Sedulity (Book One) Impact

Sedulity

Book One

Impact

By David P. Forsyth

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people,
things or entities is purely coincidental. Many geographic locations and
scientific terms mentioned are real, but the author makes no claim to
accurately describing them. This novel is for the personal entertainment of those
who purchase it. It is unlawful to copy, duplicate, or distribute any portion
of this book in print or any form of electronic media without the express
written consent of the author or his assignees. This work is protected by
international copyright laws and intellectual property rights. Please respect
the rights of independent authors.

All rights reserved by David P. Forsyth. Copyright
©
2014.

Cover Art by William O. Rosenthal (2014)

Acknowledgements

This novel was inspired by numerous apocalyptic tales of
fiction, especially “Lucifer’s Hammer” (Copyright 1977 by Larry Niven and Jerry
Pournelle), although the storyline is totally different.  I wish to acknowledge
and thank all the apocalyptic authors who filled my formative years as a reader
with comets, asteroids, mushroom clouds, plagues, monsters, alien invasions and
other horrifying disasters, but there are far too many to list individually. Their
stories of death, destruction, survival and redemption helped me escape into
other worlds and eventually decide to create some of my own. I should also
thank my high school math teacher, Richard Robinson, for opening up his
personal library of apocalyptic fiction and turning me on to classics such as
Alas Babylon and Earth Abides. You created a monster!

To the new generation of indie authors, I salute you! Much of
my personal inspiration in recent years has come from talented writers and
friends who are too numerous to list, but Hugh Howey is my indie idol. Thanks
for all the great advice and supportive tweets! I do want to make mention of
some fellow authors who helped me create ApocaCon: Dan Williams, Saul
Tanpepper, Shawn Chesser, Craig DiLouie, Peter Cline, Julie Rudolph, A.
American, and Monique Happy Editorial Services all deserve kudos for their participation
and support. Special thanks to Show Producers and Direct Radio for their
invaluable support and encouragement. Kevin, you rock the apocalypse.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the Beta Readers of this book who
provided input on the plot and spotted more than a few typos. Christopher O’Grady,
Stephanie Lunsford, H.J. Harry and Lee Close, thank you!

Extra special thanks to all the fans of my zombie books who
seem to be looking forward to a different type of apocalypse. I hope I don’t
let you down. And for anyone who wants to become a writer, my advice is to read
and read and read as much as you can until you feel the need to write. Then
write something you would want to read.

No acknowledgement would be complete without thanking the
love of my life, Pamela, for all of her support, encouragement and occasional tongue-lashings
to keep me on track. I love you! And a special thank you to the talented
William Rosenthal who has created the cover art for all of my books. I love you
as I would my own son. Finally, this book is dedicated to my mother, Gloria
Brooks Forsyth (1923 – 2013). Love always, David.

Sedulity

Book One

Impact

By David P. Forsyth

            Chapter 1:

Seventy percent of the Earth’s
surface is covered by water. Oceans are the cradle of life, a playground for
all manner of creatures, yet wield some of the most destructive forces of
nature. Their depths are dark and mysterious. Their surface is fluid, churning
with powerful and often unpredictable results. Those who know the ocean well
respect its uncaring and fickle moods. There was a reason that the evolutionary
seed of mankind crawled out of the ocean in search of safer habitats. Yet man
returned to sail the seas, at first cautiously and then with confidence born of
ingenuity and arrogance. Some men even ventured below the surface in
submarines, or met it on its own terms with little more than facemasks and tanks
of air on their backs. Others challenged and reveled in the power of the ocean
by riding the powerful surf for fun. Many more harvested the bounty of the seas
to feed themselves and earn a living. Millions of people chose to live close to
the ocean because it provided a comfortable climate and means of livelihood, as
well as access to foreign travel and trade.

            In recent years the timeless tradition of ocean
travel evolved from emigration and trade to pure recreation. Ocean liners that
once transported immigrants and adventurers between continents were replaced by
cruise ships taking vacationers on circular routes that included a few stops in
exotic ports of call before returning to deposit the passengers where they had
come from. Cruise ships themselves became the destination. These ships were
designed to be floating resorts, catering to those who sought pampered service
and indulged in copious consumption. As a symbol of decadence, it was hard to
find a more perfect example than a modern cruise ship, sailing the seas
aimlessly while consuming vast quantities of fuel and filled with passengers
consuming equally decadent amounts of food and alcohol. Perhaps it is fitting
that one of the largest and most luxurious cruise ships ever built would play a
role in the event that ended the modern world as we knew it.

