The Asteroid Home - A Quick Review
DescriptionA review quickly recapping the third part of The Asteroid Saga as you watch the journey of its original trilogy end, finishing the adventures of King Trimdin, Tim, and Claren... for now.
MessageWe recommend reading The Asteroid Home to form your own opinions about the book.
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WRTN/The Asteroid SagaIntroductionOn March 13, 2022, The Asteroid Parts (TAP) was released on WRTN. Since then, two official sequels have been announced: The Asteroid War (TAW) and The Asteroid Home (TAH). And since TAW released on August 8 and TAH on December 31, we have decided to make this article, one that will quickly review the third and final part of the saga so you don't have to read it again (or read it for the first time). Just be aware that you absolutely have to read TAP and TAW or their respective quick reviews to understand The Asteroid Home. So, let's get started.
Prologue to Chapter 3The prologue of The Asteroid Home is exactly the same as the epilogue of The Asteroid War, meaning its story leads exactly into this one. We have the establishment that Tim and Claren have returned to Earth after TAP, quickly discovering that their home was destroyed. This panics them, but suddenly, they pick up an SOS from the International Freedom Station. So, our brave explorers head there, discovering that it was empty. Then, three months pass, and we pick up with them again, Tim desperately attempting to see if anyone was out there to pick up their signals. And luckily for the crew, King Trimdin picks up on the other end, recently recovering from the war. This comes as a surprise to all parties, but they eventually come to an agreement, Trimdin sending The Belt's finest ship, The Grandiant, to save them.
Chapter 1, titled Homecoming, transitions in directly from this point. Tim and Claren, who are in their infamous capsule, now sit in the bay of the advanced ship sent to rescue them. They are told that it will only take a few minutes to travel to The Belt again, allowing the dynamic duo to spark up some conversation. This is where we get the chapters name from, as Claren says this: “A home. A new home. So, this is almost like a homecoming... It’s like we are going to school. The parts were our first year, and now we're coming back for our second. We’re more knowledgeable; more jaded; more familiar. It’s like Goddamn high school.” The talks continue from there, delving deep into the anxieties, worries, and questions of the men. It's clear that their time on the station together has caused a small dose of tension between them, but as far as they know, they are the last humans in the universe, so they need to stick together.
Eventually, the men make it to The Capital, where King Trimdin lives and where their new home will be. Quickly, the men meet up with the alien friend again, having the reunion they never thought would come. From there, they are lightly introduced to many things, like that they are Gods, alongside The Kings late brother. There are hints toward the war, though that is kept under wraps until later. Quickly, Trimdin also has a solution for both the lingual and environmental barriers of his kingdom, having a technology called ClearSuits with built in translators. After all of that, it is revealed that Trimdin has a surprise for the men, who had only just arrived, so they quickly put on their new suits and prepared for something truly special.
In Chapter 2 - Catch Up, the surprise that King Trimdin had for them was essentially an event, one that would be broadcasted across The Belt. Citizens from The Capital surrounded them physically, while a camera captured their appearance for the masses. This was very much so unexpected, but it eventually hints at something larger for the story: division within The Belt. "Tim and Claren could fully understand what the alien public was saying, them screaming a wide choice of words and phrases towards the adjusting men. 'Tim! Claren!' they cried. 'Is it all true?' another shouted. 'Bring back our Master! Bring back the real God!' someone chanted. 'We love you!' one from the front row said." There is a wide arrangement of reactions to the arrival of Tim and Claren, some excited to see the fabled men while others seemingly scream about Quinten and the war. Regardless, it is clear that both men seem to be ignorant of such things, but Trimdin isn't, and this gives him and idea. Just as they finish the event, he tells his dear friends to go in and find their room while he makes a call. "But this soldier I’m getting you is top of the line; she is the soldier. She fought in the last war and was the one to end it. Nothing can get through her.” Kiran is that soldier, the one that he trusts the most, and quickly, we get confirmation that she is on her way; that SHE will be Tim and Claren's protectors from possible enemies. But little did Trimdin, Tim, Claren, or Kiran know, danger was much closer than expected.
Catch Up's second part does does what TAP and TAW failed to do in many ways: give the background of our protagonists. Sure, Trimdin had a fairly developed story, but when it came to the men, there is next to nothing. So TAH solves that, as it reveals both the history of Earth in it's final days and how Tim and Claren were affected by it. Here's Claren's description: He was born in 2020 (thirty years old); his parents WERE alive before the bombs, and likely died by the nuclear war; he had no siblings, only a boyfriend; majored in engineering; and was caught up in The Crunch, AKA when the initial war between two multinational factions, Arcadia and Oceania, started, as they challenged each other to see who could launch a mission to the outer solar system by the end of the 2040's. Here's Tim's: Grew up in America, which was a major player in Arcadia; is fifteen years Claren's elder; was aloof and spent a lot of time in space, especially in stations like the IFS from earlier; and was selected via a draft to be part of a mission along with Claren to be the astronauts who would launch in December 2049 for Pluto. That, for all intents and purposes, is why Tim and Claren were on their mission in TAP. It is also revealed that there was another group, the Oceanic team, and that their likely won or were destroyed, leading the opposing organizations to blame each other and, from there, blow each other out of existence with their arsenal of nukes. A lot, I know. From there, Trimdin shares that he is sorry for their losses, and then finally gets to telling the men exactly what he was up two over the past few months: The Asteroid War.
The third part of The Asteroid Home is called Kiran, which is a clear reference to the character of Kiran Samdin, who The King asked for to protect his human friends. But before that, we walk in with Trimdin telling Tim and Claren about his fight with Quinten, going into detail about the hardships and lessons learned. “Oh, we had a war alright, but one I gravely regret, one that has caused me much shame. I realized that I was letting my drive for revenge overpower my ideals, twisting the morals of my brother. I could no longer take it, no longer wanted to take vengeance, so I surrendered.”
After ALL of that, Kiran confirms that she has arrived at The Capital, so Trimdin brings Tim and Claren to the Royal courtyard, preparing them to meet their protector. And when they do, things start off wonderful, Kiran showing up and kneeling in front of both The King and the men. She expresses pure gratitude, and then got to planning their adventures ahead. Quickly, they landed on a location: Vesta, the science (and apparently food) capital of The Belt. The only worries brought up were the fact that Vesta's been having a ‘crime’ spree recently. But Trimdin ignores it, telling Kiran that he will send dozens of guards, the best pilot, and, of course, herself. Tim and Claren had "nothing to worry about," as Vesta was one of the most loyal places in The Belt. So, with this fantastic agreement, the four of them agree that the Beltian Museum of Science was the best activity for the men to partake in. They would only be joined by Kiran, as Trimdin needed to attend the opening of the Belitan War Memorial promised at the end of TAW. And as night falls (that's a long story), The King heads off to do his final sweep while Tim, Claren, and Kiran head to their quarters, ending the day.
BUT, that is not the end of the chapter, as TAH cuts to the men in their room, talking to each other as they lie in bed. They chat about a myriad of different subjects, from their religious beliefs, to their propositions of how Trimdin may be a Demigod, to the fact that "those shitty sleeping bags at the IFS were, well, shit.” Quite the finish, right? Well, there is much more to come, because the rollercoaster only goes up from here.
Chapter 4 to Chapter 5Chapters 4 and 5 of TAH are pretty wild. Discovery follows the next morning after Kiran, The Grandiant being loaded both with supplies and soldiers for the adventure ahead. Excitement is flowing throughout, as the men and their protector are quickly brought onto the ship, saying goodbye to their king and preparing for the fascinating things they would see on Vesta. But little did they know, leaving The Capital, the safety of King Trimdin, would not be the time they expected.
Captain Landun, who is piloting the mission Vesta, quickly sparks up a conversation with the Tim and Claren, who are seated directly next to them. We learn a myriad of different things about him, the biggest being that he used to be part of Quinten's army, loyal to both him and The Queen before he was dishonorable discharged due to accepting a bribe. This sews a bit of suspicion in not only in the humans, but Kiran herself, who is rather offensive while speaking with him. But, ultimately, they arrive at Vesta, ridding the room of tension.
"Vesta itself held a modern style, matching more closely what the men had seen in The Capital: large, spanning buildings with wide streets and vendors on every corner. Crowds from the community clamored, trying to not get caught in the chaos." Quickly, the trio headed toward the Museum of Beltian Science, going from the underground docking station to the surface, being crowded with excited subjects right up to the door. Quickly, they were locked in, allowing Kiran to begin showing the men the expansive history of The Belt.
Throughout this section of the book, it is mostly exposition and conversation, as we learn different things about both the technology and nature of this alien society. First comes aging, as we learn that Kiran is only twenty and Trimdin only twenty-five, blowing the minds of the thirty and forty-five year old men. But it's not only that, as they discover that they mature quicker but also live longer, going all the way up to one hundred eighty Earth years. Though there's more. We are told about how The Queen and Quinten practically squeezed The Belt dry of cash, funneling everything (including R&D) directly to his personal army, not the Royal one, explaining how Quinten was able to have such a large hand during the war, even though he was a small force. There is also the confirmation of the Kuipernians, the civilization out by the Kuiper Belt, which destroys Tim and Claren's already shattered perception of the universe, confirming that even MORE life is out there than humanity knew. But, for the love of God, there is more. Trimdin's brothers name is Nardyn, for starters, which is something that has never been revealed. But the biggest kicker is that it is finally "confirmed" how the entire king thing started in the first place. In TAP, we see that Trimdin becomes the ruler of The Belt after killing The Queen. But why is that? Well, there is seemingly no reason at all, and the only solid proof they have of anything is The First King, who was quote "known to be insane," seeing something called "le sqott," AKA the spot. Some form of higher being, an unknown figure, visited him and "touched his face with the hand of the universe," blessing him with powers. But he is not alone, as apparently every civilization they have ever encountered has a being with powers, meaning that something has to have given them the magic powers; there has to be something larger at play. And, as Kiran later reveals, maybe there is something bigger than them out there; another plane of existence.
Restoration, as Chapter 5 is titled, decides to switch POV's for a while, going back to The Capital to watch the opening of the Beltian War Memorial. Trimdin, who is having a new set of armor based around his brothers being applied, is briefed on both the whereabouts of his friends and the status of the event he is about the hold. The event, which is going to be a speech held at the site, has an air of tension around it, the audience being made entirely of veterans and the security being heightened. Why, you may ask? Well, those crime sprees on Vesta earlier are no joke, as there has been trouble afoot in The Belt for a while. And, to top it all off, the memorial is being built at Quinten's former base, which was a special district designated for the rich under The Queen, adding to the subtle dangers worried about by the Royal team.
