Immortalis : The Collection: The Immortalis Series, #1

Dedication

For My Wife Jodie who has stood by me through all of this with my three children

About the Author

G M Sherwin was born and raised in a small village in West Yorkshire and still lives in the north of England with his wife, 3 children and 2 cats, Milo and Bumble.  He has spent much of his working life in management for various industries, mainly in the manufacturing and distribution sectors.

He wasn’t greatly academic while younger, with the exception of enjoying English, but it was while at school that he penned his first short story which gave him a taste for writing.

And it was a love of the Albert Einstein quote, ‘there comes a point in your life when you have to stop reading other people's books and write your own’ which spurred him on to write his first book Immortalis.

In the future, he hopes to go on to write many more books and that he will be able to entertain a large following of readers with them.

When he isn’t working G M Sherwin enjoys spending time with his young family.  And if he gets any time to himself, he likes to relax with a good book and a glass of red wine.  He is also a passionate film buff and loves anything out of the normal, the paranormal or sci-fi related.

Thank you

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Prologue

The two explorers looked at the path ahead in awe. Statues were carved into the walls, towering at least a hundred feet high from foot to head. The older of the two men counted thirteen on either side of the temple. Each as menacing as the one before it. Faceless creatures gazing down on the onlooker. A sense of foreboding pervaded the colossal structure they both stood in. At the end of the row of statues there appeared to be an altar, and like everything else within this hidden place, its size was immense.

Dr Finella was the first to speak. ‘Deavan, just look at this place—no human has ever seen such a thing!’

He approached the carved altar before him, sliding his hand over the intricate details and symbols. It wasn’t any language he recognised but the symbols themselves were disturbing.

They depicted creatures unlike anything he had seen in any research data. They towered above humanoid figures and devoured them, ripping others limb from limb.

At the centre of all these graphic displays of violence was a planet-like object surrounded by spheres all moving outward. What could it mean?

The younger man stood gazing around the vast temple. Was this the place he’d seen in his dreams, the voices he’d heard beckoning him? He dared not share this with anyone before they set off on the expedition for fear he would not have been allowed to join his professor. His mentor would not have understood. Not at all. He felt strangely at home in this alien place. Something about it was familiar. Welcoming even.

‘Deavan!’

The old man's voice nudged the student back to the present.

‘Yes, professor. Sorry, it's just—’ He wasn't allowed to finish the sentence as the impatient professor beckoned him to come look at the altar he knelt at.

The data drones were recording all areas of the temple. Lights illuminating the dark corners revealed more craftwork amongst the statues, all equally horrifying in detail. The one above the professor’s head detailed all the information on the altar as the old man dictated his newfound evidence.

‘What do you see here, Deavan? What are the pictures telling you?’

‘I see a battle. A war,’ he replied as he studied the etchings.

The professor stared at his student’s face for a moment. His pallid complexion looked even paler down in this primordial hall.

‘Intriguing. What’s your view as you look closer?’ he said, peering closely at his student’s expression.

Deavan leaned in closer. He saw what his mentor was hoping for. A symbol they had not seen on their homeworld.

‘Ah—now you see it!’ the elated man finally exclaimed.

A perfect circle with two human or humanoid figures lying within as though in the womb, twins almost.

Deavan watched the professor’s delight at his discovery. Yet he could not shake that annoying thought at the back of his mind. He knew this place. But he had never been here before. He had felt its presence calling him even from the ship as he approached the planet before descent. He hadn’t dared to share his thoughts with anyone on the expedition for fear of ridicule. Of course, he would have sounded ridiculous to all who heard his words. And that angered him. He was used to being the butt of people’s jokes from an early age. These days he had learnt to hide his annoyance and just go on with his own business.

Yet here on this strange planet, he felt he somehow belonged. A newfound confidence swept over him like never-before. It was a strange sensation, but he welcomed it. He didn’t care where it came from. He embraced it.

