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    Hidden Kingdom
    Hidden Kingdom
    Hidden Kingdom
    Ebook313 pages4 hours

    Hidden Kingdom

    By Anthony Van

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    About this ebook

    Three members of one family have finally discovered a habitable planet after another of many voyages checking out identified possible worlds. The process requires numerous criteria to be met. The three were contemplating the necessary process of environmental transformation into a biosphere when evacuated by the intrusion of an unknown craft.
    Marlo, the eldest and leader of the expedition, is conflicted by the imposition of a Galactic Union officer into his life. Tam, the officer, is initially suspicious about the mysterious man who won’t divulge his home planet or his purpose piloting a spacecraft which has dubious origins. She becomes curious and her curiosity somehow entangles them both in a web of intrigue and the life threatening machinations of a treacherous uprising by the Bara Alliance.
    Not only does Tam breach the secret isolation of the hidden kingdom but she becomes aware of a world of secrets. Marlo contravenes kingdom conventions while trying to maintain his own hidden agenda. How do these two manage to work together when they appear to distrust each other’s motives?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnthony Van
    Release dateJun 13, 2020
    ISBN9780463201374
    Hidden Kingdom
    Author

    Anthony Van

    What does a retired teacher do? Especially a teacher with a hyperactive imagination and ingrained work habits. Well this one writes. And being a Christian, each novel I have written necessarily is pieced together from a Christian perspective.I have a broad range of interests which include science and technology, mathematics, travel, sports and the interrelationship of people. Much of what intrigues me about people is that some pursue truth with the determination of a bloodhound while others almost ignore existential ideas and while away their short time spent on earth being distracted by people or pleasures or possessions or power.Writing is a hobby. It allows me to research and self educate, and it also permits me to refine my perspectives of concepts existential and theological.

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      Book preview

      Hidden Kingdom - Anthony Van

      Hidden Kingdom

      Published by Anthony Van at Smashwords

      Copyright Anthony Van 2017

      2nd Edition 2021

      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 favourite authorised retailer. Thank you for your support.

      PROLOGUE

      Eons of time and parsecs of space away, a galaxy was in the throes of revolution. Or not…

      The Galactic Union of hundreds of planets was under threat by a breakaway axis of powerful ‘old world’ planets seeking to enlarge their sovereign territory into newer, more vibrant worlds. Such a policy was all the more despicable because of the vast potential of the galaxy for exploration and development of viable worlds; but this evil alliance sought immediate gratification by invading, stealing and plundering the hard-won domains of others.

      Though this predation had been going on for some time, those responsible had not been identified. Already two planets had fallen victim to the powerful forces and weaponry of the Bara alliance. Their conquests had been rapid; resistance had been overwhelmed. Brief messages of the capitulation had been received by stations of the Galactic Union before both worlds had fallen silent. Caught unawares, emissaries of Galactic Union planets were flitting through hyperspace—the actual translation of mass through other dimensional space defies description—to Lowan, the designated headquarters of the Galactic Union Parliament. The summons to the council was at the behest of the council’s president, Zemger and Parliamentary convenor Dugan Blick. A cohesive response to the annexation of sovereign planets was the main item of business.

      There was a third group. In most respects it was a minor power. Anachronistically for this galaxy, it clung to an archaic ruling family and, what seemed, ritualised, unwieldy officialdom. The recognised head of the family was, essentially, sovereign of the four planets—Darnell, Riga, Bran and Elin—in their democratic monarchy. Little attention was afforded the kingdom because it was isolated on a far-flung spiral arm inconveniently removed from the populous inner star systems. In fact most of the inner worlds doubted their existence, considering the kingdom to be a quaint myth.

      Keenar was the royal family name. Their present king, Ruddol, was preparing to abdicate to his eldest son. He had been king for almost ten years and had gained the crown when his brother ceded the throne to him. Being the third of three sons, he was the last of that generation to rule. Now he had four sons and it was due time for him to relinquish power so that each of them would have the opportunity to be head of state.

