Young Adult/Teen

288

Coren crash lands on the contaminated and long abandoned moon Meridan. He wakes to an enchanted dream world of magical creatures. Is it a dream or are there hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered? A dangerous journey into the unknown awaits Coren as he tries to solve the mystery of Meridan.

Young adult. with illustrations

Excerpt
Chapter 1
Meridan




Coren was alone on the Explorer. He had passed the second moon and was now over Meridan and beyond that was home. He checked the viewing screen; his face showing none of the reluctance he felt at the thought of what awaited him there. He was a tall young man wearing the immaculate uniform of a Star fighter pilot of the Intergalactic Federation. His jacket was open showing the standard issue weapon at his hip. His hair flowed unchecked in unruly fashion. His eyes were a penetrating blue in a handsome face of classic perfection but a frown marred the brow as he checked the screen. Meridan was clearly visible and he briefly contemplated it. Meridan was a strange place. No one ventured there these days at least not to his knowledge. It was wild and overgrown with rich foliage though there were some contrasting barren and bare places. The whole planet had been so long neglected by civilization and everything had long since returned to nature. Strangely enough, despite current technology, Meridan owed much of its present state to superstition, for even now people still had an unreasonable aversion to it. There was also something about toxic gases or something of the sort which had been the result of some experiment or other before his time. These findings had brought about a time restriction being imposed before it could be re inhabited. There were many stories about the place and oddly enough respect still prevailed for old beliefs, giving some credibility to the superstitious nonsense still circulating about the place. Most of the tales, as far as Coren was concerned, were suitable for children who had time to listen and dream dreams about magic and brave deeds of non existent heroes, products of someone’s fertile imagination. He smiled for a moment, remembering the child of long ago, who had escaped the restrictions of a royal household by indulging in all manner of imaginary adventures put into his head by his minder who had regaled him with all the old tales. Perhaps he owed some of his adventurous spirit to the inspiration of childhood, who knows! Maybe some of that youthful idealism still lingered, affecting the warrior he had become.
He checked the scanners again with his mind only half on the job. Maybe one day he would find the time to check Meridan out. He thought maybe the date had expired now against examining the place, though he couldn’t be sure. He snapped back to realities when the screaming alert sounded and the warning systems went yellow and then red. He began the automatic checks and everything else was forgotten as he tried to find the problem. The Explorer began to lose height, despite showing no reason for the systems seeming failure. The speed increased and rapidly the ship plummeted towards the planet to be dragged into Meridan’s orbit where the rapid descent continued. He tried everything to regain control, but to no avail. Nothing would respond to his efforts, not even the emergency systems. The ship continued the downward spiral. It was unbelievable. One minute everything was normal the next it was totally out of control for no apparent reason. There had to be something he could do but what? If he didn’t know what was wrong, how he could put it right? So much for controlling his own destiny, he couldn’t even sort out this little Explorer shuttle. Helplessly he stared at the screens knowing he was going to land on Meridan the hard way. By the looks of it he was all set to smash to oblivion. He tried to switch to manual again when suddenly without any indication, the system clicked into automatic landing procedure. He had no idea how, but it was better than nothing and he wasn’t about to question his luck. He fell back into his seat as the Explorer struck something and jerked him backwards throwing him across the deck and into oblivion.
Some time later he opened his eyes to a still silence. He dragged himself to his feet and automatically ran a systems check. Life support was obviously working and similar main essentials, but anything relating to communications or the propulsion systems, did not respond. He got no response from the sustenance section either. He was going to be hungry if he didn’t find a way out of this. He fed various data into the computers but the only replies he got were related to Meridan and conditions on the surface. According to the data there was flourishing plant life, but no other life forms whatsoever. He went to check the Meridan data again He was going to need food at least. It would be an idea to check if there could be anything eatable out there and which protection gear he would need to wear. He checked the results and looked again. That couldn’t be right surely, there was no radiation. The vegetation wasn’t contaminated in any way and wonder of wonders there was breathable air. He ran it through several times to be sure there was no mistake. Somebody on Gavra seemed to have messed up, this shouldn’t be happening. Then again he hadn’t thought what just happened could happen to him yet it did. So maybe just maybe it could be possible there was something living out there despite past evidence to the contrary. He would need to find help somewhere and he wouldn’t be missed for some time. They may be able to trace him from the last automatic logged entry with the Allia, but they wouldn’t miss him till they got back to Gavra and realised he hadn’t arrived. His parents didn’t know he was coming back in the shuttle, so would not see anything amiss till the Allia arrived without him. Someone would eventually work out where he was, but when, was the question.