As The King arrives at the memorial, he lifts himself from a vehicle and lands on a stage, the infamous podium and microphone that have stood in front of him so many times before laying there. He stares at the audience below, watching their contempt faces and seemingly slumped stature. But he quickly got to work, starting his speech by mentioning this shocking words: "The past few months have been filled with turmoil, fueled by revenge, and I am sorry that much of that has been caused by me. The Queen: I killed. Quinten: I killed. And tragically, many of my own citizens: I killed, all due to my terrible practices.” But from there, he goes into detail about the site itself, detailing how "this former arena for the rich has been flattened into a field of flowers, each color representing a different era in our history." Everything seems to be going well for The King, the audience responding aptly to his words. But then, something unexpected happened.
Little did the crowds below know, Trimdin had something big to announce: that he was not going to have a successor; that The Belt will become a democracy under his reign. Understandably, such a big change and statement shakes the crowd a bit, especially with this being an older and less loyal crowd of veterans. And that's where a huge realization comes in from Trimdin, who was watching the crowd slowly dissipate. "Then King Trimdin remembered what Quinten had told him all that time ago: 'Your military is made up of a bunch of volunteers and under-experienced idiots. My veteran soldiers had a lot of time to train while The Queen was in power. Mine were ready, yours were not' 'The entire audience are veterans, right? That means that they are almost entirely former workers of Quinten, were former followers of his rhetoric. And that could mean…' While most of the crowd was getting up, a suspicious figure remained, out of nowhere holding a gun in their hand. 'Oh shit,' The King said to himself." Yep, for some odd reason out of nowhere an assassin was near holding a quote "long-barreled handgun," and they quickly start shooting an array of bullets at the dear ruler of The Belt. Trimdin reacts as fast as he could, knowing the projectiles were aimed toward his mostly unprotected head. With his magic, he applied a shield around himself, just in time to stop the first bullet from penetrating. At the same time, multiple Royal guards run toward both Trimdin and the shooter, tackling the criminal and attempting to save their leader. But The King, somewhat out of fear, somewhat out of intelligence, flies off, following protocol and heading back to the castle; back to safety. Though unfortunately for him, that was only the start….
Chapter 6 to Chapter 7History decides to go back to Tim, Claren, and Kiran on Vesta, continuing their journey in the museum as they learn about Beltian society. Just like before, the men are showed many technologies and their origins in this world, like the hyper-speed engine and translation device, the latter of which we learn is programmed to know and convert any language in the universe. How, you may ask? Kiran tells us that The King, Queen, or who ever is in power, has the ability to speak any language that exists, and from that, they base their devices on, which has worked every single time. We also get to the the recurring theme of "no direct connection, but are eerily similar," something that has and will continue to come up throughout both TAH and the rest of the saga. Beltian, as Trimdin, Kiran, and the rest of The Belt's language is called, is like a simplified version of English, a discovery that helps explain how Trimdin was able to write it back in TAP (along with other details like the fact that he was wearing a ClearSuit and translator).
Regardless, they continued, Kiran showing them some of their weaponry. “The automatic rifle was invented almost twenty thousand years ago and revolutionized wars. Before, the classic long-barreled handgun worked well for small and accurate assassinations while the bigger semi-auto was for fighting.” Ironic. Quickly the trio moves on, talking about war and how it has torn both their homes apart. “'I’ve heard about Earth before. The blue marble of infinite water and luscious land that sits in the middle of our sky; the small dot that houses billions of beings. We don’t learn much about it, but I know you both loved it, that it was your native land, and I can easily understand the pain of seeing history run its course. Your society fell to the very thing mine was close to: self-destruction.' 'And I think that’s why we are here,' Tim responded, 'to make sure the same mistake is not made twice.'" The conversation soon turns to fate, with Tim mentioning how it may be involved in their living while Claren quips about how a man who disregards religion could believe such a thing. But Kiran soon puts this train of thought to rest: “Fates are real. Religions are real. Gods are real. It all is.” This one chilling line entirely changes their view of the universe, and is a HUGE line for the saga as a whole. "Every civilization in the galaxy, and maybe the universe, appears to have some concept of a higher being, of a power above us. Trillions have been poured into the research of it, and all signs point to yes." But it keeps going, as we hear about another concept that's universal: "'Let’s do a quick test. What do you call the afterlife?' 'It depends entirely on which religion you follow. Some don’t have one, some believe in reincarnation, some call it heaven, some call it Ede—' 'Eden. Oh yes, Eden,' Kiran interjected. 'Everywhere we have gone, they have all had some variation of that name. Eddene, Elden, GkEdyn, and even in Beltian it's Edn. Sure they may have other names, but we all have an Eden.'" Yes, that is the same version of Eden found in The End, finally connecting the ideas from that story to The Asteroid Saga. This is big information for a seemingly small chapter of a story, but it keeps going from there, as we also have the events Restoration to follow up.
After ALL of that, the book refocuses on thinking about Trimdin, as the men ask about why he didn't come along, Kiran telling them a bit about The Asteroid War and everything that happened. We also get to see more of her rage toward Captain Landun, the pilot of The Grandiant who they had suspicions about. Ultimately, the men finally learn that they are not as safe as they thought, with some factions under the old command of Quinten trying to cause mayhem. This obviously hints to the assassination attempt of Trimdin, and leads directly into an unexpected call from The King himself, the call feature being activated on their ClearSuits. "'Tim, Claren, Kiran! Can you hear me?' a distressed voice said into their ears... 'Your majesty, what do you need?' Kiran waited for a command. 'I need you to run. RUN, RUN, RUN... There was an assassination attempt on me. I don’t know if it was organized, but you need to come back to The Capital NOW. We can’t risk your lives...' 'Absolutely, sir. They’ll get home safe. Is this a Code Green or Red?' Kiran questioned. 'Red for now. Let Tim pilot. Don’t trust anyone besides me or yourselves. No guards, no Captain Landun.' This is where shit gets real. After all their dilly dallying around Vesta, things are starting to happen, and no one knows why. But soon, they will.
Chapter 7, titled Pains & Plans, continues to follow the trio of friends. Claren is freaking out a bit, but Tim is not much better, looking at their sole protector for an answer. But even she is unsure of where to go, directing them toward the entrance of the museum, hoping of escaping the home of scientific discovery. Though as they near, they can see out the massive windows and doors of the building, noticing that all military and civilian personal have disappeared; they were gone. “Trimdin made the right call to say Code Red. Either they turned or got killed. How it happened while we were in here, I don’t know, but it’s the only explanation.” Now they're really concerned. Quickly they approached the door, the scene outside still barren. But as they do, Tim notices something: a small red dot. And when he mentions this to Kiran, she is immediately tells them to turn around and walk away slowly. Is was a sensor, one that, if they walked out that door, would "freaking explode" them into "smithereens.”
Quickly they come up with a new plan, Kiran feeding the men vital information about the workings of Vesta. You see, the asteroid is split in half, the top part of the hollowed rock dedicated to the city while the bottom is where all ships land and dock. Tim and Claren saw this in action both when they left The Capital and arrived in Vesta. So, with this, Kiran comes to the realization that, since the museum has items shipped to it regularly, that it may have a special transportation system directly down to the docks. And, if that is true, then they may have a chance to get to The Grandiant and escape. But, if she could devise it, than so could anyone who was trying to get them. "There’s a slight chance they forgot. We are more likely to die going out this door than trying to find a stairway to the underworld.” So, with that plan, the group rushes over to a tablet like device and pulls up a map of the museum, finding exactly what they wanted: an elevator. It was in a maintenance room, locked away from the public. Though there was one problem: they needed a passcode for the transporter to work. Tim suggests just ripping it open somehow with Kiran's sword, to which she laughs at. Regardless, they know they need to find a way to break in, so they just go to the room anyway, praying for something to crack the elevator open.
Tim, Claren, and Kiran kick down the door to the room, seeing the mess left behind by the spaces operators who vacated for their arrival that day. With the clutter being mostly technological, Kiran commands that they should try to find a decoders, similar to the one she used in TAW. So, they get to work, sorting it out in the hopes of finding one. But on the opposite end of the room, the large slope down toward the elevator stood, existing precisely where the blueprints said it would be. Only one thing stood out, imperfectly matching their preconceptions: the size of the elevator. Instead of a large shaft leading down to the docks, it was a small transport, specially designed for item movement, not men. The trio of Trimdin’s friends continued to look for their needed device, not noticing the trouble they were soon to encounter.
Kiran, who is the first to give up looking for a device after minutes of trying, finally decides to head down the slope, scoping out their well-needed elevator. And that's when the realization comes. "'Oh, that’s not good.' 'What is it?' Claren yelled from the top. 'Can one of you come down? I’ll need to do a bit of a size comparison.' 'A size comparison?' 'Yeah, just get down here,' she commanded." Tim rushes down, leaving Claren behind for a second to see the trouble. And what he sees is a surprise as well. “What is i… WHOA! Is that the elevator?” Now the team gets worried, knowing that the fit for the men in the elevator would be crushing at best. All they could hope for is that the shaft is larger than it looks. But to know that, they would need to open the door, something Claren would soon remedy....
“I found it, I Goddamn found it,” Claren yelled soon after, Tim and Kiran running back up to him, who was proudly holding a device in the air. “I think I found it! I did some light digging and found a file on code tech. Then, it said there was going to be an exhibit on it, so I searched for what they were going to put on, and I found it. The Fifth Generation Royal Decoder!” This is good news and all, but they have yet to tell Claren the problem they discovered. Though Tim quickly gets to it, blurting out that it is smaller than expected. '"That doesn’t shock me,' Claren said. 'An elevator made to transport items will likely be the size of an elevator for those items.'" With that out of the way, they go back down, making sure to grab one thing that they saw on their way out: a dagger. "'Well, then grab the dagger and go! We have no time to waste.' 'Wait, dagger?' Claren asked. 'I’ll explain later,' Tim said back, rushing over to the knife in question. Its shining exterior and prominent tip displayed itself beautifully, reminding Tim of the adventure to get the parts. He then walked by Claren, marching downward with Kiran. 'Is that what I think it is?' Claren commented as they moved. 'Yes, it is. You made a defibrillator out of it… somehow.'" Yes, by another stroke of luck, Tim happens to find the dagger that he killed The Queen with, for which Kiran supplies a name for: Queen Calidon. After all this time, we are finally given her name, just like Nardyn before, revealing more about the world of The Asteroid Saga.