      What distinguished these four planets from the rest of the galaxy was the staunch belief in The Pre-eminence. Their creed required adherence to principles for living—serve God first; serve others. This was true for all in the Shadow Kingdom—a name coined by a long past council president and one adopted by the Keenars.

      Contact with mainstream planets, in an official capacity, had been so rare and so long ago that those amongst the Union didn’t think about the Kingdom at all or, at the very most, considered it long defunct. This suited Ruddol and his ancestors before him since they had little time for the intrigues and political conspiracies of the Galactic Union. However, the kingdom secretly inveigled galactic citizens with a moral imperative.

      In terms of technology, the Shadow Kingdom was advanced in spacefaring and defensive infrastructure but they had little in offensive weaponry. They would sooner hide or run than confront an aggressor. Their whole ethic of serving effectively prohibited violence, even against a would-be enemy.

      Another anomaly that separated the Shadow Kingdom’s rulers from other known civilisations was the anonymity of the royal family. Apart from past rulers who were held in high esteem, only the monarch and his wife were public figures. King Ruddol and Queen Wendere lived in an unpretentious stone structure on the premier planet of Darnell. Their home was a short distance from the parliamentary halls—where they held state and where regional leaders congregated for the regular ‘apportioning of resources’. However, the remainder of the immediate family were unknown citizens who merged in with the populace of Darnell.

      The reason for such obscurity is buried deep in the history of the Keenar reign. The idea that serving was an insignia of leadership meant that the creed could mire the royals in endless chores for their subjects. Since the leaders, especially, demonstrated their authority through service, it was deigned essential that they be spared from the whimsy of the populace. Such principles emphasised that, though the realm’s moral code was laudable, the people were just as fallible as any.

      One task that occupied select members of the populace was that of searching for viable planets to extend the kingdom. This was an exceedingly laborious process of trial and error with each likely candidate world in the habitable zone of the myriad of stars being selected, then visited, analysed and usually discounted as unsuitable for colonisation.

      Marlo, Brack and Fen were three members of one family involved in this usually, painstaking job. On the large list of possible future colonies, they had spent almost a cycle of their sun (a darcycle) diligently crossing off each prospective planet because of atmosphere—inadequate or noxious—or lack of water or radiation issues from the local star and a range of other complexities that disqualified the place. This had been the case for generations. Planet surveyors seldom found suitable habitats for humans.

      Chapter 1

      On Terra Nova

      Sturdy. That’s how Marlo would describe his brother Brack. He was sturdy in character and physique. He watched him through the magnified viewer as he looked back from the water’s edge along the broad swathe of sand to the Pirogue—used as their landing craft, it was really a high-performance compact cruiser. Brack was lugging equipment out of the storage bay onto the dunes on this pristine new world.

      Fen was at the entry providing advice as to the best position for the sub ether burst transmitter. She was the third eldest after Marlo and Padi and had a sibling rivalry thing going with Brack, who was next in line in the family after her. Marlo smiled at the way his brother ignored Fen and began securing the dish and power unit with long metal stakes.

      The two middle children were always keen to accompany Marlo on his exploratory journeys. They were jubilant because this planet was, by far, the most promising they had found for future settlement. They only went to planets recommended by the observatory and falling within the narrow parameters of suitability. This planet was the first of the several explored that they hadn’t required breathing apparatus. Some others actually demanded life support suits.

      There was a faint breeze from seaward, columns of cloud had gathered on the distant range but the sky above was a hazy pale blue. A far-off hushing sound had him prick his ears to discern its origin. All at once his head spun around. In the distance a wall of water was gathering. His feet starting working as the realisation dawned on him. A tidal bore. The soft sand obstinately impeded his progress and the sound slowly rose to a purr and then a whirr.

      Furiously, Marlo pumped his legs along the beach. Hey! he screamed. Brack, move the ship. The tide… he gasped. The two figures near the ship appeared unaware of the looming danger.

      Brack…Fen! he yelled again as the wave became a rumble behind him. Thankfully Fen looked up, probably hearing the wave rather than him. Marlo drove himself on. Accusing thoughts flitted through his head. ‘That’s why the beach is so extensive. Why didn’t he check out the effects of the twin moons? There would be cyclic alignment wouldn’t there?’ Even as he castigated himself for his negligence, he was heartened to see his sister and brother scurrying for the Pirogue.

