The forsaken planet, p.1
The Forsaken Planet, page 1
THE FORSAKEN PLANET
BRYAN WILSON
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Author’s Note
About the Author
The Forsaken Planet is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright ©2023 by Bryan Wilson
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: bryan@bryanwilsonauthor.com
ISBN 979-8-218-21620-7 (paperback)—KDP ISBN 9798392791514
www.bryanwilsonauthor.com
To my daughters.
May you always remember that when it comes to your dreams,
making the attempt garners its own form of success.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I first want to thank my wife. Patient zero in reading the story in full and offering editing critique, you also dealt with the weekly or monthly stretches where I turned into a zombified version of myself whenever my mind disappeared to Vintara. There were years-long gaps where I didn’t touch the novel, but whenever I jumped in, I dove hard, and you always supported me. Thank you, Love.
Next, I need to thank my good friend, Mike. You spent your time investing in my story and suffering through an encyclopedia of questions I had, never seeming bothered and never once asking for anything in return. You will forever have my thanks and gratitude.
I would also like to thank all the beta readers outside of my inner circle. Two especially: Dana Thompson from Goodreads and Sidharthhj from Fiverr. Every beta met my expectations, but the two of you went above and beyond, genuinely becoming invested in my story and answering many more questions than I expected. Thank you.
Lastly, Gary Smailes from Bubblecow editing services. Your manuscript assessment was an invaluable piece in helping the overall story reach its full potential. I thank you for the thorough report and quick delivery of it. For any other authors looking for services, you can’t go wrong with Bubblecow.
PROLOGUE
As the sun set, Quinnero’s two moons shined bright in the red sky, casting a crimson glow upon the fortress yard where the large crowd had gathered. The planet Oldir, a fist-sized orange circle in the distance, became more visible with every passing second. Before long, it would stand out like a beacon, lighting up the nighttime heavens.
Darys glanced upward from the central platform upon which he stood. The air was void of crafts, but he imagined being up in one, staring down at the Fortress of Flame’s walls. Built with Solara-infused red stone, the structure always looked like a colossal flame from the sky, the last holding out on a planet long burned to dust. He wondered if the crowd currently gathered inside made that flame appear fuller.
Like a fire ready to spread, he thought.
Second-in-command of the Quinnero forces, Darys lowered his eyes to the assembly. The working-class had been invited to witness their lord’s speech. They were people he respected, struggling to survive amongst the sandy deserts, jagged black rocks, and dying brush that inhabited most of the planet. The opposite of the ignorant and entitled scum he had grown up with on Vintara.
He was drawn to a young boy in the crowd, staring up at him. The child gazed at the old scar disfiguring the right side of Darys’ face before locking onto his eyes. The youngster bore deeply into the pools of black as if he would find the hero he had heard about there. But he finally gave up his search and glanced away, frightened.
In the past, a child turning from him in terror would have bothered Darys. But that was before he understood the power fear held over people.
His lord’s two massive twins were proof of that. Standing to his rear, their black cloaks draped from neck to heel over their black vests and pants. Long scythes hung around their backs, with hoods pulled down obscuring their faces. Even he didn’t know what lay beneath those dark openings and was jealous of that powerful fear the mystery induced in others.
When a wave of applause broke out, Darys focused back on Lord Heart. The man stood at the center of the platform, holding the crowd’s attention. Shortest of the four, he had copper-red hair and black eyes, like Darys’, with a slight orange gleam glowing within. He wore no cloak but had on a tight, blood-red shirt tucked into pants of the same color. A yellow symbol of a ten-pointed star sitting in the middle of a small orange flame was embroidered on his left breast.
He stood on the center of the platform, placed in the center of the crowd, gathered in the exact center of the fortress yard. No one could mistake his lord. He was The Heart of the Flame.
Addressing the tens of thousands before him, Lord Heart neared the end of his speech, preparing to set the future for all of those around him in motion. “At long last, my brothers, sisters, friends, and family. Today marks the beginning of a new era. One which will see our people rise above all others and fulfill the greatest of destinies.”
He paused, and Darys watched many in the crowd pat their companions on the back. Some grabbed their children and hugged them with tears of joy streaming down their faces. These youngsters scrambled from their parent’s grasp, eager to hear the rest.
