Across the Galactic Pond Read online

  Across the Galactic Pond

  Far Beyond Book 0

  Christian Kallias

  Contents

  Also by Christian Kallias

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  Across the Galactic Pond

  Afterword

  Damocles Fall

  Wings of Destiny

  A Word from the Author

  Also by Christian Kallias

  About the Author

  Also by Christian Kallias

  The Universe in Flames Series

  Book 1: Earth - Last Sanctuary (Definitive Edition)

  Book 1.5: Ryonna's Wrath (Novella)

  Book 2: Fury to the Stars

  Book 3: Destination Oblivion

  Book 4: The Beginning of the End

  Book 5: Rise of the Ultra Fury

  Book 6: Shadows of Olympus

  Book 7: Armageddon Unleashed

  Book 8: Twilight of the Gods

  Book 9: Requiem of Souls

  Book 10: To End All Wars (Final Chapter)

  Universe In Flames - Origins

  Episode 1: Course Correction

  Universe In Flames - Dark Legacy Series

  Book 1: Late 2018 (Book completed)

  Universe in Flames - Starlight Extinction (prequel: The First Fury War)

  Book 1: Coming in 2019

  Far Beyond Series

  Book 0: Across the Galactic Pond

  Book 1: Fire At Will (October 2018)

  Rewind Series

  Book 0: Out of Time (Collateral Damage anthology)

  Book 1: Rewind 717

  Anthologies

  Collateral Damage

  The Expanding Universe 3

  Beyond the Black Volume 1

  Acknowledgments

  Cover artwork by Christian Kallias

  [email protected]

  www.christiankallias.com

  www.facebook.com/ChristianKallias

  www.twitter.com/kalliasx

  * * *

  Production Editor & Alpha/ARC Team Lead

  Paula Lavattiata Lopez

  * * *

  Editors

  Paula Lavattiata Lopez

  Proofreaders

  Paula Lavattiata Lopez

  Alpha Readers & ARC Team (Thank you!)

  Special thanks to Millie C., Rob S. (Buick), & David K.

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2018 by Christian Kallias

  * * *

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  First Printing, 2018

  Across the Galactic Pond

  “You’ll never amount to anything!”

  His father’s words echoed inside Kevin’s mind as he strolled by the small lake a few miles from home. A strong gust of wind blew his MIT rejection letter out of his hands and it floated in the air before landing on the water’s surface.

  Was his father right? Was he good for nothing?

  Kevin had dreams and aspirations; he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to change the world and make people’s lives better. Like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, or even Henry Ford before them. His brain was full of ideas, but he never managed to convince anyone to take a financial risk on them, and the rejection letter was the final nail in his proverbial coffin.

  My life is over, he thought. I’ll probably end up flipping burgers.

  That was his father talking, and he knew it, but in this moment of utter despair, it felt like a very real, possible future. It scared Kevin. He would do anything to avoid such a future, but at this moment, he felt utterly alone and hopeless.

  His smartphone buzzed inside his pocket. A text message.

  Get your useless ass back to the house, STAT; you’ve got dinner dishes to wash.

  Typical. Kevin hadn’t even stayed for dinner. Being rejected from the one school he wanted to attend more than anything had ruined his appetite. But his father still taunted him and took every chance he got at putting Kevin down. He wondered why. Was it because his father had not amounted to anything himself, slaving 8 to 10 hours a day with nothing to show for it except an old decrepit Toyota Camry and a house that he refinanced twice so he could pay the bills?

  Were his dad’s own shortcomings the reason he wasn’t supportive of his only son? Kevin wondered as he gazed and lost himself in the immensity of the starlit sky. He had always loved the stars. In fact, up until he was fifteen, his favorite pastime had been viewing them with the telescope his grandfather bought him on his ninth birthday. Until his drunken father tripped and broke it. Somehow, Kevin was blamed for his father tripping and breaking his most prized possession. Typical.

  Something caught Kevin’s attention. A red dot in the night sky where there shouldn’t be one, and it was growing in size.

  Was it a meteorite?

  Kevin’s heartbeat accelerated as the object grew bigger. Even though the approaching fireball was coming straight at him, Kevin was riveted in place and couldn’t move. Prior to impact, the fireball seemed to slow down before splashing into the lake, sending a massive wave of water upward upon its entry. Kevin looked around, but he was alone. He took a few steps closer to the shoreline.

  About fifty yards in front of him, the water turned yellow and bubbled heavily. Soon, a metallic sphere slightly smaller than a compact car emerged and floated upward as billowy steam evaporated around it.

  What is that thing? Could it be a UFO?

  Small, colorful light sources reflected on the surface of the lake, only now returning to its usual peacefulness. The last ripples created from the strange object plunging into the body of water were fading away in the distance. The sphere emitted a low hum and, upon closer observation, didn’t feel of this Earth.