      His breath was coming in rasping pants. The water behind was now a rising roar. The soft sand contested his every pace forward. Not too far now. "Go! He screamed again as Brack stood at the hatch watching his progress. There was no way he could make it. The water behind was now a splashing, crashing, hissing monster. He just glimpsed the craft taking off when he was inundated by a frothy, foaming mass. He couldn’t swim in this!

      Grasping a mask from within his flying suit he attached it to his head as a churning turmoil of water cascaded in a flood all over him. Marlo tumbled in the surging rush. He gulped at the air supply. His body flung and thrown in the turbulent torrent. Sand, water and foam in a strange fizzing whirlpool spun him over and over up the beach.

      Concentrating on breathing and rolling with the boisterous current, he felt the racing tide ease in intensity. Desperately trying to find the surface, the frothy aerated water gave little buoyancy. Marlo staggered to his feet bobbing up and down in the sudsy water. The flow still carried him up toward the higher dunes but he saw nothing but murky water and foam.

      How long would his air hold out? It was designed specifically for emergency supply to enable him to regain the safety of the spacecraft. He probably had only a minute or two left. Thrusting his feet into the syrupy sand, Marlo continued forward with the easing stream of salty water.

      Suddenly his knees buckled against the rising sandy beach. Briefly he surfed forward before his head rose through the foam. He was being washed between some higher dunes up a gully. With a lunge he managed to escape the main current and crawl through the shallows to the sandy slope. Dragging himself up the silky sand he felt it caking all over his sopping clothes. He removed the mask and tucked it back into its pocket. He would change the small high-pressure cylinder once he was back in the Pirogue.

      For several minutes he lay there, breathless. Heaving gasps and spluttering coughs until he felt the rising water lapping higher up his legs. Marlo forced himself to crawl higher and hoisted himself up on his elbows and forearms. His entire body shook and failed to respond to his efforts to get up. His system was obviously still recovering from the ordeal. Eventually he turned. For minutes he sat metres above the swirling waters attempting to take stock of his situation.

      From where he sat, he noted that the dish and equipment were half submerged but seemed to still be firmly attached to the ground. Gazing around the horizon, the Pirogue was nowhere to be seen. As he rose with some effort to his feet, a reassuring humming sound swung his head about. There, settling on a ridge overlooking where the beach had been, was the Pirogue. The thrusters had barely shut off before the hatch had been thrown open and Fen leapt out and slid down the crumbling incline.

      Marlo! Are you all right? There were trills of hysteria in her cry. He nodded in reply. She scrambled along the top of the dune to his side. What was that? Her voice had steadied and she was pointing to the flooded beach.

      Tides … It’s my fault. I should have taken into account the twin moons.

      That was a tide? Even as she said it Brack emerged from the ship.

      We didn’t take into account the tides. The abrupt comment indicated that the situation had only then gelled in his mind. He ran to join them and half slid, half stumbled down to the dune.

      Marlo grimaced. If he was going to be responsible for this expedition, he would have to be more thorough. Funny about that. His eyes closed as if the thought were causing him pain.

      I guess I stated the obvious, Brack said sheepishly, wincing and scratching his shaggy mop at the same time. So, what do we do now?

      We wait. Given that it came in so quickly I reckon it will drop fairly quickly as well.

      And then what? He looked at Marlo but his older brother gave him a raised eyebrows what-do-you-think expression. All right…so we move the gear up on the ridge and test it. Do you think it will still work?

      It’s meant to be fairly robust…sealed units and all that. We’ll have to repair it if it doesn’t.

      We have enough spares anyway, observed Fen.

      She looked at her older brother and shook her head. How did you survive under all that foam?

      Marlo lifted the mask out partially in answer. Oh. Then another thought occurred to her. Why do you think it was so frothy?

      Soda water, he said blandly.

      What?

