2288: The Skotadian Experiment Read online

  2288: The Skotadian Experiment

  By

  Douglas Howell

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © May 2019

  This book is dedicated to my little girl, Ziggy, who passed away on May Day 2019 at 05:35:44 PST of kidney failure. She was born on October 30, 2000 and she became a part of my life on March 1, 2002. Thank you for being a part of my life.

  Author’s Note

  There is an unwritten rule in writing a science fiction novel that states the author should come up with terms and new technologies. Although this book follows that rule, I felt that it could be a major distraction from the story if I had to explain new terms and technologies frequently. I think the reader would appreciate a separate part that gets that out-of-the way first. It would give them a quick access to refresh their memory as needed. I have also provided a page explaining the ranks of the new military branch that deals with outer space. Further, I felt that it is equally, as important to devote a page to the main antagonist, protagonist, and alien race, for the same reason.

  Ranks

  Central Command Officers

  Supreme Commander

  Theater Commander

  Logistic Art Commander

  District Commander

  The following list deals with a military branch based in outer space.

  Rank: Fleet Admiral

  Rank: Admiral

  Rank: Vice Admiral

  Rank: Rear Admiral (Upper)

  Rank: Rear Admiral (Lower)

  Rank: Commodore – Commands up to five ships and one base.

  Rank: Fleet Captain – Commands up to five ships.

  Rank: Captain

  Rank: Commander

  Rank: Lieutenant Commander

  Rank: Lieutenant

  Rank: Senior Ensign

  Rank: Ensign First Class

  Rank: Ensign

  Rank: Senior Chief Warrant Officer

  Rank: Chief Warrant Officer – First Class

  Rank: Chief Warrant Officer – Second Class

  Rank: Chief Warrant Officer – Third Class

  Rank: Warrant Officer

  Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer

  Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer

  Rank: Chief Petty Officer

  Rank: Petty Officer – First Class

  Rank: Petty Officer – Second Class

  Rank: Petty Officer – Third Class

  Rank: Senior Crewman

  Rank: Crewman First Class

  Rank: Crewman

  Note:

  Logistical Arts: Determination of requirement, acquisition, distribution, maintenance, and disposal. It allows those who are absolutely dependent upon logistics to prioritize their resources more effectively and prevents over-stretching.

  CCOs are in command of all branches of the military. In effect they are a combination of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense.

  Warrant Officer Types: Logistics, Intel, Personnel, Engineering.

  Project 21: Task Force ZH-3C

  Adnrwal, Vaistll = Rank: Captain. Wol’ga’con.

  Anderson, Shawn = Rank: Crewman. Canadian.

  Behlmer, Emmett = Rank: Senior Crewman. British.

  Bernstein, Luis = Rank: Crewman. Israeli.

  Blumenthal, Michael = Rank: Crewman. New Zealander.

  Brewster, Orlando = Rank: Warrant Officer; Type: Engineering. Canadian.

  Bryce, Donald = Rank: Warrant Officer; Type: Logistics. Australian.

  Caparzo, Charlie = Rank: Crewman First Class. American.

  Choy, Lei = Rank: Crewman. Chinese.

  Chu, Yi = Rank: Chief Warrant Officer – First Class; Type: Personnel. Chinese.

  Cole, Terrance = Rank: Warrant Officer; Type: Engineering. Canadian.

  Coté, Elisabeth = Rank: Chief Petty Officer. French.

  Ellis, Thomas = Rank: Senior Chief Warrant Officer; Type: Logistics. American.

  Guerrero, Jose = Rank: Crewman. Mexican.

  Hayes, Jonathan = Rank: Lieutenant. Canadian.

  Hoffneisten, Sean = Rank: Crewman. American.

  Kaminski, Brent = Rank: Crewman. American.

  Kim, Jiao = Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer. Chinese.

  Liebowitz, Jared = Rank: Ensign. Israeli.

