The Third Garden of Eden

The Third Garden of Eden

Steven Vandever

the Smashwords Edition of

a Sunbunny Loves You publication

Copyright ©2013 Steve Sutherland

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. Please don't resell it or give it away.

If you want to share this book, please purchase an additional copy as a gift.

Thank you for respecting the author's skill, craft and hard work.

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Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction, a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance or similarity to any actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure there are no errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or inconsistencies herein, any slights of people, places, or organizations are unintentional.

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Credits

Cover photo courtesy Can Stock Photo

Eformatting and cover design by Harvey Stanbrough

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This novel and all the resulting proceeds are dedicated

to the beautiful ladies at Hooters Restaurant, Tanque Verde, Tucson Arizona.

Most of the characters in this story are named after *you. Without your kindness and loving friendship, the novel would have never been written. A special warm thanks to Christina, *Whitney, Audrey, *Monica, *Lola Dawn and lovely *Alisha (who would jump into my arms when I arrived), *Heidi, Brittany, *Leila (always with a beautiful hug—I will keep my promise to you), Courtney, Johnna, *Katie, Lisetti, Sarah, Mindy, Elena, Brooke, Belenda, Erica, Sheena, Brittini, Alexjandra, *Blair, gorgeous Desiree, Alissa, and Avi...

and to Allison, to whom I have given my heart.

Thank you for all the love, friendship and fun. This ol’ Cat wishes you a long, healthy life filled with the love you have shown me.

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Contents

Chapter 1: 39,000 Years Ago

Chapter 2 : Present Day Commanders

Chapter 3 : Atlantis

Chapter 4: The Galactic Protective

Chapter 5: Terriprimia and Intelligent Survival

Chapter 6: Pleasantville

Chapter 7: Evolution

Chapter 8: Camp Out

Chapter 9: IG 116k

Chapter 10: The Secret

Chapter 11: Nee Pain

Chapter 12: The Royal Library of Alexandria

Chapter 13: N-16

Chapter 14: Under Attack

Chapter 15: Operation High Jump

Chapter 16: War of the Giants

Chapter 17: Pale Green Hue

Chapter 18: Galaxies’ Natural Cycles

Chapter 19: Black Limousines

Chapter 20: Echo Deistic Ecosystems of Nature

Chapter 21: ALTIS

Chapter 22: Gardens of Knowledge

Chapter 23: Golden Opportunity

Chapter 24: The Toy

Chapter 25: Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Chapter 26: On-Planet-Surface Death

Chapter 27: The Bloody Tie

Chapter 28: Vanished

Chapter 29: Kukula

Chapter 30: Money Is Thicker than Blood

Chapter 31: Beware the Sharks

Chapter 32: Nohamun Ahnum

Chapter 33: After Glow

About the Author

Contents

The Third Garden of Eden

Steve Sutherland

Chapter 1

39,000 Years Ago

The first piercing laser splits were a deadly surprise to the Vanguard crew, jolting the Emite cruiser seven degrees to the left at the very moment the ship crossed the Event Horizon into Solar System 1473. Following wormhole protocol, the Vanguard had emerged from WhiteHole Exit with shields disengaged. Commander Vonderharp said, JT, damage report.

Captain JT NwRiley said, Commander, they were only low-level fighter splits; we have two injuries in Launch Bay C; engineering reports damage to Reese Unit Number 3 as well as minor jettison leaks on Level 2. Estimated shield repair in seventeen seconds; and Sir, we’ve lost control of our nav systems on the bridge.

What about our KEL-4s?

They managed to avoid any direct hits, Sir, but our fighters aren’t armed with the correct munitions. Shall I have them return to the ship?

Immediately, Captain, then issue a sequence Level 1 Alert; rearm the KEL-4s and have them slip back and protect the main body of our research ships... and JT, have the admiral join us on the bridge.

Telemetry Office Lieutenant Robbi yelled, D-Ms incoming! Brace for contact!

A dark-matter energy missile’s deadly purple blossom covered the front viewing portals of the Vanguard’s flight deck, sending shock waves through the bridge with an energy force that sliced through Lieutenant Robbi, north to south.