Regardless, the three head down to the elevator in question, quickly linking up the decoder to the panel at the door. Claren and Kiran, using their superior technological experience, work together to get the code. And two minutes later (the Gen. Five ones are slow), they finally get it, the famed numbers being 5172017, which is a reference to the original TAP's release date (May 17, 2017). Nevertheless, the code works, and the elevator door opens, revealing a shaft that is a slight bit bigger than expected. Then, they come up with a plan, Kiran going first with her sword, then Tim with his dagger, and finally Claren, with whatever weapon he can find in the next five minutes as he waits for the cab to arrive for him. Poor Claren.
Tim and Kiran's rides go smoothly, one going after the other. Finally, Claren is left alone, and he swiftly searches for SOMETHING to fight with. And he does: a baton, or, more accurately, a good sized metal pole. Regardless, this leaves him with a defense, one he may need, as the elevator is taking longer than he expected to come back up. But eventually, it does, Claren squeezing himself into the cramped space with his stick. The elevator started to move downward toward the docking station. Claren could feel the gravity pulling him down slowly, a light-up graphic indicating his descent. Once the door opened, a satisfying chime sound playing, Claren walking out to a totally cleared docking area. Tim and Kiran were nowhere to be found; everything was empty. All ships had left, Claren totally stranded. "'Hello!' Claren screamed, confused, his voice echoing in the large chambers. 'Where are you guys? Tim? Kiran?' He got his baton ready, gripping it with two hands and lifting it vertically in front of his chest. 'Where the hell is everybody?' Claren started to get nervous, sweat collecting around his forehead. Swiftly, he looked around his periphery, swinging his stick senselessly. 'Something’s wrong, very wrong,' he voiced, still standing mere feet away from the now-closed elevator door. 'Oh, dear Claren. Something is definitely wrong,' a voice said behind him. Suddenly, Claren's head was covered with a sack, a string tightened around his neck as he dropped his baton."
Chapter 8 to Chapter 9The next two chapters are where things pick up even more. Chapter 8 - The King of Gods is likely one of the most critical follow ups to The Asteroid War, as the reader really gets to see the effects it had on The King. Trimdin, who has secured himself in the castle, refusing to let anyone see him, sits at his desk contemplating his decisions. Much is flowing through his mind, though it is repeatedly interrupted by his aide outside his bedroom door, asking for his cooperation as the Royal government tries to figure out what to do next. Essentially, Trimdin is kind of acting like a teenager, which is a joke later said in the section. It is clear that he is distraught over the whole assassination thing, both worried about his safety and that of his friends, knowing that they are still out there on Vesta. Sure, he warned them, but he has no idea what the situation is like there. Regardless, The King finally decides to start talking to his aide, who was still outside, leading to an entire conversation that happens through a door. Through this we get many updates, like the fact that Captain Landun and his crew have still not responded to anything, alongside the fact that they have the shooter in Royal custody. But the talk keeps going, getting deeper each line said. Slowly, we are introduced to the more integral problems Trimdin is having, finally talking about the fact that he feels like he has failed in defeating Quinten and his evil ideas. His helper tries to connect with the melancholic monarch, but the further they go, the more enraged Trimdin becomes at the whole situation, him asking an all-important question to them: "Would my brother be proud?" Luckily his aide worked under his brother, so he gives a true response, one that comforts him greatly. "You’ve caused more disruption than he did in five years. He was no light ruler; so much changed the second he came into power, but you have easily beat him with your accomplishments... Lessons have been learned, evil has been swayed, war has been ended; that seems to fit the criteria well.” This helps the emotional Trimdin, but there is still the issue at hand, the issue of his friends safety, so the peace doesn't last for long. "'How could I ever let that happen!' he screamed to himself. 'The damn trickery!' 'Sir!' 'All those families I let down, all the subjects I got killed, just for vengeance!' King Trimdin continued to stand, now throwing his hands violently in the air. 'Sir, do I need to come in there? You need to calm down. Everything is okay.' 'It will never be okay. How could it be? You can’t call the slaughtering of hundreds a mistake, can you?' 'It was. That’s all it was. You have done everything, have taken away the Devil that did it, have made a memorial and retributed them. Now you must learn to live with that. But that pain, those losses, have brought freedom and justice to all in The Belt. That is something truly wonderful.' 'How can it ever be right if so many had to fall to make it happen?' 'All good things come from somewhere bad. There can never be happiness without pain first. Once you hit rock bottom, it is only up from there.'" This final list of words are the things that finally calm him down, that finally give Trimdin the break he needed. All the stress, all the anxiety, all the pressure of being king, was never made for him; he was never meant to be a king. But you know what, he did, and sure, he made mistakes, but he has ultimately brought more to The Belt than there ever was before. "These are the words of someone who was thrust into kingship without time to train, prepare, or really understand what they were getting into. But they love it all the same, being more diehard and committed than any experienced ruler would be. That’s what makes them special; that’s what makes you special," his aide told him. After everything, Trimdin appeared to settled, appeared to be at peace. But just like before, it did not last long, as a call came from an unexpected number: Kiran.
"'What the hell?' he said, confused. 'What is it?' they yelled back. 'I’m getting a call… from Kiran? Why would she call me? I told them to go quiet.'" Instantly, Trimdin realizes the strangeness of it, and instantly gets tense. His aide, who was STILL on the other side of the door, requested to enter the room, something Trimdin quickly accepted. Then, together they answered the call, getting a message they never wanted to hear. "'Why the hell are you calling me, Kiran?' 'Oh, dear Trimdin, did you really think it was your damsel soldier? Do you think those men were going to make it off Vesta easy? Don’t be so ridiculous. We’ve got them; we’ve captured them. And that legion of guards you sent? Killed, every single one, including that frivolous Captain Landun. Damn traitor... From the ashes of Quinten, we have risen. The Children of Quinten are coming, your majesty, and we’re starting with your measly friends. You think you’re The King of Gods, The King that saved us from tyranny. But all you’ve brought is pain.'" Yep, the Goddamn Children of Quinten, a cult group that follows their deceased leaders rule. This is the ultimate enemy of TAH, the ones who have been giving Trimdin trouble since the war. They are Quinten's loyal disciples, and Trimdin realized quickly that they are screwed if they have Tim, Claren, and Kiran. "'Where are Tim, Claren, and Kiran? What have you done with them?' 'The same thing The Queen did to you all that time ago. Start with the verbal torture, but then get to the real physical stuff.' In the background of the call, they could start to hear faint screams, quickly noticing whose they were." Trimdin swifly makes a threat, saying that he'll send the entire Royal Army if he has to. But the Children bring up a good point: Tim and Claren aren't even citizens of The Belt. They are two HUMAN men, beings who should have no importance to the subjects of The Belt. And this really angers Trimdin, as he responds with this: “I am going to send every ship, every soldier, every weapon, every bomb, everything to your location. You will be crushed. There is no in-between.” But they respond with this: “Then we will just kill them a bit faster. Get your knives out, boys. These lambs are about to go to the slaughter.” Not good, to say the least. Trimdin attempts to plea with them, to work diplomatically with them, knowing he would lose other wise. But they only want one thing: his surrender. This situation is almost exactly like that of TAW, and in that, he listened, leading to that resolution. Though here, now, he is in a different situation; he has no sneaky plan to win. Trimdin is royally screwed (pun intended), and has no good way out of this. The chapter ends with shivers being sent along King Trimdin and his aide’s spines, fear of what would come clogging their psyche. Tim, Claren, and Kiran were in real trouble, and The King of Gods was not prepared to handle it.
Humanity, the ninth chapter of TAH, immediately follows the eighth as Trimdin and his aide rush out of the bedroom directly to the command room, where all his advisors would be. Quickly they barged in, many of them staring at the distraught Trimdin. He updates them on everything that happened, on the Children of Quinten, and everyone kneels at his presence. But he tells them off, commanding someone to track the locations of Tim, Claren, and Kiran's ClearSuits. They quickly get on it, noting that they are still on Vesta, directly at it's center. Then Trimdin and his assistant turns his attention to his commander, telling him exactly what these "Children" said: “They murdered the entire legion sent to protect them and are actively torturing the men and their officer.” It is realized that they are not joking around, that they are definitely taking similar actions to those of Quinten's, and Trimdin begs for the Royal Army to be sent and destroy them. But his advisor does something that no one would expect: tells a king the words "no." "'If we try to attack and they detect it, they will just kill Tim, Claren, and Kiran faster. If we do nothing, they will still die. AND, even if I did surrender, they would probably kill them anyway. How do you get out of that?' 'You don’t,' the general said. 'You just don’t... Is sacrificing The Belt worth it for their lives, sir? At the end of the day, two of them are humans who have no home here." This is exactly what the Children of Quinten wanted, what they meant by what they said earlier, and this upsets Trimdin massively. But the lecturing keeps going: “Your majesty, I am just stating the truth. You’re the one who almost lost a war because you let your revenge, your personal hate for Quinten, blind you. You’re the one who sat in his bedroom and refused to consult others like an adult! Don’t let your personal love for them, your emotions, hurt The Belt again." Trimdin attempts to say that the situation is entirely different, that Tim and Claren are the only way The Belt will rise again. Though the commander continued: "You talked of democracy, so let’s get it started. Get on a broadcast, tell Beltians what is happening, and let them vote; let them choose what THEY want. This is their home, this is their Belt, and they have the right to make the decision of whether or not we should go after these 'Children.'' The general looked straight at The King, fully challenging him.'" This left Trimdin with a lot to think about, a lot to consider, and finally, he gives in: "'Get me the public relations department and the head of the Royal Beltonian Broadcasting System,' The King ordered. 'I’m going to prove they care!'"
