First Adult: The First Book of the Adult Trilogy

By David Alomes

In a technologically advanced galaxy torn apart by war and strife, powerful beings known as Adults command enormous respect. On his world, Ikara is the First, the title given to the most powerful Adult on a planet. His mission is to track down and train gifted beings from other worlds in an ambitious attempt to civilise the Galaxy.

After many disenchanted journeys to war-torn planet Earth to identify a suitable candidate, Ikara finally discovers enormous potential in Samuel, a small-town lawyer. He transports Samuel to the spaceship at his disposal for this mission and begins Samuels training to become an Adult.

The training is simple.

Ikara will just give Samuel a story, and in the giving, all will be revealed. But this is no simple tale told from one being to another. This story will be mind transferred, a process with all the punch of reality, and Samuel will have to live through the story as though he was in it.

The story is of Doneel, the founder of the Adult movement, who lived on a world that had been torn apart by a war lasting a thousand years. His is a time of extreme violence, where death is in every corner.

If Samuel can survive the story, he will become the most powerful human in history.

If he does not, he will be dead.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jun 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514497364

David Alomes

David Alomes was born in a small mining town in regional Australia. His father, a highly decorated police officer, instilled a strong centre of right and wrong in him from an early age. Having found his much-loved wife, he was married with three children before he knew it. Playing to his strengths, he undertook years of study as an accountant, becoming a certified public accountant in 1988, and then followed this up with financial planning qualifications. David practises as a public accountant almost thirty years later with his son in partnership. Discussing the world’s ills one day with his daughter, he found a strong voice for changing how things should be and decided to turn his hand to words as well. Using his analytical skills to seek initial support, he undertook writing courses and was personally coached by editors and fellow writers. His first book, Growing Up, received praise from readers and agents alike. David is optimistic about the future in spite of all the world’s ills. He believes that, somehow, we will find a way to overcome the obstacles we face as a species and achieve harmony —but everything that is worthwhile is a struggle to achieve.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by David Alomes.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016910385

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-9738-8

                Softcover        978-1-5144-9737-1

                eBook             978-1-5144-9736-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 06/23/2016

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

743937

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1 – Love and Frustration

Chapter 2 – Discovery

Chapter 3 – The Visitor

Chapter 4 – The Offer

Chapter 5 – Acceptance

Chapter 6 – Training

Chapter 7 – ’Im and ’Er

Chapter 8 – ’Im’s Story

Chapter 9 – Training

Chapter 10 – Teach Me

Chapter 11 – The Pivot

Chapter 12 – Skills

Chapter 13 – I’m Home!

Chapter 14 – Entrenched

Chapter 15 – The Righteous

Chapter 16 – Nu

Chapter 17 – The Bigger Picture

Chapter 18 – The Change

Chapter 19 – The Change

Chapter 20 – Time Out

Chapter 21 – War’s End

Chapter 22 – After

Chapter 23 – Reveal

Epilogue

PROLOGUE

The planet had nothing of value. It was not exceptionally beautiful, and no symphony would ever be composed for its shores. It had no vast stores of minerals, and it would never be mined for its wealth. It had land and water, but no vast majestic stretches of either. Its land mass was scattered and indiscriminate, like a patchwork quilt. The weather was average, with no extremes of climate. The planet was distinct only in its utter lack of distinction.

What was unique, however, was the vast array of meeting halls, small and large, all unoccupied and unevenly spread across the globe. They were built on the edges of cliffs and in the valleys, on mountain summits, and partially submerged. Some looked new with amazing architectural spires, while others were run-down and crumbling with age. On the largest landmass was an open-air stadium on a massive scale. It was more than half a mile across, and there were several levels—some with seating, some with standing room, and a few with hanging rails.

What vacant land space existed was covered with all varieties of grasses: short and wiry, tall and bendy, and large tracts of perfectly manicured springy golf-green grass. All perfect areas for sitting and contemplating the universe.

What was missing from the planet was a population. There was none. No one maintained these buildings, or mowed the grass. No one walked the land or swam in the waters. There were also no animals—no dogs, cats, or pets, not even the smallest insect. No birds flew in the skies. In the waters of the world there were no aquatic animals either, neither mites nor mighty whales. The waters were pure but without tenants.

Shining down on this planet of mediocrity was a large orange dwarf sun. This sun had aged from the brilliant white it used to be, many millions of years before. Seen from a distance, the sun became just another nondescript star in a galaxy of over a hundred billion stars. It did not have the brightness of the newest stars, or the size of the dying red giants. No moons spun around this lonely single planet; in fact, nothing pointed to this solar system as being worthy of any consideration. This unexceptional planet spun on its mildly tilted axis and travelled around this nondescript sun in a very average way.

