Curious Sols (The Sol Principle Book 1) Read online

  Curious Sols

  By Myron J. Smith III

  Text Copyright ©2016 Myron J. Smith III

  All Rights Reserved

  To Sami and Kristen sister souls of curiosity

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 Fulfilling a Dream

  Chapter 2 My Future is your Past

  Chapter 3 Learning by Osmosis

  Chapter 4 Walking in Her Footsteps

  Chapter 5 Awkward Reunions

  Chapter 6 Space Ghost

  Chapter 7 Family Night

  Chapter 8 Mysteries

  Chapter 9 Hoist the Sails

  Chapter 10 Risky Deceptions

  Chapter 11 Beauty is in the Mind of the Beholder

  Chapter 12 Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon

  Chapter 13 Inventions have Mothers not Masters

  Chapter 14 Worlds Apart

  Chapter 15 Learning the Hard Way

  Chapter 16 Plans of Mice and Men

  Chapter 17 Out of the Minds of Babes

  Chapter 18 A Battle for the Ages

  Chapter 19 Correctional Courses

  Chapter 20 In and Out of Trouble

  Chapter 21 All for One and One for All

  Chapter 22 You’ve Got Mail

  Chapter 23 Planar Geometry

  Chapter 24 The Spider and the Fly

  Chapter 25 Welcome Home

  Chapter 26 Rock Bottom Epiphany

  Chapter 27 Crackerjack Surprise

  Chapter 28 Women and Children First

  Chapter 29 Jump

  Chapter 30 A Perfectly Good Spaceship

  Chapter 31 Left Turn at Albuquerque

  Chapter 32 Turn of Fortune

  Chapter 33 I Say So! Okay?

  Chapter 34 Crazy Train

  Chapter 35 In Search Of

  Chapter 36 Trick or Treet

  Chapter 37 Where Eagles Fly

  Chapter 38 EX-citing Clues

  Chapter 39 One Big and a Half Happy Family

  Chapter 40 EX Marks the Spot

  Chapter 41 Mine all Mine

  Chapter 42 Unpleasant Memories

  Chapter 43 Valid ID

  Chapter 44 Welcoming Committee

  Chapter 45 Old Friends and New

  Chapter 46 This Land is Mine Land

  Chapter 47 Karma

  Chapter 48 Through the Double Doors

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1 Fulfilling a Dream

  Quietly whirring, a faint ball of light floated down the hallway. With a little roll, it skittered its way around the corner and into a small dark room. The softball sized orb danced and fluttered about before stopping a meter above the ground. Barely visible from its white glow, a young girl lay sleeping, peacefully in a small bed. Although clearly asleep, a smile came over her face as the light drew near. The glowing ball dimmed, then with a whirl, wound its way under the girl’s arm. She hugged the ball, still seemingly resting, and turned over.

  Hours later, a dim light from the walls of the room slowly brightened. Its increasing intensity soon revealed a small girl’s bedroom. The corners of the room held a stack of stuffed animals of various types, with a purple color in common. In fact, the walls of the room were purple, as was much of the decor.

  The girl slowly woke, noticing the addition of her nighttime visitor, gave the ball of light a big hug. As she did, the ball turned a deep shade of purple, then back to orange, its light now adjusted to fit a brighter surrounding.

  “Wispy!” exclaimed the girl with joy. “You’re back. What have you been up to?”

  The ball rotated in several small circles while turning a light shade of red.

  “I knew it! If you're up to something and mom catches you, she’s going to take you back to her lab,” scolded the girl.

  With a quick spurt the ball hovered over to a dresser and set down upon the top. “That’s a good idea,” reaffirmed the girl. “You just stay right there while I get some breakfast. I can’t wait until mom has time to fix us breakfast again. The instant waffles are terrible.” The little ball of light made a tiny spin and turned a tint of green at her comment. Jessica, unaware of Wispy’s reaction, put on her slippers and headed toward the kitchen.

