Outlier earth, p.1
Outlier Earth, page 1
OUTLIER EARTH
Ken R Pence
OUTLIER EARTH
©2022 Kenneth R Pence
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author. Any names or persons are just coincidental to actual persons. None of the incompetent and corrupt people in the book correspond to corrupt and twisted people in the real world. If your name is used – it's a fluke. I used a lot of names of actual ships and people in other dimensions but that is acceptable according to recent interdimensional treaties – prove me wrong it you don't believe it as I've got the treaties here – right in front of me.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my brothers Richard & Tom Pence for encouraging me to write. We have shared a lifelong love of sci-fi. This book is dedicated to all the visionaries out there who know that humans are just a small blip in the universe. We'd like to visit other worlds before our species corrupts the world where we currently reside.
Also used a gunsmith I worked with for twenty years, Joe Daniels, as a model for the one in the book. Joe could make a gun from a block of steel and saved many lives with what he taught and the handguns, rifles, and shotguns he built. He's a true master gunsmith (Royal Range in Nashville after retiring from the Metro Nashville Police).
Foreword
This is a work of fiction. Any semblance to real people and events, in this story, is purely coincidental and characters do not represent any living persons except the main protagonist who allowed me to use his name - he's a really cool guy. This story occurs about five hundred years in the future and technologies then are well developed. The politicians in that age and place are fully as competent as they are ethical - just like the present day. Bless their hearts.
The Allung, an alien, frog-lookalike analog had invaded what is the American continent in the fourteenth century and enslaved all the natives they didn't kill. They subjugated tribes until they controlled most of the continent and southern countries (North America, Mexico, and Central America in our worldline). These tripes somehow fought off and acquired the alien tech.
The agents who tried to investigate this unusual parallel worldline disappeared and their organization decided to send an older, low-ranking agent that was on their roster. This is his story.
Daniel Ostenaco - LR41 worldline
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Forward
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 1
"I'm not sure what we should do," the agent supervisor said.
"You mean…You don't know who we should send," the director replied sarcastically. "What do you know? Give me the abbreviated version please - I have responsibility for parallel worldlines besides this one."
"We've sent two agents to that blasted parallel worldline and they dropped off the grid. Both agents were trained to fit into any type of society. We don't know why they disappeared but they disappeared very soon after they transitioned to that parallel world."
"Do you intend to keep the information hidden or are you going to identify them to me and which parallel worldline they reside…in my lifetime?" the director sat tapping his stylus against the desk display top.
"Sorry sir. Agent Chin and Pokojewski-- in that order. The worldline is Earth LR-41."
"What's the issue with that worldline anyway? What are the beings like at their drop-off location?" the director leaned forward getting interested.
"Oh. We know some. We only know general geographical heritage. They all are genetically compatible. The beings on this continent are about 35% Mongoloid Amerind native Indian subset - 30% Aryan European - 25% African black and 10% Asian similar to Chinese. The population seems very consistent. Average height for males is 176 centimeters (~5'9"). Surprisingly, women are taller on average almost 181 cm (~5'11"). Of course, the males are a bit stockier. They call themselves the Winikobo which means 'the people'."
"So, you sent in Chin who is taller than the females plus being one of the minority genotypes. What about Pokojewski? How tall was he? Was he stocky?" the director asked.
"Oh. We learned from Chin's disappearance. Pokojewski was the males' average height and stocky Aryan descent," the supervisor responded proudly.
The director let out an exasperated sigh. "What is the problem with the worldline? Where did you put them?"
"Sir. We put both Chin and Pokojewski in a medium sized city with a population of about a quarter of a million on the Hogohegee River in the Tanasi area. Essentially in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth in East Tennessee. We got two reports from Pokojewski that 'he found out some of the history' in the first report…and a partial report that was cut off." The supervisor grabbed her wrist nervously. "We know a bit more about their history."
The director sat there and stared back at her while waiting. He said nothing and the silence stretched until the supervisor couldn't stand the tension.
"Sir. We found evidence the planet was attacked about six hundred years ago by the frog-like Allung. The Allung were defeated and the natives somehow appropriated some of their advanced knowledge and weaponry…we don't know how. It was in the tenth year of a many decades-long drought. The natives later fought a larger Allung force. That's all we know sir. Pokojewski stopped reporting."
"How long ago did the reports end? What are our options? What do you recommend?" the director asked. He didn't expect the answer he got. "Whom do you recommend?" the director asked.
"Alan Einfeld, Jr. sir. He's available and according to my records he's never failed in a mission. His missions usually are over very quickly - rarely over a few days. Uh - our reports stopped a week ago."
