The Fall Years, Roswell: CHAPTER THREE – ONE SMALL STEP FOR A KASKARI –

“He’s alive, but only just,” came a voice at Vadir’s side. It spoke in the human tongue. He had little grasp of their language and couldn’t move from his current position. They had him in restraints. That made sense. He was, after all, an alien. They had no way of knowing what he was capable of. There was also various pieces of tubing tapered to his arms and legs pumping all manner of unknown chemicals into his system. It dulled his senses and made him sleepy every time he stirred. 

“So it’ll live?”

“I should think so, Commander, provided there are no complications unaccounted for. I mean, aside from some anatomical differences, his internals are not that much different from ourselves.”

“So it’s some kind of xeno human?” The Commander asked. 

“Not quite but based on our evolutionary history. Something similar probably occurred on the world he came from.” 

“I wonder, where did it come from?”

“A long way away I imagine. For now. Letting him rest is the best course of action. I assume you have the matter of recovering the bigger ship to deal with, sir.”

“Before anyone goes anywhere near that other ship, I need to know what we’re expecting to find inside of it. Inform me of when it next wakes. I’ll bring the A.I. unit. It said it would be willing to help with communication.”

“I will, sir.” 

When Vadir stirred next he fought the tiredness and strained into a seating position. A female human nearby saw this and left the tent. It was nice being away from the cold insides of his doomed transport. The strange warmth of a foreign world was oddly comforting since it had likely been centuries since he had last felt the wind on his skin. A few minutes later, another male human entered carrying a small module. He recognised it almost immediately. The container unit for the transport ships A.I. 

The human began speaking but like before he barely followed what they were saying. It was all just words to him. The man eventually sat down and rested the module on the table nearby. After a single button press, the holo-form of the A.I. appeared. It first spoke to Vadir. 

“Captain, I am here to assist in your communication with the human.”

“I see. What does he want to know?” Vadir asked, looking at the grizzled human face. 

“Tell me what brings it here?” 

The translation came quickly and Vadir answered. “We were a scout vessel sent to assess and determine whether there are habitable worlds in this solar sector. We would have continued on our set course if not for the distress signal transmitted from your moon city.”

The man cocked his head as the A.I. translated. “So there are more of you coming?”

“Possibly, if they locate our beacons.”

“Beacons?”

“We left a record of our findings in secure beacons. Only those with the matching frequency can detect it.”

The man leaned back for a minute, his face had paled. “Are you part of an invasion force?”

As the translation came through, Vadir held his hands up. “No, no, not at all. At least not from my own knowledge. I was just an engineer so my understanding of the mission is limited. We were just seeking a new home. Each habitable world we encountered was archived and ranked based on compatibility with the native life forms and the environment itself.” 

“Interesting. What can you tell us about the main ship you came from?”

“It’s infested with those things my people call the Nirimor,” said Vadir. “It needs to be destroyed.”

“Nirimor? You mean Mortans. Then it is as I thought,” the Commander said standing up. “I will have you relocated to Site 51 once you’re on your feet. Welcome to Earth. Shame it had to be like this.”

“Wait!”

The man stopped in his tracks and half turned. 

“Let me help, I know every part of that ship. Get me to engineering and I can help you destroy it from the inside.” 

A minute passed. “I will relay this to my superiors and keep you updated. Thank you…”

“Vadir.”

“Vadir, thank you, for being forthcoming.”

— 

Once again he was alone except for the single Nurse and guards positioned outside the tent. As the heat faded to give way into the evening. He felt a chill run through him. If he wanted to be of use to these people, he would need to be able to speak to them without relying on the A.I. I wonder could a trace allow me to absorb the data I need. He looked over to the nurse wearing white and waved at her. Perplexed by his actions she stood up and approached his bed. She carried in one hand an old electric lantern. Its illumination kept back much of the darkness and it allowed Vadir to take in the alien person’s features. The Kaskari had encountered many alien races across their travels through the vast void of space. Some alive. Many more extinct, and some of those races had come close to looking like them but the humans were so similar he almost wondered if a group of Kaskari had gotten here first centuries ago. It would explain much of their technological feats unless something else was responsible for that. 

“How can I assist you?” she asked, placing the lantern on the side table. She had interrupted his train of thought and he didn’t know how to communicate his intention. He simply held his hand out. Obviously, even more confused, she presumed he wanted her hand for something. It hovered above his silver palm. She looked visibly shaken, uncertain of what he intended to do. Not wanting to give her the chance to pull away he gripped her pale pink hand and engaged his trace. The veins on his skin turned bright yellow. If I can read her mind, I can better understand the human tongue and hopefully better understand them.