Lord Heart smiled before continuing in a voice that resonated throughout the entire fortress, “Here, where the prophecy was found, will the fulfillment begin. We shall go to the forsaken planet and show our strength. This universe will learn who I truly am!”
As he shouted, people closed their eyes and lifted their smiling faces toward the stars. Others shook hands and yelled, “Praise Lord Heart of the Flame, The Son of the Prophets.”
He made a fist to the crowd. “We will no longer be oppressed by the wretched entitlement of the Throne. The bastard king shall learn he does not control this universe.”
Hewing the name, a few shouts of “Death to the king” arose.
“We will reveal ourselves, and the secret shall be exposed. When civilians of the other systems realize their mistake, let them come to us in fear. Welcome them as additions to our cause, friends to stand at our sides when we burn away the viruses from our worlds.”
As another cheer rang out, Lord Heart glanced around the courtyard with a fatherly smile. He finished with words that seemed to echo across the planet. “Brace yourselves. The time is now. Praise the prophets. Honor your families. And let the fulfillment guide us all to harmony.”
The crowd erupted as everyone screamed and jumped in glee. Men, women, and children alike wielded colorful Solara energies into the air, motioning with prayers to the stars and prophets.
Lord Heart turned, and the smile transformed on his face. “Let it begin,” he declared with a smirk.
Darys was the last within the yard to again stare into the sky towards a solar system he believed held a lonely, forsaken planet.
1
A gust blew a group of red, yellow, and green leaves across the road where Colton Samson drove with his windows down. He soaked in the fresh fall breeze as it rustled through his car, enjoying the last bit of warm air before the winter cold rushed into the New England states.
Exhausted from a full day of classes, he narrowly beat the rush hour commute home. That is what, in a stupor, he thought over when the cell phone's vibration in his pocket jolted him back into focus. His dash flashed the name of his best friend, Tommy Wilmont.
“What’s up, man?” he answered.
“What’s going on? You home yet?”
“No, hit a little traffic. People don’t know how to drive.”
Tommy grunted. “I get it. I’m on 95 this morning and see the guy behind me somehow driving with coffee in one hand, a tablet i n the other, laughing hysterically while watching something on the stupid thing.”
Colton shook his head as he rounded a corner, almost to his house. “I got stuck behind a guy a few minutes ago, holding a line of us up at a green light so he could get the right selfie to post.”
Tommy chuckled. “What a world.”
“So, what’s the deal with tonight?” Colton asked.
His friend yawned. “I don’t know, but I’m not in the mood for anything crazy.”
Colton agreed, considering he had to work in the morning.
“Maybe a small fire in my backyard,” Tommy suggested.
Colton’s stomach grumbled as he turned onto his street. “All right, that sounds good. I’m just pulling in now. Let me eat, shower, and I’ll call you.”
“Will do. Later.”
Colton pulled into his driveway, shut the engine off, grabbed his books, and walked out into the fall air. He lived with his parents in the suburbs, about an hour from New York City. There were six houses on a dead-end street, all surrounded by a long stretch of woods. They lived in a house on the end of the cul-de-sac, the right side of his home facing the deepest stretch of trees. For a small but busy town, they lived in one of the last private and peaceful areas left.
He smiled as he stared into the woods where the leaves were all changing color, one of the many things that made autumn his favorite time of year.
Walking into the house, Colton smelled food cooking. He headed straight for the kitchen, where his mom stood over the stove, work clothes and curly hair in disarray. She smiled as he walked in. He grinned when eyeing the roast in the oven.
“It’ll be ready in a little while,” she said.
He nodded as his dog, Kado, came running down the hallway to say hello. The black lab jumped up, placing both paws on his chest. Colton rubbed the dog’s head and asked, “What’s up, bud? How’s your day going?”
The dog didn’t answer. He only had one thing on his mind: to take Colton to the ground.
After wrestling for a couple of minutes, Colton made for the shower. He soaked under the warm water for a long while, dwelling on term papers and projects, about work at the bookstore in the morning, and about a slab of meat and gravy on a plate. When finished, he headed to the kitchen.
Sometime during the shower, his dad had gotten home. Wearing his usual zippered fleece and khakis, he was already sitting and eating beside Colton’s mom.