"Is Einfeld even still alive? He was here at the Parallels Agency when I was a novice."
"Yes director. He's still here and still listed as active. He does the required recertifications even after his twenty-five year stint in military service. He left the military as a lieutenant colonel," the supervisor explained. "I had no idea he had been with the agency that long."
"Those missions were disasters though," she continued. "They may have been over rapidly but there are always catastrophic consequences. People were fired and transferred. People died. Policy had to rewritten."
"This Alan Einfeld - he's the son of the trader that blew up the Accords," said the director, "but the man gets results." The director looked interested in Alan because he'd been on missions and there were never cut and dried solutions. Real life is messy, he thought.
"He's qualified sir. He does all his in-service training. I know he doesn't have much of a reputation with the service," said the supervisor.
"What do we need to do? What would the parameters of his mission be?"
"We need to find out how they could defeat an advanced star-flight capable technology with weapons from Earth's 14th century. He would have to find out how Earth natives repelled later invasions of even greater space fleets. We would need to find out what levels of technology they are using and how ubiquitous it is," the supervisor stated.
The director sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Have you had any indications that the natives have the ability to shift worldlines? If they've had nearly a millennium to advance their tech of that captured technology -- the Allung tech was already capable of space flight - I hesitate to think how vulnerable we would be to incursions in any number of parallel worldlines. We have a stable trading relationship with many of the parallel worlds -- some trade knowingly. It's frightening."
"No director. No indication of cross dimensional capability or worldline experimentation - yet."
"Okay. You're authorized for anything you need. What's Einfeld doing currently?"
◆◆◆
Alan Einfeld, Jr. was currently working out. He had several little routines. Today it was to first run three kilometers. His friend Leon was running with him.
"Hey Alan. How come you just run three kilometers?" Leon asked while breathing heavily. "You've been doing this with me for the past five years. You don't breathe as heavy as I do but shouldn't you be in better shape for someone around 25."
Alan smiled and turned down his suit gravity. He usually ran with gravity settings up to 2.5 gravities. "I don't have time to do a much longer workout. You're really good at telling ages -- good guess." Alan didn't explain that he was really old in calendar years due to his military grade, self-replicating nanites. Those hadn't been available for the last two-hundred and sixty years because the government banned them trying to better control the Earth population. He had been given the nanites as part of an experimental group. The difficult part of being older than all the others around you was staying motivated and watching friends die. Leon hadn't reached his 'friend' qualification yet but he was trying…very trying.
"Oh. I know what you mea
"Really? Ninja shit?" Alan asked chuckling.
"Yeah. You were jumping around and rolling. You know. Kicking and stomping and slashing. You definitely looked like you were slashing and stabbing."
"Probably was one of my virtual reality warrior games. They get too intense to do them inside sometimes. I'm up to level sixty-six in one of them," Alan said picking a number level at random. Actually -- His military AI implant generated his simulated weapons, his opponents, and his environment. His implant's name was Sara but he wasn't going to tell Leon.
"I thought the government restricted most of those games because the 'simulated' nerve damage, resistance, fatigue, loss of balance and stuff like that actually messed people up. I heard lots of people got hurt using those things so they got restricted," Leon inquired.
"Yep. Shhh…I got a restricted license and I test some of the new ones. It's a cool job."
Leon nodded. "How do I get a job like that?"
Alan tilted his head, "I'm not sure but I think it was because they wanted someone taller than the guy they were using and I was just happening by."
"How tall are you? You're fairly tall," Leon stated standing up straight. "I'd guess you're a smidge taller than me and I'm 181 centimeters."
"A bit…I'm 188 centimeters," Alan reluctantly answered. "I never asked you what you do."
"I do tech support but I'm thinking of joining the military. I'm a bit old for that though they give good access to training machines. You ought to do that too since you're younger. We could do that together," Leon smiled getting psyched up at the thought of joining with his acquaintance.
"Nah. I'm not into that stuff," Alan replied simply. Alan grinned a lopsided grin since he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 25 years on active duty… on some shitty planets and deathtrap assignments. Been there - done that - got the T-shirt he thought.
"Well, let me know if you change your mind. Here's where I head my own way. See ya' next time," Leon peeled off and was soon out of sight.
◆◆◆
Alan performed his edged weapon workout and then went to his range. He practiced with a variety of energy and kinetic weapons.
After he enjoyed an old-school hot shower, he dried off and checked himself out in the mirror (chemically treated and heated so it wouldn't fog). Hmm…no gut, he thought. Not bad for almost three centuries. He had Sara show his sides and rear and she still didn't say anything. Ah oh! Something's got her in a swivet. Yo. Sara. What's up?