The Vanguard had traveled through the wormhole for nine Planet 1473-3 equivalent days. United Alliance ex-planet missions had always measured time in units used by the indigenous species of the mission’s assigned planet. Admiral Sammi Jillian was a guest on the cruiser Vanguard and as such, she’d had little to do the last few days but pace the flight deck, waiting for the wormhole travel to pass. The admiral was the Supreme Commander of all Imperial Emite Forces; she was traveling aboard the Vanguard as counsel for the peaceful scientific research mission to Star 1473. The admiral had hoped to surprise her old friend General Dogon by arriving two days before the arranged time.

The recently modified Emite cruiser had been assigned to this mission for protection and guidance of the small Nommo fleet of unarmed research ships. Ship Commander Hidi Vonderharp said, JT, as we pass through WhiteHole Exit, have two escort fighters cross the Event Horizon ahead of the Vanguard.

Yes, Commander.

Just as they cleared the edge of Event Horizon and broke into the targeted solar system, the cruiser took a glancing blow from a second dark-matter energy missile. It tore through the outer hull, putting the Vanguard in peril and ending the admiral’s plans for a surprise visit.

Commander Vonderharp said, Lieutenant, Emergency Level Alert 1. JT, have you found out where the D-Ms are coming from? We can’t afford another one like that.

JT said, Already on it, Sir, the laser splits are from four Anakin Y-Drones that were drifting just in front of our WhiteHole exit, but I’m not sure where the D-Ms are coming from. It appears that the drones are intent on vaporizing everything exiting the wormhole. Their attack has distracted our defensive sensor alarms, Sir. We have minor damage to our weapons control; we’re firing blind right now. Still scanning targets for lock on.

Captain JT NwRiley had been Commander Vonderharp’s flight director for the past seven missions, including the civil war on Planet Altern, Moon 5 in which the captain had saved his life not once, but twice.

The commander said, What about our deflector screens, JT? Will they hold?

The captain was about to answer when the deck officer BODS (Biological Orbiting Data Sensor android) Blark interceded. Three more D-Ms incoming!

JT said, Commander, the Y-Drones are not much of a threat, but if we’re hit by a D-M, with only low-grade shields coming online, I’m afraid the energy lob will cause serious damage. We can’t withstand a full-blown attack with shields down. This was to be a peaceful mission; with that level of fire power, our research ships won’t have a chance, Sir.

When can we engage full shields?

Engineering reports max shields up in fifteen seconds. Sir, I expected no trouble entering this star system. Thirteen seconds.

BODS Blark said, Our fighters have bought us some time by diverting the initial Y-Drone wave and disrupting their programmed laser assault.

JT NwRiley said, Anakim Y-Drones out here in system 1473; that’s absurd Blark; you must be wrong.

Lieutenant Blark said, I agree Captain, that it’s unusual, but Aurora-6 analysis of the attacking drones is correct. Sir, we destroyed three of the four intruders; one Y-Drone has made it through defensive kill zone; our fighters have not locked on the remaining target. It’s dangerous to our own fighter to continue to fire blind at the last drone. Wow! That one was close.

Admiral Jillian entered the Vanguard Bridge. Commander, what’s going on? How badly are we hit, and what are you firing at?

Commander Vonderharp said, Admiral, most of KEL-4 fighter Group 7 is rearmed and will be launched in a defensive pattern against a wave of Anakim Y-Drones. All available fighters have spread into programmed loops to locate the origins of the attack. Our lead KEL-4 interceptor reports that he is chasing a second wave of approaching rebel Y-Drone targets coming in from quadrant 3.

Admiral Jillian said, What, the Vanguard has been left alone? Where is the cover protection, Von? How soon can Group 7 be sent out?

The commander said, Soon, but we are still unable to engage cloaking, and after the initial damage caused by the D-M exposition, we lost tracking ability for our base lasers. Vonderharp turned to his old companion, Captain NwRiley. Cloaking, Captain?

Still negative, Commander. It must have been it by the first D-M. Sir, if you will, for your own safety, I think that you and the admiral should leave the bridge and—

But it was too late.