While he was lost on his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed that the rest of the group had joined them and was staring at the back of the temple.

The professor was the first to move from his spot and towards the area of interest. Deavan was now aware of what was happening. He watched as the old man ran his hand over the wall in front of him. Looking at his colleague’s faces, he saw their horror. No, disgust was the right word. He too now saw what repulsed them.

Discovery orbs illuminated the mural to reveal a scene depicting what he could only describe hell. There was no other way to put what he was seeing in the pictures. Rape, desecration and more depravity that he could ever have imagined possible. Figures of creatures wreaking unspeakable acts on humanoid men, women and children. Nothing was sacred in the picture before him.

‘This is horrific, professor. Why would anyone paint such a scene?’ Mark asked.

Mark was the youngest of the exploration team and the most popular with the women. Witty and boyishly handsome. But here and now he looked like a scared boy lost without his parents at the playground.

‘Its imagery is remarkable as well as repulsive, but I suspect the civilisation that once resided here doted on their gods. Not that unfamiliar with older human cultures. Human sacrifice was well known even amongst the most civilised people of our past. Although I’ve never quite come across something as graphic as I can see here,’ the professor said.

He didn’t turn to talk to his group but instead continued to run his fingers along the wall with deep fascination.

‘I hope you are recording this, Mark,’ said the professor.

‘Yes, yes, of course,’ he stammered.

Deavan had moved past them all and was now beside the old professor. He too now reached out to touch the wall. He wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

One

Three . . . two . . . one

The room erupted with cheers. Everyone rose to their feet and applauded the success that was occurring on the screen in front of them.

‘You’ve done it, professor!’ Ash said.

‘We’ve done it—all of us. Congratulations, everyone, and thank you for all your hard work that has brought us to this moment,’ said the professor.

Ash watched his adopted father and recognised the relief and joy on his aged face. A white-haired and affable man, David Palmer stood a little shorter than the rest of the men in the room but still commanded a great deal of respect from all those around him. Widowed for the past ten years, the loss of his wife had taken its toll on the man. His passion was now his work and he had little time for anything else. Ash now rested his hand on the professor’s shoulder; he had a bond with this man like no other person in this lifetime.

How he loved this man, Ash thought.

Growing up with no family for most of his childhood, he had learned not to grow attached to anyone, but when this educated man had seen Ash’s potential, he took the young man under his wing and taught him all about the sciences and in particular astrophysics, which led to him being the professor’s right-hand man on this project.

‘Now that we have stage two complete and the data is already coming in thick and fast, I’ll make preparations for the final stage, professor.’

The old man turned to face him. ‘I never thought I’d live to see this day, son.’ His smile was warm-hearted and infectious. ‘Do we have any visual data yet?’

‘Yes, it’s coming through now, professor.’ Ash keyed the display screen in front of them. A three-dimensional image sprung to life at the centre of the room. At the very centre of the image they observed the spinning behemoth of the event horizon.

The galactic supermassive black hole, a ‘gentle giant’, as the professor called it. Nothing is gentle about that thing, Ash thought. It is the most destructive force in the known universe. Its secrets now would finally be unveiled, and all thanks to the man Ash owed his life to right beside him.

Silence sank through the lab. This was a sight that took everyone’s breath away. Majestic and deadly, nothing escaped a black hole. Until now. The probe that had been launched years before on a mission to enter the singularity and return safely with the universe's biggest mystery had now successfully returned and waited for its secrets to be opened and examined.

The hope of understanding such a creation was now a reality for all who had worked so tirelessly for the past two decades. In the professor’s case, it had been his life’s work. To behold the object in such detail was the experience of a lifetime. The disk and jet of hot plasma spewing from the mouth of the beast. The nearby star being pulled from its position, elongated and ripped apart in slow motion to the observer. In reality, the star had long since been devoured.

‘Do you see that, professor?’ Ash asked.

‘I see it, but I don’t believe it.’