You have a call from the Director of Parallels. Do you want to take it?
Sure. It's been thirty years since I've had a call from them. Wonder what has them all wound up?
Chapter 2
Alan took the call from the agent supervisor. Supervisors changed every couple of years so Alan didn't feel upset not knowing who was currently in charge. The woman on the call never told him her name but just jumped into a little spiel.
"Einfeld. We have a problem and we need you to come in," the supervisor stated.
Alan didn't say anything but just waited.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" the supervisor demanded. "Are you just rude or senile?" she said raising her voice.
Alan waited again and said nothing.
"Well! Why don't you talk with me?"
"Excuse me. Would you tell me your name and why you are raising your voice?" Alan responded quietly.
"Yes. Well. I'm Darris Watanabe -- senior agent supervisor," she said in a pompous sounding tone.
Alan waited a bit more but cut her off when he sensed she was going to explode again. "What can I do for you? How soon do you need me and in what capacity? Where do you need me? What equipment do I need? Am I going to be working with a team or solo?" He enjoyed yanking the chain of bureaucrats.
Watanabe seemed a bit flustered. "Just come to the headquarters - the one in St. Louis on Washington Street," she added while realizing there was many headquarters on many countries. "Bring everything. It's to be a solo mission for several months in LR-41. Native Amerinds overcame Allung invaders in the 14th century and later larger attacks. We don't know how they did it." She wound down. "Oh. You now have access to the restricted files we have so far. Get here as soon as possible."
"See you soon," Alan said to the supervisor and ended the call. He understood that was all the information she would be able to give him. Sara acknowledged the information through his mental connection.
Sara, Alan thought to his AI. Who is Director of the St. Louis office now? Oh - give me a brief synopsis of their history too.
The Director is currently Ramesh Patel, Sara explained.
Pretty generic. Did he ever do anything?
Yes Alan. He seems fairly competent and has done three field assignments. The coworkers and subordinates actually like the director. He's 45 so he won't have the limits on aging you have and may resent your longevity if he studies your file.
What is it with the Agency wanting to use a solo agent? Have they lost their mind? Have you seen any indication that the Parallels Agency is bringing any more resources to the table?
Yes Alan. You saw, glancing at the report, that they lost two previous agents. The Agency has apparently sent notices to all offices on every continent and they are preparing terrestrial and spaceborne resources. They are preparing for an interdimensional incursion if necessary.
What do they want me for…another sacrificial lamb?
This is the earliest alien invasion in an ancillary worldline ever recorded. This Earth was invaded, on their North American continent, in the 14th century before the European immigrations. The Vikings were just as unsuccessful as they usually were on any other Earth in this area. These Native 'Amerinds' defeated a space traveling species somehow prior to firearms -- prior to written language in most cases. Essentially -- the Agency doesn't have a clue what they're facing and want you to sort out a direction for them. I'm sure they'll try to throw you under the bus like usual - no matter which Director is in charge.
You've reviewed the file, Alan thought. What languages should I study for that area? Yuchi? Algic? Southern Iroquoian, Algonquian, and Siouan? Every tribe had their own language or dialect. Isn't one of the reasons the Amerinds didn't progress was because they didn't have written language…no sole language that would have united all the tribes.
You've studied the Allung, Sara thought to him. You've even fought them during your respites in the military. They normally would have dropped asteroids on the planet to destroy population centers and technology. A planetary population of bow and arrow natives could have been subjugated just by landing ships and blasting a few natives to dust. They'd be declared gods. What would they probably do next? Sara led him to the answer.
The Allung would take slaves for labor and breeding, Alan responded to his AI Sara.
How would the natives understand the commands of their masters? Sara thought.
The Allung would use the teaching machines to train the Natives to speak Trade and Allung, at the very least. They'd want them to understand commands in Trade.
What other languages might they use? Allung is too low pitched for most humans.
Phafalotoi probably because that species is pliant and easily taken. That’s the only language I'd need to learn. I'd need to update anything with Allung background intelligence.
◆◆◆
Alan was going through all his equipment. He laid out his gear into two piles. One pile was relatively small and only amounted to about five kilos of essentials. There were emergency medical materials - mainly to support others with generic nanites and robust, small sensing tools. His essentials included several full meals and emergency supplements. There were a couple of edged weapons as well as hand energy weapons and a stunner. The rest were adapters for his suit. He finished restocking the small shoulder bag with 'fresh use by' supplies. He grinned and shook his head when he saw a few supplies were thirty years past their 'use by' date.