  Lucarelli, Vincenzio = Rank: Crewman. Italian.

  Martinez, Dominic = Rank: Chief Warrant Officer – Third Class; Type: Intel. American.

  Mendoza, Santiago = Rank: Crewman First Class. Brazilian.

  Moriarty, Philip = Rank: Crewman. Canadian. Skotadian.

  Nakada, Takashi = Rank: Senior Ensign. Japanese.

  Nguyen, Binh = Rank: Crewman First Class. Vietnamese.

  Ramirez, Alexander = Rank: Lieutenant Commander. American. Skotadian.

  Robinson, Matthew = Rank: Crewman. British. Skotadian.

  Sanchez, Jessica = Rank: Lieutenant. Puerto Rican.

  Sanders, Christopher = Rank: Crewman. American.

  Taylor, Richard = Rank: Commander. British.

  Trivelli, Enzo = Rank: Crewman First Class. Italian.

  Van Hoven, Theresa = Rank: Crewwoman. American.

  Venito, Shannon = Rank: Crewwoman First Class. American.

  Weng, Dequan = Rank: Crewman First Class. Chinese.

  Wexler, Liam = Rank: Petty Officer – Second Class. Martian.

  Skotadi

  Skotadi is the main antagonist group. Skotadi is Greek for darkness. The group was founded on November 2, 1988 by Jason M. Idelle. The power of Skotadi rested in taking cronyism to a whole new level where multinational corporations, governments, secret societies and nongovernmental organizations merged into one. They are a true one-world government where the power of the elite is concentrated into a single body to represent their interests alone and not those of the people.

  Project 21

  Project 21 is the main protagonist group. Founded in 2038 it was one out of thirty groups created by Skotadi that served a specific task. It was the only one to survive out of its sister groups and because of that it became a major force within Skotadi. Over the course of time its role changed and it started to deal with the people more often, handling their concerns and being their agent. Because of the dirty civil wars within Skotadi (elite versus elite), Project 21 in 2232 was able to split off and become independent. But it was never strong enough to seriously challenge Skotadi.

  Space Colonies

  Space colonies became the only escape for people seeking some degree of freedom from Skotadi but they could not escape the darkness of humanity. It seems like no matter where you go, there is one truth: religion is a joke and morality is almost nonexistent. It quickly becomes apparent why space colonies need a military presence of some sort.

  Rymetece a.k.a. The Earth

  Rymetece is an anagram of cemetery, and as the name suggests it is the Earth after becoming basically dead. The humans who live upon it live on a world that is so polluted and degraded that it is the sole source of human apathy throughout the galaxy. No one wants to live there and those who can leave the world. But for some reason humans still have a special place in their hearts for this “dead” world formerly known as the Earth.

  Montauk-Tech

  Without morality, and with apathy being the only God that humans worship, it should come as no surprise that technology can not save the human race. Rather it adds to the misery of humans by creating new technological horrors and newer forms of pollutions which further degrade any world that humans colonize. Each technological horror creates a new wave of apathy that threatens the very survival of humans. How can humans continue on in existence when apathy waxes and hope wanes?

  Extraterrestrial Civilizations

  Whoever suggested
that it was their duty to solve human problems, when they have their own problems? It becomes a bigger let down when people learn that ETs have their own interests at heart and have an agenda that can run counter to human well-being. But as luck would have it, if it weren’t for Skotadi, some ET civilizations may have decided that it is in their best interest to wipe humans out of existence. With Montauk-Tech it allows both humans and ETs to live amongst one another by creating hybrids. It also allows both sides to eat one another’s food and drink. Nevertheless, the mixing of the two creates strange illnesses on both sides.

  Jason M. Idelle

  Most of the information about him is either suppressed or is not known. It is believed that he founded a company in 1965 called Cyeus Inc. (Cyeus is a compression of the words cybernetic and deus [Latin for god].) Later in 1976 Cyeus created Kronos of Id. In less than a year after he founded Skotadi, Idelle disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. It was later discovered that his name is an alias for “Who am I?”