He looked at the results again and thought “why not? I always meant to have a look round here anyway.” He checked the blaster on his hip just in case and slung a long distance weapon over his shoulder. You never know what you could meet. He crossed to the exit and took a deep breath. “Well here goes!’” and he depressed the locking system. The door opened wide and there was a gentle draft of breathable air and he strode outside.
***
Coren had been on his way home to Gavra and he hadn’t exactly been looking forward to it. It had been an exacting trip and he would rather have finished his tour of duty than go home. He knew exactly what was in store for him when he got there and decided to put it off as long as possible. At least he was sure now to miss all the fuss and ceremony that he never enjoyed at all. His mother loved all the traditional pomp and ceremony. His father didn’t care one way or the other but he put up with it. He knew some of the Federation members liked tradition anyway. His mother however loved ceremonies and banquets and all the fuss and paraphernalia that went with them. God help the Colonel and those nearby when she realised her precious only son was not aboard the Allia Basestar. Colonel Koralyin had great sympathy with Coren for he too detested fuss and had suffered on various occasions at the hands of his formidable queen. Fortunately he didn’t have to live with her, and after all the years in the service of his king he was unmovable anyway. The Allia was the fleet command ship provided by Coren’s father as part of the Intergalactic Federation Fleet. Koralyin commanded it and Coren served aboard.
Coren’s father was king of Gavra which included Meridan and several small planets nearby. He was also president of the Intergalactic Federation of planets and presided over the Council of Representatives. The federation formed the basis of trade, defence and the justice system for the known galaxies. His only son Coren served on the Allia as leader of the starwarrior squadrons. Colonel Koralyin was a tough old veteran with no fear of Coren’s mother. He had known her from childhood and he had every admiration for the courage and daring skill of her son. Coren would make a fine successor for his father one day, but it was no thanks to his mother. He had been well aware of what a heroes welcome would entail when Coren’s mother was involved, and had no objection to thwarting her. Coren had no intention of getting involved at all if he could help it. She would have parties, presentations and civic receptions and the like, all manner of things that Coren deemed trivial and pointless, occasions full of public ceremony that he loathed. He knew too her main drive was to find him a suitable wife. By suitable she meant one who would obey her in all things. She wanted no rivals at her court. Coren would have been surprised to know he was greatly envied by the ambitious. As the only son of a ruling king, he had wealth, position and power and because his father was President of the Federation, it was highly likely he would take over that position also one day. It was all the more difficult because he was young and personable and people liked him so he was all in all an excellent target for ambitious females who wanted all he represented. Coren was still young enough to hate all of it and much preferred the respect and company of his fellow officers which he earned the hard way and liked it so. And he really had earned it on this last mission.
He wasn’t looking forward to stepping into his father’s shoes, though he knew it would be inevitable one day. He loved adventure and the thrill of coming to a new place with everything to be explored, new technology, different people, un-chartered worlds and even the danger. He was comfortable with being a star major and leader of the squadrons, which promotion he had earned, the general being a hard taskmaster. His present role brought much variety and quality to his life which he was reluctant to give up but his mother had other ideas. Queen Astasia Andreyana had everything, but she always wanted more. Her son was the only son of a powerful ruler, a great king of a great royal line, and he must follow in the tradition of centuries and be an even greater one than the last. It was his duty to choose a bride worthy of his position, and of course he should add to the wealth and consequence of his family by doing so, and she would see to it the girl was biddable. It was a constant source of annoyance to her that Coren should wriggle out of these occasions one way or another. She greatly despaired of him ever finding the right woman for her to groom, and she was fast running out of suitable candidates, which would mean starting again at the beginning. It greatly amused his friends at first, but they were fast coming to see it amounted almost to persecution for Coren, so they aided and abetted him to escape whenever there was an opportunity. He was supposed to be carrying out a routine inspection of Meridan as they passed over it. He was not required to land there; no one ever did or needed to. He had hoped to slip into dock un-noticed, but instead here he was stranded in this almost forgotten place.