The smell of burning plasma and the sound of crying wounded would have led a weak-willed person to turn away from it all. But she had to remain steadfast. She had a duty of care to these men. Even if that care meant they would end up back here anyway. A never-ending cycle… What were they even fighting for anyway? The Japanese had a vested interest in securing the pacific region of course. It was as much a reaction to China’s growing strength as it was a desperate power grab. That was the paraded answer but there was probably more to it than just that. On the one hand, they wanted security and the resources that came with that. On the other hand, if the rumours were true. There were ‘alien sites’ dotted across South East Asia. She knew this because she had been reassigned from Site 51. One of those alien sites. The treasure trove of ancient alien technology had accelerated the race for technological superiority in a world that was progressing ever more off a cliff and into the unknown. She dreaded how this all would end. But as long as she did her duties, and if things went as intended she might actually be able to return to her parents at the farm. Or they would just send her back to Site 51. To live the rest of her miserable life under the Earth. A never-ending cycle…

The vision shifted then to a cold sterile environment. Outside this tomb was the endless space. Vadir Kor had been informed of a power fault in this corridor and with his assortment of precision tools, he set to work on removing the grates and soon found the issue. A split wire. Fixing it took very little time and as he fixed the grate back into place he stood up and stretched. In doing so he turned to see where they were. A grey crater-ridden surface was below them and beyond that sitting on the horizon was a handful of large connected domes that stretched out in all directions. Another fledgling civilisation, one that had just begun reaching out into the dark forest. A new player to join this never-ending game. Beyond the alien domes sat the planet itself. Indescribable in its majesty. He took a minute to absorb its finer details. He had longed to set foot on another world. Perhaps this would finally be the one and their journey could at last end. 

Little did he know that hell would soon follow. 

He let her hand go and felt an immense weight of despair and sadness wash over him. A mixture of her regrets and his mourning. He saw her recoil back clutching her hand in abject horror. 

“What did you do? What did you show me?” she screamed at him. 

The flaps ruffled and one of the guards entered, his weapon now pointed at Vadir. 

The Nurse held her hand up to stop him. “It’s fine, I think. You can leave us.” 

The guard’s icy stare pierced Vadir but the man relented and left them alone. 

“I – needed – communicate. So I got inside your head. I forget it’s – a two-way link. I see your mind. And – you… you see mine. That was moments before… first contact. Before – I lost everything.” 

She loosened up and placed her hands on her hips. “You could have asked. I thought you were trying to take over my mind or something. I thought you were -”

“A Mortan?” Vadir shook his head realising he had absorbed how the humans referred to those creatures. “Can I get out of this bed?”

“Why?”

“I – I – I” He struggled to articulate what he wanted. For him, his first two times waking up on an alien world had been from a state of unconsciousness. He had not yet felt the ground underneath his feet. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he had dreamed of.  “I just want to see how it looks from the Earth.”

“See what?”

“The Moon.” 

She rolled her eyes but appeared to understand. “I saw the Earth from your perspective. She looks so -”

“Inspiring.”

“Yes. It kind of gives me hope in a way.” 

She didn’t elaborate and instead went about removing the tubes. She grabbed some nearby bandages from a storage unit and applied them to where openings had been cut. With Vadir no longer chained to a bed, he sat up and swung his legs over the bed, planting them on the dirt. It sent a cold shock up through his ankles. He had forgotten he was barefoot. He used his toes to rub dirt between them. This odd coolness proved soothing. It also hurt as his feel rolled over small stones. The Nurse soon helped him to stand. Dizziness overcame him and it took a moment to steady both his nerves and himself. The Nurse thankfully helped him remain steady. He was reminded of her memory. He was about to ask about it when she spoke, “careful, don’t do anything too sudden, you’ve been out of it for a while, remember.” 

“Thank you, you know my name but what’s yours?”

She met his red eyes and huffed. “You saw into my mind and you didn’t even learn my name, Vadir? Really.”

“Forgive me, I was too focused on getting to grips with your language.” 

“Right, since you asked so nicely, it’s Kate, now let’s get this over with. Come with me.” 

She parted the flaps much to the surprise of the two guards. A simple request gave them the room they needed to exit. By now night had fully settled. Vadir removed her hand on his shoulder and stumbled forward so that he stood alone. Behind him, Kate and the guards remained vigilant. The two men looked ready to gun him down. He expected that. There was so much to take in, from the chatter of the nearby tents, their flickering light and the ship he came from, almost invisible due to its metal design. Its final resting place would be here. He looked beyond it and saw her. The Dauntless sat in an open grave. Its impact had more than left a mark. And above that, a bright white circle casting light across the landscape. On that celestial body, humans likely remained fighting against the Mortans and any Kaskari fortunate enough not to have returned to the Dauntless before it crashed. Vadir’s legs finally crumbled beneath him and he landed on the dirt. Kate began barking orders but he had all but tuned her and everyone else out. All except the Dauntless now stood in focus. 

