The Argent Star
Emerson Fray
Copyright 2015 by D. Miles
All rights reserved
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover design by yocladesigns.com
The Argent Star
Living on the last surviving island on Earth, Ren has put herself on the path to become an archaeologist. She’s defied her father’s wishes and gone out on her own, barely keeping in contact with him as he commands an army somewhere across the universe. And it was all going well until her brother Elian discovered a planet.
Lost for centuries, Novae was thought to be a legend. It vanished years ago and since being rediscovered the Monarchy has stepped in to take over. What Ren didn’t realize was that she and Elian and their father are the chosen leaders of Novae, thanks to a scorched piece of paper that claimed her ancestor named the star Novae orbits.
With suspicion and doubt, Ren is forced leave her life on Earth to go to Novae with her estranged father and rule over the planet she doesn’t think wants her there. Her suspicions are confirmed when she learns there are insurgents hiding in the darkened forests, and her father assigns her a guardian, Sheridan; a woman with a threatening gaze and silent steps.
Now Ren is just trying to stay alive long enough to figure out what the Monarchy is planning for the planet, because she doesn’t believe that they’re on Novae for the good of the people. But going against the Monarchy means going against a government that spans across galaxies, and Ren doesn’t know if she’ll be enough.
Novae is already at civil war, that gets worse with each passing day. Ren doesn’t have long before the Monarchy steps in to “neutralize” the threat. Will she be able to stop the hostile takeover? Or will her actions ignite a rebellion across the universe?
More by Emerson Fray
The Monarchy
The Argent Star
The Howling Jade
Her Devil’s Grin (Coming soon)
Prologue
Transmission status…ON.
Recognizing…Captain Linda Brackenreed.
Accessing…PERSONAL LOG.
Date… July 2114.
Transmission status…RECORDING.
If she is wrong then we will surely die…but if she is right…we could be free.
Transmission status…FAILED.
ERROR.
Chapter 1
September, 2453
Ren’s head fell onto the book as a warm breeze drifted through the open window, fluttering her hair over her eyes. Her thoughts were slow and scattered as she tried to make sense of where she was. Still groggy from her studies, her eyes felt fragile, as if they could crack and shatter with each blink. The orange haze of the rising sun was a blinding reminder that she’d stayed overnight in the university again. She blinked a few more times until her vision cleared.
Ren straightened, her muscles aching while her bones cracked and popped. Lacing her fingers through her hair she pushed her bangs back, only to let them fall again in front of her eyes. She checked the time when her eyes adjusted to the light and saw that it was just past five in the morning.
“Perfect,” Ren muttered, shifting her shoulder back and feeling a satisfying crack as it set in place.
“Coffee?” someone asked. A steaming cup was set beside her, right next to a small puddle of drool and dozens of books. She rubbed at her face, feeling the indents her sleeve had etched into her skin.
“Thanks,” Ren answered, already reaching for the coffee. Naomi came around and began to flip lazily through some pages, another cup in her hand. She took a sip.
“You need to stop these all-nighters,” Naomi warned. “Your father will kill me. Do you never learn?”
“If he didn’t kill you for helping me get into the program, he won’t kill you for me staying,” Ren replied with a half-hearted smile.
Naomi arched her eyebrows and didn’t say anything, choosing to take another gulp of coffee. She was Ren’s advisor while Ren studied at the University, and it had been a hard-earned placement for both of them.
“He commands the Scows,” Naomi said. “If he wanted me dead he could have it done.”
“He commands the Scows,” Ren repeated, “if he wanted you dead he would do it himself.”
Naomi mulled that over as she leaned her hip against the hardwood. “True. Are you going to go home before class?”
Ren sighed. “I should shower.”
“But?” Naomi prodded, knowing her disciple better than herself.
“But I was onto something last night,” Ren went on. She searched the ancient books in front of her, trying to remember what she had been doing last. “I just…”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “Can’t remember. Why don’t you go home? Skip class for the day. You’ve done enough research and assignments to graduate twice.”
Ren stalled. “I could just—”
“Go,” ordered Naomi. “And don’t come back until tomorrow, at least.”
“What about my coffee?” Ren tried to bargain.
But Naomi had an answer for that too. “I’ll have the honour of finishing it off.” She picked up the steaming cup and took a sip, laying claim to the liquid. Ren was defeated, and she could already feel her bracelet buzzing with a call to distract her from Naomi’s insistent mothering.