  Kronos of Id

  Kronos of Id (Id as in Intelligentsia Discontinuance) is a Skotadian self-aware machine that was created by Jason M. Idelle. Idelle agreed to hypothecate the Kronos of Id to the powers that be in exchange for swearing an oath of loyalty to the perpetual preservation, formulation, security, and maintenance of Skotadi. Idelle also agreed to retire and turn all notes on the creation of the Kronos of Id over to the powers that be. They then created their own version of it, and like Idelle, the original was never seen or heard of again.

  The Cross of Mithras

  The Cross of Mithras is a heavily encrypted psychological report on the upper echelons of Skotadi. It was always considered to be the Holy Grail of those using cyberspace as a means to rebel against Skotadi. It was important because it would allow hackers to use the technology of Skotadi against the upper echelons of the institution. If used correctly it could cause Skotadi to either face a significant decapitation or a major civil war. But the document is so rare (in the sense that it can’t be copied) that most think that it is a myth. And thus, those who would use it have never seen it.

  Lenkov & Omori

  Fleet Captain Joseph “The Hammer King” Lenkov and his girlfriend Sayaka “Cyber Doom” Omori, two of the most formidable Skotadian agents of the dark empire. It was on Valkyrie that they came to prominence and earned their nicknames when they contributed to the downfall of the so-call rebels. But it is their popularity, and to a lesser extent possessing the Cross of Mithras document, that convinces Dark Core to have them liquidated. But because of their connections within the Skotadian world, it becomes Dark Core’s biggest mistake ever.

  The Hammer of Doom

  A new experimental Skotadian Battle Cruiser (classification B10U) that was created with technology from the Andromeda ET civilization. The ship is a killer of fleets and was named after Lenkov and Omori. They in fact named it after themselves. The ship, like them, is very formidable.

  The Wol’ga’con ET Civilization

  In the year 2258 a sixty-year-old female Colonel by the name of Vaistll Adnrwal, along with her family and 3,125 other refugees, arrived on Golden Hyperion. They were escaping the growing chaos upon their world. This is the only contact that humans have with the Wol’ga’con, but it will not be the last.

  Tylkuoply Hive

  In an effort to regain control over the growing chaos upon the Wol’ga’con home world, the powers that be created the Tylkuoply hive. It was supposed to be a new form of mind control, but it got out of control. As contagious as a zombie apocalypse it can spread very fast in a short period of time. Technological enhancements become irrelevant since only an individual’s will power is targeted. But unlike a zombie apocalypse it still preserves a sense of collective will. The will of the hive (not necessarily the individual) to not only to survive but also to spread the contagion remains. Thus the only desire of the individual is that of the collective will. To put it another way, the Hive is a combination of a zombie apocalypse, the pod people from the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Star Trek’s Borg.

  The Necro-Mystic ET Civilization

  Numbers may vary on how many are left, but with their war with Skotadi they are most likely nearly extinct. Like the Wol’ga’cons, their home world is laid to waste and is no longer suitable for habitation. Using cloning technology in a vain attempt to regain control of the chaos upon their home world, it opened a Pandora’s Box that finished them off as a species.

  The Valkyrie ET Civilization

  A very old, ancient, dead ET civilization who in an effort to regain control of the chaos upon their home world turned to their equivalent of the Matrix. Non-Skotadian colonists discovered the world and made it habitable. The world became a Mecca for cyberpunks everywhere both human and ET alike. Although rumors suggest that some of those ETs are still in that Matrix, this is strongly believed to be a myth. Since Skotadi does not allow a Matrix of any form, and this dead ET Matrix was close to being reversed engineered, the world had to be subdued.