Finally, we cut to Tim, Claren, and Kiran, all tied down in a cave like place, surrounded by Children and weaponry. They lay bare, gagged by large strips of cloth, dyed by the blood running down their faces. This is where TAH gets the most gruesome, dire, and sadistic, the men and their protector being both tortured and questioned. Insults, who seem to be coming from the lead "Master" of the group, are thrown at them, mentioning things like the destruction of Earth to the men, all for the sake of paining them. But after a while, it is confirmed to them that they have a very specific death in mind for the three of them: "When we kill you, how does burning alive sound?" The plan is to set them on fire, just like everyone on Earth was (which is not totally accurate, as their deaths were likely quicker), so, they are cut down from their place and lead through a long, dark hallway toward a large auditorium-like area. And in it sit dozens and dozens of cult followers, all there to watch them die. Beautiful, right? Anyway, they all get tied to large poles on the stage, surrounded by stone with large piles of 'fuel' standing next to each. Their gags are taken off, all for the sake of wanting to "hear them scream!" Claren has a nice choice of words that he throws at their alien foes, but to no avail. Then, there's a bit of sexism, some subtle mentions of slavery, and the question of whether or not capitalism or socialism is the best form of government (WTF was the writer thinking... oh wait, shit, that's me). Quickly, Tim makes a connection that anyone with two brain cells could pick up on: "'Wait a Goddamn second,' Tim suddenly stated, 'is this seriously a fight between capitalism and socialism... It may be different here, but you are literally fighting over something that we had wars about for centuries on Earth. The question between an open market and a controlled market, between the bourgeoisie and the people? Sound familiar, right Claren?'" Then he mentions about how that is why they are there, that is why fate saved them from death so many times: because they were meant to use the lessons of Earth to ensure the future of The Belt. They, along with Trimdin, are the liberators of their homes, and together, they can let The Belt finally choose it's destiny, not the rich and powerful. But the Master ignores all of this, yelling toward the loyal audience and riling them up. Quickly, the three are covered in some sort of thick, black substance, and the piles below about to be set aflame. But suddenly, a noise comes in, one coming from the Master's communicator. And they pick it up, swiftly being told that the Royal Army is on Vesta and that they are trying to break through their security. They attempt to ignore it, but when the alien on the other end reveals that someone has a gun to their head, forcing them to say these things, that's when they get worried. "'You piece of shit!' The Master snapped the device in half. 'They know where we are.'" Panic settles into the crowds below, but The Master attempts to mollify them. "Everyone, don’t worry. They can’t get to us here! This place was built during the Cross-Belitan Wars to withstand a million bomb strikes. Let’s watch the main course here!” But reason to worry quickly came: "Quickly, the mob of fire-holding soldiers stood around Tim, Claren, and Kiran, lighting the ground below them. They had laced it with large piles of fibers and drenched it in fuel. Flames swiftly came about, burning under the tortured group of souls. 'Good. It has started. This is the end of humanity!' Large cheers filled the auditorium as the fire crept closer and closer to the stakes. But as that happened, another noise occurred, this time from Tim, Claren, and Kiran’s ear devices. 'I’m here…' it spoke to them from a personal message, the voice clearly Trimdin’s. And at that moment, the entire room shook, the blaze below burning from side to side. Suddenly, a large explosion sounded, the boom blasting throughout." The Master continued to try and rush the process, but the no avail, their worse enemy appearing from above. "'Goddamn it! Can we speed this up a bit!' The Master screamed at his soldiers, the audience in peril. 'Everything is fine,' they told them, 'King Trimdin is weak!' Though the rumbling of the room said different, and when a massive hole was blown in the roof, their tune changed. 'Oh shit!' The Master yelled. ''Oh shit' are the exact words I wanted to hear!' a roaring voice responded as they dropped down from the sky. A massive robe, redder than blood, covered their blue armor and matched the large, golden crown on their head. A purple glow encapsulated their hands." King Trimdin had arrived, ready to destroy those who threatened his friends. And luckily, he came with a few more being than expected: "'Let’s just say I’ve got a bit of backup!' Abruptly, a shower of soldiers dropped from the hole, landing in the crowds and disabling dozens of Children. 'I don’t think you’re ready for this.' The King said, prepared to fight with a smile on his face. 'Not ready at all….'"
Chapter 10The final chapter of The Asteroid Home is titled A New Home and dives headfirst into the ensuing battle. We learn that Trimdin's cries to the Beltian citizens worked, encouraging practically the entire Belt to help him finally beat the evils of Quinten once and for all. In the underground base, hordes of fighters dropped down into the atrium using newly designed mechanized suits, protecting them from the precarious fall. Attached to them were large guns, though they were deactivated, instead opting for mass tasers to incapacitate the cult followers. But on the other side of the room, the pile below was still set ablaze, Tim, Claren, and Kiran tied to their stakes, the flames getting ever closer. Though King Trimdin was on their tail, confronting The Master head-on. "'Guards, get your guns ready,' they commanded, 'and point them at the men!' 'You won’t. You can’t.' 'Why do you Royalists always say that,” The Master responded. 'You know I will.' 'Because you have all the strengths and weaknesses of Quinten. That’s how.' 'And so do you. You figured that one out quickly.' 'We had the same flaws, but different ideals. Though now I have the real power!' 'I’m done with this. Shoot!' Right then, each soldier on the stage lined up their shots, preparing to fire at the soon-to-be burned beings. King Trimdin, in response, darted straight forward, whisking through the air and lunging at the enemy troops. In moments, he collided with them, grabbing the tip of one of their weapons and activating his shield. The Master pulled out their pistol from his satchel on his side, aiming it toward Tim’s head... The King pushed the soldier with the gun over, pulling it out of their hand and flipping it around. He quickly got hold of its butt, slipped his fingers onto the trigger, and did the unthinkable. A barrage of bullets shot out from it, hitting every rival on the stage. Then, he turned his attention toward The Master, who was just about to pull the trigger just as he did. Trimdin swiftly pointed his weapon toward them, aiming at their head and letting it loose before a single shot could be fired from their pistol. They promptly fell to the ground, The King surrounded by a blood bath of his own making. Though only one thought remained in his head: to save his friends." A lot, I know. So, essentially, the Children of Quinten are taken care of as quickly as possible, but to do it, Trimdin had to do something he hates: kill. He did it, did something terrible, all for the sake of saving the ones he cares about. But one problem remained: the fire was still ablaze, and was getting closer and closer to the men and Kiran. Trimdin desperately looked for something to put it out, but it is just too large for any conventional methods. So he asks the men what to do, and Claren suggests something crazy: to use his magic to create a gust of wind. Trimdin knows how risky that is, knows that it is not easy, but makes the decision to try, planning to push the fire back using his powers. He does exactly that, floating lightly into the air again, the lavender haze known by all wrapping around him. Then, a sudden spin started as he powered up, cupping his hands together. And with a massive scream, Trimdin released a vast blast, pushing back everyone and everything within its vicinity. Even the soldiers in the suits got forced back, the pure power of it almost half of that when he transformed into the king. Though most importantly, the fire was blown out, freeing the three from their hellish death. And from there, he fell, soldiers rushing to the stage to both examine him and cut down Tim, Claren, and Kiran. When they do, the trio runs toward The King, worried for his health. But he comes back, and this section of the chapter ends with this: "'Did it work?' The King asked. 'Yes. Yes, it did,' all three said in unison. And a small smile sat on his face, happy to hear the voices of his friends."
Part two of A New Home follows the aftermath of it all, taking place a week later. Everyone has healed from their injuries, though a few scars seem to remain on the men. On that day, Trimdin was prepared to give a speech, just as he always does. But this one was different: there was no script. So, as he walked out the infamous doorway of his palace, he had no idea what he was going to say. All he knew was that it was the truth. Tim and Claren stood next to him as he left, Kiran in the background, guarding them. The big, black microphone lay on the flat surface, staring directly at him while a mob of subjects watched either live or through the broadcast. But instead of the despair felt after the war, this crowd was excited, ready to hear an optimistic speech about the future. And King Trimdin delivered exactly that, giving an empowering speech detailing that every last Child of Quinten has come into Royal custody and that Quinten should not be immortalized, that he should be remembered for evil only, something that they can almost all agree with at that point. Trimdin also notes that, yes, there will still be those out there who follow Quinten, that follow his ideology, but that they don't need to be the villian of their own stories. They can change, and The Belt will help them with that; they can move on from the rage built up in them. But, there is also the mention of what he said in Restoration, telling them all that the subjects of The Belt will finally get to choose their destiny, choose their futures, just like he and Nardyn promised. And Tim and Claren are there to help with that, no matter what. Education is also made free for people under a certain income threshold, and universal basic income is introduced to distribute the wealth of The Belt equally (they are becoming increasing socialist as they move away from the fascist ideas of Quinten and The Queen, essentially). Finally, Trimdin hands the mic over to Tim, Claren, AND Kiran, which was a surprise, and lets them say what they need to.
The three of them don't say much, really just throwing thank you's their way for letting Trimdin save them. But something more interesting happens in this part, and it has to do with The King. While he is watching his friends speak, he is thinking of his brother and says this: "This is the place you dreamed of, Nardyn. It’s becoming real before my very eyes. Now, all there is left to see is what the next saga brings, where fate takes me. I just wish I had your guidance; wish I had you here to see it." And, out of nowhere, Trimdin hears a whisper: “I am…” Quickly, Trimdin shouts "Nardyn," but nothing happens. All it does is interrupt his friends as they are speaking, as to which they respond with confusion. Trimdin tells them that it was "just a memory... a good one.” This relieves Tim, Claren, and Kiran, though Trimdin still feels a bit dazed as they walk away from the crowds. But those two words kept ringing throughout King Trimdin’s head, bringing a smile to his face. Each time he heard it, the presence of his brother came back, the book ending with this:"'I am….''I am….''I am….'He is."
EpilogueThe epilogue of TAH officially ends The Asteroid Saga: Original Trilogy, and man, does it do it with a bang. The more somber yet optimistic finish of Chapter 10 is maintained, but the tone is a bit lighter here, as it takes place "9 Months After The Departure…." In it, he starts talking to Empress Madeln, who we learn is the ruler of the Kuipernian Empire, someone mentioned in both this book and TAW. Instantly they get to diplomatic talks, Madeln asking about Quinten and getting filled in on the problems he caused. Everything seemingly goes well between them, the reader casually learning throughout their conversation that the Kuipernians are both a bit more authoritarian than The Belt and that she also has power similar to Trimdin. This confirms that the powers exist outside of his society, but also gives insight into how their relationship can quickly strain due to their differing ideas of ruling. Regardless, things go well, and the talks almost end on a boring note. But leave it to good old Madeln for adding a new layer to the story, as she starts to tell The King that her forces found a strange ship orbiting Pluto a little while ago. She starts asking about Tim and Claren, questioning if they are the last humans, as to which Trimdin says "yes." The Empress keeps going, telling him that when they opened it, these strange creatures wearing big, bulky blue suits stared at them, terrified. This instantly gets Trimdin's attention, and he begins to piece things together a bit. He thinks back to Catch Up, back to the fact that there was another team sent out to rival Tim and Claren. Finally, King Trimdin gets it, and he asks the all-important question of "Where are they now?" And all Madeln does is smile, telling him that she can bring him to them. Quickly he agrees, and the two of them head toward the "Research and Habitation" labs. And the minute Trimdin got down there, he recognized the familiar look of the two creatures, in pure amazement of their existence. They approached them slowly, tapping on the glass that contained them and analyzing their faces, The King noting the "sheer fear and excitement" they were going through, "their eyes wide open but their mouths sewn shut." Finally, the two rulers walked away from them, Trimdin excited to bring his friends the miracle of a lifetime. Eager to bring two humans home again…
ConclusionOn March 13, 2023, the entirety of The Asteroid Saga: Original Trilogy will release, putting together all three books onto one page so that the truly fantastic story of this first collection can be enjoyed back to back. The Asteroid Saga is a truly interesting tale to read, as its narrative unfolds and gets deeper each time. It is remarkable that as a reader, WRTN has supplied shortened versions of our stories, making it easier than ever to experience these wonderful books regardless of your status as a fan. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about the saga/trilogy or any other projects on WRTN Stories, email us at wrtnmedia@gmail.com.