When he stepped outside the Explorer he found a twisting mass of foliage with towering trees stretching high and disappearing into a dark green mass that blotted out the sky. The lights from the Explorer lit up the immediate area, revealing a mass of colour in the brief moment the door was open. The external lights still provided enough artificial light to show unfamiliar flowers growing in abundant confusion, ranging from tiny sweet scented stars to exotic blooms with scarlet and magenta centres. Long colourful fronds swept to the ground, to touch large purple flowers with long narrow petals quivering on the air, almost as if they were alive. All around was what seemed to be lush vegetation and yet the shuttle appeared to have landed in the only small space available and with little damage, even though the forest crowded in on all sides.
Cautiously he brushed aside trailing branches but couldn’t see through the dark tangle. He touched his belt, instantly activating a light beam projecting from the centre of the wide dark leather. It lit up a pathway of sorts that led into the tangle.
“Well I’m not doing much good standing still,” he muttered. “I might as well follow and see where it leads.”
He made his way cautiously along the path which gave just enough room for him to move along it. As he walked the atmosphere about him began to change. Instead of just being dark the whole atmosphere was becoming suddenly menacing. The foliage took on weird forms and instead of trees and branches, he was surrounded now by what seemed to be dark and overpowering shapes, like wild creatures of the night waving inhuman limbs. They seemed monstrous creations that would send shivers down the spine of the average being. Coren could feel a distinct chill in the air about him and the lingering impression of a forbidding menace as though some dark forbidding spirit hovered there. It’s ridiculous, he reasoned. He was no longer a child to be influenced by the old tales. His men would think he’d gone mad. Still they too might perhaps be influenced by this place. It was a far cry from the precision and logic of a star ship. He walked cautiously on pushing aside clinging branches as he went, when he thought he heard something penetrate the dark silence. There was a sound directly ahead of him. He stopped to listen. It sounded like crying. Oh now he had to be mad. It sounded like some one making great heart rending sobs. Were they human cries? They couldn’t be, there was definitely no human life. But then there was no life at all, according to the instruments. There it was again and it was definitely a crying sound. There weren’t even supposed to be animals either, yet something had made that sound. Perplexed he moved forward slowly turning from side to side. The light illuminated peculiar little scurrying creatures tiny, furry, glowing things caught in the golden gleam. Small bright eyes lit up for seconds, then scurried for cover. Glowing wormlike creatures wriggled into the darkness again as the light beam picked them up. It took a moment to register that these were life forms where there should be none. Something had to be wrong with their scanning systems, but how could that be when they had some of the best technology in the galaxies? He flashed the light ahead again, and there to his astonishment was the source of the sound. He had to look twice so unexpected was the sight. It was a small creature that immediately cowered down, covering its eyes from the glare. It appeared to be sitting in the middle of a raised stone slab. Although it cowered, it didn’t run a way which was when Coren realised it couldn’t. It was held fast by a metal chain, anchored to a ring set in the stone. What was this thing? And if it was chained, who chained it?
In all his travels he didn’t recall a creature like this one and yet there was something familiar about it. It was unusual, having a plump scaly body patterned in green and dark yellow with red at the scaly tips. The clawed feet where huge and supported the body the belly almost on the ground. There were hands of a sort at the end of very short arms, or maybe they were front legs. The fingers had long sharp claws and from its shoulders, small leathery wings were visible. The head was crowned with a bone structure curving back from the face with a pair of long flying swirling tails flying back from it. Whatever else it was, the creature was very afraid.
“Now whatever could have happened to you whatever you are?” Coren stared curiously at him. It was a fascinating creature. And where did the chain come from? That was rather more ominous. Someone had to have put it there.
“Never mind what I am? What and who are you? Whoever you are it would be proper to ask me what’s wrong, and then do something about it!”
Coren was speechless. The little creature was actually talking and what was more he could understand it. It was talking Gavran. He had seen many species and communication life forms all speaking a variety of languages as he could himself, but one here on Meridan speaking Gavran, this wasn’t real! All their technology couldn’t be this wrong. The creature turned large sad eyes up to him and his compassionate side got the better of him for a moment. No creature should be chained and this one looked more pathetic than fierce.
