Continuum riven worlds b.., p.1
Continuum (Riven Worlds Book One), page 1
part #14 of Amaranthe Series
CONTINUUM
RIVEN WORLDS BOOK ONE
(AMARANTHE ♦ 14)
G. S. JENNSEN
2020
CONTINUUM
Copyright © 2020 by G. S. Jennsen
Cover design by The Baka Arts and G. S. Jennsen.
Cover typography by G. S. Jennsen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means 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. For permission requests, write to the publisher at:
Hypernova Publishing
P.O. Box 1467
Libby, Montana 59923
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
The Hypernova Publishing name, colophon and logo are trademarks of Hypernova Publishing.
Continuum / G. S. Jennsen.—1st ed.
LCCN 2019920395
978-1-7323977-7-4
AMARANTHE UNIVERSE
* * *
AURORA RHAPSODY
AURORA RISING
STARSHINE
VERTIGO
TRANSCENDENCE
AURORA RENEGADES
SIDESPACE
DISSONANCE
ABYSM
AURORA RESONANT
RELATIVITY
RUBICON
REQUIEM
ASTERION NOIR
EXIN EX MACHINA
OF A DARKER VOID
THE STARS LIKE GODS
RIVEN WORLDS
CONTINUUM
INVERSION
ECHO RIFT
ALL OUR TOMORROWS
CHAOTICA
DUALITY
SHORT STORIES
Restless Vol. I • Restless Vol. II • Apogee • Solatium • Venatoris
Re/Genesis • Meridian • Fractals • Chrysalis • Starlight Express
Learn more at gsjennsen.com/books or visit the Amaranthe Wiki.
For Bob, who saved our lives
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
* * *
HUMANS
Alexis ‘Alex’ Solovy Marano
Space scout and explorer. Prevo.
Spouse of Caleb Marano, daughter of Miriam and David Solovy.
Artificial/Prevo Counterpart: Valkyrie
Caleb Marano
Former Special Operations intelligence agent; space scout and explorer.
Spouse of Alex Solovy.
Miriam Solovy
(Commandant)
Leader, Concord Armed Forces. David Solovy
Professor, Concord Special Warfare Training Center.
Malcolm Jenner
(Admiral)
AEGIS Fleet Admiral. Marlee Marano
Consulate Assistant.
Mia Requelme
(Senator)
Head of Concord Consulate.
Artificial/Prevo Counterpart: Meno Richard Navick
Concord Intelligence Director.
Kennedy Rossi
Founder/CEO, Connova Interstellar. Valkyrie
Alex’s Prevo Counterpart.
* * *
ASTERIONS
Nika Kirumase
External Relations Advisor, Asterion Dominion. Former NOIR leader.
Dashiel Ridani
Industry Advisor, Asterion Dominion Advisor Committee.
Adlai Weiss
Justice Advisor. Grant Mesahle
Dominion Armed Forces Consultant.
Perrin Benvenit
Omoikane Personnel Director. Parc Eshett
Omoikane Consultant.
Lance Palmer
Military Advisor. Kiernan Phillips
DAF Lieutenant, Pilot.
* * *
OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS
Eren Savitas asi-Idoni
CINT agent.
Species: Anaden
Mnemosyne (‘Mesme’)
Idryma Member, 1st Analystae of Aurora.
Species: Katasketousya (Metigen)
Cosime Rhomyhn
CINT agent.
Species: Naraida Maris Debray
Culture Advisor, Asterion Dominion.
Species: Asterion
Casmir elasson-Machim
Leader, Anaden military.
Species: Anaden Noah Terrage
COO, Connova Interstellar.
Species: Human
Danilo Nisi/Corradeo Praesidis
Former leader of the anarch resistance.
Species: Anaden Nyx elassonPraesidis
Former Inquisitor.
Species: Anaden
Drae Shonen ela-Machim
CINT agent.
Species: Anaden Pinchutsenahn Niikha Qhiyane Kteh
Tokahe Naatan of the Khokteh.
Species: Knokteh
Eosha Norhalle
Artist.
Species: Novoloume Spencer Nimoet
Justice Advisor, Asterion Dominion.
Species: Asterion
Felzeor
CINT agent.
Species: Volucri Torval elasson-Machim
Navarchos, Anaden military.
Species: Anaden
Ferdinand elasson-Kyvern
Anaden Senator, Concord Senate.
Species: Anaden Toshke’phein
Pilot, Taiyok military.
Species: Taiyok
Ilgur Darhk
Savrakath Ambassador.
Species: Savrakath Vaihe
Refugee.
Species: Godjan
Jaisc
Iona-Cead of the Taenarin.