She tapped the little blue square and it lit up green. “Hello?” she asked.
“Hey, it’s me,” Elian said. “You better get your ass down here or you’re going to miss it.” He’d always had a way with words.
“Miss what?” Ren asked.
“Only me discovering a new planet,” he shouted. “Hurry up!”
Ren hurried, but only to make Elian stop yelling in her ear. As she ran out of the library, tripping over a few books on the way, Naomi loudly reminded her to go home. Ren absently agreed because her mind was still a little hazy from such a rough sleep.
Dashing down the sparkling stone corridors, Ren almost slipped on the freshly cleaned floors. Marble pillars connected with more white stone to showcase the courtyard and all it’s natural beauty. Oak trees and grass were a rare sight nowadays and Ren considered herself lucky to be able to see it every day while going between classes. A few birds flew past, escapees from the sanctuary across the way. Dr. Arlen, her first year biology professor, began chasing them while carrying seed in his hands. “Wait,” he called, “wait, come back!”
Ren felt a little guilty for not stopping to help. But without much time to spare she found herself getting more and more excited the faster she ran. Had Elian really found a new planet?
She didn’t want to wait for the opening to get into the courtyard so she hopped over the marble, much like Dr. Arlen had, and headed for the rounded roof of the Observatory.
The doors slammed against the wall as Ren burst through, only to see Elian grinning beside the monitor. He fell backwards into his chair, swirling in a circle before he came to a stop and said, “I found a planet.”
She looked at the screen, at the blue and green orb that spun there. Numbers sat on the edge of the screen, blinking out the planets coordinates. Beside Elian, Ren could see books he’d used to research where the planet was, and if someone had already discovered it before him. With so many scows out searching for new life, it was amazing that there was still anything to be found.
“It looks habitable,” Ren said, moving closer to the screen. Elian smiled wide and brushed his hair out of his face. But much like Ren’s it had a mind of it’s own, and fell back into his eyes. “And those coordinates look close to Earth.”
“It is,” he said. “I actually found it about like…five m
onths ago, and my readings just came back.” He leaned forward. “There’s life there.”
I arched my brow. “How do you know?”
“I might have modified the universities scope,” he said with a shrug. He swung the chair to face the screen while Ren stood behind him, watching her brother in awe. The keys clicked as he typed in a code, and the screen zoomed in closer.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I said I modified it,” Elian replied. “And see those squares?” He pointed to the small brown splotches on the screen, hidden beneath thin white clouds. “Those have to be buildings, right?”
Ren sighed. “It’s possible.”
Elian clapped his hands. “I already searched the coordinates and there isn’t a registered planet there. It’s all mine!”
“You can’t own a planet, Elian.”
“I can so if I claim it first,” he said. “You know the rules.”
“Finders-keepers is not Intergalactic Law,” Ren argued. “You need the paperwork to own something, and I don’t think there’s any paperwork to own a planet. Besides, everything is under Monarchy control.”
Elian sighed. “You couldn’t let me have this just once?”
“No.” Ren rolled her eyes, and as she did something about the coordinates sparked her memory. “Wait. You said you searched the coordinates for any known planets, right?”
“Yeah,” Elian said slowly. “Why?”
“Did you search all the databases?”
“Just the registry.”
Ren mulled it over. “Search all of them.”
“Why? There wouldn’t be—”
“Humour your older sister, please?” Ren requested, stopping her hand before it could swat the back of his head.
Elian took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Fine.”
When he opened his eyes he typed more code into the computer, full sentences that didn’t make any sense to Ren. Ancient languages she understood, but computer code? Not so much.
A large bar with the word “SEARCHING” flashing above it came onto the screen. It filled almost to the end when Elian said, “See? Noth—”
The computer beeped with one entry found. “I knew it.”
An article popped up on the screen, an official entry from nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, when the Monarchy first started filing lost newspapers into the database. The date on this article had been rubbed off, destroyed before anyone could save it; but everyone knew the story.
“What’s this?” Elian asked.
“Those coordinates are the same as that scow that vanished centuries ago. Remember?”
Elian squinted at the screen, pretending to read the ancient article.
