for the government for 10 years and then could retire to enjoy the fruits of civilization. Ten percent of the occupants living in the south produced all the food needed so the remaining citizens lived a life of leisure. If food was the marker of wealth then Oceania was the richest city with exotic foods shipped to the other super cities.

      They had migrated from Oceania and founded the garden city called Eden in the west beyond the Cedar forest. That super city had spread until it started using so much of its farm land it could not feed all of its inhabitants. The history of the city claimed that the city was named for a great garden that man was thrown out of by God. All the area around the city was fertile farm land except for an area to the east that was barren. Nothing would grow there and when any building was built there, it fell down. That portion of the land was cursed. All Eden exported was their young to work in the other super cities. Most returned, but not all.

      Others had migrated to the continent in the east. In the wide western part of the southern continent they built a great technical city and called it Atlantis. To the south of Atlantis were great plains enriched by the runoff from the ridge of mountains running the length of the southern continent. In Atlantis were many great areas of learning. Also anything that could be built was made and shipped to the other cities. The life of leisure was not encouraged in Atlantis because knowledge was king. Everyone was expected to find something new. Many of the youngsters traveled not only all over the Earth, but to the other planets in the solar system. On the great plateaus east of the mountain range were the space ports. Exotic crystals and other materials from the inner and outer planets were displayed and traded. If material things were the marker of wealth, then Atlantis was the richest of the super cities.

      In the thousandth year of Atlantis the explorers started returning with news of ice building up on the northern continent. Also explorers from the deeps of the oceans reported the build up of clathrate hydrates along the coastlines of all the continents. Also the farmers from Oceania and Eden reported a shorter growing season.

      Well, after everyone (especially the scientist) put their opinions in it was decided to build a fleet of spacecraft and colonize the asteroid belt. The belt was decided upon because it was far enough from the sun that solar warming wouldn't be a problem. Also it was close enough to the sun so solar panels could be used to produce power. Since each living habitat would be completely self sufficient and a closed system, the environmentalist were happy because they could control the temperature, humidity, etc. For decades they went about catching all forms of sea life and land animals and transporting them up to the giant ships in the sky. They would save their precious fish from the sea currents. They would save their precious animals from the environment.

      Fifty seven years after the final decision was made, the power consumption of the power plants were all at maximum. Then they started to fail.

      Everyone still on Earth panicked to get aboard the space ships. Many people died because they wouldn't back away from the shuttle craft at launch time. As the power plants failed one by one parts of the super cities became uninhabitable. More people died. The most ambitious, hardest working, and skilled people were already aboard the ships in orbit. They kept sending the shuttles down to get more and more survivors until some groups, the Fatalist started destroying the shuttles when they landed. When there weren't many operational shuttles left the decision was made to abandon those left on earth. With great mourning the people in orbit departed for the asteroid belt.

      Observations back toward earth finally showed what was causing the climate changes. The earth was wobbling on its axis. The the earths magnetic field was also fluctuating. This combination was ruining the Utopian climate.

      Only about half of the population had been evacuated. Everyone aboard ship had more room than they required and supplies were plentiful. Many people started celebrating their survival and then continued to celebrate. Life was good on the spaceships for many years.

      This left the work of keeping the space ships to a small group. Only about 15% realized how much work was needed to keep everything in excellent working order. Slowly they got together and migrated to the best ships. They had the knowledge and the ambition to maintain their ships.

      By manipulating the environmental controls and causing shortages of luxury items, they enticed those still celebrating their escape to migrate to the ships of plenty where no one wanted to work. They slowly separated themselves from the rest of the survivors and changed their orbits.

      After a few years they watched the other ships start to fail one by one. They mourned the loss of life, but realized that was the only way they would survive.

      Finally only about 8% of the Earths population remained alive in the orbit around the 5th planet (Jupiter).

      They picked the best moon and started rebuilding it to suit their desires. They hauled ice from the Kuiper belt and built themselves an ocean over their moon. Their ocean would insulate them from the radiation of Jupiter much cheaper that the fields their machines generated.