This was not, however, an abandoned or forgotten world. The time the planet took to travel one cycle around the sun was a standard ‘galactic’ year. The time the planet took to spin once on its axis was a standard ‘galactic’ day. On every world with adults, timepieces kept this time. To uncountable trillions of beings, this planet was simply called ‘Forum’.

CHAPTER 1

Love and Frustration

SharTree sat down on the bench in the departure lounge and looked outside at the gleaming ship she was about to board. This was not one of the clunky early models, in which purpose had overrode design, but rather a streamlined, sophisticated, and elegant late model. The pale blue anti-grav plating underneath the ship and its sleek design gave the impression that it was straining to leap into its natural element, the vacuum of space. Many people were gathered in the embarkation area, marvelling at just how far their civilisation had progressed.

SharTree, however, was detached from all this. It was going to be her first day and she should have been nervous, but instead she had a large scowl on her face and her lips were pressed firmly together. She was rubbing the back of her neck, as if to release some tough knots found there. She kept going over the same thoughts: How could he be, well, sooo useless? She gently shook her head. He was so dashing and so full of what he was going to do when we first met. He knew about things and about people, and we laughed and had fun. She moved her hands down to her lap, making small tight fists. Now all he wants is to play games on the tri-v, eat, and sleep. He’s as bad as those cursed langa beasts that roam the planet, consuming and breeding, and totally useless for any worthwhile purpose.

She shook her head again as if to clear her thoughts and shivered. The memory bubbled up of the fight she’d had with her parents when she’d told them he was her choice. The sight of her father yelling at her mother, ‘She’s your daughter, talk some sense into her!’ flashed before her, his face full of disappointment, his crossed arms, and the huge frown on his face—it still haunted her today. She had argued that she loved him (to her father’s huge snort of derision) and that his lowly social status made no difference to her, but when she told them that she had already made a bonding contract with him for fifteen years, they both started screaming at her. Even now, the memory made her flinch.

In the end, she had signed that contract, bonding her to her mate for fifteen years and cutting herself off financially and physically from her family. Even as she’d left her home, she’d yelled at her parents that they were soul mates, madly in love, and that they would make it work. Now, five years later, she sat mulling over where it had gone sour. The last thing she wanted to admit was that her parents had been right. In the middle of her mental deliberations, the boarding door slid open and a crewman emerged to push the door into the ‘open to board’ position, through which the crowd started to funnel. It was only when the crowds began thinning out that she noticed, and then with a small inaudible sigh, she stood up and grabbed her bag to board.

At the same time, the personal comm on her wrist vibrated. Looking down, she saw it was her mate and immediately dropped the bag. ‘What now?’ she asked, bringing the comm to the proper viewing angle.

‘Is that any way to speak to the love of your life?’ he began, smiling back at her. ‘I only wanted to wish you a good voyage.’

In spite of herself, she smiled. ‘Thanks, that’s nice—I’m just about to board.’

‘Oh, OK, I won’t keep you,’ he stammered. ‘But while I have you on the comm, ah, where is your currency card?’

SharTree’s smile evaporated. ‘What do you want that for? It’s for emergencies only—is there a problem?’

His face took on a strange expression. ‘Nothing I can’t handle. Now, where’s the card?’

The room had emptied now and the crewman was eyeing her as if to ask if she was coming or not. ‘I can’t talk now, I’ll comm you when I get back. I’ve left you enough currency to survive in the meantime. Now I have to go.’ And she started to move her hand to turn off the comm.

His raised voice made her hesitate. ‘WAIT! I’m in a bit of trouble. I need the card.’

Looking at him again, she decided that now was the time to be tough. ‘Must go, see you in a month or so,’ she said and pressed the off button. Grabbing her bag off the floor, she scurried through the nearly closed door and the crewman clicked it in place behind her.

The first thing she had to do was report to the captain, so she made her way to his cabin next to the bridge. From the steady stream of people coming back down the hall, she seemed to be in the right location. Finding his office, she sat down in one of the vacant seats opposite his door. She carefully looked herself over, straightened her uniform, and brushed away imaginary specks of dust. With a quick peek up and down the corridor, and a touch of a wry smile, she undid the top button of her uniform, revealing a small amount of cleavage. I may no longer have position or currency, but I still have my biggest assets, she thought. Pushing back into the seat, she set her head high and her shoulders back and, with a little nod of satisfaction, waited.

The door soon opened and a crewman came out. He looked at SharTree with a very interested smile and then indicated that she should go in. Standing up, she was again all business and she walked through the door with the fluid motion and slight hip wiggle that only truly beautiful people can pull off and always be noticed. The crewman had not budged from the spot, but his smile got a lot wider.

Standing to attention in front of the captain’s desk, she said, ‘Trainee SharTree, reporting for duty,’ maintaining her ‘at attention’ stance.

