Starzel, p.1
Starzel, page 1
Starzel
A Gripping Sci-Fi Adventure in War-torn Dystopian Worlds - An Alternative History Fantasy Novel Rife with Secrets, Self-Discovery, and Futuristic Science Fiction
By
Mark Bertrand PhD
First Edition Ebook September 2023
First Edition Print October 2023
Copyright © 2023 Mark Bertrand
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
This is a book of speculative fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual historical events, real people, or real places is entirely coincidental.
Publisher: Not A Real Publisher
ISBN Print: 979-8-9889234-2-8
ISBN Ebook: 979-8-9889234-3-5
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About The Author
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1, Planet Forty-Four
Chapter 2, Planet Te
Chapter Three, Transport to Earth
Chapter Four, Welcome To Earth
Chapter 5, Grooming Boys
Chapter 6, All Caged In
Chapter 7, Waste of Time
Chapter 8, Great Wealth & Benefit
Chapter 9, The Shooting Board
Chapter 10, Tathagata
Chapter 11, Stranger Than Fiction
Chapter 12, The Cure
Chapter 13, The Documentary
Chapter 14, The First Priority
Contact Information
About The Author
Mark Bertrand is an acclaimed author known for his compelling works of science fiction and metaphysical exploration, including "Starzel," "Love Reincarnate," and "A Conscious Thing."
With a background in aerospace, neuroscience, and mathematics, Mark brings a unique blend of scientific knowledge and philosophical insight to his writing. His deep understanding of Buddhist principles and Zen teachings infuses his storytelling with a thought-provoking and introspective quality.
As a seasoned traveler and seeker of knowledge, Mark draws inspiration from diverse cultures and experiences, enriching his narratives with a global perspective. When he's not crafting captivating stories, Mark can be found enjoying the serene landscapes of southern Spain, reflecting on life's mysteries.
With his unconventional thinking and ability to challenge conventional norms, Mark's writing captivates readers, offering a fresh and immersive reading experience. He maintains open lines of communication with his readers and critics, fostering a strong commitment to his craft and staying at the forefront of his field.
Engage in his literary journey by visiting his website or social media platforms and discover a world of boundless imagination and philosophical exploration in Mark Bertrand's evocative works.
Acknowledgments
Cover Art Provided by: Andrly https://www.fiverr.com/dankovychart
Cover title, North America Post 15th Aryan War.
Story Edit Provided through Fictionary.co
Beta Reading Provided by: Allison https://www.fiverr.com/a_l_collins
Beta Reading Provided by: Nsikak Edet https://www.fiverr.com/ednsika
Illustration, Banyan by: Olesla https://www.fiverr.com/suslenocheck
Illustration. Eulǝr by: Brian Flores https://www.fiverr.com/study3_2d/
SEO & Advertising Provided by: Mariam Zahra https://www.fiverr.com/zahramariam
Publisher: Not A Real Publisher LLC
First Edition: September 2023
Visit the author, Mark Bertrand on his website: https://markbertrand.com
Please be sure to give five-star reviews.
Thank you for your continued support of independent authors.
Contact: info@notarealpublisher.com
TO THE ONE WHO IGNITES My World,
They say behind every great writer is a great muse, but in my case, I got a one-of-a-kind blaze of inspiration – you. While I've been scribbling away, you've been the mastermind behind the scenes, adding a touch of magic to each word.
Your support and love have been the secret ingredients that make my writing sizzle. From cooking up creativity to dusting off writer's block, you've been my partner in literary crime.
This book isn't just a collection of stories; it's a tribute to the way you've illuminated my life. So, here's to you – my partner in words and adventures, my source of laughter and love.
Chapter 1, Planet Forty-Four
When it comes right down to it, there are just two sides to everything. Ludicrous, I say. Should I accept the simple duality of everything? There are just two things I have to say about two choices. First, who cares? Second, so what? What I found as far as this, when there seems to be a choice between one thing or another, that’s a red flag, the siren, the lightning flash, the warning. When this happens I know the choice isn’t obvious and I have to choose neither of the two. Instead, this is when intelligence opens the heart to listen and discover truth.
Still, and silly as it might seem, I often catch myself comparing my life between being here on Planet Forty-Four, home of the Syganoid, a highly advanced humanoid race, to what I have learned about life on Planet Earth. In theory, Planet Earth sounds pretty sweet, but just being a generic human on Planet Earth? That’s not for me. No way!
Here’s a good example of why not. On Planet Earth, the water, air, and ground are all part of how human life evolved. It’s the only natural environment for sustaining human life. Meanwhile, on Planet Forty-Four, we live inside massive domed habitats that are floating on a fully poisonous gas planet. One tiny crack in the dome and this planet’s natural environment will end, killing every person here. Fortunately, our superior technology and enhanced minds make it possible for us to survive. You could even say we prosper.
