Sun Warriors

Robert Mills

Description

This captivating combination of science fiction and political satire draws the reader into an alternative present, where the threat of alien life destroying our beloved planet is all too real. It's raining salt-water in the Sahara desert. In Thailand it's snowing. All over the world, strange phenomena are beginning to occur and the young Thai climatologist, Dr. Thongchai Pakpoom, concludes that there is only one possible explanation: intervention by extraterrestrial beings. He is soon to be proved correct. Fugitives from the unstable Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy have decided to settle on Mars. In order to make it suitable for their needs, they decide to fire missiles carrying warheads into the sun, which proves to be effective for them but disastrous for Earth. Meanwhile, Thongchai is one of four humans who are 'collected' by alien scientists as part of their research. As the national leaders of Earth are unable to reach an agreement with their new neighbours, it's up to the captives to persuade their abductors to change their policy before it's too late. Setting the story in an alternative present, Robert Mills imagines what the reaction of today's politicians would be to our first contact with intelligent aliens. The Sun Warriors is a combination of science fiction and political satire, exploring the issue of climate change from a novel perspective and appealing to those who enjoy intelligent fiction.

Sujets

• Science fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 28 avril 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783067794
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Sun Warriors
Robert Mills

Copyright © 2014 Robert Mills
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study,
or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the
publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with
the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries
concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
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ISBN 978 1783067 794
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All characters in this novel are products of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Matador ® is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

Converted to eBook by EasyEPUB

To my wife, Nadtaya
Contents

Cover


PART ONE


Chapter One


Chapter Two


Chapter Three


Chapter Four


Chapter Five


Chapter Six


Chapter Seven


Chapter Eight


Chapter Nine


PART TWO


Chapter Ten


Chapter Eleven


Chapter Twelve


Chapter Thirteen


Chapter Fourteen


Chapter Fifteen


Chapter Sixteen


Chapter Seventeen


Chapter Eighteen


Chapter Nineteen


PART THREE


Chapter Twenty


Chapter Twenty-One


Chapter Twenty-Two


Chapter Twenty-Three


Chapter Twenty-Four


Chapter Twenty-Five


Chapter Twenty-Six


Chapter Twenty-Seven


Chapter Twenty-Eight


Chapter Twenty-Nine


Chapter Thirty


Chapter Thirty-One


Chapter Thirty-Two


Chapter Thirty-Three


Epilogue
PART ONE
Chapter One


The islands of Polynesia are spread across the Pacific Ocean, as if scattered by a careless hand. At the western end of the Society Islands in French Polynesia lies the island of Maupiti. On a breezy morning in early April, three fishermen from the island dropped anchor in the open sea about twenty miles off the coast and began to fish for tuna. Blue sky peeped between the broken cloud and a stiff breeze was blowing from the east.
The youngest of the crew, who was the son of the boat’s owner, became bored and wandered to the prow of the vessel. As he looked out to sea, something caught his eye on the horizon and he shaded his eyes with his hand to try to make out what it was. It looked like a crystal pillar rising out of the sea and disappearing into the clouds above. He called to his father who was helping the others to pull a large fish over the side. Reluctantly his father came to have a look, but he had no idea what it was.
The boy was keen to sail closer to get a better look, but his father was more concerned about the day’s catch. However, eventually he relented and they started the engine and sailed towards the crystal pillar. As they drew closer its enormous size became apparent to them. They estimated that its width was at least three times the length of their craft, but its height was impossible to guess. The sunlight danced and sparkled on its surface, encouraging them to sail closer. As they did so it became apparent that the ‘pillar of crystal’ was in fact a column of water, which appeared to be moving upwards at considerable speed and that they had underestimated its size by a significant margin. They cut the engine and stared at this marvel, completely entranced by is size and beauty. Then the skipper noticed that they were drifting closer to the column of water at a gradually increasing rate, sucked towards it by an unseen force. Hurriedly they started the engine and attempted to set a course towards the safety of the open sea, but at first they were unable to overcome the ferocious pull in the opposite direction. Alarmed now, the skipper turned the throttle to full power. It was no use; the closer they came to the water column, the more rapidly they moved backwards towards it. It seemed that they must surely perish as their tiny craft was consumed in the rising water and sucked up with it into the heavens. But then, just as they were losing all hope of escape, the column vanished, leaving them afloat in a choppy sea.