Without looking up from his desk, he grabbed a file and opened the cover. Running his finger down a list, he reached over and ticked a box. ‘Dismissed.’

SharTree hesitated, then turned around and walked back to the corridor to the still smiling crewman. With a slightly louder sigh and a roll of her eyes, she did the top button back up and walked down the corridor.

She located her cabin, a small shared space, with the top bunk already taken. She placed her small bag on the lower bunk and checked out the room. The personal washroom and toilet were down the hall (a bit barbaric, but she would cope), and she soon located the galley, much to the delight of the same crewman who she had encountered outside the captain’s room. He smiled again and turned to the others in the small group he was with, all of whom bent in to listen carefully and then all turned and looked at her from across the room. SharTree ignored the interest and sat next to a viewport.

Lost in thought, she did not notice a slightly hunched-over old lady approach her and stand by her left side without saying a word. With a small startled jump, SharTree suddenly saw how close she was and looked up at this new person with puzzlement. The old lady bobbed her head and smiled, handing over a drinks menu. ‘I thought I knew everyone on this ship, but you’re new. One of the trainees on this trip, eh?’

SharTree blinked a few times without answering and then slowly raised her hand to take the menu. ‘My name is BettyBrook.’ The old lady smiled. ‘I run the galley and rec room.’ She paused with an enquiring look on her face.

‘SharTree, trainee navigator,’ she replied, feeling trapped in a conversation she did not want to have.

The old lady smiled again. ‘Oh, the Tree family, eh? Everyone knows of your line. One of the old elite families. What on Daen are you doing here?’

SharTree ignored the question and countered with one of her own. ‘Never heard of the Brook family. Which region are you from?’

Betty smiled again, but this time it was more like a grimace of pain. ‘And you will never hear of us. I’m the last of the Brooks, my dear. When I’m gone, so are they. Now, what will you have?’

SharTree was shocked at this casual statement of fact, as the loss of a family name was a big deal. Looking Betty over revealed no more information, and not wanting to engage in further conversation, she pointed to something on the menu.

‘Coming up!’ Betty said cheerfully and scurried away. For the next ten minutes, SharTree carefully ignored all the looks in her direction from the other table and waited for her drink to appear.

When it arrived, she slowly slid back into thought. How strange life was for her to have wound up here. In five short years, she had gone from being the youngest in a family of power and influence to a trainee on a ship of space, bound for who knew where. Cut off from her family, she had been forced to take a job to support her contract mate who seemed incapable of lifting a finger to do paid work. After they had first contracted, she had done a year of make-do jobs but after that had concluded she was better off in a career. Four years of study, and here she was—broke, contracted to a worthless slob, and being leered at from across the room. ‘Every single time I’ve found some extra currency, he’s pissed it away,’ she grumbled under her breath. A low bell tolled throughout the ship and she got up to go and report to her supervisor.

The bridge was unlike anything she had seen in training. A large circular space with twenty-odd people seated at consoles around it. In one spot, a large chair faced into the room, a smaller seat either side of it. Both looked plush and comfortable. ‘Out of the way, trainee,’ came a voice from behind her, and she was forced to shuffle into the room. Looking up, she saw a senior -looking male come over to her and indicate she was to follow him. In a very small seat over to the side, she was told to sit and be quiet.

She had barely sat when the captain and two senior officers entered from a side door. ‘STATIONS!’ the captain exclaimed in a tone of authority, his voice echoing through the speakers in the ship, and everyone sat upright and paid attention. He stood before the large seat and looked around the room. ‘Today we will start a survey mission to our closer neighbours. Once at our scheduled meeting point, we will be joined by the First…’ Here he left a moment’s pause to let the significance of this sink in. ‘I expect the utmost efficiency from all departments.’ Then he sat down. ‘Pilot, ready to up ship!’

He received the instant response of, ‘Yes, sir!’ and all faces turned to their respective consoles.

SharTree had been briefed at the academy before she came on the ship. For this trip, she was solely in an observer role. No duties, no responsibilities. Just see if she could cope with the reality of space travel and the physical demands of ship life. They had parked her behind the navigation station, as that was what she was studying. She could watch what real navigators did. Only two rules – don’t get in the way and don’t ask stupid questions! This was the final part of her training, and if she did not stuff this up, she could expect to be allocated to a ship as a trainee. With that came increased position and currency, both of which she desperately desired, so she sat very still and was very quiet.

‘Shift to view!’ directed the captain, and the space in the middle of the room became alive with a transparent three-dimensional image of the ship and its surrounds. From her angle, she could see the whole spaceport and the full size of the ship. SharTree could not help but be impressed. ‘Up ship!’ came the command and the ship slid off its cradle and rose into the sky. There was no feeling of acceleration. In fact, it was hard to believe the ship was moving at all. The image in the view space changed and showed the ship moving at speed through clouds and approaching the