“Thanks for waiting,” Colton chided as they both chowed down.
His dad snorted. “Oh yes, because you would be the first to do that.”
Colton made a plate and took the empty seat at the end of the table. As he sat, he felt a familiar weight on his lap and looked down to see Kado grinning up at him. His mom didn’t like the dog begging. He waited for her to look away when she asked his dad about work and slipped a piece of meat under the table.
“Busy,” his father answered, running his fingers through his graying hair. “I’m still backed up from taking Joe and Mary to New York the other day.” He frowned and looked over to Colton. “Speaking of work, have you figured out what you want to do with your life, Colton?”
That was a favorite question of his. Colton shoved a piece in his mouth and answered in a mumble, “Oh, I’ll figure it out eventually.”
His dad grunted.
Colton shrugged. He worried about it enough. At that moment, he only wanted to focus on the tender and tasty roast.
While he ate, his mom asked about his brother, Joe, and Joe’s wife, Mary. “So, no luck finding them a place in the city, Rob?”
His dad grunted. “Nothing in their price range.”
As they discussed Joe, Colton finished his food, let Kado lick the plate, and had just risen to put his dish in the sink when his phone rang down the hall. He ran to catch it.
“What’s going on, Tommy?” he answered.
“Not too much. Ace is coming over with the boys in a bit. I guess we’ll have that fire unless something else comes up.
“All right. I’m pretty much ready, so I’ll head over in a few.”
After hanging up, Colton gathered some things before walking down the hall to the living room. His parents sat on the couch watching television. Kado greeted him with a cotton-filled football in his mouth.
“Sorry, pup, I’m heading out. I’ll see you when I get home, okay?”
“Heading out to find your way in life?” Apparently, his dad wasn’t all that focused on the TV.
His mom glanced at her husband and shook her head.
Colton grabbed the football and chucked it at his father before saying, “I’m going to Tommy’s.”
“Be careful,” his parents said as he walked to the door. “Love you.”
“Love you too, see you later.”
He stepped outside into a star-filled, cloudless sky. A full moon lit up his yard and the street. He walked into the garage and grabbed a few beers out of the fridge there.
Tommy lived close, so it was less than five minutes before Colton pulled into his friend’s driveway. It was a short walk past his colonial style house, into the thick woods, and down a twenty-foot dirt path to the fire pit.
“What’s going on?” Tommy called out as Colton entered the clearing, where a fire was lit and a game played on the radio.
“What’s up, brother? Where is everyone?”
“On their way.” Tommy grabbed a beer out of the cooler and held it up in offering, the fire’s reflection sparkling in his amber-colored eyes.
Colton refused, showing one of his own.
Tommy put the drink back and began picking at a callus on his dark-brown hands.
Sitting next to his friend, as always, Colton felt small. Tommy was a few inches over six feet, the tallest in their group of friends. And with a broad build from working as a carpenter, he was also the strongest.
Minutes passed while the two listened to the game and talked amongst themselves. They got into a heated discussion over who the best pitcher in the league was when footsteps approached.
Ace Castillo sat to the right of Colton, chiming in, “Definitely Perez, Colt.” He turned his hazel eyes toward Tommy. “Don’t let his stubborn moronicness try to tell you differently, Tom.”
Tommy gave the ‘told-you-so’ look.
“Oh yes, like I’m going to listen to someone who thinks ‘moronic-ness’ is a word,” Colton replied.
Ace laughed, shaking his head of finger-length brown hair.
Charlie Morris, referred to as ‘Morris’ by the group, sat to the right of Ace. His pale white skin stood out in contrast to the dark night, and being short and stocky with a chubbier physique, he looked different from the rest of their tall, leaner-built group of friends.
Behind Ace and Morris came the final two, TJ McPhee and Scotty Dockson. Always the most put together, TJ showed up to the fire in a tucked-in-button-down and khakis, while Scotty’s dirty blond hair was neatly combed and slicked like he was about to go to the club.
Colton was surprised to see TJ. He lived away at a college in Pennsylvania. Studying to be a lawyer, everyone always assumed he would be the most successful in their group of friends. “What the hell are you doing home?” Colton asked him.