***

Thongchai Pakpoom was woken from a deep sleep by a dull impact on his abdomen. Opening his eyes, he saw the smiling face of his son, Patravoot, gazing down at him.
“Lazy Daddy,” said the three year old in English, bouncing on him to ensure that he had his father’s full attention.
“Okay, okay, I’ll get up,” said Thongchai, lifting the youngster onto the floor so that he could turn back the covers and swing his feet onto the cool wooden floor.
The child covered his mouth and chuckled. “Daddy got no clothes on,” he said, pointing with his free hand.
Thongchai slipped on his dressing gown and followed Patravoot, more usually known by his nickname ‘Spike’, out of the bedroom and onto the landing.
“Are you up, honey?” called his American wife, Bonny, from the ground floor.
“Yes, darling,” he replied.
“You know we have to drop Spike off at your mom’s before we go out. We’ll be real late if you don’t hurry up.”
“Where you going?” asked Spike, looking serious now.
“We’re going out with Daddy’s friend,” replied his father.
“Why can’t I come?” asked the child.
“You’d be bored. We’re going to look at some old ruins. Anyway, you’re going to see Ya . You always enjoy spending the day with her.”
Thongchai had met Bonny during the three years he had spent at the University of Michigan as a post-graduate student. At that time she was an undergraduate majoring in Journalism. Bonny Krause, as she was then, had been brought up in Battle Creek, Michigan where her father was a manager with a local company and her mother taught in grade school. Despite her very conventional middle class upbringing, Bonny had always been something of a rebel. When she was Editor of the school news paper she had incurred the principal’s wrath because of an article she had written about the local Senator.
Thongchai had been attracted to her because of her fair hair and mischievous laugh, while she in turn had been captivated by the sheer beauty of his fine-featured face. That was the beginning but, as they got to know each other, they found that they had interests in common and that they got along together very well. They dated regularly, but Bonny was concerned that Thongchai seemed to be reluctant to touch her. She feared that he wasn’t attracted to her, being unaware that in traditional Thai culture touching a member of the opposite sex in public is not considered good behaviour.
Then one evening in the humid heart of summer they took a walk by the Huron River. As they walked and talked she felt a real closeness to him and on their return to the university she invited him to her room. The privacy which this afforded released Thongchai from his inhibitions and before long they were lying together in the narrow bed. He was excited by the milky white of her skin and she by the creamy brown of his. On that occasion their love-making was brief and less than satisfying, but they were both left with a strong desire for more.
At first the idea of living in Thailand had frightened Bonny, but when she and Thongchai went there to meet his parents, she had fallen in love with the country. Thanks to the internet, she was able to continue working part-time as a freelance journalist, even after the birth of Spike. She made regular trips home, but studiously avoided the deep cold of the Michigan winter. The birth of Spike lessened her parents’ sense of loss and they were delighted by their new grandson, when at last they met him. This was inevitable, for Spike was a beautiful child. His pale skin, so much prized in Thailand, combined with his thick black hair and large brown eyes were certain to melt the stoniest heart.
Thongchai showered, dressed and descended the stairs to find Bonny and Spike having breakfast. She was at the stove when he entered, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“Want some, honey?” she called.
“Sure.”
She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and her mass of fair hair hung loose over her shoulders. For perhaps the millionth time he admired her long, slender legs. As she turned to face him he read the slogan emblazoned across her chest: ‘Let’s Go Blue’.
“What time are we meeting John?” she asked, tucking her hair behind her right ear.
“Nine thirty,” he replied, taking his place at the table and making a face at his young son.
John Lamberson was a professor at England’s Cambridge University. It seemed to Thongchai that there were similarities between the cities of Cambridge and Ann Arbor. Both are university towns with a fringe of commercial activity feeding off the intellectual power-houses within these exalted seats of learning. Thongchai had met John at a conference abroad a few years earlier. He had visited Cambridge at John’s invitation and now it was time to repay him for his hospitality, as well as arranging for the distinguished climatologist to lecture at Khon Kaen University.
Their relationship at that stage was acquaintance rather than established friendship, but Thongchai found John easy to be with and his command of the English language enabled him to appreciate the older man’s dry sense of humour. Persuading Professor Lamberson to lecture at Khon Kaen University was a coup for Thongchai, a welcome development as a new round of academic promotions was about to be launched. The distinguished guest had arrived in Khon Kaen the previous evening on the last flight of the day from Bangkok and, having