  “Morning, Squirt,” muttered a half-awake young woman at a breakfast table.

  “Squirt? So I’m a squirt?... Okay.” Jessica grabbed a breakfast tube from the food dispenser. “So, if I’m a squirt,” giggled the girl as she opened the tube, “then I guess there’s only one thing I can do.” Turning toward her older, half-sister, she smiled and took aim.

  “Don’t you even think about it,” glared the teenager as she slowly moved toward the girl.

  “Careful,” giggled the girl, “don’t make me mess up your…” But before Jessica could finish her playful taunt, the teen deftly moved to the side of her. “Stephie!” screeched the younger sister as she squeezed the tube quickly. A yellow sticky goo shot out of the breakfast tube, barely missing her older sibling as her side-step had taken her out of the way.

  Before the two could continue, a video of a woman working in a computer lab appeared on a clear glass wall opposite them. Like many of the appliances and counter-tops, the walls of the room were made of a special glass. It was designed to show and manipulate multimedia applications such as videos and pictures. In this case, it also allowed parents to check up on their children and make sure that they weren't getting into too much trouble.

  "Unless you are planning on giving the kitchen a free cleaning for Mom, I suggest you put down that tube, Jessica,” warned her mother.

  “Oh, and, Stephanie,” continued the woman, “save the defensive moves for your fit class." Stephanie slowly lowered her guard as she turned away from the image of Ashley. Once her face was concealed from Ashley's view a playful smile was consumed by a scowl. By the time Stephanie had turned full circle a blank look was all her step-mother would see. Fully separated, the girls returned to a semi-breakfast position.

  "Jessica, make sure you get to class on time today,” she gave a reminder. “And, speaking of getting to class on time, just where is your wisp?” the lady asked.

  "Wispy's in my room, Mom— charging up," the girl said softly, avoiding the gaze of her mother.

  "Okay. Wispy needs to stay charging up. I don't want you being late to class again because of it,” her mother gave one last warning.

  Jessica gave her mom a quick look and a thumbs up before conveniently turning her attention back to breakfast. She had luckily escaped trouble yesterday for being late to class, especially with her father being the teacher. Between his teaching duties and her mother running the science lab, Jessica had more free time on her hands than she was used to. Sometimes, that meant she accidentally found her way into a bit of trouble, but most of the time it was Wispy’s fault.

  Everyone on board had a very specific job to do or else they wouldn't be here. Her father had two jobs. While the ship was flying to Mars, he served as the lore keeper and teacher of history. When the ship arrives at Mars though, he will lead the sentinels and watch over the people.

  "Ashley," started the older daughter, referring to her stepmother by her first name. "I won't be back for dinner, I'm going to the coasters tonight."

  A flash of annoyance was quickly dashed as her stepmother replied, "Be back before star watching tonight. You know your father's been looking forward to this for some time."

  Stephanie began to speak, then stopped, seeming to change her mind.

  "Okay, I'll be back in time,” she said quickly. Grabbing a breakfast tube, she jammed an assortment of items into her pack.

  The coasters were one of the few exciting things for teenagers to do aboard the ship. Th
e name hailed from the days when large amusement parks entertained people all around Earth. Although it goes without question a roller coaster cannot fit into a spaceship, a simulated coaster can provide all the thrill and excitement without the space requirements. In fact these coasters surpassed their ancestors by allowing a rider to design their own course.

  Satisfied that the girls were on the right track, Ashley gave them a wave and ended the video.

  "I can't wait for the stargazing tonight," Jessica cheered from her breakfast stool. "Dad says there's a cool comet tail that we'll be able to see from the port side."

  "You have fun with all that stargazing," muttered Stephanie. "There is an open track coaster with my name on it, and I'm not leaving until I set a record no one can touch."

  "What about Dad?" questioned Jessica, "he wants us all there."

  “So do I,” fired Stephanie revealing a hint of buried anger, “so do I.”

