Chapter 1

Daniel Dawson morns the loss of his parents, David and Anne. His anger activates his gift to travel back in time.

Two bright summer suns glared down on Daniel Dawson as he ran alongside the humming and crackling invisible barrier of the electromagnetic hover field pathway, his feet making short scuffing sounds on the white marble sidewalk. Alistar and Calisto, Solis Prime’s two orange and green suns, contrasted sharply with the dark gloomy thoughts that pervaded his senses. Brown and tan kjoro birds flittered by him oblivious to his inner turmoil.

Daniel ran because he had nothing else to do. Or nothing else he wanted to do. It had been a crazy day and he needed to run. Everything that was of any importance and meaning in his life had been swept away in a white hot explosion that had ripped his parents’ transport from limb to limb.

Why did you leave me? he cried out in his mind, but no one answered.

The days following the accident he had tried to go through the motions of graduation, the last track meet, and a camping trip with Mark Cantros. Of course he and his dad had planned the trip together. But nothing healed the ache, the emptiness, and loneliness inside.

Several hovers floated past him, one with a family. Mom and Dad in the front chatting amiable to each other, a boy and a girl in the back in the midst of a heated argument. Despair welled up within him as it reminded him of his loss. His future seemed so bleak and pale without them, like a canvas that had been bleached of all color.

His thoughts so consumed him he failed to see the end of the sidewalk. He ran off the sidewalk and tripped over the steel pathway emitter. He put out his hands bracing himself a fall on the crackling energy barrier that served as a road to the hovers but at the last minute his legs locked and he managed to remain upright. He stood for a moment regaining his balance and then sat down on the sidewalk.

Running was his only consolation these days and although he had grieved and attended their funeral nothing filled the void in his soul. He wasn’t ready to give up all the plans, he his mother and father had made.

David Dawson, Daniel’s father, had been Daniel’s hero. As an HSR representative from their home world of Solis Prime, his father was a much respected and highly admired diplomat. There had been an HSR representative of Solis Prime in the Dawson family as far back as Daniel’s great, great, great grandfather Hezekiah Dawson. Even David had expected Daniel to follow in his footsteps.

Each allied star system elected two officials per inhabited planet to represent them in the Galactic Mysterio Theocratum. Being part of the Theocratum gave each system benefits in commerce, trade, and inter-system security.

David Dawson was from Solis Prim, the galactic capital. With three 2 year terms under his belt David had been voted the chair of the committed to draft a piece of legislature called “Galactic Peace Act 1616”. It provided additional protection for the outer rim systems. This protection would be provided the Terran Defense Network, or the TDN.

The TDN was a massive fleet of warships, fighters, scientific exploration vessels, and defense patrol bulwarks that housed star-bases in every allied star system. The Peace Act funneled massive amounts of galactic credits to expand additional fleet units to protect outer systems from rebel allied forces not part of the Theocratum who were preying upon the smaller defenseless outer systems. These outer systems were also not a part of the Theocratum but had called for their aid in such a massive force that the need could not be overlooked. Mainly trading routes for materials, foods, and supplies that were manufactured there were unique in all of the galaxy and their commercial interests were as great as any in the massive commercial enterprise of the Galactic Theocratum. It was also seen as a leverage point to entice these systems to join the Theocratum.

But even with the support from hundreds of HSR representatives with David’s passing the bill would probably die under stacks of unread bills, acts, and requests.

Daniel stood up and began to run again turning right following the white sidewalk. He was still as preoccupied as before his thoughts jumbled up against the reassuring rhythm of his feet on the white and black surface. Suddenly someone stepped out from behind a purple bomo tree into Daniel’s path. It was so unexpected that Daniel didn’t have time to swerve and ran headlong into him, his momentum bowling them both over into a heap on the orange sasque grass. Dane rolled off onto his back on the springy grass winded. His vision blurred and he closed his eyes his lungs pulling in great gulps of air.

“What’s the big idea?” said Daniel as soon as he could breathe again. He rolled over on his side and looked at the person he had run into. It was a boy with black hair and green eyes, exactly like his own. At firs the thought his eyes were playing tricks on him because his own face peered out from under the long locks of black hair. It was himself but longer hair and dirtier.

“Who are you?”

“It’s me, Daniel,” said the boy.

“What?! Where did you come from?”

“I’ve come from the future.”

“Yeah right,” said Daniel sarcastically.

“No really, listen. I’ve come to warn you. You must let them go.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You must listen. I don’t know how much time I have. Everything is not working out the way I planned it.”

“Really?”

“You must let the death of my, I mean our, parents go. They wouldn’t have wanted it that way.”

“How would you know?”

“I’m you remember.”

“Say I believe you. Why are you telling me this now? In fact if you are from the future why haven’t you stopped it from happening in the first place?”

