பனங்கிழங்கின் பயன்கள்!

The Traveler

(The Traveler)
By: Driskoll Heath
Note: There is a glossary in the very back of the book.
Prologue:
Alone.
I, Steve the naked mole rat, had never felt like such an outcast. The most brilliant mind in the
history of the naked mole rat species, the inventor of the Hermes project, arguably the most
brilliant mind in all history, And I had been exiled to this barren planet, all because of THEM.
“Well, at least I have my lab with me”. I said to myself as I activated a small sphere. Vvvzztt! In
a burst of energy, it transformed into a full sized laboratory. Now there are no rules to hold me
back on the development of Hermes. I have a lot of time on my hands.
****
Once, I had been happy. The greatest inventor of the most sophisticated race in the universe, a
family, nineteen pups, a wife, and more aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas than I could count.
But that all changed. Since the beginning when the naked mole rat had first begun to create tools
and weapons, they had always had a problem. They were sorely unequipped with the necessary
biological “tools” suitable for building things for normal sized beings. Thus, they had never
made much profits, because they had to employ other beings to build their inventions by
instruction, which if you have ever tried to explain to somebody how to do something you know
how to do well, but don’t exactly know how to explain it, is not easy. And though their creations
came out well enough they weren’t as good as they could be. That’s where the Hermes project
changed everything.
Log entry 1
Name: Steve
Location: asteroid BL95-Sector 27 (Exile)
Year: 2500
As always, I was working on the Hermes robots, housing containers that provided naked mole
rats with the necessary tools to build their inventions, and to harness their power of opening
wormhole rifts in space/time, in other words they could travel vast distances through time, or the
physical world quickly by creating Σκουληκότρυπες. This was their closest guarded secret off
the naked mole rats. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, the mole rats would be enslaved, and
used for evil purposes.
I was putting the last touches on my best robot yet, the Hermes chronometer, with enhanced time
travel capabilities, reinforced armor, and advanced weapons systems. I had learned a lot while in
exile. It had been so long, I doubted anyone back home even remembered me, but if they did, I
would be known as the traitor scientist who had turned to the dark side of time travel. If only
they knew. The first Hermes robots had been infected with a disease. Sabotaged by Τη σκιά του
αίματου the mole rats that tested the robots were infected. They turned evil. And the other mole
rats thought Steve was working for the enemy.
Log entry 2
Name: Michael Artemis
Location: The earth moon
Year: 2511
I hate my life. I live on the moon, sounds fun right? Well it’s not. Just about the only
thing to do around here is build stuff, that’s my hobby. I like taking gadgets and stuff
apart, and making them into other things, likes robots to do my chores, and make
breakfast, and 3-D holograms, and all sorts of useful stuff. You see, I was the first human
born on the moon. Every month a group of scientists from earth came to run tests on me
to make sure I was healthy and growing normally. They think the lower gravity had an
effect on my brain, and that’s why I’m so smart. They used Probes, hypodermic needles,
IV’s and any other kind of torture device you could think of. They had no mercy; they
paid no heed to my pleas. Sometimes, I woke screaming in the dark. They haunted me in
my dreams. I had to escape.
Log entry 3
Name: Sir David De’ Gallo
Location: Earth
Year: 1468
Sir David “De’ Gallo”, or the “the chicken” had been christened as such because enemies
ran screaming like little school girls at the sight of him. But truthfully, the thought of a
battle made him want to pee his armor. And right now, he was getting ready for the
biggest battle he had yet seen. Sir David was a member of a secret organization; του
ταξιδιώτες. They were a fighting force, centrally located in Greece, who combated τη
σκιά του αίματου a large scale crime ring of thieves, saboteurs, and assassins, also based
in Greece and bent on nothing less than ruling the known world, and they would lie,
cheat, steal, murder, and use any other means possible to achieve that goal. Τους
ταξιδιώτες were an elite force of warriors, knights, tactical military commanders, and
spies from all religions, walks of life, and cultures, united against a common enemy.
Log entry 4
Name: Michael Artemis
Location: The earth moon
Time: 2511
I’m grounded. I don’t even remember what it was for. Probably graffiti or school or something. I
get in trouble a lot. Wow, this is SO MUCH FUN! (Not.) But I’m going for a walk, so…
****
I know we colonists weren’t supposed to go out walking alone at night without a distress beacon,
or at least a radio. But I could really care less. I mean, what’s gonna happen? Alien abductions?
