| ODYSSEY
BOURNE FORCE
|
|
 |
During Kate
Willard’s fortieth year, she encounters strange, incoherent dreams and visions
that begin to take over her reality.
Little
realising that her life is being manipulated, she embarks on an adventure that
starts a series of cataclysmic events that could throw not just Earth into chaos
but also rewrite life as we know it. She learns that her very existence was
pre-ordained 6,000 years before.
Joining
forces with a mysterious secret organisation, Kate discovers alien races
existing in worlds far beyond our galaxy.
Odyssey
Bourne Force
journeys into a universe of multi-dimensional galactic disharmony and powers
beyond the imagination.
|
|
In Store Price: $AU29.95
Online Price: $AU28.95
ISBN:
978-1-921240-03-4
Format: Paperback
Number of pages:
339
Genre: Fiction/Speculative Fiction
|
Author: Debbie
Renner
Publisher: Zeus Publications
Date Published: 2007
Language: English |
About
the Author
Debbie
Renner was born in
Wellington
,
New Zealand
, and moved to the Gold Coast with husband Sheldon and young daughter Becky in
2005.
In her youth, Debbie enjoyed gymnastics and singing. After searching for
something more unique, she turned to professional wrestling, competing under the
name ‘Tasmanian Devil’. Nowadays, given the opportunity, she would write
full time.
Her
love of science fiction developed at an early age thanks to TV series such as Star
Trek and Lost in Space, and books
like The Day the Earth Stood Still,
Phantom Tollbooth and
Alice
in Wonderland.
She
enjoys authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Ludlum, Sydney Sheldon, Stephen
King and Dean Koontz, among many others. Until recently, she missed having the
time to sit down and read a good book, and states that The
Da Vinci Code is a personal favourite.
Odyssey Bourne Force began
as an inspired fantasy essay one evening, but decided to grow arms, legs and a
personality in the process.
This
is her first contribution to the genre.
Debbie's
Website: http://www.debbierenner.com
Time:
4000 BC
Place:
Kingdom of the
Old World
, Earth.
Poised
gracefully on a priceless gold throne for all her loyal followers to gaze in awe
at, with fine robes adorning her body she rules over the land with fairness and
might. Together with her beloved Sidonio, they have brought sunlight to all, and
are destined to reign for years and years. It is the day of her birthday, forty
years old and still feeling like a woman of twenty; a great feast and party has
been prepared. But then a sudden blackness falls …
In
huge underground caverns human slaves are being worked to death mining for
precious minerals and crystals.
All
these slaves are controlled by the ever-watchful Masters.
She
hears her name being called from afar, ‘Leah.’ It all feels so unreal. She
looks down at her body and at her surroundings. She hears screams of pain caused
by torture and pure misery. She is just a slave girl bringing water to the
overworked slaves and the slave masters. Now she is being called to do her
Master’s bidding. She, who was a great leader in another world, in another
time, has fallen to a new leader and has become his personal slave. She was told
she was lucky as all other females are kept for breeding purposes, and once they
have outlived their usefulness, they will disappear.
She
hates her situation, but remains silent, as to even just speak against her
rulers would bring a punishment worse than death. And suicide is for ones that
are weak. She must stay brave and quiet; the time to strike is not yet …
Then
Leah collapses suddenly, a pain like she is being torn apart hits her. The
visions begin; those probing deep red blood shot eyes stabbing into her brain.
A
dizzying, swirling mist encompasses her mind and body; a feeling of
helplessness, coupled with a feeling of freefall and having no control.
Then
a sudden inexplicable feeling of euphoria and omnipotent God-like power surged
through her, coursing through her veins. She feels like she is being thrown
through a tunnel that has no end with those ….
…
piercing red eyes peering into her soul …
Present
day …
Kate woke up with a start, sweat pouring
off her; it was the same dream, night after night, yet a little bit more seemed
subtly added on. Like a serial soap opera (or a horror film more like). Who the
hell was this woman in her dreams, and all the faces that were in shadow?