Am I the only one left? 

A single answer floated in his mind but he dared not accept it. 

We didn’t come this far, all to die!

With some help from the guards, Kate had him back in bed. She placed the quilt over him and stepped back. 

“Will you be okay, Vadir?” 

“Yes.”

No… because the nightmare isn’t yet over. The Mortans inside that tomb will soon wake and then the real struggle begins. Who can stand against such consuming madness? The humans would be at a disadvantage by themselves. They would need someone who knew that ship like the back of his hand. He looked at Kate. 

“Tell your Commander, I can help. I must destroy my ship. If it means an end to those creatures.”

“I’ll do that, but first Vadir. You need to rest.” 

And rest he would, until the dawn approached. 

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The Fall Years, Roswell: CHAPTER ONE – SURVIVOR –

The Dauntless’ alarms blared in his ears as his bloodied fist met the door’s panel button. For Vadir Kor everything right after making first contact had been hell. Finding intelligent, compatible life on Earth was great. Finding the very scourge they had hoped to avoid in the shape of a unknown Nirimor variant proved unexpected. The ships self-destruct had been triggered at some point and then shut off by either one of the interfering forces. He had only minutes if that before the ship’s current trajectory saw it enter Earth’s outer atmosphere. His still smoking overclocked plasma rifle made a loud clang as he tossed it to one side. He hurried over to the ship’s main console and began preparing for take-off when one of his fellow crew members emerged from the shadow, coated in a black substance and clearly out of it. They waved their arms frantically in an attempt to get his attention.

“Ship lower-” the words barely escaped his lips as a creature clad in deep black and bearing a multitude of spiked tendrils burst from the shadows overwhelming the crew member in such a way that there would be very little of them left.

“Fire! Fire! FIRE!” Kor shouted pushing himself back into his chair. “No more delays!”

The plasma turrets on the underside of his dropship began their assault on the creature and while it stood its ground. It could not withstand the heat and explosive power forever. It’s body melted into a puddle and left Kor wondering if it would still be able to come back to life. His heart reached fever pitch as he heard more noise on top of his ship. 

“Tracking multiple hostiles on the hull,” the ship A.I said candidly. “They are intending to breach the structure.”

As if on cue the ships metal heaved and bent. “Don’t just tell me. Deal with them.” 

The ship obliged and the topside turrets did their part in melting whatever resided on the top of the dropship. Black congealed blood drifted down the front viewport as Kor fastened himself in and engaged the lift off procedure. It wasn’t long before he exited the hangar. And for the first time since the alert triggered his flight response, he relaxed and took in the view of the jewel below. He found salvation but it had come at a cost of everything behind him, the Dauntless began separating as it hit the atmosphere. Hull, debris and more spilled out into the abyss. An explosion close to his ship catapulted Kor towards the embrace of a foreign world. It took a few moments for the gyros to orientate the dropship and he soon sank into the chair. At least for the now the worst was behind him. 

He spent the first few minutes calculating the best landing area. Earth may have been large but it was also covered by Terrans. He didn’t quite like the idea of dropping into a major populated area. The risk to his life would be too great. In the end, he put his faith in the automated system. Once the calculation were complete he begin his journey to land on the world. Unsurprisingly, the people down below did not take too kindly to his attempt to land on their world. The ship’s lights turned red as it began automated combat manoeuvres. In response to the closing inbound missiles the ship dipped and returned fire, dispatching them easily enough. Something else soon grabbed his attention disturbed by the ships sudden descent. The clanking and grinding made him think some wires had loosened above him, but it was much worse, for out the corner of his eye, a tall black mass lowered itself from the hole in the ceiling. It must have been hiding among the tubes where it chose to rest. Its long claws scraped against the metal floor and the creature slivered toward him. Kor still had his plasma Kelcior pistol but in the time it would take for him to leave his chair. The foul Nirimor would be upon him. Without moving too much he keyed in commands for the ship to shift direction. The sudden tilt caught the creature by surprise and it fell toward him before hitting the glass screen. Realising the danger it was now in, bladed tendrils rose from its back and frantically attempted to strike Kor but each one narrowly missed his face Kor squirmed back and fired off a few plasma shots. This was enough to shatter the glass and send the Nirimor out of the ship and into the embrace of the world below. “Ship, lower the visor!”

The dropship’s metal screen slammed down into place and a series of holographic images created a rough idea of what was in front of him.

“Captain,” said the A.I communicating for the first time.

“Ship? what is it?”

“I had engaged auto evasion subroutines but by entering a manual order, I need to recalculate our entry.”

“Do what you have to do.”

“Understood. I will assume direct control from this point forward.”

