A Thousand Eves: A Thousand Eves, #1

By George Saoulidis

Aboard a Generation Ship, Men Are Optional

Y The Last Man meets Battlestar Galactica in this generation-spanning space story.

When Ash returns from his scouting mission, he finds the generation fleet 60 years older and run over by women. But will he manage to deliver his precious data to the ship's computer, when his only friends are a teenage girl and a chauvinist drone, when every woman aboard wants to kill him on sight and when the bloodthirsty leader Una wants to stop things from changing?

Do you want to see what's next for the Ash the Last Scout and Dot the only orphan? Do you want to meet AI Luna? Then read this multifaceted space story that challenges the very foundations of humanity.

EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mythography Studios
• Release date: Nov 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386865629

George Saoulidis

Writer/Director. I enjoy taking ancient Greek myths and turning them into modern sci-fi spooky versions. I also like to write romantic comedies, and people seem to go "Awww!" over them, so why not?  Many of my stories are icky, in various ways. I’m European, we have a higher tolerance for that kind of stuff. Plus, I’m inspired by mythology and Shakespeare, so if you can’t handle tragedy and bodily fluids, feel free to move on. My photo has been redrawn by a neural network. Join the Mythographers, download the free starting library and begin reading right now: https://www.mythographystudios.com/join

Book preview

Chapter 1: Generation 6

THE FEMALES ARE TRYING to break in! the drone said as it barricaded the lab door.

The old scientist sat on his desk and exhaled slowly. He took out his comm with shaky fingers and propped it up on a book. A real book, just like they used to have back on Earth. He had expended his matter allowance on the 3D printer and had asked for ‘The four voyages of Christopher Columbus.’ The ancient explorer’s words didn’t apply on a generation fleet of course. He hadn’t had to survive and die on his ship, so that his grandchildren could reach the promised land.

Everyone thought the book was a waste of matter. Now there it was, propping up his comm just nicely.

Yells came muffled through the door.

Have you gone senile Ben? I’m trying to save your life here and you are making a video? asked the drone in his high-pitched male voice.

Remi, leave me alone. I just want to get this off my chest, he said with a sigh.

Sure, sure. I’ll just leave you here, in your lab, under siege. The most brilliant mind of the fourth generation, left to barbarian house-ladies, the drone mocked. He welded a piece of metal on the door.

Quiet. Ben corrected his glasses, pressed the record button and breathed in. This is for my friend Ash. I don’t know why in these apocalyptic times, my thoughts keep coming back to our childhood together. I haven’t seen you in fifty years, ever since you left for that scouting mission. I don’t know if you are dead or alive, or if due to time dilation you’ve been currently dying a slow death for my relative fifty years. I know, your mind hurts when you think of science. Trust me, it makes sense.

The old man’s voice broke. "You’ve been there for me Ash. You were like my brother. Fuck that, you are my brother. Maybe that’s it, maybe that’s why I miss you so much. Maybe, if you hadn’t gone on that mission, you’d be here to tell me how stupid I was. How hopelessly optimistic I was to believe we could come up with a fair solution and survive."

Voices cursed outside. There was loud banging, some sort of battering ram, hitting the metal door and making it ring like a bell with a cough.

Ben looked at the door and teared up. He looked young now, fragile, scared. There are bullies coming for me Ash. Coming to beat me up and break my fragile bones. Coming to smash my glasses and steal my comm.

Vagina-humans! Cease this riot immediately! Remi said amplifying his voice. The door rent halfway and yells erupted into the room. Pipes and knives and makeshift weapons came in through the gap, flailing wildly. Remi was struck on his plastic body and separated in two pieces. You mad-women! Are you all menstruating simultaneously?

Ben sniffled and looked back at the camera. Where are you Ash? I need you to save me from the bullies, he said bitterly.

The women broke in the lab and stabbed Ben.

Seventeen stabs, one from each woman. They were yelling, cursing him, spitting on him. He couldn’t feel pain, just some wetness in his belly while he lay on the floor. His glasses were kicked away but he couldn’t find them amongst all those boots.