      After a few hundred years about 1/3 the population wanted to go back to earth and take a look.

      Others wanted to explore and still others wanted to stay in the safety of their refuge.

      * * *

      The old earth they left was so green and the climate was so uniform along the equator.

      Ice covered almost half of the northern continents. The south most continent had enough ice on it to reach across the ocean and almost to the three southern continents.

      Near the equator they saw great swaths of bare earth.

      Running around the largest ocean were volcanoes belching smoke and ash high into the atmosphere.

      Between the glaciers, deserts, volcanoes, and new high mountain ranges they all knew in their hearts that this Earth wouldn't welcome them home. It had changed to much! With sad hearts they turned their ships away from the earth and headed back out-system.

      * * *

      Those that wanted to explore started building 3 great star ships. They had picked 3 stars, to start with. They were convinced that they could find planets that they could live on. Others were convinced they could have other adventures among the stars.

      A majority of those returning, from looking at the Earth joined them and helped them enlarge and build their ships to the stars. Fifteen years afters starting, the first star ship was ready to launch. The second and third were ready soon after. After much mourning and celebration the ships to the stars were launched.

      * * *

      Those that remained decided to salvage all the derelict ships from the evacuation of earth. It only took 63 years to track them down and start returning them to the moons of Jupiter.

      It was decided to give the dead the most spectacular funerals. From the earth they came and all the bodies were launched to intercept the earth fast enough so they would burn up in the atmosphere. The funerals lasted almost 10 orbits of the Earth around the sun.

      The ships that could be made serviceable were repaired and parked on the moons of the 7th planet (Uranus).

      * * *

      One small group decided that they needed to build another star ship just in case anything threatened their moon. They went back to the Kuiper belt for raw materials. These young adventurers rebuilt the machines to build the star ships. After building one they decided that with the increase of population they would need several to take everyone to safety in the future. For 600 years they built star ships and parked them around the 8th planet (Neptune).

      * * *

      As everyone knows the youngest generation always thinks the old fogeys don't know anything.

      One of the youngsters developed what she called a gravity plate. It could create a gravity field without centrifugal force.

      Of course that became old-hat and the next generation figured out how to use the gravity plates to propel their ships faster and faster.

      Every generation has their explorers and gypsies.

      The old star ships when modified with the new gravity drives became the way that the youngsters went out to the stars. Several followed the original 3 with extra drives and other new inventions.

      Others struck off for different stars and all promised to one day send word.

      Earth was marked as the center of the universe and called the Home of Man.

      * * *

      Chapter 1 Discovery and Contact

      Call the Captain quick, I've spotted several old type ships. We can't hide from them if they get to close. Get the chief engineer up here also. I'll take evasive actions and loop around to the asteroid belt and hide us there.

      ~

      Catfish to Enterprise 3, picked up another bogey on long range radar and now it is headed for the asteroid belt. Telescope shows a distorted image of a large globe about 1300 meters in diameter, but no rocket exhaust. It was circling Ganymede when we first spotted it and then it made one orbit of Europa before it observed us and took off. We got pictures this time!

      ~

      Engineer to Captain Fry: They had us under observation with low frequency radio waves for almost an hour according to the recorder. Now that I know the frequency they are using I can adjust the drive plates to absorb that frequency. Jones out.

      Captain to Engineer Jones: My great great grandfather was young when he left the 'Home of Man.' As you well know travel at near the speed of light stretches time. There is no telling how many Earth years have passed here. They are probably a hundreds of generations removed from us. Check the recorders to see if there is any form of communications used by them near the frequencies they used to detect us. They must be men, but if we can't communicate with them first they may attack. As soon as the pilot gets us a stable position put all the monitors and detectors on automatic. You will have temporary access to all the computers on board except for the drive and pilots.

      Pilot to Captain: we are now on the sun side of the asteroid belt in a stable position. Putting everything on standby except the internal gravity and life support.

      ~

      Enterprise to Saturn Defense Military HQ: We have a confirmed boggy with pictures. Acceleration in excess of anything we have. Movement from vicinity of Europa to asteroid belt 73

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