Kevin and Amanda Summers reclined in twin deck chairs on
their private balcony, watching the stars come out, while swells broke against
the frothing wake of the massive cruise ship. The weather was mild, considering
they were approaching the equator in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Halfway
into their epic cruise from California to Australia, the Summers were having
the time of their life. Kevin still marveled at the deal they had scored. A
twenty-one day cruise with concierge class balcony stateroom for only $1,200.00
per person! They even got to bring their five year old daughter, Emily, along
for free. All meals were included and they got a $500 bar credit to boot! Not
to mention the ports of call.  After a week at sea their first stop on the Big
Island of Hawaii had been epic, including a day trip to the lava flows. The
following day in Honolulu had also been memorable, with a tour of the Pearl
Harbor Memorial followed by a walking tour of Diamond Head and an afternoon on
Waikiki Beach. After two more days at sea they had spent a day on Tarawa Island
where they went snorkeling among sunken ships and decomposing amphibious vehicles
from the epic World War Two battle of the same name. In a few days they would
stop at Fiji for a day on the beach, followed by a stop in New Caledonia. Then
it was a straight shot to Sydney, Australia, where they would spend another
week exploring before flying home to Los Angeles. Kevin shook his head as he
remembered that the one-way flight home would cost almost as much as the three
week cruise to get there, but those were the kind of deals you could get on a
repositioning cruise.

The
SS Sedulity
had just completed the northern summer
season of cruises along the coast of Alaska and was now en route to Australia
where she would conduct one and two week cruises of the South Seas during their
summer
season. The long one-way trip to relocate was not in high demand,
so it was possible for bargain hunters to get some excellent deals. Kevin and
Amanda were not wealthy, so this type of exotic cruise might be a once in a
lifetime experience. No strangers to cruising, they had taken several of them
in recent years, including seven day cruises of the Mexican Riviera and the
Caribbean. They had clued into the deals on repositioning trips when they took
a one-way cruise from Florida to Italy. That two week crossing had cost less
than a regular one week cruise of the Caribbean. It had also taught them to
keep an eye out for deals on repositioning voyages. This was their longest
cruise so far and they were loving it.  

The
Sedulity
was an amazing ship. Almost as large as
an aircraft carrier, she could barely fit through the Panama Canal. Built to
carry more than 3,000 passengers in the lap of luxury, this was only her second
year in service and she still had that new car smell. The range of amenities
and entertainment ensured that it was almost impossible to get bored, even on a
three week cruise with minimal ports of call. Amanda loved the spa. Kevin liked
the gym and played pick-up games of basketball. There was a childcare center
and even babysitters for Emily. Kevin and Amanda spent a lot of time poolside
with their Kindles by day and playing penny slot machines at night. The live variety
shows in the onboard theater were good and they had satellite TV in their room,
including the Cartoon and Disney networks for Emily. Kevin and Amanda also had
a favorite bartender named Armando. A few big tips on the second day of the
cruise ensured that all of their cocktails were stiff.  On that particular
evening they were waiting for the babysitter to arrive and sharing a bottle of
red wine that they had brought aboard. 

“I love this old vine Zinfandel,” Amanda said. “And I can’t
think of a better place to drink it either. Just look at that view, Kev! Have
you ever seen anything like it?”

“No, Mandy,” Kevin replied with a smile. “Those stars aren’t
even the same ones we can see from home. In fact, I can’t wait to see the
Southern Cross for the first time and understand why we came this way.”  Amanda
had similar taste in music and reached out to punch him lightly in the
shoulder. “Ouch,” he mocked injury. “I thought you like Crosby, Stills and Nash
songs? But this really is a special night, honey. We’ll be crossing the equator
soon.”

“So what?” she asked. “What’s so special about that?”

“Quite a bit,” Kevin said. “I want to go up on deck for the
Line Crossing Ceremony and I bet you’ll enjoy it too. Sailors have been doing
it for hundreds of years, but there’s a real difference once you cross the
line. Up north all of the hurricanes and large storm patterns rotate
counterclockwise. Once we cross the equator the Coriolis Effect reverses the
weather patterns. Cyclones spin clockwise. You might even see it yourself when
you flush the toilet and the water spins the opposite direction.”

“Really?” Amanda asked in disbelief.

“No,” Kevin chuckled, “not really. I mean the toilet thing is
said to be an urban legend, but I’ll be checking to make sure. It might be more
apparent in a draining bathtub or sink. The weather patterns really are
reversed though. That’s a fact. It has to do with the rotation of the Earth. We
call it the Coriolis force. I always found it fascinating and I’m excited to
see if I can spot any differences in cloud patterns.” Kevin worked as the
weatherman for a local television station in Los Angeles. It was probably the
most boring job possible for a meteorologist, since he could basically say it
wouldn’t rain every day and be right 98 percent of the time. Nevertheless, he
was intrigued by global weather patterns and was working on a PhD in Climatology
at Cal Tech. Amanda seemed to lose interest as soon as he said the reversing
toilet flush was a myth, but he had more to say. “It’s not just the way toilets
or weather patterns reverse. Everything above them is different too. A whole
new sky that we have never seen. Billions and billions of stars that never
shine on the Northern Hemisphere. We’ve never seen any of them before. It’s not
just a new world down here. It’s a whole new universe.”

