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  LOST HOPE

  EDMUND STONE

  Copyright © 2022 by Edmund Stone

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  Cover Art by François Vaillancourt

  To Mikel, my love. She hangs in with me through all my crazy adventures. Thanks, babe.

  * * *

  To my children and grandchildren,

  Mckenzie, Lauren, Parker

  Laynie, Carver, Ellie, and Beau

  Never stop dreaming.

  * * *

  To all the people who have read and appreciated this story. I’m always in your debt.

  CONTENTS

  Part I

  Prologue

  1. Gage

  2. Deanna

  3. Jonas

  4. Brielle

  5. The Waking

  Part II

  6. Brielle Speaks

  7. A Prophecy Revealed

  8. King, Gage

  9. The Hunt Begins

  10. Revelations

  11. Unwelcome Visitors

  12. Run!

  Part III

  13. The Butcher’s Spoils

  14. Holsinger on the Horizon

  15. Brielle’s Surprise

  16. Retribution of the Dead

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Edmund Stone

  PART I

  PROLOGUE

  The old ones, the devourer of worlds. Gods to those beneath them. Their power was a virus, infecting the universe. The Gods fiercely ruled their underlings, and the planets were divided amongst them. But in time, the technology the old ones used became known to the many. Some rose, finding weaknesses in these so-called Gods. They exploited their flaws, letting the people see they weren’t as omniscient as the simpler creatures thought. A lengthy war followed until the old ones were destroyed. All but one.

  This one tried to stay hidden in the farthest reaches of the known universe. In time it was found, and all manner of destruction was sent against it. Another war started. But this old one proved to be a worthy adversary. It was like a parasite, infecting the army sent to destroy it. Others rose to fight the old one, and it was eventually subdued with the living fire used in their weaponry. But to their dismay, they found it couldn’t be destroyed. This one truly was omniscient. The creator of all the others.

  It was placed in a prison instead, a box enchanted with writings meant to keep others away. A power source of the living fire pulsed through the hull of the ship, keeping the old one weakened and subdued.

  It was sent to the far reaches of the cosmos, never to be seen again. Its infected worlds burned; every trace of its creation wiped clean.

  But even though the ones who conspired against it thought it to be gone forever, this wasn't to be. There were new worlds, beyond the reaches of the known planet band of its people. Its prison ship was pulled by the gravity of a new place. It crashed onto the primitive world. The box broke open when it landed; the pieces scattered all over.

  To the surprise of the old one, the living flames, once orange, now were blue. They smoldered in small areas.

  The old one was haggard and weary. The flames that once contained it, seemed to be warming and inviting now. It remained there in its weakened state until a group of beings found it. They were warm and dripping with abundant life, as they paraded before the old one, paying homage to the God who fell from heaven. The creature pulled from them the signature of their DNA structure, creating an image more pleasing. This in turn brought the sentient bodies to it. The creature realized these beings were of two different sexes, not the asexual varieties of the world it came from. It chose the most alluring of the species as its preferred sex. Thus, the woman was created to attract both viable species to her side.

  The people gave her a name, picked from one of their language texts. She would be Rebecca, maker of the new world. Savior to the ones who followed. Some attributes of her former self remained, though, and she passed them to the people she converted. The ability to separate the body and come together at will. A select few were chosen to help her convert more souls. A squad of helpers she called her generals. The more souls she had, the more powerful she became, feeding from their life force. The essence of what made these sentient creatures mobile. She would be their desire, addiction, and conqueror, becoming a legend, a myth in the making.

  In time, her power became so great, she ruled much of the known world. But she allowed her resolve to falter, and a group of her generals became complacent. Twelve broke from her and found a way to exist on their own.

  But Rebecca was jealous and wanted them back. They were her creation. She attacked them, attempting to bring her insolent children back to the fold.

  The twelve went into hiding only to return later even stronger. During their time with Rebecca, they’d learned of her voyage to this world and how the flames subdued her. They learned to harness the power of the blue flame, making it burn brighter and more powerful. They created the Order. All twelve working as one. They found others as well, willing to take on Rebecca and her hive.

  In time, a prophecy was created. One day Rebecca would be defeated by one of their ranks. The Prophecy of the One predicted it. The Order would remain a thorn to her for years to come, forming convents around the world with the same idea. To defeat Rebecca and rid her of her hold on this world. Certain families deemed worthy would help the cause as well, bringing up those who could call upon the created deity of Calypso. The combination of spirit and flame. They used it against Rebecca when her power became too strong. The Order effectively kept her from gaining too much power, always keeping Rebecca at bay.

  The Order fought Rebecca numerous times over the years, until both groups dwindled too only a few.