Prologue to Chapter 3The prologue of The Asteroid Home is exactly the same as the epilogue of The Asteroid War, meaning its story leads exactly into this one. We have the establishment that Tim and Claren have returned to Earth after TAP, quickly discovering that their home was destroyed. This panics them, but suddenly, they pick up an SOS from the International Freedom Station. So, our brave explorers head there, discovering that it was empty. Then, three months pass, and we pick up with them again, Tim desperately attempting to see if anyone was out there to pick up their signals. And luckily for the crew, King Trimdin picks up on the other end, recently recovering from the war. This comes as a surprise to all parties, but they eventually come to an agreement, Trimdin sending The Belt's finest ship, The Grandiant, to save them.
Chapter 1, titled Homecoming, transitions in directly from this point. Tim and Claren, who are in their infamous capsule, now sit in the bay of the advanced ship sent to rescue them. They are told that it will only take a few minutes to travel to The Belt again, allowing the dynamic duo to spark up some conversation. This is where we get the chapters name from, as Claren says this: “A home. A new home. So, this is almost like a homecoming... It’s like we are going to school. The parts were our first year, and now we're coming back for our second. We’re more knowledgeable; more jaded; more familiar. It’s like Goddamn high school.” The talks continue from there, delving deep into the anxieties, worries, and questions of the men. It's clear that their time on the station together has caused a small dose of tension between them, but as far as they know, they are the last humans in the universe, so they need to stick together.
Eventually, the men make it to The Capital, where King Trimdin lives and where their new home will be. Quickly, the men meet up with the alien friend again, having the reunion they never thought would come. From there, they are lightly introduced to many things, like that they are Gods, alongside The Kings late brother. There are hints toward the war, though that is kept under wraps until later. Quickly, Trimdin also has a solution for both the lingual and environmental barriers of his kingdom, having a technology called ClearSuits with built in translators. After all of that, it is revealed that Trimdin has a surprise for the men, who had only just arrived, so they quickly put on their new suits and prepared for something truly special.
In Chapter 2 - Catch Up, the surprise that King Trimdin had for them was essentially an event, one that would be broadcasted across The Belt. Citizens from The Capital surrounded them physically, while a camera captured their appearance for the masses. This was very much so unexpected, but it eventually hints at something larger for the story: division within The Belt. "Tim and Claren could fully understand what the alien public was saying, them screaming a wide choice of words and phrases towards the adjusting men. 'Tim! Claren!' they cried. 'Is it all true?' another shouted. 'Bring back our Master! Bring back the real God!' someone chanted. 'We love you!' one from the front row said." There is a wide arrangement of reactions to the arrival of Tim and Claren, some excited to see the fabled men while others seemingly scream about Quinten and the war. Regardless, it is clear that both men seem to be ignorant of such things, but Trimdin isn't, and this gives him and idea. Just as they finish the event, he tells his dear friends to go in and find their room while he makes a call. "But this soldier I’m getting you is top of the line; she is the soldier. She fought in the last war and was the one to end it. Nothing can get through her.” Kiran is that soldier, the one that he trusts the most, and quickly, we get confirmation that she is on her way; that SHE will be Tim and Claren's protectors from possible enemies. But little did Trimdin, Tim, Claren, or Kiran know, danger was much closer than expected.
Catch Up's second part does does what TAP and TAW failed to do in many ways: give the background of our protagonists. Sure, Trimdin had a fairly developed story, but when it came to the men, there is next to nothing. So TAH solves that, as it reveals both the history of Earth in it's final days and how Tim and Claren were affected by it. Here's Claren's description: He was born in 2020 (thirty years old); his parents WERE alive before the bombs, and likely died by the nuclear war; he had no siblings, only a boyfriend; majored in engineering; and was caught up in The Crunch, AKA when the initial war between two multinational factions, Arcadia and Oceania, started, as they challenged each other to see who could launch a mission to the outer solar system by the end of the 2040's. Here's Tim's: Grew up in America, which was a major player in Arcadia; is fifteen years Claren's elder; was aloof and spent a lot of time in space, especially in stations like the IFS from earlier; and was selected via a draft to be part of a mission along with Claren to be the astronauts who would launch in December 2049 for Pluto. That, for all intents and purposes, is why Tim and Claren were on their mission in TAP. It is also revealed that there was another group, the Oceanic team, and that their likely won or were destroyed, leading the opposing organizations to blame each other and, from there, blow each other out of existence with their arsenal of nukes. A lot, I know. From there, Trimdin shares that he is sorry for their losses, and then finally gets to telling the men exactly what he was up two over the past few months: The Asteroid War.
The third part of The Asteroid Home is called Kiran, which is a clear reference to the character of Kiran Samdin, who The King asked for to protect his human friends. But before that, we walk in with Trimdin telling Tim and Claren about his fight with Quinten, going into detail about the hardships and lessons learned. “Oh, we had a war alright, but one I gravely regret, one that has caused me much shame. I realized that I was letting my drive for revenge overpower my ideals, twisting the morals of my brother. I could no longer take it, no longer wanted to take vengeance, so I surrendered.”
After ALL of that, Kiran confirms that she has arrived at The Capital, so Trimdin brings Tim and Claren to the Royal courtyard, preparing them to meet their protector. And when they do, things start off wonderful, Kiran showing up and kneeling in front of both The King and the men. She expresses pure gratitude, and then got to planning their adventures ahead. Quickly, they landed on a location: Vesta, the science (and apparently food) capital of The Belt. The only worries brought up were the fact that Vesta's been having a ‘crime’ spree recently. But Trimdin ignores it, telling Kiran that he will send dozens of guards, the best pilot, and, of course, herself. Tim and Claren had "nothing to worry about," as Vesta was one of the most loyal places in The Belt. So, with this fantastic agreement, the four of them agree that the Beltian Museum of Science was the best activity for the men to partake in. They would only be joined by Kiran, as Trimdin needed to attend the opening of the Belitan War Memorial promised at the end of TAW. And as night falls (that's a long story), The King heads off to do his final sweep while Tim, Claren, and Kiran head to their quarters, ending the day.
BUT, that is not the end of the chapter, as TAH cuts to the men in their room, talking to each other as they lie in bed. They chat about a myriad of different subjects, from their religious beliefs, to their propositions of how Trimdin may be a Demigod, to the fact that "those shitty sleeping bags at the IFS were, well, shit.” Quite the finish, right? Well, there is much more to come, because the rollercoaster only goes up from here.
Chapter 4 to Chapter 5Chapters 4 and 5 of TAH are pretty wild. Discovery follows the next morning after Kiran, The Grandiant being loaded both with supplies and soldiers for the adventure ahead. Excitement is flowing throughout, as the men and their protector are quickly brought onto the ship, saying goodbye to their king and preparing for the fascinating things they would see on Vesta. But little did they know, leaving The Capital, the safety of King Trimdin, would not be the time they expected.
Captain Landun, who is piloting the mission Vesta, quickly sparks up a conversation with the Tim and Claren, who are seated directly next to them. We learn a myriad of different things about him, the biggest being that he used to be part of Quinten's army, loyal to both him and The Queen before he was dishonorable discharged due to accepting a bribe. This sews a bit of suspicion in not only in the humans, but Kiran herself, who is rather offensive while speaking with him. But, ultimately, they arrive at Vesta, ridding the room of tension.
"Vesta itself held a modern style, matching more closely what the men had seen in The Capital: large, spanning buildings with wide streets and vendors on every corner. Crowds from the community clamored, trying to not get caught in the chaos." Quickly, the trio headed toward the Museum of Beltian Science, going from the underground docking station to the surface, being crowded with excited subjects right up to the door. Quickly, they were locked in, allowing Kiran to begin showing the men the expansive history of The Belt.
Throughout this section of the book, it is mostly exposition and conversation, as we learn different things about both the technology and nature of this alien society. First comes aging, as we learn that Kiran is only twenty and Trimdin only twenty-five, blowing the minds of the thirty and forty-five year old men. But it's not only that, as they discover that they mature quicker but also live longer, going all the way up to one hundred eighty Earth years. Though there's more. We are told about how The Queen and Quinten practically squeezed The Belt dry of cash, funneling everything (including R&D) directly to his personal army, not the Royal one, explaining how Quinten was able to have such a large hand during the war, even though he was a small force. There is also the confirmation of the Kuipernians, the civilization out by the Kuiper Belt, which destroys Tim and Claren's already shattered perception of the universe, confirming that even MORE life is out there than humanity knew. But, for the love of God, there is more. Trimdin's brothers name is Nardyn, for starters, which is something that has never been revealed. But the biggest kicker is that it is finally "confirmed" how the entire king thing started in the first place. In TAP, we see that Trimdin becomes the ruler of The Belt after killing The Queen. But why is that? Well, there is seemingly no reason at all, and the only solid proof they have of anything is The First King, who was quote "known to be insane," seeing something called "le sqott," AKA the spot. Some form of higher being, an unknown figure, visited him and "touched his face with the hand of the universe," blessing him with powers. But he is not alone, as apparently every civilization they have ever encountered has a being with powers, meaning that something has to have given them the magic powers; there has to be something larger at play. And, as Kiran later reveals, maybe there is something bigger than them out there; another plane of existence.
Restoration, as Chapter 5 is titled, decides to switch POV's for a while, going back to The Capital to watch the opening of the Beltian War Memorial. Trimdin, who is having a new set of armor based around his brothers being applied, is briefed on both the whereabouts of his friends and the status of the event he is about the hold. The event, which is going to be a speech held at the site, has an air of tension around it, the audience being made entirely of veterans and the security being heightened. Why, you may ask? Well, those crime sprees on Vesta earlier are no joke, as there has been trouble afoot in The Belt for a while. And, to top it all off, the memorial is being built at Quinten's former base, which was a special district designated for the rich under The Queen, adding to the subtle dangers worried about by the Royal team.
As The King arrives at the memorial, he lifts himself from a vehicle and lands on a stage, the infamous podium and microphone that have stood in front of him so many times before laying there. He stares at the audience below, watching their contempt faces and seemingly slumped stature. But he quickly got to work, starting his speech by mentioning this shocking words: "The past few months have been filled with turmoil, fueled by revenge, and I am sorry that much of that has been caused by me. The Queen: I killed. Quinten: I killed. And tragically, many of my own citizens: I killed, all due to my terrible practices.” But from there, he goes into detail about the site itself, detailing how "this former arena for the rich has been flattened into a field of flowers, each color representing a different era in our history." Everything seems to be going well for The King, the audience responding aptly to his words. But then, something unexpected happened.