BODS Blark issued the alarm. Imminent contact from a Y-Drone penetrating the kill zone; the drone is guiding two D-Ms for direct impact! Engaging emergency vacuum seal!

JT said, Engineering reports they’ve patched power together. The left laser bank targeting system is now functional.

The Vanguard vaporized the back half of the rebel Y-Drone a second before the two trailing dark-matter energy missiles smashed into the lower levels of the cruiser. Two massive purple explosions spread death throughout the outer edge of Solar System 1473.

Commander Vonderharps voice rose from the smoldering left side of the bridge, JT, are you okay? Get me a damage report.

Sir, it was a direct hit; the upper right quadrant of our RC7 thrust is gone. Engineering is not responding. Aurora-6 has prepared escape pods. Sir, we must get you and the admiral to the launch bay at once.

In the silent vacuum of black space somewhere in range of the Vanguard explosion, fighter squawk had filled the senses. Kandic, are you there?

Fighter Commander Kandic said, Yes, Lieutenant, I saw it. Are you okay?

The lieutenant said, My god! That lit up the entire quadrant; the surrounding blackness is bathed in splats of dark matter and shattered remains. What do we do Sir?

Following my lead; we have to find the source of the D-Ms.

On the bridge of the Vanguard, JT peered through the stinking smoke and debris. Commander Vanderharp was still alive and the nanobioids had sealed off what remained of the bridge.

Vonderharp said, JT, what’s the condition of the ship?

Aurora-6 is analyzing the nanobioid repairs and our recovery time. Work on the bay launch level is ninety-seven percent complete. All department damage reports in twenty seconds. Sir, and Aurora-6 report in thirty.

Help me get to my feet. Where is the admiral? Have you found her?

JT had been receiving distress reports by wave link from all over the ship. Sir, BODS Olsin is dead, Flight Director Blark is dead; I’m finalizing the damage reports now. Engineering reported extensive— Yes, I understand. Commander, catastrophic damage in Engineering. Aurora-6 estimates damage condition is not recoverable, repeat, Aurora-6 advising to abandon ship at once.

Blark is dead... where is the admiral? Is she okay?

JT NwRiley is receiving another report from engineering. Sir, Bays 6, 7 and 9 are all gone. We must give the order to abandon ship, Sir.

Where are the nanobioids? Can they save her?

JT said, Commander, we have very little time remaining to preserve the landing bays for the fighters. Lieutenant Kandic feels that the remaining KEL-4s could rearm and launch in time to save most of his squad. Sir, I’m bringing them in to rearm; they can act as escorts for your escape pods. You must go now, Sir, and fly out with Lieutenant Kandic on his KEL-4.

There hadn’t been enough time to sound an alarm for a third dark-matter warhead that was approaching on a perpendicular course to the Vanguard’s sensors; those on the bridge helplessly watched the energy warhead slam into the upper levels of the cruiser. The smell of vaporized scales permeated the Vanguard’s flight deck. The fumes were almost as disgusting as the ruby red remains of the admiral’s leg laying at the feet of Captain NwRiley.

The dazed commander regained his footing. JT, what about our fighters; can you get them rearmed. And how about Admiral Jillian? I must see to her escape at once!

The seven rearmed KEL-4 fighters hadn’t been affected by the blast and were swarming into the second wave of rebel Y-Drone. The KEL 4s sliced past the remains of what had been the upper levels of the Vanguard and entered the outer edge of Solar System 1473, giving chase to the rebel Y-Drones.

JT, prepare to launch the escape pods. Set coordinates to meet up with General Dogon’s war platform in two days.

Commander, you must go. You must leave at once. Security will take you to the Pod Bay.

No, not until I find Jillian.

Sir, the admiral is dead. Now we must get you to Level 6.

Dead? No, that can’t be; I owe her so much! I’m not leaving the ship. Are you sure she’s dead? I will remain with the ship and attempt to save as much of the cargo as I can.

Commander, Aurora-6 has informed us that the ship can’t survive the damage.