“It won’t work. It just makes things worse.”

“It makes what worse?”

“Your life.”

“I don’t understand.”

“See, if you don’t let them go then you will bring them back and it will cause more problems than it fixes.”

Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. “You mean there is a way to bring them back?”

“Forget about it. The important thing is that you shouldn’t bring them back. You need to understand their sacrifice was for a reason.”

“What sacrifice?”

“I don’t have much time. You must let them go. Make peace with them and with yourself. It wasn’t your fault you know.”

“My fault?”

“You felt so guilty that they didn’t take you with them that you felt responsible for their death’s. It’s called survivor’s guilt. You have to deal with it.”

“What if I can’t? What if my greatest desire is to see them again?”

“It won’t work. They were taken for a reason and I promise you that you will find that out. I can’t tell you now because it will change everything again.”

“Again, have you been here before?”

“No. Just trust me it won’t help.”

“Why did you come then?”

“To stop you from what your about to do.”

“What is it that I am going to do?”

“Bring them back… Wait… I’m not ready to go yet…” Daniel look confused but as he looked at the boy he shimmered like a bunch of heat waves had flared up in front of him. “I don’t have much time… Let them go…” His voice had grown fainter and his entire body was becoming more and more wavy and translucent. His last words echoed as though from the end of a long tunnel, and then he was gone, like a mirage off the desert sand.

“Wait,” said Daniel but it was too late the boy was gone.

Daniel stared for several minutes at the spot where his future self disappeared. Maybe future guy, Daniel couldn’t accept it was himself yet, wanted to spare him some pain and heartache that was to come. What was hard to imagine, however, was that his life could be made worse by saving his parents.

And that was another weird thing about the conversation; saving his parents. It implied that there was a way in which his parents could be saved and that Daniel had that way.

He took a drink from his canteen and stood up and began to run again. He passed a brown and tan ramshackle old house on the outskirts of Maple Woods. He was not entire sure where he was headed. If he kept running he would reach the town of Gyson five miles again which for him would be a mild workout.

Oh, well, this way is as good as any, he thought.

His thoughts grabbed him again and pulled him in to thinking about his parents. Two weeks ago everything had been perfect. Well, as perfect as it could be for an eighteen year old male getting ready to graduate from Maple Woods High-school. Daniel and his dad, had been planning graduation activities, filling out college applications, and organizing a family camping trip at Roaring Falls campground.

He had been all set to graduate summa cum laude in a class of forty-four students with perfect marks. He was also captain of the track team, and president of the school year book. He was popular and well liked with an easy going attitude and very dedicated to make the best of what life had to offer. Except losing my parents, of course, he thought bitterly. However, on Alpha the third everything changed.

It had started out normal enough with school, track practice, and a light workout at the school gym. He showered and then left the gym. He unlocked his bike from the rack and headed for home. Upon arriving he put his hand on the scanner and the garage door opened sliding upward into the ceiling. He rolled his bike into the garage and said, “Computer, close garage door.” The door slid smoothly without a sound downward.

He went into the house and into the kitchen setting down his backpack on the kitchen table. He took a bottle of purified water from the refrigerator and after fussing with the re-sequencer a steaming bowl of lasagna. He walked into the living and sat down on an old ratty orange and brown couch. He had always hated that couched and fantasized about throwing it out for the trash recycler.

“Computer, activate vis-net,” said Dane and the local news flashed up on a large forty inch screen. As Daniel at his lasagna the announcer, Bob Haffner was telling everyone about the super colossal no loser jackpot in sector five. A lady with platinum gold hair had just won fifty thousand credits. She jumped up and down screaming with delight as Carrie, the remote announcer, tried to find out what she was going to spend the money on. Daniel watched mildly amused.

He looked down at the oregano, basil, and parmesan cheese as he ate. It wasn’t as good as his mother’s but it was one of the best of the re-sequenced meals they made. Of course his mother would be back from Benthara this weekend and back to her delicious home cooked meals.

He took another bite as Jack the Hammer, a wrestler from Damion IV, was regaling his recent win over Carson the Corsicant. He finished his lasagna and was contemplating what he should do next when the vis-net alerted him to visitors on the front porch. A short stocky man with blond hair and green eyes was waiting with a tall thin man with short brown hair. Both wore what looked like blue enforcement agency uniforms.

What do they want? He wondered. Maybe it was Jeff. He was always getting in trouble with the law. Just last week he had been picked up for nyop abuse and spent two days in the local enforcement incarceration facility. It hadn’t changed him a bit.

Daniel put his plate on the stone coffee table and headed for the door. He pressed a button on the console next to the door and a portion of the door became transparent. He could see their faces better, and now they could see him as well.

“Daniel Dawson?” said the short one. Daniel looked at the man and realized from the round blue patch on his shoulder he was not from the enforcement agency.