Everyone knows aliens don’t exist.
Well, there are crevasses. But I’m not that stupid. “Oh look at me! I’m going to fall into this
giant crack in the ground and see what happens because I can’t hurt myself with zero gravity!”
well, actually, you can.
****
AAAAAAHHHHHHH! I screamed as I fell into a crevasse. “I wish I would’ve brought a radio!”
I yelled over the rushing wind. How far down does this thing go? I thought after a few seconds.
CRRACCKK! My leg snapped in about three places on impact. OW! I said drowsily. Then I
blacked out.
Log Entry 5
Name: Steve
Location: Deep Space, Quadrant 76, sector 13
Year: 2501
I thought I’d never leave that place.
But, I had at last. The sabotage of my project had been discovered, and my exile was lifted. You
have no idea how glad I was. Now I could go back to my family! My pups were probably all
grown up now; I only wish I could have been there to watch them grow. I was also happy that I
got to work with the τους ταξιδιώτες; they wanted to make use of the Hermes robots! I always
knew that someday they would be put to use. I couldn’t believe the τους ταξιδιώτες were even
real! When I was a pup, I dreamed of joining the τους ταξιδιώτες, a brave “ταξιδιώτες ενίσχυση”
going on quests with my “ταξιδιώτης του χρόνου”. And it looked like I got my wish. We would
be landing soon, and I could see their base of operations, and they had already deported my
family here. I got my very own laboratory and a huge room all to myself. All the rooms had
kitchenettes in them, and to save space, I could propose the institution of the “smart waiter,” a
food serving device that could construct any food imaginable from the atoms of any object. Just
put in, say, some trash, turn the monitor on, browse selections from a list, or construct your own
dish, hit enter, and viola’ there it was. I thought they’d like my ideas, and they did.
Log Entry 6
Name: Michael Artemis
Location: The earth moon
Year: 2511
I was still there. My leg hurts, I didn’t know how long I’d been down here, and it could have
been hours. Could have days, but man my leg hurt. I soon went back to sleep.
*****
I later awoke to an explosion. I wondered what it was. I soon found out. I thought. I’d never
heard anything like it. It sounded like a shuttle crash; I wished I could go see what that was…
Suddenly, my leg started to hurt, but this time REALLY bad. My leg burned with profound pain
like a flame spreading over my leg. My eyelids got droopy. “Not again!” I said out loud. (You
see, I had a tendency to pass out when I encountered intense pain.) I blacked out AGAIN.
I awoke to a figure standing over me. It beeped and whirred and made weird robot-like
noises. I gulped. I stayed as still as I could and hoped it wouldn’t notice I was awake, just in case
it wanted to like eat my brains or something. “Do not pretend to be asleep. I sense that you are
conscious,” It stated calmly, almost as though it had read my mind. I stifled a squeal of fear. “Do
not be alarmed,” it said. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. Nothing could have prepared me
for what I saw. It was definitely alien, and it was definitely a robot.
Its silver metal casing gleamed in the light. It had, what I assumed to be, a large gun on
one arm. “Ummm… Hi…” I said weakly. To tell you the truth I was scared to death.
“Are you an alien? “ I asked as I gawked at the amazing sight before me. “Of course I am an
“alien”, does that come as a surprise to you? There are countless races of beings populating
planets across the universe. That’s common knowledge.” The robot stated as-a-matter-of-factly.
“Uh…wow.” Was all I could manage as the information Sought after by scientist and astrologists
for centuries finally sunk in. My mind boggled with the contemplation of the colossal number of
combinations of stars and planets and the races spread throughout. “Please forgive me for my
rudeness.” The robot apologized. “Allow me to introduce myself.” He said. “My name is Steve.”
Steve continued. I stifled a giggle, a robot alien named Steve? That’s just weird. “Isn’t that a
human name?” I asked inquisitively. “I have no knowledge of the human naming rituals.” “Oh
well, my name is Michael. Michael Artemis.” I told Steve. “I am in need of repairs; would you
happen to be learned in the mechanical arts?” Steve asked. I happen to pride myself in my skills
of building and fixing things, so I’m definitely the guy to ask. “Yeah dude, I’m like really good
with electronics and stuff, I can probably repair you, but I need my tools which are at my
house… so do you have like some alien healing power or something? Because I can’t go
anywhere with my leg like, crushed”. I Told Steve
“If by “healing power” you mean a med-ray, than, I do happen to be equipped with this
particular tool, do you wish for me to use it on your fractured limb?” Steve inquired.
