The Pathfinder Project
Read The Pathfinder Project Online
Authors: Todd M. Stockert
The Pathfinder Project
A Novel By:
Todd M. Stockert
Text Copyright © 12/2005 & 6/2012 by Todd M.
Stockert
All Rights Reserved
Dedication:
This
book is dedicated to the astronauts who have lost their lives in the pursuit of
exploring space, as well as to ALL of those soldiers in the U.S., our dear
friends in the U.K. and other NATO allies, and the rest of the hard working
citizens of the free world, who have fought to keep us safe over the years.
These soldiers... these people are the real life heroes who actually go out and
DO the kinds of positive things on our tough planet that the rest of us can
only dream about. I would also like to include a memorial honoring ALL those
who have died defending freedom, fighting fires, serving in law enforcement or
otherwise putting their own lives on the line for the rest of us. We ordinary
citizens couldn't survive in this world of ours without a lot of brave,
courageous heroes to keep us safe!
This novel is also dedicated to my extended family, friends and
all of the people I have lived life with, laughed with, and who have since
passed on. Many of the names, traits, comments, and personalities of these
people are sprinkled into the characters that were written specifically for
this storyline. May God keep their souls safe and happy and protect them
forever! I love and miss you all!
As for my immediate family... I love all of you
dearly! Hi Mom & Dad!
Please Note:
Images that go with this
story are included within the Chapters, posted in the order you should view
them. They are also linked in with the “Table of Contents” in case you want to easily
skip back to them for another look once you’ve read farther into the story.
However, if do look at the images in advance, you may diminish parts of the
story the first time reading the full adventure. I highly recommend that you
exercise a little patience and study the images
only
once you have reached
those specific points in the story! Ultimately, however, the decision is up to
you. Regardless of what you decide to do, have FUN!
Fair Warning!
This is a story about space exploration on a scale never
before reached, occurring only days after a major war on Earth. If the mild
discussion of religion or Intelligent Design offends you, then this might not
be the book for you. (Many people often turn to religion for guidance during
times of crisis, so it would not have felt right to exclude it from this story).
Additionally, several members of the crew undergo severe hallucinations caused
by an unknown pathogen mixed with their own insecurities. Some of those
hallucinations also include religious overtones. If you are easily offended,
this may not be the story for you.
CAS Technology Diagram (Large)
5
Pathfinder Schematic (Side & Top
Views)
55
Chapter VIII: Affairs of State
.
74
Chapter XII: Black Tie Affair
115
Chapter XIV: Situation Normal…
...
136
Chapter XV: Dark Matters for
Discussion
.
145
Chapter XVI: Intelligent Debate
.
156
Chapter XVII: Poseidon’s Might
169
Mystery Transmission (Updated)
170
THE PATHFINDER PROJECT
The
following events take place in the Sol-system at some point in the 22
nd
century…
After being forced to wait
nearly three and a half hours, His Majesty King Drik Gyilto the second was
finally admitted into the lowest level of the underground compound by two
security guards. Both of the men were tall brutes, broad-shouldered and each dressed
almost completely in black. They carried long, curved hunting knives strapped
firmly to their waists along with fully automatic machine guns. Gyilto was
familiar with the weapons, because it was
his
government that had
acquired them for the Brotherhood. Money from his coffers had also funded most
of the underground construction.
The rocky, winding corridor
through which he was escorted seemed way too tall and wide to be completely
safe so far beneath the surface. The initial tunneling effort reaching down
this far had obviously been completed long before his time, but Gyilto was
nevertheless impressed by the workmanship. He was so far down below on this
particular visit that he seriously doubted even the most powerful bunker
busting bombs could threaten the integrity of the sprawling underground
complex. Every few dozen yards, huge steel support beams reinforced flat metal
sheets braced against the tunnel ceiling. It all looked and felt totally
secure.
Somewhere in the distance, not
far ahead, he heard the sound of water dripping.