Species: Taenarin Lakhes
Praetor (leader) of the Idryma.
Species: Katasketousya (Metigen)
William ‘Will’ Sutton
CINT Operations Director.
Species: Human
* * *
MINOR CHARACTERS
Abigail Canivon, cybernetics expert (Human)
Ainye asi-Idoni, hostess (Anaden)
Akamu Chacko, Lieutenant, AEGIS Special Forces (Human)
Beshai, Taenarin Caomh (Taenarin)
Bautista Rodriguez, Major, Prevo, AEGIS Special Forces (Human)
Braelyn Rossi-Terrage, Kennedy and Noah’s daughter (Human)
Carl Odaka, Colonel, AEGIS Special Forces (Human)
Charles Basquan, owner, Mirai Pavilion (Asterion)
Daayn Shahs-lan, Barisan Senator, (Barisan)
Emilio Rogers, Colonel, Dominion Armed Forces (Asterion)
Erik Rhom, Justice Division analyst (Asterion)
Ian Sevulch, restaurant waiter (Asterion)
Isabela Marano, biochemistry professor, Caleb’s sister (Human)
Joaquim Lacese, former NOIR Operations Director (Asterion)
Jonas Rossi-Terrage, Kennedy and Noah’s son (Human)
Kuisk Jhountar, General, Savrakath military (Savrakath)
Onai Veshnael, Dean, Novoloume Senator (Novoloume)
Phael Thisiame (Pointe-Amiral), leader, Novoloume military (Novoloume)
Selene Panetier, Justice Advisor (Asterion)
Tele Diya, Lieutenant, AEGIS Special Forces (Human)
Thelkt Lonaervin, former Anarch agent (Novoloume)
Thomas, Stalwart II Artificial (Artificial)
Vii, employee of Connova Interstellar, Valkyrie’s sister (Artificial)
CONCORD
* * *
MEMBER SPECIES
Humans
Representative: Mia Requelme
Anadens
Representative: Ferdinand elasson-Kyvern
Novoloume
Representative: Dean Onai Veshnael
Naraida
Representative: Tasme Chareis
Khokteh
Representative: Pinchutsenahn Niikha Qhiyane Kteh
Barisans
Representative: Daayn Shahs-lan
Dankaths
Representative: Bohlke’ban
Efkam
Representative: Ahhk~sae
* * *
ALLIED SPECIES
Katasketousya Taenarin
Fylliot Volucri
Ruda Yinhe
* * *
PROTECTED SPECIES
Ekos Icksel
Faneros Pachrem
Galenai Vrachnas
Delve into the maps, characters and more at the Amaranthe Wiki.
CONTENTS
* * *
PART I
A NEW WORLD
PART II
SET PIECES & STRATEGEMS
PART III
TRIBULATION'S ORBIT
PART IV
RIVEN
CONTINUUM
For a brief summary of the events of AMARANTHE #1-13, see the Appendix in the back of the book.
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PART I
A NEW WORLD
1
* * *
AKESO
Ursa Major II Galaxy
LGG Region I
Blades of grass crunch beneath the steady gait of our hooves as our powerful leg muscles propel us swift ly forward. Elements of us feel the brief pressure, the weight that flattens the blades against our earth. Elements of us feel instead the compression of our earth in response, the momentary subtraction of sunlight and oxygen before the pressure is removed and we unfurl to our former shape. Elements of us feel the resistance from the air to our movement forward, how our breeze skates along our silken coat then reforms behind us to cavort with the tree limbs we’ve left behind.
The rhythm of our journey through the expanse of our forest lulls us into a quiet serenity, a place where we revel in all these perceptions at once and as one—then we race beyond the tree line, out of the shadows and into the sunlight of our meadow.
Motion to the left, where the forest reclaims dominance, draws a portion of our focus. A lark darts from limb to limb upon one of our trees, a worm grasped in its beak. We feel the tree bark rough beneath our dancing feet, see ourselves through its/our eyes, take in the gleam of our majestic spiraling horns set upon the afternoon light. We soar up to a nest with our prize in tow/we resume our gallop and leave our meadow behind.
Beneath a sun cooling as it descends toward the horizon, we leap grandly into the frigid waters of our creek and bound up onto the embankment on the other side. We pause to shake droplets of water from our coat, and we are the droplets as they are flung into our air and plummet to the damp soil of our creek’s bank. Then we turn and trace the path of the bank toward the north, at a more leisurely pace now that we have sated our fervor.
For we sense a brief crack in the fabric of the world and with it, Her return to us.
We loiter in the clearing near the Structures, circling languidly as we munch on our lush grass at our feet and await our reunion.