  Jessica wasn't quite sure what to make of her older sister's comment, but before she could ask about it, an orange ball of light zipped around the corner and into the kitchen.

  "Wispy what are you doing in here?" questioned Jessica. "You're supposed to be charging in my room. Mom's already on me about your behavior. Just where were you last night?"

  "See you later, Squirt!" shot Stephanie as she pulled the pack over her shoulder and headed toward the exit door.

  "Hey, wait a second!" Jessica tried to get her sister's attention, but it was too late. She was already two rooms away and out of earshot.

  "Well you're going to have to be my substitute sister for the night Wispy. Let's go to my room and figure out something to do." The young girl and the glowing orange ball both bounced their way back to the small bedroom.

  #

  Stephanie made a sharp turn into her bedroom. She had almost forgotten her Ksync which would have been disastrous for her upcoming coaster run. After all, every great moment in time needs a great theme song. Her mind backtracked to the first time she remembered listening to music while flying a sim. Almost ten years had passed since then.

  Stephanie remembered an early Sunday morning at the Air Force base. Even at the early hour, her father was at work. He was on active duty, and would get called away on a moment’s notice for some sort of rescue mission. He never talked about them. With her mom gone and him at work every other week, she learned to cherish Sunday mornings.

  The morning hours led to the discovery of her greatest love in life… flying. Her father would sneak her into the drone simulators, and they would have an hour of great fun. Occasionally, a pilot or two scheduled conflicting times in the early mornings. No one said anything to her father, at least not until Ashley came along. Quite a few things changed at that point.

  “I’ve been practicing all week on my PlayStation, Dad,” said a young girl. “You don’t stand a chance against me. Do you want to give up now or later?”

  Jonathon Quinn reached down and grabbed his daughter’s nose. “I should surrender now, but giving up has never been my strong suit.”

  The two of them finished attaching the simulator’s sensors around their bodies before entering the simulator cockpits. As John lifted his daughter up into the sim, the comm unit attached to his uniform sounded.

  “Just a moment, Squirt,” John said as he set her back down and clicked the comm.

  “Lieutenant Quinn,” addressed a crisp male voice. “General Gossitt,” identified the base commander.

  “Lieutenant Quinn here, Sir,” John replied as he came to attention.

  “Lieutenant, I have an important visitor for you to meet. We’re on our way to your location now to discuss your project. Report to me in the control center.”

  “Yes, Sir,” John acknowledged in a neutral tone, trying to hide his anxiety.

  Quickly removing the sensors from both of them, John explained to Stephanie, “Kiddo we need to get out of here and get to the control room on the double. It’s going to be hard enough to explain what you’re doing on base, let alone wired into a combat sim.”

  Stephanie gave her father a look of disappointment, but slowly helped him take off the sensors.

  “With any luck we can try again next weekend.” John tried to alleviate her feelings the best he could.

  The look on her face didn’t change much. Left unchanged it typically led to trouble, but John couldn’t afford to wait any longer. He took his daughter by the hand and quickly walked up the stairs leading to the control booth. Coming down the stairs was another pilot. John stopped and saluted her, then quickly continued up the staircase. As they reached the top, a clear doorway leading to the control room opened silently.

  Once inside, John quickly ran through a list of possible reasons why his daughter could be with him. The words rang as hollow in thought as they would likely have sounded aloud. John settled on what he should… the truth. Not more than a minute later, the General’s escort entered the room. They were followed by the General and a young woman in her early twenties. John couldn’t help shifting his focus to her. There was a look about her that conveyed a confidence beyond her years. As the general approached, the room was called to attention and customary salutes were exchanged.

  Only one person noticed Stephanie slip out of sight.

  “At ease,” directed the general. Looking toward the young woman, he began introductions. “Doctor Brynn, I’d like you to meet the group leader I was talking about, Lieutenant Quinn. Lieutenant, this is Doctor Brynn, assistant director of the neurology department at Harvard.”