Little did the crowds below know, Trimdin had something big to announce: that he was not going to have a successor; that The Belt will become a democracy under his reign. Understandably, such a big change and statement shakes the crowd a bit, especially with this being an older and less loyal crowd of veterans. And that's where a huge realization comes in from Trimdin, who was watching the crowd slowly dissipate. "Then King Trimdin remembered what Quinten had told him all that time ago: 'Your military is made up of a bunch of volunteers and under-experienced idiots. My veteran soldiers had a lot of time to train while The Queen was in power. Mine were ready, yours were not' 'The entire audience are veterans, right? That means that they are almost entirely former workers of Quinten, were former followers of his rhetoric. And that could mean…' While most of the crowd was getting up, a suspicious figure remained, out of nowhere holding a gun in their hand. 'Oh shit,' The King said to himself." Yep, for some odd reason out of nowhere an assassin was near holding a quote "long-barreled handgun," and they quickly start shooting an array of bullets at the dear ruler of The Belt. Trimdin reacts as fast as he could, knowing the projectiles were aimed toward his mostly unprotected head. With his magic, he applied a shield around himself, just in time to stop the first bullet from penetrating. At the same time, multiple Royal guards run toward both Trimdin and the shooter, tackling the criminal and attempting to save their leader. But The King, somewhat out of fear, somewhat out of intelligence, flies off, following protocol and heading back to the castle; back to safety. Though unfortunately for him, that was only the start….
Chapter 6 to Chapter 7History decides to go back to Tim, Claren, and Kiran on Vesta, continuing their journey in the museum as they learn about Beltian society. Just like before, the men are showed many technologies and their origins in this world, like the hyper-speed engine and translation device, the latter of which we learn is programmed to know and convert any language in the universe. How, you may ask? Kiran tells us that The King, Queen, or who ever is in power, has the ability to speak any language that exists, and from that, they base their devices on, which has worked every single time. We also get to the the recurring theme of "no direct connection, but are eerily similar," something that has and will continue to come up throughout both TAH and the rest of the saga. Beltian, as Trimdin, Kiran, and the rest of The Belt's language is called, is like a simplified version of English, a discovery that helps explain how Trimdin was able to write it back in TAP (along with other details like the fact that he was wearing a ClearSuit and translator).
Regardless, they continued, Kiran showing them some of their weaponry. “The automatic rifle was invented almost twenty thousand years ago and revolutionized wars. Before, the classic long-barreled handgun worked well for small and accurate assassinations while the bigger semi-auto was for fighting.” Ironic. Quickly the trio moves on, talking about war and how it has torn both their homes apart. “'I’ve heard about Earth before. The blue marble of infinite water and luscious land that sits in the middle of our sky; the small dot that houses billions of beings. We don’t learn much about it, but I know you both loved it, that it was your native land, and I can easily understand the pain of seeing history run its course. Your society fell to the very thing mine was close to: self-destruction.' 'And I think that’s why we are here,' Tim responded, 'to make sure the same mistake is not made twice.'" The conversation soon turns to fate, with Tim mentioning how it may be involved in their living while Claren quips about how a man who disregards religion could believe such a thing. But Kiran soon puts this train of thought to rest: “Fates are real. Religions are real. Gods are real. It all is.” This one chilling line entirely changes their view of the universe, and is a HUGE line for the saga as a whole. "Every civilization in the galaxy, and maybe the universe, appears to have some concept of a higher being, of a power above us. Trillions have been poured into the research of it, and all signs point to yes." But it keeps going, as we hear about another concept that's universal: "'Let’s do a quick test. What do you call the afterlife?' 'It depends entirely on which religion you follow. Some don’t have one, some believe in reincarnation, some call it heaven, some call it Ede—' 'Eden. Oh yes, Eden,' Kiran interjected. 'Everywhere we have gone, they have all had some variation of that name. Eddene, Elden, GkEdyn, and even in Beltian it's Edn. Sure they may have other names, but we all have an Eden.'" Yes, that is the same version of Eden found in The End, finally connecting the ideas from that story to The Asteroid Saga. This is big information for a seemingly small chapter of a story, but it keeps going from there, as we also have the events Restoration to follow up.
After ALL of that, the book refocuses on thinking about Trimdin, as the men ask about why he didn't come along, Kiran telling them a bit about The Asteroid War and everything that happened. We also get to see more of her rage toward Captain Landun, the pilot of The Grandiant who they had suspicions about. Ultimately, the men finally learn that they are not as safe as they thought, with some factions under the old command of Quinten trying to cause mayhem. This obviously hints to the assassination attempt of Trimdin, and leads directly into an unexpected call from The King himself, the call feature being activated on their ClearSuits. "'Tim, Claren, Kiran! Can you hear me?' a distressed voice said into their ears... 'Your majesty, what do you need?' Kiran waited for a command. 'I need you to run. RUN, RUN, RUN... There was an assassination attempt on me. I don’t know if it was organized, but you need to come back to The Capital NOW. We can’t risk your lives...' 'Absolutely, sir. They’ll get home safe. Is this a Code Green or Red?' Kiran questioned. 'Red for now. Let Tim pilot. Don’t trust anyone besides me or yourselves. No guards, no Captain Landun.' This is where shit gets real. After all their dilly dallying around Vesta, things are starting to happen, and no one knows why. But soon, they will.
Chapter 7, titled Pains & Plans, continues to follow the trio of friends. Claren is freaking out a bit, but Tim is not much better, looking at their sole protector for an answer. But even she is unsure of where to go, directing them toward the entrance of the museum, hoping of escaping the home of scientific discovery. Though as they near, they can see out the massive windows and doors of the building, noticing that all military and civilian personal have disappeared; they were gone. “Trimdin made the right call to say Code Red. Either they turned or got killed. How it happened while we were in here, I don’t know, but it’s the only explanation.” Now they're really concerned. Quickly they approached the door, the scene outside still barren. But as they do, Tim notices something: a small red dot. And when he mentions this to Kiran, she is immediately tells them to turn around and walk away slowly. Is was a sensor, one that, if they walked out that door, would "freaking explode" them into "smithereens.”
Quickly they come up with a new plan, Kiran feeding the men vital information about the workings of Vesta. You see, the asteroid is split in half, the top part of the hollowed rock dedicated to the city while the bottom is where all ships land and dock. Tim and Claren saw this in action both when they left The Capital and arrived in Vesta. So, with this, Kiran comes to the realization that, since the museum has items shipped to it regularly, that it may have a special transportation system directly down to the docks. And, if that is true, then they may have a chance to get to The Grandiant and escape. But, if she could devise it, than so could anyone who was trying to get them. "There’s a slight chance they forgot. We are more likely to die going out this door than trying to find a stairway to the underworld.” So, with that plan, the group rushes over to a tablet like device and pulls up a map of the museum, finding exactly what they wanted: an elevator. It was in a maintenance room, locked away from the public. Though there was one problem: they needed a passcode for the transporter to work. Tim suggests just ripping it open somehow with Kiran's sword, to which she laughs at. Regardless, they know they need to find a way to break in, so they just go to the room anyway, praying for something to crack the elevator open.
Tim, Claren, and Kiran kick down the door to the room, seeing the mess left behind by the spaces operators who vacated for their arrival that day. With the clutter being mostly technological, Kiran commands that they should try to find a decoders, similar to the one she used in TAW. So, they get to work, sorting it out in the hopes of finding one. But on the opposite end of the room, the large slope down toward the elevator stood, existing precisely where the blueprints said it would be. Only one thing stood out, imperfectly matching their preconceptions: the size of the elevator. Instead of a large shaft leading down to the docks, it was a small transport, specially designed for item movement, not men. The trio of Trimdin’s friends continued to look for their needed device, not noticing the trouble they were soon to encounter.
Kiran, who is the first to give up looking for a device after minutes of trying, finally decides to head down the slope, scoping out their well-needed elevator. And that's when the realization comes. "'Oh, that’s not good.' 'What is it?' Claren yelled from the top. 'Can one of you come down? I’ll need to do a bit of a size comparison.' 'A size comparison?' 'Yeah, just get down here,' she commanded." Tim rushes down, leaving Claren behind for a second to see the trouble. And what he sees is a surprise as well. “What is i… WHOA! Is that the elevator?” Now the team gets worried, knowing that the fit for the men in the elevator would be crushing at best. All they could hope for is that the shaft is larger than it looks. But to know that, they would need to open the door, something Claren would soon remedy....
“I found it, I Goddamn found it,” Claren yelled soon after, Tim and Kiran running back up to him, who was proudly holding a device in the air. “I think I found it! I did some light digging and found a file on code tech. Then, it said there was going to be an exhibit on it, so I searched for what they were going to put on, and I found it. The Fifth Generation Royal Decoder!” This is good news and all, but they have yet to tell Claren the problem they discovered. Though Tim quickly gets to it, blurting out that it is smaller than expected. '"That doesn’t shock me,' Claren said. 'An elevator made to transport items will likely be the size of an elevator for those items.'" With that out of the way, they go back down, making sure to grab one thing that they saw on their way out: a dagger. "'Well, then grab the dagger and go! We have no time to waste.' 'Wait, dagger?' Claren asked. 'I’ll explain later,' Tim said back, rushing over to the knife in question. Its shining exterior and prominent tip displayed itself beautifully, reminding Tim of the adventure to get the parts. He then walked by Claren, marching downward with Kiran. 'Is that what I think it is?' Claren commented as they moved. 'Yes, it is. You made a defibrillator out of it… somehow.'" Yes, by another stroke of luck, Tim happens to find the dagger that he killed The Queen with, for which Kiran supplies a name for: Queen Calidon. After all this time, we are finally given her name, just like Nardyn before, revealing more about the world of The Asteroid Saga.
Regardless, the three head down to the elevator in question, quickly linking up the decoder to the panel at the door. Claren and Kiran, using their superior technological experience, work together to get the code. And two minutes later (the Gen. Five ones are slow), they finally get it, the famed numbers being 5172017, which is a reference to the original TAP's release date (May 17, 2017). Nevertheless, the code works, and the elevator door opens, revealing a shaft that is a slight bit bigger than expected. Then, they come up with a plan, Kiran going first with her sword, then Tim with his dagger, and finally Claren, with whatever weapon he can find in the next five minutes as he waits for the cab to arrive for him. Poor Claren.