A gentle breeze is always present inside the dome and the atmosphere is rich with every element needed to produce water, soil, and nutrients for growing plants and producing building materials for everything we need. The smell and sound are neutral as it is our way to experience life as The Source intended it. No conflicts with too hot, too cold, too rainy, too bright, etcetera. Every day is perfect in temperature and feels comfortable on the skin. Smells are clean and refreshed and every sensation provides a longing to experience the beauty of our advanced civilization.
Life here gets even better when you compare it to how people live on Planet Earth. So, when I hear someone saying they wished to visit or go on vacation to Planet Earth, I shake my head in disagreement. Why would anyone want to go someplace where everything wants to destroy you? Natural air, they say. Filled with diseases, viruses, and pollution that destroy DNA and spawn cancerous cells in your organs, I say. And the water? Water is even worse than the air for destroying the body's natural existence. Everything on Planet Earth competes to exist at the expense of everything else. Plants consume soil and water, rob the sunlight and convert all that stolen energy into growing their physical structure. Small fish are eaten by larger fish, who are eaten by still larger fish is exemplified throughout. All of it is a necessary effort to survive on Planet Earth. Every facet of energy exists because it can be devoured, in one way or another, by some other source of energy.
Then there are the people. What they don’t consume they destroy in their quest for pleasure. They take pleasure in everything. Everything they consume destroys the very planet they need for survival. Do you know the difference between being dumb and being stupid? Dumb is when you do something wrong but you didn’t know any better and stupid is knowing better but doing it anyway. People on Planet Earth, yeah, they're stupid.
This brings up the major difference between a highly enhanced, very capable, and super intelligent Syganoid like me, and a generic human. Humans occupy their life by doing. They are always doing something. Even when they sleep they’re busy, busy, busy. They designed sophisticated words for it such as efficient, productive, and meaningful. A Syganoid is all about being. We don’t have to do anything to exist or be happy, we don’t need to buy things, make things, or try to live better lives than everyone else. We are happy and alive. Be real, be content, and be here.
As I contemplate the contrasting realities of our existence, the immense gulf between the advanced Syganoid civilization and the seemingly primitive life on Planet Earth becomes abundantly clear. The marvels of our technology, the splendor of our environment, and the profound sense of contentment we experience form the foundation of our superiority, evoking a profound mix of curiosity and pride within me.
How do I know all this about Planet Earth, you ask? My mother is a biological scientist who works with a team of scientists on Planet Earth. Most of the time, she’s there and her team develops biomechanical enhancements that give Syganoids more enhanced lives. We already enjoy sixteen senses. Compare that to generic humans living their entire lives with just five senses. Anyway, my mom tells me a lot about living on Planet Earth and she brings me recent data files from various places around the planet.
My father and I love her and she loves us back. He is a genius, my dad. His mind has added more to the evolution of space and the expansion than any of us can fathom. We share a home and have so much in common. My eyes, like all Syganoids, are the unmistakable ylnmn blue, and my thin but wavey blonde hair is just like his. Most people say that I have my mom’s nose and smile. Anyway, love is another example of the differences between humanoids and humans.
Here, we love being alive. Love is the core of existence and we love the well-being of all that is. But on Planet Earth, people made love a thing to do rather than a thing to be. They fall in love, whatever that means. They announce their love of things and for things. Ridiculous things like food, shoes, transportation, buildings, sports teams, towns, and schools. They select one person to—give—their love to and then the doing of love gets even more busy. They get an engagement ring, have an engagement party, set a wedding date, and spend more money on wedding preparations and gifts than most of them earn in half a lifetime. Do the wedding, do the honeymoon, do the make a baby, do the baby, and a few years later, when there’s nothing else to do, they do the divorce. Return to fall in love at step one, and start it all over again.
For them, love is just a word they attach hundreds of actions to the word and it becomes an aggregate that causes both anxiety and limited moments of joy. In comparison to my humanoids and how we love, it is very different. But rather than tell you, I think you’ll enjoy it more if I show you. Come on, follow me. I’ll take you to where it all gets started and then I’ll share my typical day with you. We’ll visit my friends, and I’ll take you to where I work. Later will catch up with my father for a hearty meal and a chat. Let me warn you right now, he’ll talk your leg off.
BEFORE WE CATCH UP with my friends who have been telling me for several weeks now that I need to go to the doctor for a check-up. “You’re acting peculiar," they say, "you need a physical or something, and blah blah blah.” Be like me and just ignore them. First, though, let’s head over to that building. The five-story all glass with the silver light beams chasing from bottom to top illuminating the corners. It’s our medical center. Is Quantum Jumping new to you? With intention, we can sense our way to be wherever we want to be. We call it quantum jumps, which is the fourteenth sense. It doesn’t work from Dome to Dome though. It only functions intradome. Duh, right? Let’s go.
Through these doors here. The chief of surgery is on the other side and says, “Hey, Eulǝr. Where’s it all happening, man?” That’s my name, by the way. I’m Eulǝr. My father named me after his favorite mathematician, Leonhard Euler. The upside down ǝ in my name, is an emphasis for the Euler Number represented in mathematical formulas by an e. The Euler Number is used in defining almost everything including the discovery of the code to the Universe. Anyway, that’s fairly boring stuff. Righteous and powerful, but wicked boring.