Unbeknownst to Kate, these
visions/messages that were filtering into her brain were going to change her
future, with quests that no one could ever imagine.
Kate, at the prime age of forty, was a
voluptuous, tall, dark-eyed beauty. She had patrician features framed by long,
dark, silken hair that she almost always wore loose. She had a quick sense of
humour she had developed over the years that sometimes gravitated to sarcasm.
Divorced with a grown-up son living overseas, her company now was rock music,
peach schnapps, cats, sci-fi movies and romantic novels, and she worked at home
doing other people’s business accounts. Almost totally unsociable she
preferred to stay at home as she had had her share of dates, dates and more
dates which only brought disappointment. Her one unsuccessful marriage left a
bitter taste and no matter how she tried Mr Right was nowhere in sight and she
now had basically given up looking. The only ‘social’ thing she did was sing
on Friday nights in a band at a nightclub. She had a following of fans, male and
female, but she made a pact with herself to remain distanced, especially from
the male ones, and not get too involved in any degree.
She really didn’t
know why she was the way she was.
Those dreams carried on for three
months, until, in a moment of clarity, at least in her mind, she said, ‘I’m
destined to be more than what I am now!’ She said that to no one in
particular. A shiver went up her spine as her mind opened to the implications of
this simple mono-statement.
She was making coffee; it was 6am, ready
to start another boring day at the PC. ‘This routine is driving me nuts,’
she giggled.
But instead of beginning her client’s
accounts, she began writing about her dreams. ‘The name Leah is such a cute
name.’ Giggling again she began typing and when she looked at the clock, it
was 1.30pm. Her stomach rumbled. Stretching and running her hands through her
hair Kate made her way to the kitchen to conjure up some toasted sandwiches.
Then
the ‘dream’ came back, though this time she was very much awake and very
aware her eyes were wide open. One minute she was looking through an open
window, the next was like looking in a mirror with her face in shadow. Similar
to her previous dream, but this time a deep gravelly voice spoke, ordering her
to carry out a specific task she must complete, or humanity would not survive.
After the vision and the voice passed,
Kate seriously considered either going to a shrink or giving up on those late
night horror movies.
This was, what, far
out!
But the task was even more bizarre,
bizarre in its simplicity and scary in the sense that she could not make any
sense out of it at all.
The voice had told
her to go shopping!
³
³
³
The
team was all set up for the latest mission, loaded with weapons for defence and
a range of devices for long- and short-range communication.
‘We have a go,’
boomed a voice over the loudspeaker.
‘Right, guys, let me remind you this
one is a quick visit. Assess the situation and then straight back home,’
Tremaine stated to his two colleagues.
The visit was to Ahmadeus in the far
regions of the Gamma 4 Quelain Galaxy. Ahmadeus was 250 million light years
away, and very much unexplored by the OB Team. It was estimated it would take
the BSP 8.5 seconds Earth time to get there.
A relatively short time given the fact
that they would be travelling through a ‘doorway,’ that would give them the
ability to literally step from one planet to another anywhere in the Universe.
The speed of light didn’t factor into this form of travel, nor did the effect
of heading out millions of light years away and literally going into the past.
In other words, the BSP, or Black Star Portal, defied the accepted astronomical
physics as we know it. This was one reason why it was the most closely guarded
secret of mankind to date.
For the past five years the Odyssey
Bourne Force project was created via a covert and mysterious civilian group
known as Divisions. No one person could be singled out as the instigator, though
Divisions had an overseer. It was rumoured it was started by a small collective
group of enthusiastic night sky watchers with unimaginably deep pockets and
contacts mainly in private enterprise dealing in microcomputers, electronics,
private scientific laboratories and numerous ‘skin’ factories that
specialise in experimental metals and steels combined with top secret materials
not relative to Earth.