Tim and Kiran's rides go smoothly, one going after the other. Finally, Claren is left alone, and he swiftly searches for SOMETHING to fight with. And he does: a baton, or, more accurately, a good sized metal pole. Regardless, this leaves him with a defense, one he may need, as the elevator is taking longer than he expected to come back up. But eventually, it does, Claren squeezing himself into the cramped space with his stick. The elevator started to move downward toward the docking station. Claren could feel the gravity pulling him down slowly, a light-up graphic indicating his descent. Once the door opened, a satisfying chime sound playing, Claren walking out to a totally cleared docking area. Tim and Kiran were nowhere to be found; everything was empty. All ships had left, Claren totally stranded. "'Hello!' Claren screamed, confused, his voice echoing in the large chambers. 'Where are you guys? Tim? Kiran?' He got his baton ready, gripping it with two hands and lifting it vertically in front of his chest. 'Where the hell is everybody?' Claren started to get nervous, sweat collecting around his forehead. Swiftly, he looked around his periphery, swinging his stick senselessly. 'Something’s wrong, very wrong,' he voiced, still standing mere feet away from the now-closed elevator door. 'Oh, dear Claren. Something is definitely wrong,' a voice said behind him. Suddenly, Claren's head was covered with a sack, a string tightened around his neck as he dropped his baton."
Chapter 8 to Chapter 9The next two chapters are where things pick up even more. Chapter 8 - The King of Gods is likely one of the most critical follow ups to The Asteroid War, as the reader really gets to see the effects it had on The King. Trimdin, who has secured himself in the castle, refusing to let anyone see him, sits at his desk contemplating his decisions. Much is flowing through his mind, though it is repeatedly interrupted by his aide outside his bedroom door, asking for his cooperation as the Royal government tries to figure out what to do next. Essentially, Trimdin is kind of acting like a teenager, which is a joke later said in the section. It is clear that he is distraught over the whole assassination thing, both worried about his safety and that of his friends, knowing that they are still out there on Vesta. Sure, he warned them, but he has no idea what the situation is like there. Regardless, The King finally decides to start talking to his aide, who was still outside, leading to an entire conversation that happens through a door. Through this we get many updates, like the fact that Captain Landun and his crew have still not responded to anything, alongside the fact that they have the shooter in Royal custody. But the talk keeps going, getting deeper each line said. Slowly, we are introduced to the more integral problems Trimdin is having, finally talking about the fact that he feels like he has failed in defeating Quinten and his evil ideas. His helper tries to connect with the melancholic monarch, but the further they go, the more enraged Trimdin becomes at the whole situation, him asking an all-important question to them: "Would my brother be proud?" Luckily his aide worked under his brother, so he gives a true response, one that comforts him greatly. "You’ve caused more disruption than he did in five years. He was no light ruler; so much changed the second he came into power, but you have easily beat him with your accomplishments... Lessons have been learned, evil has been swayed, war has been ended; that seems to fit the criteria well.” This helps the emotional Trimdin, but there is still the issue at hand, the issue of his friends safety, so the peace doesn't last for long. "'How could I ever let that happen!' he screamed to himself. 'The damn trickery!' 'Sir!' 'All those families I let down, all the subjects I got killed, just for vengeance!' King Trimdin continued to stand, now throwing his hands violently in the air. 'Sir, do I need to come in there? You need to calm down. Everything is okay.' 'It will never be okay. How could it be? You can’t call the slaughtering of hundreds a mistake, can you?' 'It was. That’s all it was. You have done everything, have taken away the Devil that did it, have made a memorial and retributed them. Now you must learn to live with that. But that pain, those losses, have brought freedom and justice to all in The Belt. That is something truly wonderful.' 'How can it ever be right if so many had to fall to make it happen?' 'All good things come from somewhere bad. There can never be happiness without pain first. Once you hit rock bottom, it is only up from there.'" This final list of words are the things that finally calm him down, that finally give Trimdin the break he needed. All the stress, all the anxiety, all the pressure of being king, was never made for him; he was never meant to be a king. But you know what, he did, and sure, he made mistakes, but he has ultimately brought more to The Belt than there ever was before. "These are the words of someone who was thrust into kingship without time to train, prepare, or really understand what they were getting into. But they love it all the same, being more diehard and committed than any experienced ruler would be. That’s what makes them special; that’s what makes you special," his aide told him. After everything, Trimdin appeared to settled, appeared to be at peace. But just like before, it did not last long, as a call came from an unexpected number: Kiran.
"'What the hell?' he said, confused. 'What is it?' they yelled back. 'I’m getting a call… from Kiran? Why would she call me? I told them to go quiet.'" Instantly, Trimdin realizes the strangeness of it, and instantly gets tense. His aide, who was STILL on the other side of the door, requested to enter the room, something Trimdin quickly accepted. Then, together they answered the call, getting a message they never wanted to hear. "'Why the hell are you calling me, Kiran?' 'Oh, dear Trimdin, did you really think it was your damsel soldier? Do you think those men were going to make it off Vesta easy? Don’t be so ridiculous. We’ve got them; we’ve captured them. And that legion of guards you sent? Killed, every single one, including that frivolous Captain Landun. Damn traitor... From the ashes of Quinten, we have risen. The Children of Quinten are coming, your majesty, and we’re starting with your measly friends. You think you’re The King of Gods, The King that saved us from tyranny. But all you’ve brought is pain.'" Yep, the Goddamn Children of Quinten, a cult group that follows their deceased leaders rule. This is the ultimate enemy of TAH, the ones who have been giving Trimdin trouble since the war. They are Quinten's loyal disciples, and Trimdin realized quickly that they are screwed if they have Tim, Claren, and Kiran. "'Where are Tim, Claren, and Kiran? What have you done with them?' 'The same thing The Queen did to you all that time ago. Start with the verbal torture, but then get to the real physical stuff.' In the background of the call, they could start to hear faint screams, quickly noticing whose they were." Trimdin swifly makes a threat, saying that he'll send the entire Royal Army if he has to. But the Children bring up a good point: Tim and Claren aren't even citizens of The Belt. They are two HUMAN men, beings who should have no importance to the subjects of The Belt. And this really angers Trimdin, as he responds with this: “I am going to send every ship, every soldier, every weapon, every bomb, everything to your location. You will be crushed. There is no in-between.” But they respond with this: “Then we will just kill them a bit faster. Get your knives out, boys. These lambs are about to go to the slaughter.” Not good, to say the least. Trimdin attempts to plea with them, to work diplomatically with them, knowing he would lose other wise. But they only want one thing: his surrender. This situation is almost exactly like that of TAW, and in that, he listened, leading to that resolution. Though here, now, he is in a different situation; he has no sneaky plan to win. Trimdin is royally screwed (pun intended), and has no good way out of this. The chapter ends with shivers being sent along King Trimdin and his aide’s spines, fear of what would come clogging their psyche. Tim, Claren, and Kiran were in real trouble, and The King of Gods was not prepared to handle it.
Humanity, the ninth chapter of TAH, immediately follows the eighth as Trimdin and his aide rush out of the bedroom directly to the command room, where all his advisors would be. Quickly they barged in, many of them staring at the distraught Trimdin. He updates them on everything that happened, on the Children of Quinten, and everyone kneels at his presence. But he tells them off, commanding someone to track the locations of Tim, Claren, and Kiran's ClearSuits. They quickly get on it, noting that they are still on Vesta, directly at it's center. Then Trimdin and his assistant turns his attention to his commander, telling him exactly what these "Children" said: “They murdered the entire legion sent to protect them and are actively torturing the men and their officer.” It is realized that they are not joking around, that they are definitely taking similar actions to those of Quinten's, and Trimdin begs for the Royal Army to be sent and destroy them. But his advisor does something that no one would expect: tells a king the words "no." "'If we try to attack and they detect it, they will just kill Tim, Claren, and Kiran faster. If we do nothing, they will still die. AND, even if I did surrender, they would probably kill them anyway. How do you get out of that?' 'You don’t,' the general said. 'You just don’t... Is sacrificing The Belt worth it for their lives, sir? At the end of the day, two of them are humans who have no home here." This is exactly what the Children of Quinten wanted, what they meant by what they said earlier, and this upsets Trimdin massively. But the lecturing keeps going: “Your majesty, I am just stating the truth. You’re the one who almost lost a war because you let your revenge, your personal hate for Quinten, blind you. You’re the one who sat in his bedroom and refused to consult others like an adult! Don’t let your personal love for them, your emotions, hurt The Belt again." Trimdin attempts to say that the situation is entirely different, that Tim and Claren are the only way The Belt will rise again. Though the commander continued: "You talked of democracy, so let’s get it started. Get on a broadcast, tell Beltians what is happening, and let them vote; let them choose what THEY want. This is their home, this is their Belt, and they have the right to make the decision of whether or not we should go after these 'Children.'' The general looked straight at The King, fully challenging him.'" This left Trimdin with a lot to think about, a lot to consider, and finally, he gives in: "'Get me the public relations department and the head of the Royal Beltonian Broadcasting System,' The King ordered. 'I’m going to prove they care!'"