Both men stared at each other. There on the edge of the screen was a sight neither one of them expected, a lone planet orbiting the black hole.

‘How did we miss that?’ Ash said.

***

Raif Harrison stood on the hilltop, staring into the night sky above him. He watched enviously as more Star Chasers darted in and out of jump flight. The bursts of light would appear moments before a jump or just before one re-entering its destination. It felt like a lifetime since he had sat in one of those ships, weaving in and out of a planet’s atmosphere. The rush of adrenaline would pump through his veins while jumping from one-star system to another. The excitement of chasing an outsider’s rogue ship that was pushing its luck by entering Avalon space for another stock raid.

Although not heavily armed, a Star Chaser could still pack a punch against any ship its size. Moreover, their pilots were renowned for their ferocity and dogged determination to catch their quarry, chasing raiders across the stars for days on end. This was their art and any who were daring enough to try to take on this elite fighter patrol often lived to regret their stupidity.

That life seems so long ago, thought Raif, regret starting to creep in once again. Had he made the right decision in leaving the Chasers? His father was a little too pleased with his decision.

His thoughts went back to the conversation they had had before he left the house.

‘Well, I have to say, you should never have joined in the first place.’ Archer sat tapping his knee with a look of contempt on his face, one Raif had seen far too often.

‘You knew it was something I’d dreamed of since I was a child,’ said Raif, testing his father’s rage. It was always just beneath the surface, waiting for an excuse to erupt.

Archer Harrison, a man few people dared to clash with, had been a scholar in his day and the thought of his son joining a group of flight jockeys had not sat well with him. And all too often, he made damn sure to let Raif know his disdain. Raif watched his father as he sat in his chair, hand rolling another cigarette.

‘Those are still illegal, you know,’ said Raif.  

‘And since when did my health mean so much to you?’ Archer snapped.  

‘That’s not quite fair, since I did quit the Chasers to look after you.’

By the look of pain on Archer’s face, Raif knew his father didn’t mean what he’d just said. However, he also knew Archer would never apologize for it. He was too proud for that. Yet it did pain Raif to see a man who was once well respected across Avalon reduced to the skeletal figure that sat before him right now. The disease had plagued this planet ever since the first colonists settled here thousands of years ago. And still there was no known cure, even for a medically advanced human race. Holland’s disease, as it was known, was named like most of human ailments after the first person to contract it. A particularly nasty illness, this one spread from the nervous system throughout the body, taking its time to cripple the victim before leading inevitably to death.

‘Take your medicine, write your memoirs and I’ll be back later,’ Raif said.

‘The temple?’ Archer asked.  

‘Yep,’ Raif answered without looking back at his father.

*********

Ash looked over the data sent back from the probe. He still couldn’t believe what he was seeing or even guess at how this was possible. He’d talked at length with the professor but even he was astounded at what had transpired over the last twenty-four hours.

The whole team had been working overtime to digest the events of yesterday and was working flat out to come up with some form of explanation.

‘Could we have missed it on approach?’ Ash asked.

‘I don’t see how we could have. All the information that was sent back before the probe went in was clean. I’ve been over that a hundred times and nothing shows up,’ Professor Palmer replied.

The aged man seemed tired but excited at the new development. Not only had they achieved what was once thought impossible by navigating a black hole and returning from the unknown, but they had discovered a new world on the edge of the event horizon. Now they could re-direct the probe to explore this strange new planet.

The planet appeared to be unaffected by its ominous neighbour. The most destructive object in the known universe had left the celestial body alone. By all rights it should have been ripped apart by the gravitational tides of the black hole, but there it was.

‘Have you analysed the probe’s primary mission data yet?’

‘Yes. It’s going to take time to collate it all, but based on what I’ve seen so far, it proves everything you hypothesized and then some. The footage is incredible; I’m blown away with it all. All this time never really knowing what secrets we would uncover and now we have the evidence to back up your theories.’ Ash’s voice quivered with excitement.