This doorway had been primarily used for
off-world exploration to discover other forms of intelligent life (and to be
able to communicate) and to bring back technologies that could be useful on
Earth, mainly for defence or medicinal purposes. Divisions were not answerable
to any reigning governmental bodies, Armed Forces, or the like. Ironically it
had covert connections within areas of each. The day-to-day running of the
administration was very strict and incoming and outgoing personnel were
scrutinised via eye scans, passwords, and voice recognition, and if necessary
blood samples. It was even more sophisticated than any military type of
operation. The President was quietly aware of the organisation but as long as it
was not encroaching on the laws of the land or upsetting his Armed Forces
protocol, he turned a blind eye. He actually didn’t want to know unless it affected his country directly. Hell, his
representative sat in the monthly S.U.E.P summits. As far as he was concerned,
Divisions were another line of defence and he knew the public must not find out
– well, not yet.
If the worse came to
the worst he always had the ‘plausible deniability’ answer.
The device that created this ‘doorway
to the stars’ was made up of an elaborate array of crystals, some from Earth,
some completely unknown. These crystals were clear with black marks engraved
into them and a pre-selected amount were placed on an extremely ancient-looking
pedestal (which was actually duplicated after intense scrutiny of the original)
facing the BSP. Every crystal (sixty-six in total with endless combinations) was
scanned and harnessed together in an elaborate computer program put together by
a scientific team for ease of deployment. This was no mean task.
A laser was required to shine directly
through the crystals spreading the resulting rays of light onto a large black
stone (the BSP) positioned exactly six metres away from the crystals. An
unexplainable, incredible form of metamorphosis instantly occurred, rendering
the black stone from a seemingly solid opaque appearance, to a most beautiful
rainbow-coloured vision of blinding beauty. This beautiful ‘substance’ gave
the impression of fibre-optic multicoloured threads that always reminded
Tremaine of a fancy fly curtain blowing in the wind, and could only be described
as rather like looking into a psychedelic dream machine. However, when anyone
walked up to and through the Portal, to an outsider, they simply disappeared.
The travellers within a tiny thread of time are light years away, on another
planet walking through a sister door.
A strict schedule was kept as the only
known way back home was when the Earth-based operator ‘opened’ up the Earth
doorway at a predetermined time (all watches were synchronised) and then the
team at the other end had thirty seconds to send a remote-controlled coded radio
or video signal through the bright light at their end to home. If they missed
then they had to wait a further thirty seconds, and Home Base would open the
door again. When Home Base on Earth received the correct signal the operator
sent an acknowledgement back and the team could get back. If any other team was
sending a signal through at the same time from wherever in the Universe, they
would get a jamming code, and have to wait until the Home Base Operator could
let them through. That had not happened yet as the scheduled missions did not
coincide. For security reasons all signals were changed upon completion of each
mission.
There probably was another way to open
the door from the destination end, but how to do that had not yet been ascertained. In fact no one knew who
actually created the ‘doors.’
Having an ‘open’ door was still a
considerable security issue in case unfriendlies decided to walk through. It had
not come to that yet, but a force field was installed two metres around the door
so when the mission team all came through, the door would be ‘shut’ after
them and then the force field released. However, a special Code Red could be
sent through by the team if they are in immediate danger, letting them through
without waiting longer than necessary.
The actual stone, by all accounts, was
so black, if you shone a normal battery torch on it, the blackness
‘swallowed’ the light. However, light shone through a powerful laser via the
crystals transformed the ‘body’ of the stone into an astronomical gateway.
The size of Earth’s BSP was 5 metres high x 3.5 metres wide x 1.5 metres deep.
It was, to date, the only known stone to exist on Earth.
Thanks to the BSP’s initial
discoverer, a talented young geological archaeologist, Dr Peter Reynolds, whose
prolonged study and deciphering of the weird, obviously ancient scripture
scattered around the Junghis Temple walls where the door was found, coupled with
extensive research, (and an unlimited budget from Divisions – ask no
questions!) made this galactic travel a reality. Dr Reynolds later dubbed it his
‘Leap Frog’ discovery.