Finally, we cut to Tim, Claren, and Kiran, all tied down in a cave like place, surrounded by Children and weaponry. They lay bare, gagged by large strips of cloth, dyed by the blood running down their faces. This is where TAH gets the most gruesome, dire, and sadistic, the men and their protector being both tortured and questioned. Insults, who seem to be coming from the lead "Master" of the group, are thrown at them, mentioning things like the destruction of Earth to the men, all for the sake of paining them. But after a while, it is confirmed to them that they have a very specific death in mind for the three of them: "When we kill you, how does burning alive sound?" The plan is to set them on fire, just like everyone on Earth was (which is not totally accurate, as their deaths were likely quicker), so, they are cut down from their place and lead through a long, dark hallway toward a large auditorium-like area. And in it sit dozens and dozens of cult followers, all there to watch them die. Beautiful, right? Anyway, they all get tied to large poles on the stage, surrounded by stone with large piles of 'fuel' standing next to each. Their gags are taken off, all for the sake of wanting to "hear them scream!" Claren has a nice choice of words that he throws at their alien foes, but to no avail. Then, there's a bit of sexism, some subtle mentions of slavery, and the question of whether or not capitalism or socialism is the best form of government (WTF was the writer thinking... oh wait, shit, that's me). Quickly, Tim makes a connection that anyone with two brain cells could pick up on: "'Wait a Goddamn second,' Tim suddenly stated, 'is this seriously a fight between capitalism and socialism... It may be different here, but you are literally fighting over something that we had wars about for centuries on Earth. The question between an open market and a controlled market, between the bourgeoisie and the people? Sound familiar, right Claren?'" Then he mentions about how that is why they are there, that is why fate saved them from death so many times: because they were meant to use the lessons of Earth to ensure the future of The Belt. They, along with Trimdin, are the liberators of their homes, and together, they can let The Belt finally choose it's destiny, not the rich and powerful. But the Master ignores all of this, yelling toward the loyal audience and riling them up. Quickly, the three are covered in some sort of thick, black substance, and the piles below about to be set aflame. But suddenly, a noise comes in, one coming from the Master's communicator. And they pick it up, swiftly being told that the Royal Army is on Vesta and that they are trying to break through their security. They attempt to ignore it, but when the alien on the other end reveals that someone has a gun to their head, forcing them to say these things, that's when they get worried. "'You piece of shit!' The Master snapped the device in half. 'They know where we are.'" Panic settles into the crowds below, but The Master attempts to mollify them. "Everyone, don’t worry. They can’t get to us here! This place was built during the Cross-Belitan Wars to withstand a million bomb strikes. Let’s watch the main course here!” But reason to worry quickly came: "Quickly, the mob of fire-holding soldiers stood around Tim, Claren, and Kiran, lighting the ground below them. They had laced it with large piles of fibers and drenched it in fuel. Flames swiftly came about, burning under the tortured group of souls. 'Good. It has started. This is the end of humanity!' Large cheers filled the auditorium as the fire crept closer and closer to the stakes. But as that happened, another noise occurred, this time from Tim, Claren, and Kiran’s ear devices. 'I’m here…' it spoke to them from a personal message, the voice clearly Trimdin’s. And at that moment, the entire room shook, the blaze below burning from side to side. Suddenly, a large explosion sounded, the boom blasting throughout." The Master continued to try and rush the process, but the no avail, their worse enemy appearing from above. "'Goddamn it! Can we speed this up a bit!' The Master screamed at his soldiers, the audience in peril. 'Everything is fine,' they told them, 'King Trimdin is weak!' Though the rumbling of the room said different, and when a massive hole was blown in the roof, their tune changed. 'Oh shit!' The Master yelled. ''Oh shit' are the exact words I wanted to hear!' a roaring voice responded as they dropped down from the sky. A massive robe, redder than blood, covered their blue armor and matched the large, golden crown on their head. A purple glow encapsulated their hands." King Trimdin had arrived, ready to destroy those who threatened his friends. And luckily, he came with a few more being than expected: "'Let’s just say I’ve got a bit of backup!' Abruptly, a shower of soldiers dropped from the hole, landing in the crowds and disabling dozens of Children. 'I don’t think you’re ready for this.' The King said, prepared to fight with a smile on his face. 'Not ready at all….'"
Chapter 10The final chapter of The Asteroid Home is titled A New Home and dives headfirst into the ensuing battle. We learn that Trimdin's cries to the Beltian citizens worked, encouraging practically the entire Belt to help him finally beat the evils of Quinten once and for all. In the underground base, hordes of fighters dropped down into the atrium using newly designed mechanized suits, protecting them from the precarious fall. Attached to them were large guns, though they were deactivated, instead opting for mass tasers to incapacitate the cult followers. But on the other side of the room, the pile below was still set ablaze, Tim, Claren, and Kiran tied to their stakes, the flames getting ever closer. Though King Trimdin was on their tail, confronting The Master head-on. "'Guards, get your guns ready,' they commanded, 'and point them at the men!' 'You won’t. You can’t.' 'Why do you Royalists always say that,” The Master responded. 'You know I will.' 'Because you have all the strengths and weaknesses of Quinten. That’s how.' 'And so do you. You figured that one out quickly.' 'We had the same flaws, but different ideals. Though now I have the real power!' 'I’m done with this. Shoot!' Right then, each soldier on the stage lined up their shots, preparing to fire at the soon-to-be burned beings. King Trimdin, in response, darted straight forward, whisking through the air and lunging at the enemy troops. In moments, he collided with them, grabbing the tip of one of their weapons and activating his shield. The Master pulled out their pistol from his satchel on his side, aiming it toward Tim’s head... The King pushed the soldier with the gun over, pulling it out of their hand and flipping it around. He quickly got hold of its butt, slipped his fingers onto the trigger, and did the unthinkable. A barrage of bullets shot out from it, hitting every rival on the stage. Then, he turned his attention toward The Master, who was just about to pull the trigger just as he did. Trimdin swiftly pointed his weapon toward them, aiming at their head and letting it loose before a single shot could be fired from their pistol. They promptly fell to the ground, The King surrounded by a blood bath of his own making. Though only one thought remained in his head: to save his friends." A lot, I know. So, essentially, the Children of Quinten are taken care of as quickly as possible, but to do it, Trimdin had to do something he hates: kill. He did it, did something terrible, all for the sake of saving the ones he cares about. But one problem remained: the fire was still ablaze, and was getting closer and closer to the men and Kiran. Trimdin desperately looked for something to put it out, but it is just too large for any conventional methods. So he asks the men what to do, and Claren suggests something crazy: to use his magic to create a gust of wind. Trimdin knows how risky that is, knows that it is not easy, but makes the decision to try, planning to push the fire back using his powers. He does exactly that, floating lightly into the air again, the lavender haze known by all wrapping around him. Then, a sudden spin started as he powered up, cupping his hands together. And with a massive scream, Trimdin released a vast blast, pushing back everyone and everything within its vicinity. Even the soldiers in the suits got forced back, the pure power of it almost half of that when he transformed into the king. Though most importantly, the fire was blown out, freeing the three from their hellish death. And from there, he fell, soldiers rushing to the stage to both examine him and cut down Tim, Claren, and Kiran. When they do, the trio runs toward The King, worried for his health. But he comes back, and this section of the chapter ends with this: "'Did it work?' The King asked. 'Yes. Yes, it did,' all three said in unison. And a small smile sat on his face, happy to hear the voices of his friends."
Part two of A New Home follows the aftermath of it all, taking place a week later. Everyone has healed from their injuries, though a few scars seem to remain on the men. On that day, Trimdin was prepared to give a speech, just as he always does. But this one was different: there was no script. So, as he walked out the infamous doorway of his palace, he had no idea what he was going to say. All he knew was that it was the truth. Tim and Claren stood next to him as he left, Kiran in the background, guarding them. The big, black microphone lay on the flat surface, staring directly at him while a mob of subjects watched either live or through the broadcast. But instead of the despair felt after the war, this crowd was excited, ready to hear an optimistic speech about the future. And King Trimdin delivered exactly that, giving an empowering speech detailing that every last Child of Quinten has come into Royal custody and that Quinten should not be immortalized, that he should be remembered for evil only, something that they can almost all agree with at that point. Trimdin also notes that, yes, there will still be those out there who follow Quinten, that follow his ideology, but that they don't need to be the villian of their own stories. They can change, and The Belt will help them with that; they can move on from the rage built up in them. But, there is also the mention of what he said in Restoration, telling them all that the subjects of The Belt will finally get to choose their destiny, choose their futures, just like he and Nardyn promised. And Tim and Claren are there to help with that, no matter what. Education is also made free for people under a certain income threshold, and universal basic income is introduced to distribute the wealth of The Belt equally (they are becoming increasing socialist as they move away from the fascist ideas of Quinten and The Queen, essentially). Finally, Trimdin hands the mic over to Tim, Claren, AND Kiran, which was a surprise, and lets them say what they need to.
The three of them don't say much, really just throwing thank you's their way for letting Trimdin save them. But something more interesting happens in this part, and it has to do with The King. While he is watching his friends speak, he is thinking of his brother and says this: "This is the place you dreamed of, Nardyn. It’s becoming real before my very eyes. Now, all there is left to see is what the next saga brings, where fate takes me. I just wish I had your guidance; wish I had you here to see it." And, out of nowhere, Trimdin hears a whisper: “I am…” Quickly, Trimdin shouts "Nardyn," but nothing happens. All it does is interrupt his friends as they are speaking, as to which they respond with confusion. Trimdin tells them that it was "just a memory... a good one.” This relieves Tim, Claren, and Kiran, though Trimdin still feels a bit dazed as they walk away from the crowds. But those two words kept ringing throughout King Trimdin’s head, bringing a smile to his face. Each time he heard it, the presence of his brother came back, the book ending with this:"'I am….''I am….''I am….'He is."
EpilogueThe epilogue of TAH officially ends The Asteroid Saga: Original Trilogy, and man, does it do it with a bang. The more somber yet optimistic finish of Chapter 10 is maintained, but the tone is a bit lighter here, as it takes place "9 Months After The Departure…." In it, he starts talking to Empress Madeln, who we learn is the ruler of the Kuipernian Empire, someone mentioned in both this book and TAW. Instantly they get to diplomatic talks, Madeln asking about Quinten and getting filled in on the problems he caused. Everything seemingly goes well between them, the reader casually learning throughout their conversation that the Kuipernians are both a bit more authoritarian than The Belt and that she also has power similar to Trimdin. This confirms that the powers exist outside of his society, but also gives insight into how their relationship can quickly strain due to their differing ideas of ruling. Regardless, things go well, and the talks almost end on a boring note. But leave it to good old Madeln for adding a new layer to the story, as she starts to tell The King that her forces found a strange ship orbiting Pluto a little while ago. She starts asking about Tim and Claren, questioning if they are the last humans, as to which Trimdin says "yes." The Empress keeps going, telling him that when they opened it, these strange creatures wearing big, bulky blue suits stared at them, terrified. This instantly gets Trimdin's attention, and he begins to piece things together a bit. He thinks back to Catch Up, back to the fact that there was another team sent out to rival Tim and Claren. Finally, King Trimdin gets it, and he asks the all-important question of "Where are they now?" And all Madeln does is smile, telling him that she can bring him to them. Quickly he agrees, and the two of them head toward the "Research and Habitation" labs. And the minute Trimdin got down there, he recognized the familiar look of the two creatures, in pure amazement of their existence. They approached them slowly, tapping on the glass that contained them and analyzing their faces, The King noting the "sheer fear and excitement" they were going through, "their eyes wide open but their mouths sewn shut." Finally, the two rulers walked away from them, Trimdin excited to bring his friends the miracle of a lifetime. Eager to bring two humans home again…
ConclusionOn March 13, 2023, the entirety of The Asteroid Saga: Original Trilogy will release, putting together all three books onto one page so that the truly fantastic story of this first collection can be enjoyed back to back. The Asteroid Saga is a truly interesting tale to read, as its narrative unfolds and gets deeper each time. It is remarkable that as a reader, WRTN has supplied shortened versions of our stories, making it easier than ever to experience these wonderful books regardless of your status as a fan. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about the saga/trilogy or any other projects on WRTN Stories, email us at wrtnmedia@gmail.com.