  “Please to meet you Miss, er… Doctor Brynn,” stumbled John. “You don’t often meet someone so, I mean someone whose name sounds like yours. You know, Quinn, Brynn, it kind of rhymes.”

  The woman extended her hand with a half-puzzled, half-smiling look on her face.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Lieutenant…Quinn,” she replied. “The general has been generous with his praise for your work here. I’m looking forward to working with you and your team.”

  John came back to reality as her last words set off a bell in his mind.

  “Work with my team, Sir?” John directed to General Gossett.

  “Lieutenant, your team’s assignment is taking a new direction,” answered the general. The Air Force has been looking for some time now, at ways to update our methods of training. Flight sims and field practice worked in the past, but today’s Air Force needs pilots able to respond to situations that don’t exist yet. We have to be more fluid, adaptable, and faster at identifying and responding to crisis situations. Dr. Brynn’s research at Harvard may have the key to changing today’s practice for tomorrow’s problems."

  The general was about to continue when sounds from the combat board interrupted him. In response the group turned toward the board. It displayed a visual representation of the drone combat simulation as seen by the pilots in the sims. Being Sunday, the mission’s controls were manned by a single airman. The ensign was calling in targets for a combat scenario. On the screen, two Air Force A1-03 Supercharger drones were locked in combat with a half-dozen Chinese manufactured strike drones.

  “Nice shooting,” remarked a woman’s voice from the control board.

  “Thanks,” briefly replied a muffled voice.

  #

  While the grown-ups were talking their heads off, Stephanie slipped through the silent doorway. She flew down the set of stairs to the combat pods. There was no way she would miss a chance to fly her drone, certainly not for some meeting. General Gossitt should've had stars on his collar for boring people. That would make him a four star general for sure. The kids on the base called him “General Gossip” because he would talk forever at school assemblies. Needless to say, she should have time to make an entire run on the sim without being missed.

  Conveniently, her father was in such a hurry to get up to the control room, that he'd left his Ksync on a bench outside the pod. Stephanie grabbed the device. Then with a leap, she pulled herself up into the pod. Once inside she yanked t
he hatch down and attached the Ksync to the flight controls. The display in her pod showed an active mission was already underway. That was alright, she could easily join a run in progress. As her father’s Ksync gave her access to the mission, it had also been set to play one of its stored songs upon activation. A volley of rock 'n roll guitar and steady drums filled the cockpit. Stephanie looked at the screen on the Ksync, it listed the song as “Panama” by someone called Van Halen. She tried to shut it off, but it quickly became clear she might shut down her connection to the pod as well. She let it play instead while she attached the flight control sensors to her body. Within moments she had joined the simulation.

  As the guitar’s harmonics vibrated through the cockpit, her drone had kicked in afterburners for launch. By the time the singer yelled “Uh huh”, the drone was rocketing to the hot zone. It was time for serious action.

  #

  John was thankful that the board had sounded. The distractions must have sidelined any questions about his daughter. He smiled and looked to his right for Stephanie. She wasn’t there. He turned quickly the other way and then around behind. She was gone. A horrid realization crept into his mind as he began to put the pieces together.

  His actions hadn’t gone wholly unnoticed.

  “Something wrong, Lieutenant?” asked the general.

  John looked at the door leading to the sim bay below.

  “Sir as much as I’d like to accept a new assignment, I have to admit I’ve been struggling a bit with balancing work and family…” John tried to explain, but was cut off by the sound of gunfire from the control board.

  The general’s attention was snatched back by the visuals on the screen as was the rest of the room’s audience.

  “Amazing shot drone one,” commented the ensign manning the control board.

  “I have to keep pace with my wingman it seems,” replied a female pilot through the control board.

  In short order the two Air Force drones had downed all six Chinese drones. A combination of amazing flying from both pilots and intuitive teamwork gave the onlookers an energetic round of entertainment.