A Rising Tide Read online

  The Boronian:

  A Rising Tide

  Copyright © 2016 by Ross Buzzell

  All rights reserved

  No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of Ross Buzzell.

  Edited by Judy Hutchenson

  Cover art by Robert Rajszczak

  Alien language art by Ross Buzzell

  About the Author

  Ross Buzzell grew up in a military family which resulted in him moving around a lot and eventually living overseas in Sweden. Living in a country that is not your own can be very stressful and make a person feel like an outcast, resulting in something known as ‘culture shock’. Culture shock tends to cause people to behave differently than their norm but for Ross it manifested in a slightly different manner, creativity. It was about this time that he started to create different characters, in multiple genres to help channel the emotional strain that was living as an outsider in a foreign country. Ultimately he realized there was little to differentiate him from those he was around and as a result the story of Konner Lorian was born as a way to show that while there are differences between us, we all are the same.

  Warning: Chapter 9 has been shown to cause chest pain and tightness in those with heart conditions.

  Special Thanks

  To my amazing wife who has supported me and has had faith in me to the point where she moved half way across the country to help me follow my dreams, thank you.

  To my father Captain Robert Buzzell, without whom I would not have had the amazing opportunities that led to this character’s development; and my mother Sherry Buzzell who has always believed in my work.

  To my best and oldest friends, Natalie Dalby and Jeff Young, who helped me proofread. You both are amazing individuals. To Grandma Judy who helped me edit even though it was a monumental task. Thank you.

  To Rufus Triggs, who helped me develop alien races on slow days at work.

  Boronian Field Guide

  Below are definitions and descriptions of things you will encounter throughout the book, should you choose to skip them and jump straight into the story go to page nineteen.

  Creatures

  Dragons: Giant flying lizards that can breathe fire, ice, lightning or acid. They can vary in size, weight and color depending on the breed. Weakest to strongest: yellow, green, silver, blue, red, gold, black, white and marbled. Dragons grow in rarity depending on power levels: yellow is most common while marbled is almost never seen.

  Spinara:Giant spiderlike creatures, roughly one to one and a half meters full grown in height. They have ten legs and short prickly hair that covers most of their bodies. Hyper aggressive but easily trainable (if able to be broken) and spew venom and leap great distances. Spinara have most or the characteristics of an earth spider only with more legs, eyes and aggression. Like Earth spiders they come in thousands of different forms.

  Nelaka: Fully grown Nelaka can vary from one to three meters in length. While their body is gelatinous it courses with high electrical currents able to stun most Boronians but has enough juice to kill a full grown human with ease. They dwell in dark caves that have near frozen lakes and rivers buried deep beneath the surface. Nelaka do not use conventional sight but rather see with a thermal vision to map surroundings and see the image radiating off the heat of anything living, particularly prey. Having a gelatinous body makes them very difficult to see in water and even harder to kill. Methods that have proven successful are through heat, dehydration, specific kinds of acid and an electric overload or power drain. A single baby Nelaka holds the same energy within it as a bolt of lightning.

  Golem: These are beings comprised of stone that reside in the deep of Boron. Legend states that the Golem are either ancient Boronians who refused to leave the subterranean world after the surface became habitable or miners also known as photoliths, who were trapped in cave ins. Either way the Golem is what specific Boronians will turn into if they remain in caves for extended periods of time. They are a shell of their former selves, held together only by energy and they violently protect the subterranean realm. They are nearly impossible to kill unless wielding special weapons. (Starfall is the only non-Energynium weapon known to be able to kill them. Energynium weapons are also effective but still take some using.) Their intelligence is non-existent, making them useless in battle as they are almost guaranteed to attack and kill everyone on the battle field. They are drawn to anything that gives off energy and are thus found near lava flows or radioactive materials. Their two areas of highest concentration are near Energynium or in the chamber that holds the Forgers Armory.

  Naga: A serpentine dragon that dwells in the highlands of Boron. They vary in size from one meter in length to eight and can have multiple heads which are sometimes hooded like a cobra, depending on their age. These dragons have limited flying capabilities, more like a hover due to their speed. Typically land dwelling, Naga are food for the larger dragon species aside from the Wyvern species of dragon. Occasionally the Naga will have a humanoid form which brought up some serious debate on whether or not they are considered ‘intelligent life.’ But after testing it was discovered that the humanoid Naga had no more brain power than other animals and thus the humanoid Naga were kept in the Dragon category.