  The implication sent Kevin into a panic, and he took out his smartphone and tried dialing 911. Before establishing a connection, the screen flickered and died, and sparks shot from the phone, prompting Kevin to drop it and let it fall to the muddy grass.

  Before he could bend down to pick it up, the phone tumbled and slipped into the water.

  “That’s just great!” exclaimed Kevin. “The last thing I own that didn’t suck complete balls, and now it’s toast.”

  A bright red light shone inside the metallic sphere and bled through what seemed to be a dark glass porthole, grabbing Kevin’s attention. A hand slammed against the inside glass. It didn’t look human, and it appeared wounded.

  Kevin swallowed hard, and his first instinct was to run away as fast as he could, but somehow he felt compelled to look at the sphere. Before he knew it, he was already knee deep in the water, walking toward it.

  “What are you doing, Kevin?” he said timidly, trying in vain to convince himself to turn tail and run.

  The spherical pod had been slowly drifting toward the shore and stopped as its undercarriage scratched the lake’s bottom. Kevin stopped when he heard a pneumatic noise followed by heavy steam expelling on both sides of the dark glass. The injured hand was no longer there. A rounded door opened. Red flashes inside the pod illuminated the lake with crimson hues, giving it a blood-like feel.

  Kevin heard breathing and a wheezing sound, and he had to muster all his courage to resume approaching the pod. He decided to swim the rest of the way.

  “Anybody hurt in there? Do you need help?”

  There was no answer, so Kevin grabbed the side of the door that was at water level and carefully raised himself out of the water. When he looked inside the single-seat pod, he saw a humanoid-looking alien, who had purple skin, four-finger hands, and from what
Kevin could tell, appeared to be a sizable man that was at least over 7 feet tall. The alien appeared to be battered and in bad shape, as light blue fluid oozed from the slashes in its skin.

  “Holy hell!”

  Kevin’s blood froze, and he was overwhelmed with fear but also excitement at the implications of what this could mean. Was he really seeing an alien ship and lifeform?

  Kevin wondered what to do next. Part of him wanted to run away and tell someone about this, perhaps officials that could deal with the matter properly. He had seen enough SciFi shows and feared he was inadequate to be the one to make first contact.

  What if the alien was hostile? But something compelled him to try and help.

  “Hey, are you alright?”

  Stupid question, he thought.

  When the alien’s eyes painfully blinked open, they revealed large yellow irises. Just by looking at them, Kevin could tell the alien was in tremendous pain. The armor he wore was scorched, bent, and shattered in various places, prompting Kevin to believe the alien had been in an intense battle.

  The alien mumbled something in a tongue that made no sense whatsoever to Kevin. It was a mixture of words, clicks, and whistling sounds.

  Kevin pointed to his ears with his fingers and then shrugged. “I’m sorry, dude; I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

  The alien touched something on a wrist device. A holographic screen hovered near the device. He keyed in a few commands.

  The alien then spoke, and, now, Kevin could understand everything he said.

  “I’m dying; please help me save my people before it’s too late.”

  “Did you just learn English?”

  The alien pointed toward his wrist device.

  “This computer is translating for me in real time.”

  “Neat! Siri on steroids.”

  The alien looked momentarily confused. “Please, you’ve got to help me.”

  “Buddy, you’re from outer space, and I’m just a puny human who can’t even get a good education; I don’t know why you’d think I could help you, but I can’t. However, I can try to get help; it looks like you may need a doctor.”

  Kevin used his hands as a megaphone.

  “Help! Can anyone hear me? Call 911; we have a wounded. . .” Kevin stopped and pondered his next words. “Man here.”

  “Please— don’t. There is no time; I will die shortly. I need your help, now.”

  Kevin looked at the alien and felt compassion for him. He wished he could help him, but he didn’t know where to start.

  “The only way I can help you is by getting you some medical attention.”

  “No; there is another way.”

  The alien keyed a few more commands on his wrist device, and a small compartment on his armor slid open. He reached in and grabbed a pill that looked like a piece of candy but was blinking with lights from within.

  “Just put this under your tongue, and save my people.”

  “I think you must have a concussion, because you’re the only one here. I’d love to help, but…”

  The alien convulsed and a large quantity of blue blood dripped out of his mouth.

  “Oh, crap! I’m so sorry; your wounds look really nasty.”

  “Take the pill, place it under your tongue.”

  Kevin looked at the bloodied open palm and the pill.

  “What if that thing is toxic for my species?”

  “It isn’t; it’s a conscience transference device. I beg you; please take it. You’re my entire world’s last hope.”

  What is he talking about? This doesn’t make any sense.

  “That can’t be right, dude. If I’m your last hope, then I’m sorry to be blunt, but your world is already dead.”