Don’t argue with me, JT. You have to go get those fighters rearmed. Your crew needs you, Captain. Get out of here, and that’s and order. Inform General Dogon on board the Starlite that I will require an emergency landing site, preferably on the liquid ice water moon orbiting Planet 5.

I respectively disagree, Sir. The general doesn’t even know we have arrived in this system.

There’s no time for this, Captain. Have the remaining KEL-4s escort your pods out of here and meet up with General Dogon’s warship when he arrives. Do not delay, JT. Now go! Go!

The front edge of the energy wave initiated by the D-M warhead had passed into the vacuum of space, allowing the Emite fighters to re-enter the killing zone. The KEL-4 pilots saw the Vanguard pods skating away from the debris field. In a perfect slash of red vaporizing light the Vanguard had fired her final laser splits, destroying the last Y-Drone just before she herself had erupted in a massive exploding circle of universal atoms. Empty black space engulfed the debris behind them as the seven remaining KEL-4s joined several escape pods in search of the Nommo war platform, Starlite.

Several days later the Starlite was approaching her own 1473 WhiteHole exit for Star System 1473. The original plan called for the Starlite to enter the solar system and make contact with the Nommo Terriprimia Team research ship NEO-3, which had launched four days prior from Bairuth Base C.

The Starlite mission was to escort the scientific research ship, NEO-3 to Planet 1473-3 and provide all assistance necessary. Captain Bilt said, General Dogon, three escape pods are asking for permission to dock; they are accompanied by seven Emite KEL-4 fighters.

Captain Bilt, I forgot to congratulate you on your promotion before we left Base C. A job well-done, Captain. Now what about these pods? Are you sure they’re Emite?

Yes, General, we have their Emite recognition codes.

Issue a Level 2 clearance, Captain. Open shields to receive the pods and KEL-4s and re-engage cloaking and shields after the link. I would like to know what base they are from, and by the way, have you heard from the NEO-3?

No response yet, General.

Do we know if she is in orbit around Planet 3? Maybe we should rendezvous out here among the inner planets.

Sir, the NEO-3 left four days prior to our launch. She should have arrived already, but I as of yet I can’t confirmed the NEO-3 ever entered the star system. What about the Emite pods? I mean where did they come from?

General Dogon said, I want to talk to the pilots when they are aboard. Continue scanning for the NEO-3. There’s no rebel forces out this far to worry about, so I don’t care if we reveal our position. We made up a great deal of wormhole time on her, but still, she should have cleared WhiteHole exit a day ago.

Yes Sir, of course! The captain hesitated.

"Find the NEO-3 now, Captain! If we have a security problem in this solar system, I’m obligated to inform Admiral Jillian before the Vanguard arrives. I assured the admiral we would secure the area prior to her arrival."

Starlite Force One Officer Lieutenant Pacie interrupted the discussion. General, on screen two, Sir. I’m tracking two large LPY ore ships escorted by a dozen Y-Drones and a small rebel cruiser just on the other side of the Event Horizon.

General Dogon said, What, Lieutenant, outside the wormhole?

Lieutenant Pacie said, Sir, they are hiding in the asteroid belt on the other side of Planet 8.

Any idea what rebel drones are doing way out here?

Lieutenant Pacie had come to full attention, emphasizing new concerns. Sir! The bridge of the Starlite erupted into a chaos of screaming alarm warnings. Sir, three dark-matter warheads are entering our right quadrant with six rebel Y-Drones chasing behind them.

General Dogon said, Captain Bilt, the rescue pods? Get them on board at once.

I’m on it, General. Last pod linking now. Our F-Vap Group C has started their attack on the rebel force, Sir.

Lieutenant Pacie yelled, Warhead impact!

General Dogon said, Thank you, Lieutenant Pacie. How in the hell did the drones get past Red Alert Level 1, Bilt?

Heofon Federation F-Vaps darted precise circles around the DM, blasting the dark-matter warhead with laser splits, hoping to divert their path. The massive D-M energy lob exploded across the Starlite kill window. Hot streams of gaseous matter deflected off the war platform’s shields. Three rebel drones were hit by Starlite return fire and ripped into exploded clouds of glittering ice crystals.

