Machine Gods of the Eternal Sea

By Terry Lee Smith Jr.

In a time of uncertainty, humanity has touched the stars and claimed vast worlds under the unified Nations of Earth. Yet beneath the heels of the Mother World, the colonists grow too strong. Soon after, a war unlike any seen before would last for twenty years wherever independence had a voice. Towering machines, known as Unit Fighters, were piloted by the brave as historic battles were fought. And after nine years of peace between the newly established Pride Systems of Devoir-Con passed, the scars of such a mad war were not only left on the worlds they shed blood on but on the soldiers and soon-to-be combatants of Devoir. These are just a few of their stories as, once again, the torn and gritty flag of Devoir-Con will be raised among the controversies of war, peace, love, struggle, and innocents lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Feb 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466909236

Terry Lee Smith Jr.

Terry Lee Smith Jr. was born and raised in Pennsylvania and has been writing unpublished work since grade school. Most of Terry’s work is consistent with science fiction and fantasy. He finally published his first book, Rochemburg’s Demons of the Void, in 2006 and his second, Soaring through Fate’s Reflective Fire, in 2010. Quickly this author found a niche for suspense and action, which has followed into his next work, Machine Gods of the Eternal Sea. For Terry, writing has been and will always be a part of his life as he continues to evolve and grow along with his craft.

Book preview

Machine Gods

Of the

Eternal Sea

By

Terry Lee Smith Jr

Illustrations By

Terry Lee Smith Jr.

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© Copyright 2012 Terry Lee Smith Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Illustrations By Terry Lee Smith Jr.

Printed in the United States of America.

isbn: 978-1-4669-0922-9 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4669-0923-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number:

Trafford rev. 01/20/2012

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

I would like to recognize and thank my family

for their continual support.

Chapter 1

In the beginning, man has learned many things. He has walked through its deserts and forests. His domain has become all he sees. And yet he is still the same. This is the point man has reached; growing beyond his own triumphs through rugged hands to a pure simplified thought. It is a far era where human kind has consistently built over civilizations of the past. We are at a place where just about anything is possible. A time where the Devil’s promise in Eden of man’s own mastery of himself into a God is close to fulfillment. Or furthest away.

As it was told in a passage about history: Through the ashes of a once barbaric era did the people of the Earth form into one grand unification known as the Nations of Earth. Afterwards little time has passed when mankind became masters of time and dimensional rifts; cutting their way beyond space and reality by departing shuttles known as Systems Shuttles. These large ships are what brought the people of Earth closer than they have ever been to the rich universe. We rose through the heavens where life can be more fruitful on worlds as barren and empty as Hell or as lushly and more exotic than the Earth itself.

A century passed when an explosion of population grew on thousands of habitable worlds swept forth. Everywhere there was an industrial revolution unlike ever before that in fact benefited the leaders of Earth all the while the Mother World itself underwent an environmental change for the better.

But what is our place? Like an unsuspecting seed did man grow from simplicity to a raging inferno in his Master’s Garden. Spreading forth and fulfilling his destiny to bring about the beginning of the end.

The Nations of Earth have traveled to and studied thousands of systems. They held the majority of suitable worlds as colonies as the rest were ignored for their overly volatile or unlivable conditions. Those were unique times to be alive as for the first time world traveling and colonization for over generations became simple.

Yet it is not as simple to say that peace and tranquility was always a given under the Nations of Earth. In fact the Mother World knew that such an expansion throughout many solar systems required a strict govern of laws and control directly under the Nations of Earth. As a law, very few systems have lords or representatives of their own choosing apart from Earth. The only exceptions are worlds that lie on the sheer outskirts of the known universe and take the furthest to reach in case of an emergency. All other systems were governed by the Nations of Earth. No Lord or colony could form their own government or military strength apart from Earth’s. And in doing so would be considered a threat to the Mother World and dealt with swiftly. And even with no new systems allowed to be controlled without the Nations of Earth’s consent, still a large percentage of the gross economy, industry, and population to those worlds outweighed the Earth and its forces. Thus a powder keg was set.

War would soon gallop on the heels of a spoken word: Independence. It was also the ideals of repression and a wide spread feeling of disassociation from the world that birth all original human life. The Nations of Earth failed to show themselves as fellow citizens or neighbors to the universe. But how could they? Colonist issues were not the same as Earth’s as they proved to be the laborers born without a spoken word of their own.

Soon a wildfire of fear spread from the strength and iron fist of what the colonists considered to be the corruption of the Nations of Earth. Next generation war machines walked and surprisingly ascended to the heavens and space. With their faces gleaming of metallic iron, they await in formation to unleash the dogs of war from their masters’ grip. From every battleship to colony they are legion; towering high above the innocence below.

Did you know, Miss Kempt that it is exactly 129 years After Ascension?

Yes, General. I hear some places are celebrating.

Yes, said the General, still celebrating despite all that has happened. Miss Kempt replies off course, I have the results on the subject, General Armada. The gray haired General pauses in thought, clasping his wrinkled and veiny hands low. How is the boy? he asked. Miss Kempt answers coldly with eyes low on a chart she is holding, Stable. Good. said Armada. That will be all Lieutenant. As she begins to walk away towards a dark hall, General Armada begins to look on down through a very wide double plated glass.

He remains undisturbed in the cold and gray room alone yet never feeling vulnerable with the hint of alcohol under his breath; warming his veins. And down below in a sarcophagus-like chamber sleeps a young teenage boy. He is very gaunt in appearance with his bare chest exposed. An over-head light can be seen flooding down on him; darkening all surroundings. His eyes twitch and clasp roughly every so many timed seconds as if having a controlled nightmare. Sleep… hushed the General. Sleep well, Cero.

He sleeps the impossible dreams of the past. They are dreams that are not his own. Force fed images of Earth tyranny on the freedom hungry colonists of the newly founded Devoir Con-Systems. He dreams of a twisted and maniacal idealist’s vision of what could and will be. Cero was abandoned and found in the wake of death and destruction like so many infants during a war that had lasted for 20 years. Within his sleep he sees himself presently as a 14 year old boy walking through the ashes of a city street. Forever trudging that familiar mile.

With legs feeling as heavy as steel, Cero continues past the visibly dead that scream quietly a sound he can only imagine with their mouths open to an awful blight. Cero bares no expression as a dark colossal iron giant glares its dark crimson eye before his presence. Coming forth from the fire, it stretches out its metal gauntlet; twisting its almost live gears and tendons at the boy. Swiftly it is met with a churning and fiery billow of black debris that screeches and volleys about Cero; dying out the red eye.

Looking above, Cero witnesses a more awesome sight. In the distance a warm glow cannot escape his vision even as he shuts his blue eyes. And though Cero has been on this bloody field before, this thing is something new to him. Something that is more confusing and frightening than ever before. He is seeing the birth of a second sun that is falling and then expanding before the city’s outline in the far distance. Soon those very outlines are consumed into that very glow; coming ever closer to Cero. As a common fear rushes through his veins coldly, he falls to both knees in a hopeless effort to brace what is to come.

A single tear can be seen rolling down his cheek all the while his mind fills with voices. Voices that tell how to survive by fighting a war in another time and another place. Voices that tell to not fear the end for Cero is the creator of this. Prerecorded voices that say: Love in me for I am your General.

Iron%20Dragon%20with%20Cero.JPG

Chapter 2

Here lies the planet Xiston. Or what is known as Armada’s Xiston. The planet Xiston, with its single moon known as Lunar Xiston, was ruled by 12