“Um, ya dude. That would be nice.” I said in a “ya think?” kind of voice. Steve pressed a button
on the large laser gun-type thing and the barrel started to whirl and glow with flashing colors, a
high pitched mechanical squeal pierced the silence. It got louder, and louder, then finally a bright
blue beam pure energy shot the distance between Steve and I, and wrapped around my leg in a
billowing swath of light. Speeding up the natural process of healing a trillion times so that what
should have taken months took barely a minute. “I must warn you, you may pass out after this is
complete. The only flaw with the med ray is that it draws power from your body if it is used on
you, this means that you will feel drowsy or weak afterwards.” Steve warned. “So, it’s like side
effects on the medicine that people here and on earth use?” I related. “I have no knowledge of
the after effects of human medical remedies. But, I would assume that, as you find it in relation
to this, it must be similar in some way.” He said. “Hey Steve? Can you talk like a normal person?
All this technical crap is getting on my nerves.” I asked politely. “I do not find this as a
legitimate operation, and I do not see any connection between the excretory system and the
nerves that connect to the gray matter.” Steve asked innocently. “I’ll take that as a no.” I said
with a sigh.
Log entry 7
Name: Sir David de Gallo
Location: Earth
Year: 1468
The battle wasn’t going well. First, the shadow of blood’s army had showed up sporting expertly
crafted steel weapons! Just think of it! Steel weapons?! A single steel bar was worth a small
fortune, and to outfit an entire army with it? That was madness! Sir David and his men didn’t
stand a chance, their heavy iron weapons would easily shatter when pitted against the enemy’s
superior blades. That and the massive, hideous gray beasts with huge, sharpened white tusks. No
one could figure out how to kill them, if you got close enough to do any damage, you got
trampled. The pike would seem effective, but they barley slowed even slowed them down, and
what’s worse, the pain only blinded them with rage. The bowmen didn’t do any better. The
arrows only penetrated a few inches into their tough gray hides, which only served to irritate
them. The only thing that seem to be working was the crossbows and the ballistae, their heavy,
sharp bolts and brute power was perfects for penetrating their leather-like skin. Suddenly, a huge
beast charged out of the soldier’s ranks and came straight towards sir David. The soldiers tried to
form a protective wall around him, but they were instantly trampled. Screaming like a little girl,
(and true to his name) Sir David de Gallo ran for his life, but he didn’t stand a chance trying to
outrun the behemoth the. But, suddenly, just as a giant gray foot the size of a tree trunk came
smashing down towards Sir David, he was enveloped in a swath of golden light, and
disappeared.
Log entry 8
Name: Steve
Location: The Travelers secret base
Year: 2505
A lot has happened in 4 years, some things were good, the Hermes project has been fully
accepted, in fact, most naked mole rats never even get out of their Hermes robots, and the
travelers have expanded to include member’s form more races than you could count. And some
things were bad, military groups from the shadow of blood have assassinated almost every
person in a position of power in the galaxy within a year, as soon as we realized was happening,
the travelers launched the successful operation “ταχεία αετός”, to rescue the remaining rulers. I
was in charge of that mission. It was close, way too close.
Log entry 9
Name: Steve
Location: The Travelers secret base
Year: 2504
I had just been promoted to the rank of υπολοχαγός , that means that I now command a small
garrison of 20 elite soldiers. I stepped into the briefing room and took a seat. General Gaylord
Falknor sat in the front of the room, my unit, and the 4 field medics that would accompany us on
our mission sat behind me. “ATTENNNCHUN!" screamed General Falknor. "SIR, YES SIR!"
we yelled as everyone in the room simultaneously jumped up, saluted, and stood at attention.
“YOU ARE HERE FOR A MISSION BREIFING! YOUR MISSION IS TO QUICKLY, AND
QUIETLY RESCUE THE REMAINING RULERS OF THE GALAXY!” Barked general
falknor. “THIS OPERATION IS REFERRED TO AS OPERATION “ταχεία αετός” OR,
SWIFT EAGLE! Υπολοχαγός STEVE IS THE SUPERIOR ON THIS MISSION, HIS WORD
IS LAW. YOU WILL FOLLOW HIS COMMAND WITHOUT QUESTION!” Said the general.
