Stefan and Landry Say Goodbye

As promised, here is a first draft excerpt from Search for Knowledge. The concept for this novel is centered around Talia and Landry leaving Sendek to visit Jaron's home world of Orek. And yes, their names are similar for a reason. Anyway, this quest to gather information on magic, technology and most importantly--how Jaron's world managed to combine a scientific world with a magical one so successfully, has consequences.

Einstein's theory of Special Relativity

Space and time are interwoven into a single continuum known as space-time. Events that occur at the same time for one observer could occur at different times for another. What does that mean? Lots of things, but the part I'm using for SFK deals with the fact that time passes slower the faster one goes. So our heroes are going away in a speeding spaceship to some distant planet and then comes back (in book 3), they will be younger than everyone who stayed on Sendek.

Yeah, this is cool stuff that I'll dedicate an entire science post too sometime in the future, but if you want a great site that explains it in simple terms, look HERE.

Excerpt

Stefan stared at the ground as they walked out into the sunslight. "I still think this is a huge risk. How can you be sure you'll get there and back safely?"

"Jaron's ship is fully equipped with everything we need, and with Gibbs and Cooley all our bases are covered. We’ll be fine." Landry left the real issue unsaid.

"Can't you learn what you need from Jaron's records?"

"We’ve been searching them for two months. His computer doesn't have the historical records we would like, and we need records that will help us train the mage."

Stefan paced along the edge of a low stone wall. "What am I supposed to do with these mages while you're gone?"

Landry nodded to the hanger. "They’ll follow her. Even if she's not here. For a while, anyway. Right now they have something to look forward to and they’ll follow our journey and wait for news of our return."

"That won't keep them under control for long." Stefan shook his head. "And there's the general population to watch as well."

"Use the Mage Council. They can enforce the guidelines within the mage group. You just have to keep the Council on your side."

Stefan harrumphed, but turned to Landry. "I can see many benefits from both the technological and the magical side of this journey, but I feel like everything is happening too fast. You’re the only family I have left, you know."

"Stefan, you're going to be fine. The people are going to follow you as well as they did your father. Maybe it's time you started looking for a queen?" Landry teased.

"You always said you would be the last one to tie yourself down to a woman. Now that you've slipped up, you want to tie me down too?” Stefan smiled and Landry knew he was working his way to goodbye. “Just wish you had picked a woman that didn’t want to take you halfway across the universe.”

“I know. If we’re lucky—” Landry looked over the mountain views, anywhere but at his cousin.

“I’ll still be alive when you return.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll just be old as dirt and you’ll only be a year or two older. Doesn’t seem fair somehow.”

“Look at the bright side. You’ll have kids and grandkids and a full life of memories to brag about.”

“Ha! And you’ll just have a new world to talk about.”

“But you’ll still be a part of this one.”