Fortunately for his darkening
mood, the walk was a rather short one. After his long wait in the small,
claustrophobic lounge, his Majesty’s patience was wearing extremely thin. He
had personally taken it upon himself to visit the Brotherhood’s central command
station in his small country of Ghuitan on several occasions, but Drik Gyilto
had never before been treated so rudely. Then again, he had never before asked
to see the actual command center itself. The Triumvirate in charge of the
Brotherhood was notoriously secretive and hesitant to share their operations
with anyone – even those who paid the bills were on a need to know basis. In
the end, Gyilto hadn’t minded much since the arrangement offered more than a
little political protection… just in case things somehow went sour. Espionage
operations had a notorious tendency to do just that, unfortunately.
Then there were the rumors
swirling through all major cities in Ghuitan that something major was in the
works, and that whatever it was that would take place would happen soon.
Ordinarily such idle gossip did not concern him, because there were always
plenty of false rumors circulating, much of it deliberately planted to mislead.
But Gyilto was certain of his sources in this particular case – he had heard
the information that bothered him directly from operatives he trusted totally.
Thus, he had made up his mind early on to verify their veracity. It was time to
see just what his country’s wealth had been purchasing, and also make certain
that the larger plan he had supported would in fact bloom to fruition.
They paused at a large metal
door that looked to be solid black steel. It was framed on the top and sides by
additional bands of reinforced steel. The door itself contained a small, barred
window at eye level. However, it too was protected by a sheet of steel that was
behind the bars and could only be opened from the inside. The ominous silence,
broken only by the occasional sound of water droplets, was unnerving to say the
least. His Majesty was surprised to discover that even this far beneath the
surface of the Earth, even a King’s normally calm and composed nerves had the
undesirable tendency to fray easily.
One of the guards eased into
position alongside a large, steel-framed door while the other produced an
electronic keycard. The larger man, partially blocking Gyilto’s view, proceeded
to insert the thin device into an access port next to the door’s entry keypad.
Amongst the silence and intermittent drips, he heard the guard pecking in a
quick set of numbers. There was an electronic buzzing noise followed instantly
by a loud, mechanical clunk that echoed throughout the corridor as the door’s
internal locking system released. Turning slightly, the guard smiled
malevolently. “You may enter with caution,” he instructed sternly. “We will
wait for you here. But be aware, if you possess weaponry of any kind you will
die before you can use it.”
Gyilto eyed the sharp-featured
man warily. “I assure you, I am unarmed,” he snapped nervously. “Your people
did have more than
three
hours to search me, after all.”
“We are simply warning you, in
case you carry weapons that cannot be scanned,” the second man offered in
response. “Those who oppose the Brotherhood instantly regret their choice. We have
not survived nearly five decades by tolerating betrayal.” His colleague pulled
the huge metal door open and waved Gyilto forward.
The entrance led into a huge,
cavernous room with a ceiling that stretched so far above that the King could
not even see it. He moved cautiously forward through subdued lighting, down a
walkway neatly splitting two lengthy sections filled with chairs. There seemed
to be hundreds of seats, the vast majority of which appeared to be occupied by
people whose soft, whispering chatter completely shattered the earlier silence
that had threatened to unnerve him out in the corridor. At the far end of the
massive underground hideaway was a large wooden podium sitting atop a large
stage. Directly to its left was a simple, rectangular wooden table with a
thoroughly polished surface. Behind it sat three people wearing dark robes… two
of them were male. Gyilto instinctively ignored the audience – it was the
Triumvirate, the trio onstage he journeyed to meet.
“Welcome, your Majesty,” said
one of the men rather agreeably as all three rose to greet him. His voice was
dark and grating and seemed to lack emotion of any kind. “My name is Hobak.” He
waved graciously toward what seemed to be the only remaining empty chair in the
room and smiled more than a little malevolently. “Please… have a seat. We have
much
to discuss on this particular day.”