“ON THIS EXCURSION, MANY LOCATIONS WILL BE VISITED! WE EXPECT TO
RESCUE OVER 100 RULERS, THE ARMOR AND WEAPONRY WILL BE VITAL ON
THIS MISSION, WE ARE AWARE OF TO THE FACT THAT THERE WILL OPPOSITION
FROM THE SHADOW OF BLOOD. A NEW MARK 17 WARTANK ARMOR SUIT HAS
BEEN DESIGNED BY Υπολοχαγός STEVE. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH 10X MARINIUM
COMPOSITE ARMOR, AND MULTI-TOOL ON THE LEFT ARM. IT DOES NOT,
HOWEVER, INCLUDE ANY WEAPONRY. IT WILL BE UP TO THE INDIVIDUALS TO
SELECT TWO WEAPONS OF THEIR OWN. HOWEVER, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO
HAVE CERTAIN TYPES OF WEAPONRY ON YOUR PERSON AT ALL TIMES ON THIS
MISSION; 2 Πιστόλι, a Τουφέκι, 10 Χειροβομβίδες, AND A WRIST MOUNTED ασπίδα
του πλάσματος, AS WELL AS 2 WEAPONS OF YOUR CHOICE. “Yelled Falknor. “
PLEASE PROCEED TO THE ARMORY TO GET PREAPRED FOR THE MISSION.”
Commanded Gaylord. “SIR, YES SIR! Everyone Replied.
I was ready to select my weapons. I already put on my uniform, (which was purple to indicate
my superiority as mission commander, and with orange stripes to show my rank of lieutenant.)
And I had picked up a backpack weapon kit for the mission. I scanned the weapon racks for
weapons to use. I decided to use my favorite weapon of all time, the Norotorian Tomahawk. A
truly beautiful weapon. I picked it up and weighed it in my hand; I was surprised how light it
was. I tested the balance and feinted a few maneuvers. “This is the one.” I said to myself as I slid
it into a loop on my shoulder sash. “Now for another weapon.” I mumbled. I searched in the bow
section for a Τόξο. I grabbed a lightweight δράκος σκοπευτής δόντι crossbow. I chose this
particular crossbow for its excellent sniping capabilities, i.e. silence, long range, and laser sights.
I took a quiver of bolts from the rack, looped the crossbow and quiver to my sash, and headed off
towards the shuttle dock. My unit was already lined up outside dropship 357, which would be
our transport for this mission. “All personnel proceed into the dropship with all of your
equipment.” I commanded as I walked up the shuttle ramp. All of my men fell in behind me, and
took seats in the cargo bay. I sat in the cockpit with the pilot. “Where is our first location?” I
asked the Ithingstran pilot. “The first stop is the planet Altimus 5 in quadrant 12, sector 19.”
Replied the captain. “Your target is the prince of sevrengie, his guards are defending the fortress
against the shadow hordes, but they are badly outnumbered and need backup, the prince’s guard
will join your garrison for the remainder of the mission.” He told me. “Put on your Gravi-packs,
clip your seatbelts, and prepare for takeoff.” The pilot said over the intercom. “Ready to open a
Σκουληκότρυπες?” he asked. “Ready. I’ll open it as soon as were in the air at full speed.” I
replied. We achieved liftoff, and were approaching the LS 15, (15x the speed of light) which is
the best speed for traveling by Σκουληκότρυπες. “LS 10… LS 11… LS 12… LS 13… LS
14…”I counted while I watched the speed. “LS 15! Now generating wormhole.” I declared. A
low whirring buzz began to fill the air around our ship. Suddenly the vision in front of our ship
began to bend and warp into a seething mass of rippling concentric circles. The wormhole was
open.
To be continued in Book 2 of the Travelers
Glossary:
Greek traveler vocabulary
Words:
Ballista: a huge artillery crossbow that shoots gigantic 5 foot bolts
Tomahawk: a small hatchet like axe, invented by the American Indians, which can
be thrown or used in hand to hand combat.
Gravi-pack: a small jetpack-like backpack used to fly.
Alien races:
Ithingstran: a race of extremely intelligent, long-haired, gray-skinned gremlin likecreatures.