The professor looked back at his son. He’d always been proud of this boy; Ash had grown so much over the years from a lost orphan to the scholar who now stood before him. The little boy had soaked up all the knowledge he could. He never really wanted to do what the other children did but instead would immerse himself in a book. The boy had had friends at school but his passion and yearning for more was consuming. At the age of sixteen he’d surpassed all his friends and achieved his academic acknowledgement before moving on to the state university to become one of the youngest students to achieve such a position from the academic community. He life was solely focused on his mentor’s work and helping him achieve what had occurred today. Ash deserved the praise for today as much as he did, thought the professor.

Two

The excitement of the day had taken its toll on the professor, but he was elated at the success of the mission. The night air refreshed him as he walked home. The cool air nipped at his face. He’d never liked using the transport system; even at an early age he loved the outdoors. For him being out in the open air at night was his favourite time of the day, alone just looking up at the heavens. He never tired of that sight. What wonders out there wait yet to be discovered?

David had lived on Avalon for most of his adult life, with the exception of some off-world expeditions in his early academic career. Much time had passed since then and his only regret was that his beloved wife was not here to witness all his hard work come to fruition. Still one thing plagued him. How can a planet of that size remain undiscovered for so long? They had scanned that area before launching the probe; surely, they would have picked this up. His pace slowed a little while his thoughts run away from him.

Turning the corner, he started to leave the university grounds and walked across to the park where he often sat to gather his thoughts after a long day in the laboratory. It was also the memorial spot for his late wife, Elaine. He could sit and talk to her there in his own way.

‘Well, Elaine, we did it. We finally did it,’ he whispered.

He knew he was safe to indulge himself here. There was no one to judge his ageing eccentricities. Sitting himself down on the memorial bench, he barely felt the frost of the night sky. Nor did he notice that he had been followed as he left the building all the way here.

Oblivious to his followers, he carried on with his little discussion. ‘You know, Elaine, you would be proud of Ash. I’m sure you know this from where you are, but I just had to say it out loud. He’s grown up to be everything we hoped for and much more.’ Smiling to himself, David rested his back against the bench, looking upwards. He wondered what mysteries would be found on this new world. Absentmindedly he rubbed his leg that ached from an injury he incurred years back while on retreat with his wife and Ash. He remembered that long summer in the mountains to the north. A silly accident, really. It was his own damn fault, not paying attention to his footing on the mountain trail. One minute he was leading the way; the next he was falling down the mountainside, ass over tit. One hour and a broken femur later, he was in the medical centre feeling rather foolish. Elaine was being her usual calm, sympathetic self, whilst a young Ash got into mischief.

Bringing himself back to the present, he said goodnight to his love and stood up from the bench, setting off on the last leg of his journey home.

*********

He was his own man like his father before him, but even he would not defy the elders or question their motives. It was an honour for him and his family to be the head of the brotherhood. Not a man of many words, his father on his deathbed had confessed the pride and joy he felt for his very own son being chosen to lead the brotherhood in the fight against the one who would return. Granger would make sure that he fulfilled that trust.

Never held in the same place twice, the meetings with the elders always happened away from the city, somewhere remote but always in comfortable surroundings. Of course, the elders were men of means and the cost of new accommodations was of no matter to them.

Since taking up the leadership role, he’d only been summoned once before and that was for his ascension to his new role. This time his summons was of the utmost importance, enough so that he was surrounded by security guards who were new to even him. All ex forces and some senior military officers who were apart of the group but nonetheless fell into their calling without hesitation.

The vehicle he rode in pulled up to an entrance with a temporary shielding that, as he knew all too well, would stop any organic matter from passing through. It shielded anyone on the inside from the outside world. Once the vehicle had been cleared, it started its way along the private road up to the large estate at the end. Acres of land surrounded this majestic place. Some of old earth's architecture had not been lost and it was found to be popular to the more solvent of Avalon’s residents in the early years. Not so much now.