“Yes,” he said as he tried to remember where he had seen that patch before. It had a logo of a space ship with a large S over it.

“I’m Sergeant Phillips and this is Lieutenant Harvey,” said the tall man as he adjusted his hat. “We’re from the Galactic Space Safety Agency.”

The GSSA, that’s it, thought Daniel. “May I see some identification?” he asked.

“Certainly,” said Sergeant Phillips who held up his wrist. He pressed down on an carved oval shape on the silver bracelet he wore and a holographic image containing his physical information and badge number popped up. Lieutenant Harvey did the same.

After reviewing the information Daniel said, “Com on it,” and pressed a button on the console. The door slid noiselessly to the left and the GSSA agents entered. “Make yourselves comfortable,” said Daniel and sat down on the sofa. Phillips sat in the green overstuffed chair to the right and Harvey sat on the end of the couch.

Phillips and Harvey looked at each other as though wondering who should go first. Agent Phillips sighed heavily and then said, “This is difficult. Your parents, David and Anne Dawson, were on an interstellar transport from Solis Prime to Benthara flight 3506.” He spoke slowly and carefully as though he were afraid of the words he was speaking.

“There’s been an incident,” said Sergeant Phillips. He looked at Harvey and continued,” We don’t have all the details but this is what we do know. This morning at 800 hours Solis Prime time we lost contact with the Matagorda.” He cleared his throat, “Well, we… didn’t just lose contact…,” he said slowly, “We lost them completely. The details are a bit sketchy but it appears there was an explosion of some kind. We don’t expect there to be any survivors.”

“What?!” said Daniel his mind freefalling into a stall. He felt like a large hand was squeezing the air out of his lungs, his vision becoming foggy. He put his face in his hands. After a few moments he looked up said, “Is this some kind of joke?”

“No joke. We don’t know anything more but you can call the main office for more information,” Phillips handed Daniel a small holographic business card. He looked at the proffered card, took it and placed it on the table. “I am sorry for your loss,” Phillips said as he rose to leave.

“Wait, isn’t there anything else you can tell me?” Daniel said desperate for more details. He rose slowly as the room spun around him.

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you. Like I said, call the number there and they might be able to help you,” Phillips and Harvey headed for the door. Daniel watched in silence as they left felling the panic constrict his chest.

He felt that panic now as he ran. He ran because everyone was treating him like a crystal goblet that might shatter at any moment. It was unbearable for people to continually ask him, “Are you alright?” or “Is everything ok?” when it was not alright or ok.

His thoughts went back to the strange encounter with his future self, if it was himself from the future. As soon as he started thinking about it his mind went into overdrive. You’re just going to ignore this warning? The voice in his head said.

What? A warning of a madman? He thought back.

What if he is telling the truth?

What if he isn’t?

How do you know?

This is nuts… he thought.

He picked up the pace getting back into a mind numbing groove. It wasn’t enough though he still was thinking about the past two weeks. After the GSSA men had visited he had seen the story on the local news a few days later.

“Coming up on Solis Prim Action News, two space fighters were caught speeding through a military test zone, the latest information in total face transplant technology, everyone wants the face of Billy Joel, and why you need a wellness chip to revolutionize you thought life. But first a special bulletin just in about the fatal flight 3506 that took the lives of five hundred men, women, and children. I’m Bob Haffner and this is Carrie Calvin. Welcome to the six hundred news hour.” The news action music kicked into gear as Bob got ready for the evening news. He was a plump news anchor with a graying hair at the temples.

Carrie Calvin his co-host on the other hand was a slender platinum blonde with blue eyes and alarming two inch fake red nails.

“”Two days ago,” said Bob once the theme had faded, “Alpha the third at twenty-five hundred hours Solis Prime Time, Interstellar Transport the Matagorda, flight 3506 bound for Benthara and several outer rim colonies, left Solis Prime Space Plex. It has been confirmed that the flight continued on schedule until Alpha the Fourth at oh eight hundred hours where it lost contact with the Space Authority Command Center. Carrie has the details.” Bob looked over at Carrie who brushed back a long blonde strand falling in front of her eyes.

“Thank you Bob,” she said, her overly whitened teeth sparkling in the studio lights. “After nearly a week, the investigation into the explosion that rocked the Matagorda from aft to stern resulted in little information. However, it is now believed that short after oh eight hundred hours on Alpha the fourth the Matagorda was destroyed in what appears to be a phase bomb. There is no conclusive proof however and no information could be derived from the debris or wreckage. We did however manage to get exclusive information and video footage of this terrible tragedy.

“The RFIP, Research for Interstellar Phenomenon, known for their amazing discovery of healthy space dust, anti-aging space microbes, and Alistarian aura enhancing crystals, inadvertently took a video of the explosion. After it was reviewed and returned by the GSSA, the woman who took the video brought it to us to share her story. Here is the never before seen footage of the Matagorda Tragedy.”