Other blades of our grass compress beneath other steps, and we shift our awareness toward the movement. Warmth—joy, contentment, a stirring of anticipation—rises in our chest as we observe Her. The warmth spreads from our elafali form through our earth into our trees to frolic along our gurgling creek, and our song reaches the ears of those who would hear it.
She grins as she nears our form, the spread of Her lips brightening Her features. Her head moves side to side to send long burgundy tresses dancing across Her skin where neck meets shoulders.
She comes to a stop in front of us, Her lips curling up anew as a hand reaches out to stroke the thick hair of our long, curving neck then moves up to caress the curl of our horns. Her touch both calms and excites us, but we experience no contradiction or discord, for we are accustomed to experiencing many and varied sensations at once. We nudge our way closer and nuzzle Her neck until She laughs and steps away.
“It’s time to come home. And this time, remember to get dressed before you leave the forest. We’re having a guest for dinner.”
We feel the blades of grass, flush and cool, pressing against the heat of our skin stretched taut over our spine….
Caleb breathed in slowly, letting the crisp air fill our/his lungs, and let it out in a series of short puffs. He flexed his fingers, then his toes, and so bit by bit reclaimed conscious control over his body and sovereignty over his mind.
The process was second nature by now, for he’d performed it hundreds of times in the last fourteen years, but he always tried to make sure he felt at home in his own skin before he opened his eyes. Yet when his eyelashes parted his vision swam, flitting between his own limited human perception and the overwhelming cascade of Akeso’s awareness. He blinked deliberately until the tumultuous sensations faded, then carefully sat up.
Of course, Akeso’s awareness was never further than one of those blinks away; it required only an indefinable shift in his focus to access. The distance between here and there was so slight, it had taken several months of disciplined practice before he was able to keep from accidentally shifting over at random moments—at which point he usually ended up on the floor.
But that was a long time ago, back when this unique and somewhat peculiar existence of his was new and fraught with uncertainty.
He glanced around in search of his clothes, chuckling to himself at Alex’s admonition as he grabbed the navy brushed-wool shirt from the mulberry-and-silver pentas plant he’d draped it on and pulled it on. It was tempting to treat Akeso like their own personal nudist colony, and sometimes they did. But the real world and its social customs intruded even here, in this wild and precious place.
As he stood and finished getting dressed, his mind settled back into itself, and his thoughts drifted to the evening to come. If they were having a guest for dinner, it must mean she’d been successful in her mission to make contact with the Asterion.
At the sound of melodic chirping, he peered up, then stretched out his arm to invite the lark dancing on a limb above to alight upon it. It wasn’t truly a lark, but rather a bundle of organic material molded into Akeso’s admittedly convincing imitation of one of an increasing variety of animal life. It was Akeso as much as the grass and trees and water and soil and planetary crust and atmosphere.
He flicked his arm, and the lark flew up into the tree canopy and vanished. He started off toward the house, purpose creeping into his gait with each step. If she’d been successful in her mission, odds were high their life was about to get interesting again.
The glass-walled, two-story house sat almost precisely on the spot where the Siyane had first landed here nearly fifteen years ago, around forty meters from the creek where Akeso had cured the poison coursing through Alex’s veins. Behind the house, shrubs and flowering plants transitioned to trees then grew into a woodland that stretched for hundreds of kilometers.
The glass remained untinted, and he could see Alex in the kitchen marinating the steaks and sliding cubes of peppers and mushrooms onto skewers. He drank her in through his own eyes this time, appreciating the way the black leggings she wore hugged her long, shapely legs. How the pewter sweater wound through with silver threads made her diamond irises dance in the light. How, as per usual, she hadn’t brushed her hair in hours, making the messy knot it was now half bound into and half tumbling out of earn its name.
She’d left the front door open, and Caleb moved quietly across the porch and inside. He was barefoot, and he’d never wholly lost the skills learned in seventeen years as an intelligence agent. He crept over the distressed hardwood floor into the kitchen, slipped in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to kiss her neck.
“Ah!” She jumped back against his chest, and a skewer tumbled into the sink. “I swear, I’m going to put a bell on you.”
“No, no. This is much more fun. You were successful? You found your mark, and she didn’t immediately try to kill you?”
He’d murmured the words while his lips teased her neck; she hummed in pleasure, and he felt the subtle vibration travel down the skin of her throat and along the trimmed hair of his beard. She’d recently spent hours on board an alien starship, and beneath the scent of marinade and lemons lurked hints of ozone and something bitter, akin to chicory.
The first time he’d communed with Akeso, through blood, the experience had left him with acutely heightened senses for days. Now those heightened senses never left him.
“I got her to trust me enough to agree to come here, which I count as a success, yes.”
“Good job. I’m proud of you.”