  Rebecca was weakened in time and enlisted the aid of a powerful family to help her gain her rightful place in this world. The Pendleton Corporation used Rebecca’s power to further their own agenda. They kept her hidden from her enemies for a time.

  As was written in the prophecy, one would eventually defeat Rebecca and take her away. The one did come, but members of the Pendleton family were there to conspire against Rebecca’s defeat. They tired of the insolence of their world and looked to start anew. The Pendleton Corporation would take on the task of delivering Rebecca to a new place. A place they could shape as their own. Where their power could grow, and a new form of God could be created. They would leave behind the trappings of the Order and their misplaced loyalty. A bright future lay before them with a Pendleton as king and Rebecca their queen. They would rule the universe together.

  But the best laid plans never seem to work the way they should. Remnants of The Order regrouped in the future and carried on a new prophecy, one like the old, but more specific. A man would populate a new world somewhere in the cosmos. He would travel from Earth, making a new world in his image. It was perceived to be good, but evil has a way of infiltrating even the purest of intentions.

  1

  GAGE

  “And on the pedestal, these words appear:

  My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings.

  Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

  Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

  Of that colossal Wreck, boundless a
nd bare

  The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

  * * *

  ~Ozymandias

  Percy Bysshe Shelly

  * * *

  Tonight, I wake her. The angel, Brielle Holsinger. We will populate a new world and fulfill the prophecy handed down to me by my mother, Deanna Reyes, killed by my evil father, Jonas Reyes. This is my testament and burden. I am Gage Ozymandias Reyes. The pilot of this ship.

  Years ago, a group of people left a planet far away to travel to a new land by the name of Holsinger 8c. All on this ship, the Spero. An amazing vessel, a living fortress floating in space. Named from a dead language meaning “Hope.” The hope of the people who created it to find a new world better than the one they left behind. A place they could live in peace. This is what my mother told me. The mission to her was predestined. But I see none of this now. Only loneliness and longing for the one who kept me alive for all these years. My mother had no ill will toward anyone. But Jonas did. He was cold and calculating in his ways, but in the end, it was his own undoing.

  Jonas was a lot of things to me. A father and pilot of this ship. He taught me to run the Spero before he was gone. It wasn’t hard, as the ship practically takes care of itself. The directional controls were preset when it first left Earth’s atmosphere. It’s the only way Jonas could have operated it, as he lay drunk most of the time while my mother was alive. At least I assume he did, as I never saw the man until I was older. After he died, I noticed several vats of alcohol in the control room, along with a still where he brewed it. Now, I check the controls every morning when I wake, free of the alcohol my father consumed, free of him entirely.

  I must admit, waking is strange here. Artificial light gives the illusion of the Sun, a process run by the ship’s computers. The lights go out at a certain time and then come on again when ready. I’ve read up on sunrise and sunset in the ships data banks. Apparently, on Earth, it was an amazing event. I feel Holsinger will be better, as it has two suns. I pay little attention to the lights. Most days are spent in the control room while watching the stars go by. I will be happy to have a companion soon.

  There is so much more to the ship than just the control room, though. A huge garden is in the middle, taking up a large circular cargo area. There, I tend the vegetables and small fruit trees my mother started years ago, the way she taught me. The structure housing the garden spins around the ship, generating artificial gravity. As explained to me by my mother, without it, we would float aimlessly about the Spero. One section of the garden area is set aside for the infirmary, stocked full of medicine for any sick or wounded. There are four arm-like structures connecting the garden to the middle of the ship. If not for the force of gravity this produces, one could get lost easily, unable to tell up from down, aimlessly floating about the ship. In the middle section is the area housing the suspension pods. Where the colonists slept, preparing to wake once the ship got to Holsinger 8c. The pods were stacked one over the other as high as the ceiling, all except one. Brielle, the angel, who sleeps to herself while waiting for me to wake her. She has a special area reserved only for her. The colonists, who numbered forty-nine at one time, are all gone now, wiped from existence by a fatal disease, one which all the medicine on this ship would have no effect. Brielle wasn’t hurt, though. Her light shined brighter than the rest and for good reason. You see, she is the one the prophecy centers around. She and I will propagate the new world, raise children in the light of a blessed dawn. I see to her pod and watch her while protecting the integrity of it. Often, I walk by the empty vessels and see the people who slept there. They were innocent lives, cut short in a horrible and unforeseen tragedy. One they could never have predicted.

  The aft section of the Spero houses the engines. Along the corridor toward the area are several small evacuation units, all self-contained, in case something happened to the ship and the need to get out was evident. Although where would one go? There are no other planets near us. This ship has only one stop, Holisnger8c. Anything else would be a cruel joke. Only empty space to float around in and die. Between the units and the middle section are freezers and storage rooms for food. It was well stocked for quite some time, but as we get nearer to our destination, the stores have dwindled, and the garden soil depleted. I suppose it wasn’t meant to last forever. But it doesn’t matter; we’ll be there soon. I’m sure we’ll find food on the new planet.