Eight million years earlier, scientists from the United Alliance of Planet Nations had confirmed DARC, the Dark Matter Star Cluster was racing toward their arm of the galaxy. The UA Galactic Board of Science had brought together all the best analytical minds from all allied planet nations to solve the immense engineering problems needed to survive the approaching galactic collision.

A small group of rebel planets had not joined the effort and instead had developed their own solution to avoid the pending DARC destruction. Rare Tackium ore was the key for the plans of both opposing groups as each side was developing a different path to escape this galactic end of life event.

The United Alliance was building individual planet shields with Tackium web construction in a joint effort called The Galactic Protective. The rebel faction had engineered artificial planet orblets covered with a thin Tackium skin, in which they would try escaping to the other side of the galaxy.

In preparing for the current Terriprimia Mission 106.8, Captain Bilt had spent several weeks of training at Base C. There he had developed a strong working relationship with an instructor named Ariel Thomas who had been his teacher on the subject of DARC survival theory.

Ariel Thomas had told him, "Lieutenant Bilt, our Galacos galaxy contains one hundred billion stars and over one trillion planets. The United Alliance which we belong to rules over thirty-one separate Federations; our Heofon Federation is but one of those; in total, the UA is composed of twenty-eight hundred planet governments in this small quadrant on the swirling edge of a Galacos arm.

Five million years ago, the Heofon Federation assigned mining contracts for deep planet ore probes: among those was a contract for Star 1473. The purpose was to find Tackium ore as well as to seek and develop intelligent life forms.

The Federation assigned the Teene Family Unit, Group 17, all discovery rights to Star 1473. In turn, the Teene Family Unit awarded the terraforming contract for Planet 4 to Admiral Prefling’s Group 5. At that time it was not known that the rebels had infiltrated Group 5. The rebels had developed their own plan—they would run from DARC destruction—and Admiral Prefling had become a pivotal leader among the rebel faction.

Group 5 had discovered Tackium on several planets orbiting 1473. They rushed into impact exploration and immediately started test drilling on the smallest planet; this initial drilling was done without geological composition studies. That resulted in their miners accidentally destroying one of the smaller rocky planets, leaving a large debris field, including a substantial amount of Tackium ore, orbiting outside gas Planet 8."

Bilt had asked, After the destruction of this tenth planet, didn’t Admiral Prefling’s team also discover deposits of Tackium on several inner planets orbiting the star?

Yes, but the admiral made a deal with the rebels to hide that information from the Heofon Federation. He made secret plans to mine the Tackium-heavy planets, while he and the Anannaki Mining Company filed false reports with the Heofon Federation Science Board. With these massive unrecorded ore deposits, the rebels then chose this solar system to build Sothis 2, the artificial planet they would use to safely escape to the far side of the galaxy.

So the Heofon Federation and their Terriprimia Team never knew about the Tackium ore in this solar system ?

That is correct; however, the star system still held the interest of the Heofon government because of data filed by our Biological Orbiting Data Sensors. Various BODS had reported that the presence of primate life on Planet 3 indicated the potential to develop new intelligent life on the planet. Although the ore reports were disappointing, the opportunity to engineer new life was positive news. The Teene Family Unit assigned genetic work to a Terriprimia Team about four million years ago.

Bilt asked, Was the Terriprimia Team Group 17 from Bairuth?

"Yes, I believe so. To assist the Terriprimia Team, they first needed to build an acceptable atmosphere and gravity force on Planet 4, and without any knowledge of his treacherous deeds, that contract also was awarded to Admiral Prefling’s team. The idea was to match atrophic levels on Planet 4 to those gases found on Planet 3. While work on the Planet 4 atmosphere was going on, the Terriprimia Team would genetically engineer Planet 3 life primates. They planned to replicate them later for placement on the smaller planet.

Early during terraforming which was to create an environment that would sustain carbon-based life forms on Planet 4, the atmosphere on the planet collapsed and was abandoned. However, great progress had been achieved during the four million years of genome editing on Planet 3 primates; so much so that four hundred thousand years ago, a final Condon species was chosen.