  Races

  Draronian: A dark pink skinned alien species, one of the oldest and most powerful in the universe. They have an elongated skull, black eyes and a lengthy thin body and limbs, with only three fingers on each hand. These humanoid aliens have no mouth or ears due to being a very powerful psionic race. They gain nutrients by absorbing them through touch, and their psionic powers allow them to summon constructs with everything from shadow monsters to a realistic dinosaur. All of which are as real as the summoner wishes them to be. This makes the race very feared although they are docile and often use their powers to help train militaries or educate across the universe.

  Titans: A race of enormous beings standing between nine feet and twelve feet tall, they are native to one of Jupiter’s moons. Being a waring race and wielders of massive power they began their conquest by decimating the paradise planet of Jupiter, turning it into the gas giant it is today. They are in turn directly responsible for the storm that rotates the planet. It was not until their attempt at wiping out a second planet in their solar system, Mars, that the Boronians got involved, resulting in the Boronian/Titan war. This war lasted three generations and wiped out almost all of the Martians, burning the planet to a red ball of dust. The Boronians and the last of the Martians were able to push the Titans back to their home world. There the Boronian High King at the time used the legendary Starfall Blade to Crack on the planet’s surface killing everything and everyone on the surface including himself. A single battalion of Titans escaped and made their way to Earth where they were met by natives of the planet who had a Martian living among them. The Martian instructed the natives in a ritual that locks all but one of the remaining Titans into the Earth but not before the last remaining Titan steals the last of his peoples power for himself to make himself stronger.

  Malanara: A race of beings who stand no more than a meter tall. They are aggressive and what they lack for in height they make up for in strength. A single Malanara has killed a Boronian dragon mount with a single punch. Although their technology is greatly lacking compared to the rest of the space trotting beings, their strength and aggression often are a fatal combination for any who cross them. Their bites cause nearly immediate and rapid spread of cancer of the skin, which is where they get their name.

  Trigzell: An unknown race from the far side of the galaxy that have engine technology beyond anything the Boronians have seen.

  Bo
oks

  Way of the Warrior: A book similar to “The Art of War” that gives the rules of conduct to Boronian soldiers as well as advanced strategy laced in riddle for only the most intelligent to uncover. The riddles were constructed as a form of coding to prevent the strategies from falling into enemy hands.

  Institutes

  Sco’lor: The scholarly institute of learning, dedicated to passing and furthering knowledge from one to another. This academy was named after the first High King and founder of the Boronian civilization, Scotor Lorian.

  Sol’lor:This is the military Academy dedicated to all things battle, out of which the best military in the known galaxy is produced, due to training their soldiers starting at such a young age. There is a branch off known as the Cryptea where the best of the best are sent to a special facility to be made the greatest warriors in Boronian history.

  Locations

  Forgers Armory: An armory near the core of the planet where rare Energynium forging hammers are stored. When they were formed they were imbued with different attributes which are passed on to whatever they forge. The Cryptea use them to forge their armor but must make it near the core of the planet first.

  Caelum: The capitol city of Boron that is located on the northern most pole of the planet.

  Greeting Hall: A massive hall in the Boronian Palace where dignitaries, leaders and Kings are met. The pathway itself bears a resemblance to the ‘hall of mirrors’ which is in the palace Versailles.

  Dead Lands: A baron strip of land that encompasses the equator of Boron. Having taken the most damage from the solar flares prior to Starfall’s presence on the planet, the equator is a desolate waste land where nothing can grow and whose terrain is so harsh that no sustainable towns or cities can be built; this and the fact that every so often the Dead Lands spit out a flurry of mutated beasts that threaten anything they come across. Boronian patrols and military outposts constantly scour the Dead Lands in case mutations occur; it is the lowest job in the military and the most dangerous, usually given as a punishment. If demoted to the Dead Lands, a soldier is destined to stay there for the rest of their career to show they are willing to work in the worst conditions imaginable to redeem their name.

  Military Groups/Titles

  Cryptea: These are the most elite of the Boronian soldiers; the team is comprised of only twenty at any given time. During ‘world ending conflicts’ the Cryptea is the first to be sent into the worst battles and are often the only ones to walk away. Admittance into the Cryptea is reserved for when a Boronian soldier turns 18 and he or she has been the top of her class since birth. There are few exceptions and in the modern age they have been Xero Lorian and Konner Lorian who were both part of the Cryptea at the age of 15. Upon initiation into the Cryptea, the initiate is forced to forge their own armor. While a rite of passage for every Boronian soldier, the Cryptea use a special forge that imbues the armor with the characteristics of the individual forging it. This makes the armor more than just a suit but actually part of the soldier.

  Off World Squad: The OWS are the best of the best, second only to the Cryptea. This squad often takes assignments in various parts of the galaxy to help retain the peace with the Boronian allies and to support the Cryptea, often following them around from mission to mission.