A thorough non-stop six months of
testing and probing followed the initial set up. Electricity, radio waves, and a
battery-powered toy car with a camera on board were just a few of the first
tests set up once the historic and exciting discovery of the first ‘opening of
the door’ had been established. The first live being, a frog (hence the
nick-name), was sent through. When a probe was sent through and a video link was
established, what everyone saw was a landscape not too dissimilar to Earth. They
had actually contacted Ahmadeus. It had a breathable atmosphere, primarily
nitrogen and oxygen.
But why this
particular planet?
This was not hard to answer. Dr
Reynolds’ meticulous records noted that when he initially found the BSP, a
select amount of crystals were set up on a pedestal, exactly six metres in front
of the BSP. The patterns etched into the crystals were later matched with star
maps, in this case pointing to a planet not even discovered by Earth yet, which
later became known as Ahmadeus. When the crystals and BSP were moved into the
base, Dr Reynolds made sure everything was to stay exactly as it was found.
Was this the planet that humans had
visited millennia ago, or vice versa? Upon study of scripture and drawings on
the walls of the
Temple
of
Junghis
, it appeared so. Though this scripture was tested and aged as new compared to
other stories scattered about the walls. It definitely showed a planet with two
moons depicted, which was confirmed when Divisions’ star map computer
pinpointed the exact positioning of the three bodies. Dr Reynolds suspected from
deciphering the ancient dialect that travel to Ahmadeus was more an escape than
a visit, otherwise why were the crystals left this way?
The rest of the crystals were found
housed in a clay box in the temple, half buried in the dirt floor. The box was
remarkably well-preserved and the outside was covered with drawings of the
crystals set in various patterns. These could possibly be more directions to
other worlds.
Then the arguments began regarding the
pros and cons of sending a person through. Dr Reynolds had argued that he should
be the one to see if a person could get through and back. When the powers that
controlled Divisions intervened, it was decided they didn’t want to risk Dr
Reynolds, but he refused to work any further on the project unless he went.
After intense hot debate, finally it was decided if the first journey proved
safe and successful, small specialised teams would be put together for
exploration, assessment, and defence (naturally).
Incidentally, the frog happily survived
the journey contained in a cage strapped onto a remote-controlled car (largest
leap a frog has ever under-taken, was the joke) and was eventually brought back
by the first ‘live’ team that ventured through, and was now living in Dr
Reynolds’ lab.
So, yes, there are aliens, in more
shapes and forms than one could imagine. The people behind popular sci-fi shows
such as Star Trek and Stargate
were at times close to the truth. But if the ‘real truth’ suddenly appeared
to the masses on Earth, like it is popularly portrayed in these shows, chaos and
hysteria would spread and modern civilisation as we know it today, including all
the religious cultures, would crumble. Having those sci-fi shows might just help
to one day soften the blow that may hit us all if OBF1 failed to do their job
and protect Earth.
No one can predict
the future.
In fact, if the BSP was discovered and
used and security measures were not set up, who knew what could have come
through the BSP from other worlds!
Divisions’ scientists had calculated
that there were countless numbers of these sister ‘doors’ throughout the
known galaxies, and more than likely beyond. But only a tiny fraction had been
explored by the humans from Earth, given the small half-decade that the program
had been in existence.
It had been calculated that there were
so many position outlays for the crystal programs to enable destinations to
offworlds that only the computer could practically determine the sequences. At
this point in time, they had 13,542 recorded ‘crystal addresses’ to call on.
Very few had been visited by humans, mainly robots and probes, as correct
atmospheric conditions had to be determined before anyone would dream of
stepping through. Because of the amount of worlds to explore, there were
numerous teams, both human and robotic, offworld at any given time.
Incidentally,
all the established BSPs were similar to the one on Earth, but once the door was
activated you could send something the size of a tank through as the door’s
perimeter was governed by how far the laser light reached. Once solid, an
uninformed onlooker would not believe it could be done. It simply looked like a
door, with no handle.