“Who are you talking to?” the chief of surgery asks me. We are standing inside her spacious operating room. The walls are opaque with a pearlesque tint and the ceiling above is luminous with brilliant color-enhancing light that gives everything in the room a high-definition appearance. There are four, Bio Organoid Operating Machines (BOOM) positioned in each corner of the room with a sliding table to insert and extract a patient down the center of the tall rectangular-shaped machine. The outside of the BOOM is an organized group of conduits, hoses, and tubes with little room to spare that are all connected through the walls and ceiling. Midway of the long side on the front is an operations control center with multiple monitors and several keypads, toggles, and metered dials.
“Don’t be rude, man. That’s not chibusa. An apology would be nice.” After a long pause between us, her blank expression tells me she isn’t going to apologize. “Are you performing any procedures today?” I ask.
She looks at me with a quizzical expression, “I’m not sure who owes whom an apology Eulǝr. Otherwise, yes. I have two seven-year-old patients today. Do you want to watch the operation? I’ll be using the new O. I. techniques your mother and team developed.” She throws her arms around me. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Your mother was always wonderful and provided enhanced quality of life for every Syganoid for more than three hundred years. She treated me with respect and friendship.”
“Thank you for your kindness and yes, can we observe the procedures?” I ask.
Her quizzical expression returns as she catches her speech and decides on another thought. Her eyes express concern, “Did you take mine and your father’s advice from our lunch last week? Have you made an appointment with your doctor for a checkup?”
“Like I told you guys, there is nothing wrong with me. I feel fine and my systems are not reporting any issues.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Eulǝr. Did you make the appointment?”
“Pardon me,” says the porter as he comes into the operating room with the patient on a gurney. The patient is unconscious and anesthetized. He’s a seven-year-old which is the age our civilization agrees is the correct age for a human to transform. After today, following the operation, the young man will be a humanoid, a highly advanced Syganoid, and a new member of our kuudere.
We help the porter lift the child onto the litter and then watch as he is conveyed into the BOOM. “I’ll need authorization,” the porter says as he holds the reader to the surgeon. She takes the small cylinder holds it to her right eye and then after it flashes to her left eye. Taking the reader back from her he says, “Thank you.” We wait for him to exit the room.
“These are exciting times in medical history,” she says, almost giddy. “We’ve come a long way with organoid intelligence. Thanks to your mother and her team back on Planet Earth. God bless her.” She cups the side of my face with her soft, cold, hand. Stroking my cheek with her thumb as she mentions Mom, her sympathy is shown with an exaggerated facial expression.
“Come over here.” She stops touching my face and takes me by the hand. Leading me to the center of the operating machine. We stand, looking at the high-definition monitor and the surrounding metered displays. Each of the smaller displays is scrolling data for specific outputs of vital signs, injections, harmonics, resonances, and dozens of other pieces of information that I’m unfamiliar with. “You can watch the entire process with me, while I perform the implants for enhancements. We’ll make this person one of our kuudere. Very exciting times!”
Before it starts, I stand in this advanced operating room, the hum of the medical equipment, the smells of a sterile medical environment, and the soft beeping of monitors. I'm witnessing the transformative procedures and hearing the surgeon's excitement, while a profound sense of awe and the weight of my heritage washes over me, blending pride with an overwhelming sense of expectation.
Through the monitor, I can see the first three Neurolinks being lifted from their containers. “Every device is keyed and serialized to one body.” She says as she points to a display noting the serialized codes being registered. The devices are then dipped into a Petri dish and swished around in what looks like a thick gravy before being lifted back out of the dish.
“What is that?” I ask, pointing at the Petri dish.
“That my young Eulǝr, is your mother’s new solution of organoid intelligence. The microscopic-sized biobrains attach to the circuitry of the Neurolink and bond to the device. Like some miracle of magic, she found a way to get the individual brain cells to become embedded into the circuitry, not just attached to it, but they evolve to become one super-intelligent machine. Imagine tens of thousands of micro brains operating at computer speeds without the need for an interface or for operating systems. Wait, look there.” She points to the monitor. “Here’s your father’s mathematics at work.”
With curious intensity, I watch, as the infused and saturated Neurolinks are positioned and then laid on top of the young boy's shaved head. A second or maybe two later the Neurolinks disappear. I struggle to believe what I saw as the devices seemed to melt into the boy's head as they submerged and disappeared.
“Did I see what seemed to be the head absorb the devices?” I ask.
“It’s so amazing. Isn’t it?” she boasts. “Here. Let me adjust the view so we can see what’s going on inside his skull now.” She moves a few switches and then the monitor displays the inside of the boy's head. “Through the harmonic resonance, the organoids synchronize with the host’s body and brain. They already know where to go inside the brain and where to connect to the autonomic and peripheral nervous system, the pineal plexus and the pituitary plexus, etcetera. See there.” She points at one of the neurloinks as it begins to reappear and attach itself to the brain.