      Think of it…high CO2 levels mean more dissolved CO2 in the water…there was dissolved oxygen as well, I guess. As it rushes over the shallow shore the warmth of the sand and the agitation make it fizz like a soft drink.

      That’s something else we’ll have to take into account to make this place habitable, interposed Brack.

      What do you mean? Marlo tried to gauge what he was referring to.

      Acidic water.

      Yeah, but weakly acidic. The whole thing is manageable. I mean this place is a dream compared to the last one.

      Marlo walked toward the water’s edge. It looks like it’s settled. I’m going to rinse this sand and muck off and then get into something dry; then we’ll get a bite to eat. The other two watched him roll in the shallows as a storm of tiny bubbles surrounded him.

      At least it’s clear, not like most of the rivers we’ve seen, said Fen.

      It’s all erosion. Nothing to stop the ground from washing away, explained Brack.

      Really? mocked Fen looking surprised. And Brack realised that he’d again proclaimed the patently obvious. All right…you knew that.

      ***

      The water receded at a much more leisurely pace. The three sat on a rock ledge chewing on protein bars and sipping passable coffees from their automatic machine. Brack was reading the environmental analysis off a small screen.

      So the atmosphere is a bit low in oxygen, but that can be remedied eventually once plant life is established. The carbon dioxide will find a lower equilibrium level at some stage.

      That will take ages, remarked Fen.

      Yeah, but it will be improving all the time, and it’s breathable now. Brack went on. In most other areas it is like our home planet, Darnell…atmospheric make up is similar, gravity, temperature range, abundance of water, time cycles and mineral composition.

      Apart from the fact that, by all accounts, it is lifeless, stated Marlo drily.

      But that’s been the case for every planet we’ve found since hyperdrive. They’re all sterile.

      Fen was composing a report to send sub ether to the Colonies Directorate. She verbalised softly her succinct message. Atmospheric pressure is slightly high due to the higher level of carbon dioxide. Its gravity, distance from its star, rotation rate, magnetic field and, most importantly, abundant supply of water, make it the first planet found in several hundred years that can be added to the Shadow Kingdom’s realm. We will start a sealed eco dome with a range of plants and soil based organic life. Remote monitoring should inform us of the progress and viability but no problems are anticipated. She paused and looked thoughtfully at the retreating tide. Note; severe tidal fluctuations caused by the planet’s twin moons should be taken into account for any coastal settlements.

      She looked at her brothers. Anything else?

      That will do for the moment, replied Marlo. It’ll be another grad before we can relocate the beacon. How about we start setting up the dome over there. He pointed to a rise in the distance that continued up to the foothills of an even more distant, higher range.

      Why there? prompted Brack.

      High enough to not get washed away in a flash flood and sheltered enough by that ridge so as not to get blown away … I hope.

      For the next two grads the three of them ferried the expandable framework, the clear polymer membrane that would surround the whole structure and the power supply and automated monitoring system. The geodesic dome was easily erected and anchored to the ground by drilled in threaded pitons.

      From there they rescued the sub ether transmitter and, using a large drone they controlled remotely, hoisted it up alongside the enviro-dome. A short break ensued. Quenching his thirst with several gulps of water, Marlo patted his brother on the back. If you pilot the drone and get some local water from that stream we saw as we came in, Fen and I will get some varieties of, what this planet calls, soil and set up the growing trays.

      Probably do two or three trips to fill the tank, said Brack.

      Yeah, best to be conservative.

      What about if I set up the range of conditions and plant varieties and log them on the computer while you haul the soil. Fen sported an impish grin as she said it. I mean it has to be done, then the whole thing will be ready to go when you two have finished. She added a cute factor by placing her index finger into a cheek dimple."

      Marlo ignored the byplay and answered phlegmatically, Sure.

      ***

      By the end of the day they were exhausted. Marlo argued that it had been worth it. Sitting inside the hermetically sealed enclosure, he appreciated Fen’s systematic labelling of each bed. All the labels would be visible to the camera positions and visual records could be relayed to complement the physical data provided by the sensors. He glanced up at the atmosphere exchange pump. What’s the setting for CO2?