First Class Science Officer Henrikiss said, Ariel, I don’t see the point in this discussion. Will this history be on the exam?

The Ariel said, Yes, of course. It’s extremely relevant to your mission Henrikiss.

Bilt said, Four hundred thousand years ago the Terriprimia Team finished genetic editing on Planet 3, and all that time they never knew the rebels were mining the material ring outside Planet 8?

Ariel Thomas said, Yes, but just a hundred thousand years ago, Heofon geneticists discovered that the cerebral development within the selected N-16 species group seemed to hit a dead end. The species was not able to self-generate Glial brain cells, leaving their cerebral capacity below ten percent. Soon afterward, the Heofon Science Board ordered the cessation of all Condon editing on Planet 3 primates, which included the sapiens N-16 species.

Henrikiss had been sitting just behind Lieutenant Bilt in the class and now said, Excuse me Ariel, I think it was the Terriprimia Team’s General Occurrence 104,000 that cancelled the N-16; if N-16 was confirmed as a failure, it would have closed the genetic evolution work on the planet.

The Ariel said, "Thank you, Henrikiss; you are correct, it was Terriprimia Team GO 104,000’s call. The next two GO missions confirmed that the genetic editing program should be cancelled. But thirty nine thousand years later, while trying to correct the unfortunate problem that occurred during the GO 65,000 visit, our scientific team found illegal rebel mining on Planet 3.

A detailed analysis of the previous four million years of BODS surveillance revealed that the surface temperatures on Planet 3 had been cooling rapidly for the past seventy million years. The atmospheric records during the most recent four million years indicated regular cycles of a hundred thousand years that the planet was covered with glacial ice, separated by mild periods lasting roughly twenty thousand years.

During this four million year period most of the planet was completely covered with a blanket of ice three to six thousand cubits thick, forcing us to conduct our genetic work during the short warm cycles. During GO 65,000, the planet was a snowball with a white glistening surface, which from space, easily exposed the ugliness of illegal mining activity punching through that ice."

Bilt said, I would think that the appearance of the illegal mines was of particular interest; the Federation needs all the Tack we can find and has stopped rebel mining where ever they find it.

The Ariel nodded. Several hundred years after the discovery of illegal mining, the Federation sent J-Scouts to inspect the mines. The sleek nanobioid J-Scouts reported back that three dark ocean ice caverns were actually rebel mining bases with deep mine shafts. The BODS observed Anakim Army supply ships entering the ocean ice depths at each location. Shortly after those initial reports, the Federation lost contact with the J-Scouts and never heard from them again.

Henrikiss asked, But Ariel, didn’t the Terriprimia Team ignored the Federation 65,000 GO directive to abandon the planets genetic work?

"Actually, Lieutenant, the BODS had found a completely isolated family group of primates on the equatorial plains of a massive continent called Africa, and they toyed with an idea to introduce a newly developed DNA 34c genetic experiment to one of those isolated tribes. 34c had never been used for that purpose.

"During GO 52,000 the Terriprimia Team edited the double helix with 34c, injecting all embryos over the next eight hundred years within the isolated tribe we had named An-Ki. It wasn’t too many generation before the 34c An-Ki multiplied and began to dominate other primates on the central plains of the continent.

With only minor editing of Glia cells, the 34c subjects had approached full use of the nine point six percent cerebral capacity, far exceeding what the N-16 group had accomplished. With the result of this rapid development, the Terriprimia Team suggested Glial injections to expand cerebral development; the results were so fantastic that it was possible WORD 1 centers could be introduced thirteen thousand years later during the GO 39,000 visitation.

Bilt said, That was about the time Star 1473 mining war started, right?

The Ariel said, "Well, not quite. The BODS continued to monitor the three ice ocean holes prior to the GO 52,000 visit. They tracked the ore ships to our old Heofon Federation Tri-Pyramid marker on Planet 4.

"The complete file of this activity was to be brought back to Base C by the GO 52,000 team, but on the return wormhole travel the ship didn’t make it through. That’s why you are to accompany the Terriprimia Team to Star 1473. The Starlite has been assigned to escort our research ship NEO-3 on Mission GO 39,000 to resolve