“What ails you little fellow?” He squatted beside him. Despite Coren’s doubts the little fellow really did look quite tragic. He brightened up as the warrior addressed him.
“Any fool can see I’m trapped!” came the impertinent answer. “The old wizard has tied me to this ring and I can’t get free. Are you blind perhaps?”
“Your attitude hardly lends itself to my freeing you,” he replied. “What harm does he expect from a small thing like you, apart from your impertinence, why chain you?”
“He did it to give the Ayah’s indigestion! He doesn’t like them either. He put me here as a meal for them, they are always hungry.”
The cheeky voice faded to nervousness again as he scared himself with his own words.
“Actually, I think it would be sensible if you set me free now.” He looked about him and peered round to look behind Coren.
“Why would this person chain you? You must have annoyed someone very much. ” said Coren. His question was almost automatic, now convinced he really was crazy. At the same time he turned his head uneasily wondering where these Ayah creatures were.
“He said I was useless and dragons should be big and bold and scary and fire breathing which I’m not never will be and can’t.”
He hiccupped and drew himself up, puffing out his chest. He let out a big slow breath, his little wings frantically beating but nothing came from his nostrils but a little hot air. He subsided into a crumpled little heap “you see,” he said mournfully, “no flame.”
“Yes I see,” said Coren gravely “but surely feeding you to some forest monster won’t improve matters very much.”
“It will for the forest creatures,” came the glum reply, “They like plump little delicacies like me. It will improve the old wizard’s life too. He says I talk too much and ruin his concentration. Then of course he doesn’t like the company I keep or my attitude to free thinking.”
“Free thinking?” Coren’s voice was rather faint.
“Well yes, are you deaf or something? He thinks none of us here should think. We have no right to He says we should just do everything he tells us naturally, whether we like it or not.” He shook his head dolefully. “The trouble is I never like doing what people tell me to do. Dragons aren’t supposed to. It’s not in their nature to obey unreasonable people, least of all a nasty old wizard like him.”
Whoever this person was Coren was beginning to dislike him already.
“Well we’ll see about that!” and he drew his blaster concentrating a short burst of energy on the metal ring which instantly disintegrated, freeing the creature.
“Keep quite still!” he commanded and sliced off the long chain at the creature’s ankle. The creature once free sidled up to him, reaching out to pat the blaster as Coren returned it to the holster.
“Do you suppose it would do that to an Ayah?” he asked in awe.
“Well never having seen one, I can only suppose it might.”
“It’s a very useful thing.” The creature was all admiration.
“It does have its uses now and then,” agreed Coren. “Now about this wizard, you did say wizard didn’t you?” Coren still wasn’t quite grasping this.
“I did”
“You are joking of course,”
“I wish I was,” sighed the little one, “Oh what a delight it would be if Maelgyn was only a joke, an apparition, a figment of the imagination – but unfortunately he’s not.”
“But there is no such thing as a wizard,” protested Coren. “Oh I know there are a multitude of people on other worlds with a variety of different skills, and some perform things that could be seen as magical, but they are skills of their life form and they are not termed magicians, except by the gullible. It’s only a question of varying forms of life style, with skills according to their own environment and species.”
“I don’t think I quite understand all that but I can assure you the wizard exists.”
Coren laughed “Wizards and magic exist only on story discs to entertain small children.”
“And dragons what about them? Were there dragons in these magic stories?”
“But of course,” His voice tailed off as he stared down at his small companion in dawning disbelief.
That’s why the creature seemed familiar. Vaguely there was a memory of watching story discs as a small boy. Dragons!
“Well there you are then!” the little creature said matter of factly. “I’m here so it stands to reason if I can be here then Maelgyn the wizard is here also, because I am a dragon you know, technically speaking of course though slightly imperfect I suppose, if I am to be honest but never the less a dragon.”
Coren closed his eyes. “Perhaps I hit my head when the ship came down and this is all a dream. Yes that’s it. I’m just dreaming all this. I was thinking about childhood tales just before it happened. I’ll wake up shortly and find it’s not really happening,”
The little dragon promptly stabbed him in the leg with a finger claw.