      Four fifty parts per million. Once it gets down to that we’ll keep it there and monitor growth. All that can be altered remotely if we want."

      It was all as it should be. Allowing her to explain rather than cross checking every detail with her, empowered her. It was something he hadn’t always done. He was pleased at what they had accomplished in such a short time.

      Now that this is finished, we can spend the next two days exploring the place.

      Is that why you were in such a rush? Fen spoke tiredly, her head rested on her hands and her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward, perched on the edge of one of the raised beds.

      Yup…There are a few places, on the satellite images, that I’m curious about.

      You know we’d never have been able to do it all today if it wasn’t for the mechanical loader you brought, observed Brack.

      I’ve spent enough time on the farm communes at home to know it’s back-breaking without the proper machinery.

      So where do you want to go? It was Fen again.

      The large lake near those snow-capped mountains about half way round the other side and … I wouldn’t mind visiting one of the poles.

      Take samples of the water, suggested his brother.

      Yeah, and maybe that huge river on the largest continent. The silt on its delta might be ideal for agriculture.

      It went through a massive canyon didn’t it?

      We could fly along that if you want.

      Good idea.

      Fen urged them to return to the ship for a meal and an early night since they had such an eventful day. There were still reports and communiques to send via the sub ether pulse transmitter, and there were several ‘housekeeping’ chores to complete on the small vessel before they slept.

      Chapter 2

      Some Surprising Discoveries and then an Encounter

      Backs and limbs ached and bodies were reluctant to emerge from the sleep capsules as the three siblings tried to rouse themselves for the new day. Eventually coming out to inspect their work, Marlo was surprised to find a heavy fog slowly lifting. It had deposited a scum of mud over everything.

      Fen came out and joined him. What’s all this?

      A pain, that’s what it is. He went on anticipating her desire for a reason for the layer of muck. I guess, with no vegetation, there’s a high level of airborne dust—the haze in the air we noticed. So I suppose fog, as well as rain, drops it out of the atmosphere.

      Why is that a pain?

      Look at the dome.

      Oh.

      We’ll have to set up some light sensors to trigger a spray wash.

      That means another tank and more water doesn’t it?

      And a catchment tarpaulin. Otherwise it could run out of water quickly.

      Brack appeared at the hatch and before he could say anything Marlo was giving instructions.

      You’ll need to get the drone out again and fetch some water. Fen and I are going to set up a dome washing tank.

      A long look at the dome and then all about was enough for Brack to appreciate the problem.

      R-i-g-h-t. The drawled reply was more resignation than annoyance.

      The inflatable tank which hardened at the release of an acrylic catalyst was easy for Marlo to set up. Fen had already gone through the process of locating a pump, pipes and a power source and then rigged a light sensor to act as a switch for the pump. An added complication was putting in a relay with another light sensor outside the dome that disabled the switch at low light levels from dusk to dawn.

      By the time she was carting the equipment out, Marlo had already completed situating the tank close to an embankment and spreading the catchment sheet on the slope above it. It was anchored to the rocky surface and funnelled into the top of the tank. While Brack was remotely piloting the drone for its second load of water, Fen had Marlo assist her in installing all the plumbing and controls.

      Mid-morning had them approving their handiwork while drinking electrolyte concoctions individualised for needs in response to their biometric data.

      It’s a lot clearer today, observed Brack.

      Good for sightseeing, returned Marlo.

      The fog probably cleared the air, offered their sister. And there’s no wind today

      ***

      The sleek craft skimmed over the largest of the oceans. From the placid calmness of the landing site they flew through squalls and a tropical storm. Near the midst of the vast expanse of water that covered more than a half of the planet, a lengthy, narrow land mass divided the ocean in two. It was like a giant squiggly exclamation mark spanning from north of the equator to almost the southern polar region. Along most of its length was a towering mountain chain, with movements in the crust and volcanism the likely cause of its formation. On close inspection, two active volcanoes were evident as they toured alongside one coast.

      From there, Marlo flew them across a smaller span of ocean, then over a northern

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