The ship jerked up from its nosedive and took caution to evade the unabating inbound threat from the Terrans.

“I’ve marked the optimal landing area,” the ship A.I said. “It should be safe enough.”

“Any way we can open communications with the Terrans?”

“I’ve been attempting to. However, I am getting no response. I don’t think they understand my request.”

“Figured as much.”

The next few seconds were spent approaching the landing area as the onboard turrets continued to keep the missiles at bay. “Engage landing protocol.”

“But, Captain?”

“Do it.”

The final set of missiles came in close together and hit the dropship’s right side. Though the hull held, the ship shuddered violently as Kor took the controls and lifted the front of the ship up before it met with the ground. The sudden impact caused him to black out.

Children of the Entity: Lifetaker

The storm howled outside the church as rain hammered against the windows. Near the altar a hooded man was crouched in a messy seven point star. On each point was a candle. The man also held one. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be in prayer. But the twisted smile on his face showed otherwise.

“There comes a time when the fire must burn no more.”

Using the tip of his pale bony finger he pressed it against the candle stalk, extinguishing the flame.

“When faith can no longer find solace, on a dead plain.” He moved onto the second and did same.

“Mortalis are gathering and they are hungry.”

As he finished speaking, he heard a low distant growl. It didn’t take too long to plunge the entire church into darkness.

“Where darkness reigns. The dawn fades and our future is decided.’

The old wooden doors opened, inviting the wind’s vicious howl. The hooded man stood up, his scarred face lit by the flash of lightning. A priest stood on the threshold. As he stepped forward, the doors slammed shut as if by unseen force.

“What is this heresy!”

He was soon staring down the hooded man, “what do you think your doing!”

The hooded man laughed and grabbed the priest’s collar befoe throwing him into the seven point star and pressed down on the priests chest with his black boots, “This isn’t your home anymore! Can you not see all that they are. Cracks are showing, man of faith. Corruption is coming. Mortalis will cover the Earth. It is inevitable”

The priest was muttering a prayer under his breath. The hooded man bent down and seized hold of the tongue. Removing a curved knife he shook his head. “Your prayers go unheard,” in one swift cut he removed it. The man’s blood splayed his robe and coated the floor beneath them

The priest floundered, and struggled his eyes wide in terror. The hooded man kept him restrained

“It’s time for you to see,” he laughed as he gouged out both eyes. Darkness was everywhere, and the howls blistered the priests ears. The laugh cut through him. The footsteps were distant now. There was the faint sound of glass cracking.

“Remove the veil, its children come,” chanted the hooded man. “Remove the veil.”

The priest felt something grab his ankles, he was suddenly be dragged, “Hope is distant and your faith is fading.”

The man’s screamed punctuated the air. Then came the silence. The hooded man moved to leave the church when a new powerful voice stopped him.

“Brother-”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

The hooded man smiled. “Don’t mention it. We are a family after all.”

The voice chose not to answer. Instead the church doors opened and the hooded man known only as the Lifetaker disappeared into a endless night.

What is the Infinitum?

The Infinitum is to put it simply a culmination of all my writing into one single place. It started with the earliest of my writing before the name itself came to be. Back then my aspirations toward writing centred more around adventure stories. Stories like The Circle of Life and Cold Blooded Heart provided not only the foundation but templates for pretty much all my future characters. In fact, only one of those characters truly remained unchanged and will later make appearances before his novel debut.

As time progressed I moved on to more in-depth world-building and from that was born the basis of the Infinitum. As to what stories you should expect, the universe itself is full of mad science, demonic magic and all-around insanity. The first series I’m working on Mortalis is set on an Earth alternate to ours. One that was influenced by alien intervention many centuries prior and is still reeling from the consequences of those aliens disappearing. This is an Earth accelerated by alien technology with humans striving ever beyond a mortal existence.

A more serial-like series will be The Children of the Entity which takes science fiction and mixes it with good old-fashioned eldritch horror. I would be lying if I said I didn’t take some inspiration from Lovecraft. Though more than simply using his creations I wanted to make my own.

The Chronicles of Sycane takes place inside its own sphere and is pure fantasy and to date represents one of my earliest pieces of writing, back when I regularly frequented sites like Neopets and beyond. We all had to start somewhere.

My end goal with the Infinitum is to release a set of stories people come back to. To really describe all of it here would be a monumental task. The universe aims to cover many genres. It’s not just novels that I plan to write either. A lot of characters exist and will feature. And I would like to think there will be something here for everyone. At the end of the day, I just want fiction to be something people can laugh, cry and most importantly enjoy consuming. Whether you enjoy it, is not for me to decide. I might be a perfectionist but I’m not without fault. Either way, I hope you’re sitting comfortably.