A grainy picture of a blue pulsar flashed up on the screen. After a few seconds the pictured cleared a bit and the outline of what could only be the Matagorda began to slowly move across the vis-net. Then in a shocking horrific moment a bright white flash and massive fireball ripped the transport from the nose to the stern. Pieces of debris, hull fragments, and dust flew in all directions. In less than thirty seconds the ship had been reduced to a small cloud of space particles, floating chunks of twisted metal, bulwarks, and space debris.

“As you can see not much was left from this explosion. However, we have an exclusive interview with the woman responsible for the video footage, Pamela Roche.” The screen blipped and a tall curly blond woman with pink lipstick came on the screen.

“So, there I was taking some video of the pulsar,” she said as she popped a large pink globe of bubble gum. “I was trying to determine if there were any cosmetic benefits from the pulsar’s radiation, see, when I saw the ship.” Pamela’s southern drawl and chewing gum was almost too much for Daniel. She continued, “It seemed odd for the ship to just hang there. I mean most move so fast you can’t see them but she was moving slowly. I didn’t even get time to adjust the camera before, whoosh! She was gone.” She gestured with her hand. “I had to watch the video a bunch of times to convince myself it really happened.” She brushed back a lock of golden hair and popped her chewing gum loudly.

“Thank you Pamela,” said Carrie as the screen shifted back to the studio. “There are no known survivors of flight 3506 at this time and our hearts and prayers go out to the families who were affected by this tragedy. We especially want to remember HSR representative David Dawson, his wife Anne, and their surviving son Daniel. David and his wife were traveling to Benthara to recruit another ally for the Theocratum. Memorial services have not been announced, however tune in to Galactic Action News again and we’ll keep you posted. Back to you, Bob,” said Carrie as she looked over at him.

“Thank you Carrie,” he said looking at her and then at the camera. “Stay tuned, after the break we’ll be back with the Albiones who almost got themselves killed by flying into an enforcement test zone. Don’t go away.” Dramatic music flared and several commercials began to play.

The story was played over and over several times a day for the next week. Eventually they stopped but not before Daniel couldn’t stand to be in the room it is was on. It captured his thoughts and haunted his dreams.

His mind came back to his running and he realized he was almost to Gyson. He had been so lost in his thoughts he had run almost five miles. But still his mind raced with thoughts and the warning from his future self. Let them go, echoed in his mind.

How can I let them go? He wasn’t sure he could let them go but he was certain that it would definitely be a long time before he could attempt it.

His thoughts now took on a character of their own taking him down paths he would much rather avoid. It was hope against hope but future boy had hinted that there was a possibility of bringing his parents back. It seemed so far-fetched and yet even he had used time travel, so it seemed, to visit Daniel and deliver the message. Did he really know the future? Could he really know what was best?

And even now the guilt washed over him like the tide coming in from an arctic cold ocean. It mingled with all of the other emotions threatening to overwhelm him. It compelled him to run now; necessity, to run to escape the hurt. He ran now to expel the poisons in his soul.

His lungs burned with a slow fire destroying within him what chains he felt about his heart. His feet and rhythm on the sidewalk hypnotized his brain telling him to forget and move on. His body worked to create a numbing, tranquilizing feeling. It kind of worked but the weird zoned out twilight he found himself in was only a temporary relief from the inner core of rage over all the things that were lost. Even as he managed to deal with the surging emotions of hate at the tragedy of his parents he felt himself slipping over the edge of insanity.

In that moment he called out with his mind, he willed his parent’s death to be undone. If it is possible I want them back.

His mind screamed in protest, WAIT! But he couldn’t stop. He pushed out against the pain and at physical barriers that existed out of his reach, and grappled with time and space. He screamed in his thoughts and encouraged his body to run with all its might. There was a breaking, a crashing, a smooth working, as he punched through the aether. In that moment everything blurred to an extreme feeling of motion as he skated over planets and moons, stars and comets, grass and trees, moving faster than he had ever moved.

In a flash it was over and he stopped like he had hit a plas-glass barrier and somehow he know he had reached the end of his journey. He collapsed and fell on orange sasque grass. He lay there for a while, his mind clouded as the night. He coughed, tried to breath and almost passed out.

After a few minutes of labored breathing, which felt like several hours, he finally sat up. His head was still spinning, his heart pounding, and he was still gasping but he could move his head without it feeling like it was going to explode.

He looked around. Nothing could have prepared him for what greeted his eyes. He looked up and the city limits sign not of Gyros but of New Shrine. He stood there not believing his eyes as he waited for his brain to catch up. It was over five hundred miles from Maple Woods to New Shrine. He had traveled over five hundred miles in the blink of an eye.