  The Andromeda ET Civilization

  Another very old, ancient, dead ET civilization who in an effort to regain control of the chaos upon their home world turned to technology. But the machines that were supposed to save them caused them to go extinct. Fresh from their victory upon Valkyrie, Lenkov and Omori were sent there to subdue the old machines and to allow Skotadian scientists to reverse engineer them. The world was recently made habitable again and is now open for human colonization.

  Golden Hyperion

  A Skotadian stronghold with a population greater than 50 million (one out of seven), it is in a major trade route making it as important as New York and/or Singapore on the Earth. It is a moon that encircles the gas giant Ishtar. It is peaceful, serene and resembles the Canadian Rockies. Its sister moons are the desert moon Oasis, N(nature)-Reserve, and Blue Marble with its blue ice. A true one-of-a-kind prize for any civilization. Its fate becomes the fate of all.

  Skotadian Acronyms

  Continuance of Oligarchical Reciprocal Extraterritoriality (CORE) – More commonly known as Dark Core, this is a Skotadian confederation of oligarchs who not only preserve each other’s interests, but also Skotadi itself. They are in effect both the executive and legislative branches of Skotadi.

  Department of Enforcement / Administration Detention (DEAD) – Two different departments that functions as one. Department of Enforcement is the judicial element of Skotadi, and Administration Detention is the department that deals with incarceration. An individual could be sent to one of the following: prison, penitentiary, labor camp, penal colony, or even a mental institution. The difference between their version of a prison and a penitentiary is that their prison is for violent offenders while their penitentiary is for non-violent offenders.

  Forced Inclusion Security Technocracy (FIST) – A Skotadian cabal of technocrats who specialize in technology of indoctrination. With incarceration powers they have the authority to determine the guilt or innocence of dissidents and nonconformists. They also possess a psychological artificial intelligence in order to get into the mind of targeted individuals.

  Intelligentsia Discontinuance (ID) – Also known as the Id or more commonly known as Dark Id, this is the cybernetic resting place of the Skotadian echelons. When a VIP chooses to be discontinued from service or they are forced into it, they go into the Dark Id where they are “merged” with all other individuals within it. It is in effect the Skotadian version of the Matrix, and its creation is based upon the notes on the Kronos of Id.

  Secure Interface Network (SIN) – The software and cybernetic implants that allow an individual to connect to all electronic devices. It contains their personal data – mainly their job resume, medical history, security clearance (if any), tax records, school records, bank account, criminal history, marriage records, and so on. Since it is based exclusively upon an individual’s biometrics it is not secured with encryption. If an individual is willing to pay, their employer may provide them with encryption. B
ecause the system can transmit their personal data it can allow hackers and/or technocrats to gain access to that data whether it is done lawfully or not.

  Video Interface Criminal Enforcement (VICE) –A surveillance system using spy cameras, drones, data, and other useful technologies to act as the eyes and ears for police and other security personnel. It is controlled by an AI that looks for red flags denoting some degree of criminal intent. Once criminal intent has been detected, it then prioritizes it (petty crime is thus considered lesser to that of murder) and then seeks the nearest personnel to handle the crime. It can also track criminals as well as levy fines.

  Virtual Environment Recreational Management (VERM) – A regulatory body that deals with the cyber infrastructure of Skotadi. It has the authority to reverse engineer any form of cyber infrastructure and software. They also specialize in cyber warfare, virus authorship, and other forms of malicious cyber attacks. They are the sole reason why there is no other Matrix of any kind. Please note that VERM is also short for vermin.

  Table of Contents

  Author’s Note

  Ranks

  Project 21 Task Force ZH-3C

  Terms & Acronyms

  Part One: In A Universe So Irrational

  Something Insidious

  The Fool With Power

  Hope: The Cruelest of Delusions

  I Can Smell Your Fear

  Nothing But Ghosts

  The Coldest of Revenge

  The Sounds of Their Screams

  Can’t Hunt Down a Phantom

  The Dark Hand of Nemesis

  The God of All Monsters