  Battlemate: A bond between soldiers forged in battle, particularly on missions that would be considered suicide missions, either before or after the fact. While there is no romantic connotation to this bond, it is one that will often transcend even the bond of family ties and can result in a soldier having more than one (up to ten) battlemates.

  High Council: A conglomerate of the council of the kings and queens of Boron, plus the council of the Triad Generals and the council of the Emissaries who gathered under special occasions. These primarily being when to go to war and who is to be admitted into the Cryptea as well as intergalactic diplomatic missions.

  Food/Drink

  Schinus: A fruity alcoholic beverage synthetically generated by Boronian brewers. The beverage is sweet and smooth and is rumored to have mild taste variations depending on the person drinking it. It is so strong that a heavyweight human drinker could only withstand a small glass before they would fall to the ground unconscious.

  Renowned Military Engagements and Illnesses

  World Ending Conflict: When a war encompasses an entire planet where the battles themselves will cause the death of everything on the planet’s surface without weapons of mass destruction a Cryptea deployment is usually called for. With a single deployment, the Cryptea can bring an end to a world ending conflict.

  Great Dragon Wars: For the first 200 years of Boron’s historical existence, there was a plague of dragons that threatened to wipe out the Boronian race altogether. It was not until the year of 150 that a young leader named Vlad’Drac was able to begin to turn the tide of the war and began to drive the dragons back. But in the year 179 the Great Dragon was awoken by the continuous fall of its kin and emerged from its den to lay waist to the Boronian people. Knowing that his forces were no match for the great beast, Vlad’Drac used a forbidden form of electron absorption to gain enough power to kill the dragon. The act in and of itself drew the life force from those who were witness, all of which knew about the ritual and turned Vlad’Drac into a being of great bloodthirst, strength and speed far beyond that of his fellow Boronians. Not wanting to cause harm to his people Vlad’Drac sent his army away and went toe to toe with the great beast. The battle raged on for nearly twenty years until Vlad’Drac was able to sink his fangs into the neck of the beast and drain it of its lifeblood. This brought an end to the dragon war. The remaining dragons went to remote places on the planet but those who remained within Boronian reach became allies to the people. With everyone who knew of the ritual gone and Vlad’Drac not wanting to cause harm to his fellow Boronians, he had the scientists build him a ship to send him to another world to keep his people safe. This lead to the Spatial Expansion.

  Spatial Expansion: In the wake of the Great Dragon Wars scientists continued to make and perfect the ship that was commissioned by Vlad’Drac. This would aid in Boronian people to leave their planet to explore others. The result was the exponential growth of Boronian technology making them one of the most technologically advanced species known.

  The Great Plague: A disease brought on by Xero, brother to the High King, which threatened to destroy all life on Boron through an illness which stripped Boronians of their powers. This caused their atomic structures to become unstable and break down leading to a full body, agonizing, and degenerative death. It was also highly contagious.

  Rituals

  Festival of Life: A global celebration honoring those transported away during the time of the Great Plague.

  Mourning Period: Since time in memorial, the Boronian civilization has observed a period of mourning for the loss of loved ones, friends (only on very special occasions) and family members upon the advent of their relationship. This is a three month period where aBoronian forces themselves to move through the five stages of grief prior to the loss of their loved one. When the inevitable happens the Boronian can seamlessly continue to be a contributing member of society. As a result the loss of a husband, wife or child is welcomed with acceptance upon their deaths and thus allows the remaining memberto move on. This being said if a death can be prevented or there ishope that life can be saved (even if it is hopeless) the mourning period does not prevent a Boronian from taking action to save a life.

  Laws/Healthcare

  Energy law: Being a people who feed and emit massive amounts of energy, the energy laws of the planet are rather slack and are considered the least important laws on Boron there is only one page of rhetoric to depict what the law of energy will be. It simply states; “No Boronian is to unleash the energy stored within their cells without specific permission from the High King or High Council and never on Boron itself.”

  Water Usage: While not necessarily a law, water usage is heavily restricted by pl
anetary A.I. in the area of showers. The reason for this is not due to water conservation but rather the natural scientific facts that hot water damages skin making it dry, Boronians, being electron deficient and unable to absorb from other living beings (aside from Konner) meaning that their cells do not bounce back as quickly from dehydration damage due to the excessive heat from the steam showers. Single exposure is negligible. Adverse effects can only be seen after years, if not decades of use.

  Health Care: There are two kinds of hospitals; the Healing Center, a facility specifically designed for soldiers and battle related injuries. They have the most advanced medical supplies in the known universe. Hospitals are designed for anything else, while still top tier it, is far less impressive than a Healing Center.