Ren sighed, exhausted. The entire two hours of sleep she’d gotten were catching up with her. She fell into the chair beside her brother, preparing for a long explanation. “It’s what started the urban legend of the stolen planets.” Ren said, hoping to jog his memory. He stared at her blankly. “The scow known as—”
“The SS Absolution was the first space vessel to successfully make it to another humanoid inhabited planet,” a voice said behind them. Elian and Ren spun around to see a man in a black suit walk through the doors. His shirt and tie were silver, signalling his relation to the Monarchy. He continued, “During its second mission out it vanished after sending one last report of a another new planet—at those exact coordinates.” When he was met with silence, and suspicious silence on Ren’s part, he sighed. “I can see this is going exactly as your father said it would.” His eyes shifted to the article on the screen.
“You know our dad?” Elian asked.
“He’s with the Monarchy,” Ren said quietly.
Elian rolled his eyes. “Just because he wears silver doesn’t mean—”
“Very good,” the man replied. “You must be Ren. Your father said you were smart—how’d you figure me out if not by the shirt?”
“Cufflinks,” she said with a nod. The tiny silver and gold suns was enough to tell her of his status, but why he was here she had no idea. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled as he held up his wrists to get a look at the cufflinks. When his eyes lifted to her Ren thought he was trying to make it gentle, as if to calm her nerves, but it came out twisted. “I’m here about that.” He pointed to the screen.
“How could you know about that?” Elian demanded. “I just logged it into the system like five minutes ago.”
The man laughed. “The Monarchy keeps a close watch on its equipment, Elian. We might have overlooked the—modifications, but we will only be so lenient.” He peered around, as if unimpressed with his surroundings. “The last Earthlings have always been of interest to us—we like to make sure everything is in order.”
Elian jumped from his chair. “You’ve been spying on me?”
“Us, Elian,” Ren corrected, standing. She placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “The Monarchy watches everyone, remember?” She dangled her communication bracelet in front of him, reminding him of the matching one he wore.
“That’s Dad’s way of keeping in contact,” Elian argued. “It doesn’t give the Monarchy the right to watch what I’m working on.”
Ren ignored him and looked to the man. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to give you these,” he said. The man reached into his jacket pockets and pulled out two small suns that matched the ones on his cuffs. One dangled along a silver chain, while another looked like a pin. “Put them on, now.”
In two long strides he was in front of the siblings, and quickly pinned one sun onto Elian’s lab coat. He was slower as he approached Ren, and didn’t try to force the necklace around her neck. “It’s from your father.”
“Maks doesn’t give jewellery as gifts,” Ren said. “He gives weapons and offers to go to war.”
“Maksin has changed,” the man explained. He sidled up beside Ren and wrapped the chain around her neck, closing the clasp.
“Watch it,” Elian warned, grabbing at the man’s wrists. He missed as the man stepped back.
Before Ren could even look down at the sun that marked nobility she was overcome with dizziness. She clenched her eyes shut and leaned over, resisting the urge to throw up.
“Ren,” Maksin said. “Take a breath and stand up straight.”
She did as her father told her. When she was able to open her eyes again she found herself facing the crew of the Stormbringer, with her father standing front and centre in his silver suit. A wave of nausea swept over her once more, but she didn’t falter again.
“Maks,” she said. “What’s going on? Transporters disguised as gifts is a new one for you.”
His usual stare of unwavering determination faded for only the smallest of moments, and anyone else on the ship probably hadn’t caught it; but Ren did. She’d only seen that look once before, and she knew what it meant.
Bad news.
“Dad,” Elian said, “you can’t just kidnap your children. You’re the law, I’m pretty sure you know that’s illegal.”
“I’m sorry,” Maks said. Ren held back a gasp. Maks didn’t apologize. “But there’s something we need to do. If I had asked you to come, you wouldn’t have.” He looked to Ren as he spoke.
“So you kidnap—” Ren began but Maks cut her off.
“Start the Drop,” he ordered a petite woman at the front.
“Be advised we are starting the Drop,” she said. Against the console she pressed a few buttons on a screen and the engines flared to life. Ren only took a second to look out at the blackness that surrounded the ship, and the tiny dots that blinked in the distance.
“We’re Dropping?” Elian shouted. “What the hell Dad? I have work to do; I just discovered a planet and—”
“I know,” Maks said. He swallowed audibly before brushing a rough hand over his beard. “That’s why we’re here.”
The man beside Ren ask
ed, “Would you like me to explain, sir?”
Maks considered the offer, which surprised Ren even more. Just how bad was this news?
“Kids,” Maks continued, “let me show you something. Garret.”