  Tears filled the alien’s eyes.

  “My children, my wife, billions of souls, their lives all depend on you now, whether you understand it or not,” he stopped and coughed up more blood. “You are the only one who can help them. If you don’t take the pill, they will all die; but if you do, you have a chance to save them. I— I can’t explain further, but I can assure you there is no risk to you. Please, do this for a dying man, I implore you.”

  Kevin thought about it. On the one hand, his natural curiosity was tickled by the alien’s proposal, and on the other hand, as far as he knew, this could all be a ploy to get him to take the pill, which could very well be lethal to human physiology. Yet, the dying alien seemed sincere in his plea.

  “I can’t initiate the transference if I’m dead; please, please hurry and save my people.”

  Kevin took the pill from the alien and gazed at it.

  “Under the tongue you say? I take it I shouldn’t swallow it?”

  The alien tried to speak but coughed blood instead. He just shook his head from side to side.

  “And you’re not trying to poison me, or body-snatch me with this thing?”

  The alien’s voice got weaker and lower as he spoke his next words.

  “I give you my word, on my wife and my children’s honor and lives, which will perish if you do not help me.”

  His father’s words came back to him; his insistence that Kevin didn’t take anything seriously and never dared to try new things, or venture into the unknown. Perhaps this was the answer to his prayers, and he finally had the opportunity to do something worthwhile, something that would better people’s lives. Even if those lives weren’t human.

  Kevin looked at the blinking pill one last time, took a deep breath, and put it under his tongue. It tickled, but that’s all Kevin could register.

  “I don’t think this is working. I’m not feeli—”

  But, before Kevin could finish his sentence, and with his last dying breath, the alien pressed something on his holographic screen, and everything changed.

  Kevin felt himself being catapulted into the heavens at incredible speeds; in less than a second, he had left the solar system, passing through nebulae and nearby planets and stars. He accelerated to a point where he saw entire galaxies fly by him in the blink of an eye.

  Then, all of a sudden, he rammed into a spaceship, and everything turned dark for a second.

  A loud blaring and other strange noises and smells surrounded Kevin. He had to blink multiple times and let his brain adapt to what he was seeing. He was on board a spaceship, on its bridge from the looks of things. There was smoke, sparks, and evidence of extensive damage. Through the viewport, Kevin saw another ship pass by and fire at the ship he was in. Upon impact, the ship rocked, and equipment exploded nearby.

  “Alert! Alert! Ship’s structural integrity at twenty-five percent. Please engage autopilot, or the ship will explode,” said a synthetic female voice.

  Am I dreaming?

  Kevin wanted to pinch himself, but then he saw his skin was purple, the same shade as the alien’s who had given him the pill. There was blood on his hand and forearm as well.

  “What the hell is this? Whose body is that?”

  Kevin felt a large pit form in his stomach, and before he could do anything about it, he vomited onto the floor. Looking at the puke, he saw worms moving about, and that made him vomit even more. But, this time around, he closed his eyes.

  “This is all in my head; I’ve been drugged by that alien, and I’m having a very, very bad trip!”

  The ship rocked once more.

  “Structural integrity down to seventeen percent; ship destruction is imminent.”

  Kevin reopened his eyes and looked around. What he saw was foreign to him. Granted, the technology was advanced, but the controls all seemed holographic in nature, just like what he had seen in some science fiction shows and movies, but even more alien than his brain could fathom. Then there was the crew. All of them dead; some at their consoles, some flat on the floor near pools of blue blood.

  Kevin painfully stood up and pinched himself. He felt immediate pain feedback.

  “If I’m not dreaming, then what the hell is this? And how do I get the hell out of here?”

&
nbsp; A floating sphere came quickly next to him and scanned him from head to toe with a blue wave of light.

  “Xanton’s bridge officer; no life signs. Remote brain activity detected,” chirped the hovering spherical drone before flying away as fast as it had come.

  What did that mean? Fortunately, Kevin had watched and read enough science fiction to conjure up a theory. Could that alien, a species apparently named Xanton, use a technology on Kevin that allowed him to remote-control a dead body on board a ship that was countless light years away from Earth? And, if that was the case, how cool was that?

  When the ship rocked once more, and another small piece of equipment at the far right of the bridge exploded, Kevin decided to put his doubts aside and do something. He felt like he was in the best virtual reality simulation he had ever experienced and playing space simulation was something he could do, and do well. Whether or not this was a simulation, it didn’t matter right now. The ship was in trouble, and he needed to turn the tide of this battle.

  “Computer?” he inquired timidly.

  A blue woman’s face appeared in the form of a hologram and hovered in front of Kevin. The holographic projector must have been damaged because there was static, and the image flickered from time to time.

  “Will you be my pilot? The ship needs you; without a pilot, I will be destroyed.”