“Okay, Carl Sagan,” Amanda joked, “I’m game. As soon as the
sitter gets here we can head up to the casino until it’s time for your line
crossing – but if it includes line dancing, you can count me out.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Kevin agreed as he raised his glass in
a toast.

****

“Twenty-one-hundred hours report, Captain. Speed 22 knots.
Heading 173 degrees true. Sea state mild with two foot swells and clear with
unlimited visibility. Radar screen is clear. GPS, LORAN and inertial-navigation
are synched. All systems nominal. Forty-five minutes until the scheduled Line
Crossing ceremony. Reducing speed to 19 knots to stay on schedule.”

“Thank you, Mr. Crawford,” Captain Krystos replied over the
phone in his quarters to his First Officer on the adjoining Bridge. “I’ll be
there in half an hour. Organize a Bridge watch so we can both officiate at the
ceremony.”

“Aye aye, sir. I’m looking forward to it,” the younger man
said.

The captain smiled as he hung up the phone, thinking that his
second in command was probably looking forward to seeing a lot of the young
female crew members jumping into the swimming pool during the ceremony, if not
seeing the Captain make a fool of himself. In fact, the captain was looking
forward to it as well. There were not many occasions aboard ship when he could
let his hair down, so to speak, and have some real fun. His smile expanded as
he glanced in the mirror and rubbed his bald head. Still smiling, he walked
from his office into the adjoining Captain’s Suite. “Lydia, bring me my Neptune
robe and wig. It’s time to get ready for the line crossing.”

“Yes, darling,” replied a stout brunette in her mid-50s.   

Captain Mikal Krystos, a native of Athens, was born to be the
master of a ship. His wife, Lydia, was a perfect match. She was a strong woman
who had raised four children while her husband spent most of his life at sea.
Now that the children were grown and Mikal had risen to command of a luxury
cruise ship, Lydia was able to accompany him. Though not yet retired, their
life at sea was just as good, perhaps better. They could travel together,
sharing the Captain’s Suite on a premier cruise ship, while Mikal earned full
pay. All their meals and amenities were gratis and first class. Lydia got to
explore foreign ports of call, even when Mikal had to remain aboard.  And when
at sea they were treated like royalty. Yes, it was good to be master of the
Sedulity.
 
Lydia brought him a long white robe that she draped over his normal captain’s
uniform and handed him a wig of long curly grey hair. “You make a handsome
king, or god,” she said as he stood in front of the full length mirror. “Now
where did you put your trident and crown?”

****

Armando Ramos liked working at the poolside bar. During the
day he saw plenty of women in bathing suits and the evenings were generally
quieter on deck than tending bar in one of the night clubs inside the ship.
Tonight would be livelier on deck and he would have a ringside seat for the
Line Crossing ceremony. It was an old tradition that was still popular among
sailors from around the globe. Armando had heard horror stories about the
hazing that used to take place on naval ships, especially an Australian submarine
where several sailors were physically and even sexually abused in the 1990s. 
That had brought an end to extreme initiation rites, but the core of the
rituals remained the same. Armando had gone through it himself two years
previous during his first voyage across the Equator. The crew would undoubtedly
pull some pranks on the newbies below decks, but the formal ceremony would only
involve them jumping into the swimming pool in their uniforms, after which the
Captain – dressed up as King Neptune – would issue them Line Crossing
certificates. They would carry those with them to whatever ships they served on
in the future, to avoid going through the initiation rites again. 

More of the passengers were coming out on deck as the late
dinner seating wrapped up. Many of them made their way to the bar and kept
Armando busy. One good thing about being a bartender on a cruise ship was the
steady tips. In addition to the 15% added to every drink, some of the savvy
passengers would slip a few $20 bills to a favored bartender at the beginning
of a cruise. That would earn them stronger than normal drinks. Armando
recognized one such couple approaching the bar.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Summers,” he said with a smile.
“Where’s the little princess tonight?”

“Emily is asleep in the cabin with a sitter,” Mrs. Summers
said.

“Well it’s good to see you two out having fun on your own.
What can I get you this evening? Rum and coke?”

“That sounds great, Armando, thank you,” replied the handsome
gentleman who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. Kevin watched approvingly as
Armando poured considerably more rum than coke into two glasses of ice. Smiling
he asked, “So what can we expect at the Line Crossing ceremony?”

“Should be quite a show, sir,” Armando said. “Several hundred
of the crew have never crossed before. Some of them will be on duty, but the
rest are supposed to report here for the ritual.”