An angry woman brought her face close to his. He could recognize her, her name was Una? Something like that. She had shaved the side of her head and was wearing armor, made of excess paneling and insulation material.

Una brought her makeshift spear down on Ben and cut through his earlobe. Thank you Ben for all your help, she said with contempt. But now it’s our turn. She stood up and yelled, We don’t need men no longer! and the rioting women cheered and hollered.

Then they left him there to bleed out.

THE BROKEN DRONE MANAGED to crawl across the lab floor and bring Ben’s glasses to him. Oh, what have those child-factories done to you man?

Remi?

Yes Ben?

I’ve always wanted to tell you... he coughed. His eyes were unfocused, as if seeing through the ship’s hull straight into heaven.

It’s OK Ben. You’ll be fine, you still got a decade or so in that crumbling meatbag of yours.

I wanted to... he wheezed.

The drone leaned closer to his mouth. Yes friend? he said with respect.

Remi... is a girl’s name, Ben said and died.

Chapter 2: Gen 4

YOU WANNA DO WHAT? the boy laughed and then punched Ash again on the face.

He wasn’t really expecting an answer, but Ash gave it anyway. I wanna become a Scout, he repeated, lying on the floor and covering his head.

The gang laughed at that, pointing and spitting and mocking their hearts out. There wasn’t much to do aboard the fleet, so they took their entertainment where they could. Dug, their leader, stomped on Ash’s leg.

It snapped. Ash wailed.

There, you little shit. I just did you a favor. You can spend two months in the simulator, sitting on your ass, avoiding all chores, Gus sniffed and turned his back to him. As if you could ever make it to Scout.

The gang laughed and followed Gus back to the mess hall.

A little boy appeared from his hiding place, short and wearing glasses. I’m sorry, they were all so tall, I couldn’t do anything. He knelt next to his friend and touched the broken leg.

Ash sat up, wincing from pain. It’s OK Ben, you couldn’t do anything anyway. It was right of you to hide.

I’m going to call a drone to pick you up to the infirmary, Ben said and whipped up his comm, his deft fingers typing quickly.

Ash leaned on his back. The metal floor was uncomfortable, but it was much better than moving that leg around. A screen was up the wall on his left, it showed the outside. It was a seemingly still image of stars, on a black canvas.

Okay, it’s on its way, Ben said. Does it hurt much?

Have you ever seen anything else out there Ben? Anything other than stars and the dark, I mean.

Well no you silly. We’re only seven years old, it will be at least seven more before we get close to any star system. My dad says he saw a planet once when he was little, like me. But I don’t think he is right, I checked the logs and didn’t find anything in his lifetime.

There must be something out there to see, isn’t that right? Are we meant to spend our lives trapped in this spaceship? And then that’s it, move over and die, next generation takes over? Just imagine, Ben. Going out there, seeing stuff, scouting planets and moons, Ash said in a hushed voice.

You can take a pod and go to another ship, Ben said, trying to comfort his friend.

Bah! It’s not the same. Or, it’s precisely the same. You just see hard vacuum for a couple of minutes and then dock in the same exact ship as this one. It’s boring.

But there are different people. Maybe the kids there are nicer than Dug, Ben said hopefully.

Ash looked at his friend. He didn’t want to crush his buddy’s feelings. The boy was small, and next in line to be bullied as soon as Ash grew a little taller. Yeah Ben, I hear the kids are nicer on Frostip 3.

The small boy’s worried frown turned into a big hopeful smile.

A drone appeared on their corridor and scanned Ash. Oh dear. Human, how did you injure yourself like this?

I bumped my head on that protruding pipe and fell on the railing. Broke my leg, Ash said while eyeing Ben not to speak. This place is falling apart

The drone unfolded a programmable piece of tarp and carried Ash to Medical. God damn, human! Don’t you know your bones are brittle due to low g? Are you taking your calcium pills? Be careful next time. I bet you were running around the deck, trampling each other like little maniacs.

Ash shrugged. You got me drone. I was playing chase with the kids, he lied.

The drone bleeped. Unbelievable. Why can’t you just be a good kid like the rest and play videogames all day?