  The bow of the ship is where the main controls lie. I sleep there, always close, in case a calamity was to occur. Though I could foresee nothing happening. As I said, this ship runs itself. There are sleeping chambers between the bow and the middle of the ship, but I choose to sleep in the control room. The hum of the ship’s workings helps me to rest once the automatic lights go down. I can also dream of Brielle and the day, very soon, she will awake to me and we can start our life. I’m afraid she will be disheartened to know the rest of the colonists have died, but I will help her to get through. In the meantime, I will watch over this ship and preserve the vegetables and fruits as well as the remaining protein staples needed to survive until we get to Holsinger8c.

  I’m going to start the revival for Brielle tonight. It will take a while, I know, as she begins the slow process of regeneration. The muscles of her body have atrophied and must be attached to a machine for a few days, as a concoction of nutrients courses through her. Walking will be a problem, at first, until she’s able to regain her strength. Thirty years in suspended sleep takes its toll on the body. I will care for her, and then we will be one, her soul to mine. We shall be lovers in every sense of the word. My mother predicted this would happen. When I was young, I looked in Brielle’s pod, as Mother told me of a dream she had where Brielle and I would walk hand in hand on an alien world. I could feel our connection, as I lay my hand on the glass above her. My sleeping angel.

  I watch her every day and long for our meeting. During her sleep she has aged little, no more than a couple of years, where I have aged normally. By my calculations, we should both be thirty years old. To think I’ve waited this long for her. I have much to teach her. Things pertaining to the prophecy we will fulfill. How our lives will be entwined together on Holsinger 8c. We will be so happy raising our children on the new world.

  Tonight, will be my last meal alone. I will wake Brielle tomorrow and explain the journey hasn’t ended but only begun. I, Gage Ozymandias Reyes, will take Brielle Holsinger as my bride, until death do us part. But there will be no death because we will live forever.

  2

  DEANNA

  My mother was a hero to me. She kept the ship in food and sustained us for many years. A skilled botanist by trade, she kept lush gardens and walked me through them while explaining the use of each vegetable or fruit, as well as herbs or roots to be used for medicine. We spent hours perusing and learning. Mother gave me my sense of wonder, and to a boy born in a vacuum, there is little to get excited about. But she made every experience better, even letting me run my hands through the dirt she obtained from Earth. She would tell me how only the best soil could be used for these gardens as they had to sustain us for the duration of the trip.

  “For thirty years, this ship will travel through space, and we need to be able to survive on the food produced from these gardens,” she would say. “Then it must sustain the colonists until it can be grown on the new planet. Gage, it will be wonderful, a garden of Eden.” She may have been right if she’d lived that long.

  My mother often said she was handpicked to guide the colonists to the new planet. They would all require a way to survive the long and treacherous journey. Even though she would be near sixty years old when the mission was completed, it didn’t deter her. She knew what lay in store, but did she? I doubt her untimely death was foretold. If so, she never alluded to this. She had great hopes for the people and this mission. But some things can’t be predetermined, no matter how prophetic you are.

  She also tutored me in religious studies, especially pertaining to prophecies. The
Prophecy of the One was a teaching she often talked to me about. Handed down from past generations, it spoke of a son who would populate a new world somewhere in the cosmos, led there by a long-lost female deity who left Earth many years ago. She flew into the heavens, never to be seen again. Mother felt it the reason she was here and perhaps what she’d lived her entire life to see. She felt the deity resided on Holsinger 8c. Why not? It makes perfect sense. I think she knew, as do I, the reason we are headed to this new planet is for the fulfillment of the prophecy. She told me of a dream she had. One where I was an adult on Holsinger 8c, holding the hand of a girl. Her seed propagated the soil and grew trees with branches stronger than all the ones on Earth combined.

  “Do you see, Gage? The girl in my dream was Brielle Holsinger. The two of you will fulfill the Prophecy of the One!” she said crazily. The excitement in her voice scared me as a child. But as an adult, I see much clearer and understand why I must wake Brielle. She’s the missing piece. This ship is destined for a rendezvous with something great, and I’m the son spoken of in the prophecy. Maybe my mother was chosen for this mission, not only because of her skills, but because she was pregnant. The time of her conception coincided with the selection of the people who would go. The convent she grew up in taught her to trust in the prophecies handed down from past generations. Deanna Reyes was certain I was a part of it. It all made sense to her. There was only one problem: as much as she and I was convinced of this, Jonas wasn’t on board. He scoffed at such nonsensical thinking and often said so.