Coren let out a yell. “What do you think you’re doing you crazy creature.”
“Well you know you’re not dreaming now don’t you!” the dragon innocently inspected his finger claws. “We just confirmed you are wide awake.” He cocked his head to one side. “Who are you anyway? You didn’t say! Who are you and where are you from.”
“I’m Coren, Prince of the world next door.”
“Prince did you say Prince.” The little dragon’s head swung round expectantly.
Coren nodded.
“Why aren’t you there then instead of here. No one comes here. We haven’t had visitors for a long time.”
“If you must know chatterbox I don’t really know myself.” He reflected. “I don’t know why my Explorer came down here. I most definitely don’t want to be here. Mother you have a lot to answer for.” He sighed.
“I suppose it would be your mothers fault,” mused the dragon. “She gave birth to you obviously.’’
“I’m not sorry to be born,” he said exasperated, “I’m sorry to be here in this totally forsaken place. I don’t want to be here, I didn’t choose to be here and it’s my mother’s fault I didn’t want to go home. Right now I admit I made the wrong choice. My mother is probably preferable to dragons and wizards and the like, that is if they’re real. And I’m beginning to have some sympathy for this Maelgyn for you talk far too much!” he glared at the little dragon. “In fact the more I think about it the more unlikely it seems. The shuttle had nothing wrong with it yet it wouldn’t respond to me,” he calmed down as he reasoned. “It’s almost as though it wanted to come here, as though something brought me to this place,” he shook his head then. “This place is definitely affecting me.”
The dragon nodded wisely, “she brought you I suppose. She called for someone and you happened to be passing.”
Coren stared at him as he went on
“Anyway you are a prince. You said so even if you don’t quite look the part. I suppose you’ll have to do in the absence of anybody else. I suppose one can’t have everything.”
“What are you talking about?” Coren demanded. “I’ll do for what? And in what way am I lacking small one? What in Meridan is your name anyway? You have got one I suppose. I can’t argue with someone whose name I don’t know.”
“Tig,” was the prompt reply. “I suppose to be truthful you not lacking very much.”
Tig walked around him looking up and down. As if Coren were food he intended to purchase. He inspected the tall strong figure before him noting the long dark hair the bright shining, if somewhat cynical eyes in the most handsome face in Starfleet command.
“You look strong and I expect you’re brave, but you don’t have a sword. You say you are a royal prince but I don’t see a crown or a coat of arms and I have this feeling in my bones you’ll be awkward and not fall in love with her either. Mind you that would be very difficult.” Tig looked at him doubtfully. “You haven’t a princess in this world next door have you?’ he asked anxiously, “that would really mess up the works.”
“What in thunder are you talking about you crazy creature? What would I want with a sword, though to be truthful I do have one back home for ceremonies,” (his mother had at least instilled in him not to lie) “And most definitely I have no intention of falling in love with anyone do you hear me, not anyone.” He repeated emphatically glaring down at him. “If you know where there are people around here then show me. Maybe they can give me a way off this planet.”
Tig ignored his out burst. ”Well there hasn’t been a prince here for some time, at least not one that’s eligible, so we’ll just have to manage with what we’ve got.”
“Manage what?”
“Why to free the Lady of the Moon of course!” Tig stated what he saw as obvious, inspecting his claws again.
“The Lady of the Moon” repeated Coren faintly. “Oh no this really is too much!’ he definitely needed to get back to have his head checked for damage. He would return to the shuttle now. There was obviously some serious defect, Moon ladies, wizards and dragons, no one at home would believe this. Why should they, it wasn’t real anyway. He would just go back to the Explorer and wait for someone to find him.
“The Lady of the Moon.” repeated Tig firmly. ”Come on I’ll show you!”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m going back to the shuttle. Some one will miss me eventually and start searching.’
“Well yes but until they do it won’t hurt just to look and you will see something very rare Prince Coren, something few have seen,”
His voice dropped to a mutter, “except those who didn’t live to tell about it.”
“What was that you said?”
“Come great Prince and see a wonder,” and he grabbed Coren by the hand, dragging his still protesting companion after him into the trees. Coren allowed it because deep down, he was just a little curious.