He stepped out the vehicle and was immediately greeted by the security team who led him into the building. Removing his coat, he walked behind the security team past what looked like the main hall of the house and to a door leading downwards to the bowels of the building. The stairs were well lit, but cold, damp air met him on the way down. The men turned immediately left and down the corridor to the end where he presumed the meeting was to be held. The guard opened the door but did not enter with Granger; this was his journey.

‘Welcome, Peter,’ the voice came from the top end of the table in the room.

Sitting down Peter Granger eyed the group and tried to gauge the mood around the table. The head of the group was seated at the end of the table, and Granger was struck again by how youthful the elder appeared. He knew the man to be well into his eighties, but he had the look of someone closer to his own age. This timelessness had always fascinated him.

Group around the table discussed recent events and viewed the data their sleepers had retrieved from the ARC building. On the on-screen display, he could see the head scientist and his team and the new planet that had appeared.

The leader of the group finally turned to Granger after what had seemed like an eternity.

‘Ever since the expedition eight hundred years ago where your own ancestor, Peter, discovered the ancient temple on that planet, we have watched and waited for the one to return. And so, it has. The scientists who have awoken the sleeping beast are unaware of what they’ve done, but our task remains, to prepare for what’s to come.’

Granger listened intently.

‘Your job is to convince a man called David Palmer to not venture to that world and even reverse what he’s done. He’s a capable man, one we’ve watched for a long time so we’re convinced he can be persuaded.’

‘If I can’t?’

‘Then extreme measures need to be taken. That expedition they are planning must never happen and all research data must be destroyed, although I fear that might not be enough to stop what’s coming. Do what you have to do.’

Granger left the room an hour later. Only a handful of people had ever managed to shake his confidence and they were all in that room. Men that could make you disappear quite easily and not leave a trace that you had ever existed. He would not be one of those unlucky ones. He needed to meet with his group and set in motion the plans the others had laid. There would be no excuses for failure. He knew all too well what the consequences would be if that happened.

Leaving the building, he nodded to the security that had met him on his arrival and headed to the hover vehicle and the landing pad. He never travelled the same way twice and was relieved to see the added security measures they had in place.

Granger jumped into the back of the transport and immediately made a call to his second-in-command. Joel was a man he trusted with his life. They had served together in the colony wars and had shed the same blood knowing they had each other’s backs in a scrap. No other man had gained his respect in such a way; he was the man that would follow Granger no matter what.

‘Joel.’ Granger leaned forward, considering the display unit.

Joel said nothing and awaited instructions.

‘Gather the team for a meeting. It’s finally happened.’

Joel nodded and the screen shut down.

Granger rested back into his seat and looked out of his window at the sight below. The estate where the meeting had been held quickly disappeared. The mountains to his left had a fresh covering of snow and their peaks disappeared into the clouds.

His thoughts now moved back to his meeting. After the leader of the twelve elders had given him his mission, the informant relayed more information about the appearance of the rogue planet. What came as a surprise was that the planet had managed to shift its position instead of being pulled in the black hole. They also spoke of the prophecy, something he never thought he would see in his lifetime.

It was a tale his father had spoken about often. Even now at his age, the thought of what was to come if they failed sent a shudder down Granger’s spine. He’d faced many horrific situations in his lifetime and seen death at every level, some even at his own hands, but what they were facing now was unimaginable. Darkness would spread across the known universe and plunge civilization into turmoil if this evil was allowed to take hold here. Its advance must be stopped, and the danger eliminated by any means necessary.

***

Looking out over the mountaintops, he could see the bright lights of the city below, the buzz of everyday life moving forward without knowledge or care of what would befall humanity in the coming months. It had been a long time since he had been among them and the thought of what he had to do now deeply disturbed him. Humans were such curious creatures, but then again it was in their nature to be so.

Time had passed for him, but he’d always had a watchful eye on the chosen few and on one man in particular. Now it was