Of course, this all took months of
research and experimentation. It probably would have taken Divisions longer if
it wasn’t for the brilliant Dr Reynolds, being the foremost authority in
deciphering archaeological scriptures (and a believer in alien life forces),
combining with an ex-military Major Isaac Mason, who knew just about everything
there was to know on astronomy matters. His specific background (and hobby) was
as a stellar cartographer. When the BSP was discovered, Divisions always had a
foremost team in mind to set up all the preliminary work.
Reynolds, Mason and a handful of
talented (and well paid) scientists and technicians managed to collate the
constantly expanding crystal addresses to correspond with their very revered
creation: a sophisticated computer program that would hold all the crystal
addresses and enable ease of deployment. It was assimilated with the
Divisions’ star map computer program which was responsible for creating and
recording all established and new stellar topography. It certainly made one feel
very small when faced with infinite space. The program was nicknamed Crystal
Address Star Portal or CASP for short.
For preciseness and no mistake of being
sent to a wrong address, robotic arms were commissioned with the arduous task of
placing the crystals on a duplicated pedestal that matched exactly with the
pre-ordained specified computer patterns. When everything was perfect the
operating technician pressed the release code and a glass cover that housed a
large red button flipped open and started up the laser, which took around sixty
seconds to power up to a hundred percent. Then a shot of dazzling light shone
through the crystals on the BSP, changing the vision of solidity to psychedelic
coloured rain. Initially, one had to close one’s eyes or look away to avoid
blindness as the brightness was so powerful when the laser interacted with the
BSP, though this lasted for only a few moments.
The first major team, known as Odyssey
Bourne (meaning, eventful journey destination), Force One consisted of Gene
Tremaine, also ex-US Air Force. He was a proven leader, running the away teams
for the past five years from the program’s inception. Tremaine was forty-five,
single, tall, ruggedly handsome, with a sometimes tactless sense of humour that
he called straight shooting. But this hid the other side of the man, a cunning,
extremely efficient man of tactics. A man who could think, run and use a gun at
the same time.
The aforementioned Doctor Peter
Reynolds, who specialised in ancient worlds and geology, was brilliant, shy,
slightly nerdy, a great linguist and rather young at forty-three for all his
achievements. His IQ was off the scale. He was virtually a walking encyclopaedia
and generally respected among his peers. He had a photographic mind, and could
absorb foreign languages like a sponge. As a boy he knew exactly what he wanted
to do. But yet, as he moaned, his talents could never get him a date!
And last of course was ex-Major Isaac
Mason, thirty-nine, who was foremost in helping set up CASP. A no-nonsense,
muscular African-American, who had a knowledge unsurpassed in the field of
astronautics and astrophysics. Hunting and martial arts were his pastimes, with
a few trophies to boot! He reckoned, if he had remained in the military instead
of joining this program, he would be a five-star general now. Although he loved
his role in this civilian secret new defence force, like a boy with a toy, he
would never openly admit it.
These men, plus at present five other
specialist teams, the staff, soldiers, administrators and their boss and
Commander-in-Chief Paul Pilcher, were all sworn to secrecy. Not even their
families were told.
‘Right, is
everyone ready?’ Tremaine barked. He gave the word to fall out.
The three men in OBF1 walked slowly
along the ramp towards the light, hesitated for a nanosecond and then
disappeared.
The laser light
faded, leaving not a trace.
On
Ahmadeus, the team emerged through a replica of the black stone back on Earth
– oddly resembling a larger version of the monolith described in the Arthur C
Clarke novel 2001, A Space Odyssey. (These author-creators knew something.)
The OBF1 team was to meet up with their
alien colleague, a Cantal, known as Sataal, a rebel ex-Trimadian, who had small
spy networks set up amongst the enemy Trimadian ranks. Sataal, like most of his
rebel followers, had themselves evaded their evil Trimadian masters.
There were very few of them.
Click on the cart below to purchase this book:
HOME
PAGE |