Maks walked out of the control room, and they followed without question. Elian was most curious, so as usual he ran ahead of his sister and walked on his father’s heels. Ren and Garret came at a leisurely pace, neither of them eager.
“It isn’t bad,” Garret told her. “Not really.”
“Tell that to Maks.”
“I did,” Garret assured, “and now I’m telling you. This announcement—it’s something a lot of people would want.”
Ren didn’t know what a lot of people would want; she only knew what she wanted. And she wanted to be nose deep in a book about the twentieth century, and discovering diaries that told first hand of the wars. She didn’t want to be on some Scow in space, Dropping onto a planet.
A glance behind her told Ren that they had already started the Drop into a wormhole. Bright lights flashed as the scow started its journey towards the unnamed planet, but Ren didn’t feel a thing with the artificial enhancers on the ship. The Drop always fascinated her; she was literally falling through a wormhole and she didn’t feel anything at all.
Except a little nauseated.
“Are you coming?” Garret asked. He was already standing by the door, waiting for her. He seemed so much nicer up here than back on Earth.
“Yes,” she called. Ren quickened her pace and let Garret lead her down a number of corridors. All of them looked the same to her; she’d never been one to completely understand space travel. Big silver and grey walls, with flashing lights and pipes leading to places Ren would never see.
“Here we are,” Garret announced. The door beside him swept down into the floor and they stepped inside. In the middle of the room Ren saw Maks and Elian standing in front of a glass podium, a single piece of parchment in front of them. Garret nodded for her to go ahead of him.
“What is this?” Elian asked, peering closer at the paper.
It looked old to Ren, with the edges becoming torn and the paper yellowed. Most of the writing had faded, but she could still make out her last name; Argent.
“It’s apparently a binding legal document,” Maks said, sending the briefest of glares at Garret.
“A legal document of what?” Ren questioned. “Does that say ‘Star Deed’?” She squinted at the paper.
“It does,” confirmed Maks. “And it proves that the planet Elian discovered two months ago is…ours.”
Ren thought she must have heard him wrong. “Can you repeat that? Is this a joke because I said there was no paperwork to own a planet?”
Maks sighed. “When the planet was first discovered the Monarchy had to look into it since the Absolution’s disappeared in the area. When they went to the planet they found that the ship had crashed. There were survivors.”
“Are they still there?” Elian asked.
Ren resisted swatting him again. “It was three hundred years ago, what do you think?”
“Oh, right.”
Maks cleared his throat. “The descendants of the survivors are still there.” He turned to Garret. “And the Monarchy went and had a little talk with them.”
“As it turns out,” Garret began, “they don’t have any sort of leadership, they’re working through democracy.”
“Democracy?” Elian repeated. “I learned about that…it was…uh…”
“The people’s choice,” Ren cut in, “they vote on their leader. That sounds like leadership to me.”
Garret rolled his eyes. “And it always worked out so well, didn’t it?”
Ren didn’t say anything else, because there wasn’t much to say. Hundreds of years ago democracy was great, but it didn’t work anymore. There were too many colonies, too many people. With her studies, Ren wondered if it had ever worked at all.
“So?” Elian prodded.
“So,” Garret went on, “after the Monarchy spoke with them, they’re willing to…how shall I put this…hand over the torch?”
“Pass the torch,” corrected Ren. “And you’re saying they’re willing to give up the only government they’ve ever know to complete strangers?”
“Well, when the Monarchy showed them this,”—Garret nodded to the paper—“and their current Prime Minister is dead, his successor was very willing to pass the torch.”
Ren inspected the paper closer while Elian tried to remember what a Prime Minister was. The only words she could make out were “Star Deed” and “Meredith Argent”, along with a seemingly random set of numbers.
“Something that isn’t widely known is that back on Earth in the latter twentieth to early twenty-first century, people would gift stars to each other,” Garret explained.
“Seriously?” Elian asked.
Garret nodded. “And in 1984, a man named Daniel Argent gave his girlfriend and soon to be wife a star for their wedding. Ring any chimes?”
“Bells,” Ren corrected. “And yes, it does. Are you saying because our ancestor named a star, through a company that doesn’t have any right to name stars I might add, that we own it now? And by default, the planet that orbits it?”
“Absolutely,” Garret said with a grin. Ren had hoped her corrections would make him think twice before opening his mouth, or at least put a damper on his mood, but it did neither.
“You are now the royal family of the planet Novae.” Garret bowed towards the new royals. “Welcome to the Monarchy.”