The aliens’ eyes flashed and Tilka opened his mouth in a hiss. Without a word, both aliens dragged the men from the bridge and shut the door. Screams echoed through the thick metal. Whatever was happening, I was sure it was a fitting end to an evil life.
Jackson produced a handcuff key from his belt and unlocked my bonds before radioing to the forces outside that the ship was seized and arranging the peaceful evacuation of Proctor’s soldiers from the vessel.
We had won, for now.
35
Jackson
I stood at attention as rain poured down the brim of my hat, the water spilling into my eyes at regular intervals. After Commander Oladeru’s men had taken Proctor’s ship, the President’s body had been recovered and brought back to Washington for burial. Across from the crowd of people, I saw Alex standing underneath a tree, her profile fitted as close to the trunk as she could manage to maximize shelter from the rain. She was outfitted in all black, trying to stay out of the notice of the mourners. Standing in full uniform next to the human mourners stood Ka’thak, Kuru, Tilka, and a chosen group of alien representatives who had come to pay their respects. The aliens not already on the surface had flown down in another shuttle, having deemed this an event worthy of their attendance. President Lee had been the one urging cooperation with them, after all. She had borne great responsibility for getting their ship back into orbit. A priest read passages from the Bible as the casket was lowered into the ground. When it was at rest, the traditional twenty-one gun salute echoed throughout the cemetery.
The whole thing had happened so quickly. After word that the President was dead reached Washington, Alex and I were called to stand as witnesses for the Vice President being sworn in to his new position. The whole thing was a little surreal with the swearing-in ceremony taking place within a couple of days. Vice President Max Wright had originally been chosen as the President’s running mate to lend his years and wisdom as a Congressman to her young administration. His tenure in Congress had been marked by ruthless negotiation and above and beyond dedication to the causes he believed in. He now stood at the front of the gathering, his hat off and head bowed in tribute to the young woman. When the final echoes of the gunshots had faded, the priest presiding over the service moved aside to let him speak.
He cleared his throat. “President Alicia Lee was an amazing, courageous, and truly remarkable woman. Moreover, she was my dearest friend. I had the privilege of mentoring Alicia during her tenure in Congress and when she asked me to be her Vice President I can honestly say it was the greatest honor of my life. I never dreamed that I would see the office of President occupied by someone so determined and dedicated to this nation and her people. It is with a heavy heart that I step forward to take her place during humanity’s greatest challenge. Alicia and I shared so many of the same goals and I swear that I will see her vision come to light.” He paused and glanced up at the assembled crowd before continuing.
“I promise that as your President, we will open our arms to the whole of the world and see humanity’s legacy preserved for generations to come.” Something about his words felt off to me, but then again, so did every politician when they gave a speech. I dismissed it as rhetoric for the masses. A few kind words meant to comfort the grieving and ease the worry of a nation.
After the funeral had finished and I had been released back to the aliens to prepare for our return to the shuttle, Alex ran up to me. She put a hand on my shoulder while she caught her breath.
“Hey,” she puffed. “It looks like I’m going to catch a ride with the new President. I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to ask too—the reason you decided to shut Proctor down. Was it because I was in danger?”
I smiled. Ever the perceptive one, our dear Doctor. “Yeah. How’d you know?” I asked, expecting a Sherlockian feat of deduction.
“Alicia told me,” she said.
“Oh.” I didn’t think the former President would have disclosed that much to her. They must have spoken during her last moments. “She told you the truth.”
“Oh.” She seemed surprised. I wanted to shake my head. After everything she had accomplished, this brilliant woman still underestimated her value to the world.
“Alex, how you fail to see your worth even now is perplexing to me.” Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. “Woman, you’ve had a gun held to your head more times than an action movie star. You’ve talked—and fought—your way out of situations that would have me thinking twice about whether or not I was going to make it out. Never mind the fact that you’ve successfully brokered a relationship between an alien race and humanity all while wrangling bureaucratic stupidity. You’re a superhero”
“Your courage and tenacity is an inspiration to both our peoples,” Ka’thak appeared from behind Jackson. “I don’t think I have encountered a being with such compassion and understanding as you. Nor as patient!”
She laughed and leaned in conspiratorially. “It’s a trade secret—part of your initiation in social work school. They beat it out of you before they let you out into the world.”
“I must send more of my warriors to your school,” Ka’thak said. “You are a true leader. You should recognize that in yourself and take pride in it.”
“Hm.” She nodded. “Well, we’re in it now, my friends. For better or worse.”
Though the new President and his staff would be taking over the primary response to the supernova, I couldn’t help but feel like it was going to be the three of us who ended up with the responsibility. We were about to oversee the survival of two entire species of people. After all we had been through, the adventure was really just beginning.
Kevin’s Author Notes
Working with Liz on these novels has been a terrific experience. It’s not every day that you get to share such a creative endeavor with your partner, and it’s been worth every minute of the effort involved.
I usually write stuff that you’d call ‘hopepunk’ or ‘noblebright’. The idea of such books is that while some human beings might be terrible, there are still heroes among us who are capable of accomplishing incredible good. The heroes from our stories are the examples of what we aspire toward. I think David Jackson and Alexandra King fit the bill perfectly. Neither of them were anything exceptional to begin with, but each has chosen to rise to the challenges they’re presented with.
It’s the sort of story I love to read, so it was fun to create it as well. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this tale as much as we did writing it! Book 3 will be called ‘Treason’, and is coming very soon, so keep your eyes open for the conclusion of the trilogy.
Will that be the end of the road for Jackson and King? Well, maybe. Maybe not. That’s partly up to you, dear readers. If you’re loving these stories, drop us a review on Amazon. Or you can email directly. I always love hearing from readers, and can be reached at: [email protected]
Elizabeth’s Author Notes
Thank you so much for picking up the next book in the Supernova Cycle! I’m so happy to have you along on this journey with me. This book was a little more difficult to write than the first one in the series because just like Alex, I fundamentally believe that humanity is good. The era that I grew up in challenged that notion. I’m a member of the 9/11 generation. Before that horrific day, I was taught that an attack of that magnitude simply wasn’t possible. I woke up one day in a safe, secure world and in the next one a reality where I was in danger. The mindset of the country shifted overnight. I was scared, but children are some of the best able to rebound after something terrible happens. Before long my middle-school friends and I were organizing fund-raising events to benefit the Red Cross. We persisted in our hope.
Also like Alex, I still find myself trying to seek out the good in the world. We are facing new and difficult challenges these days and I believe that humanity faces an important choice; we can forge ahead together for the greater good or we can allow ourselves to become divided and struggle with the same problems again and again. The an
swer isn’t so simple, of course, but I believe that we will find a way to leave this world better than we found it.
The introduction of an evil corporation as the ‘bad guy’ was a lot of fun. It’s not so farfetched anymore. CEOs like Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook travel with their own private teams who make sure they are protected, planned for, and don’t have to lift a finger. Space X and Elon Musk have already privatized space travel with their successful launch of Crew Dragon not long before this book was finalized. NASA ended the shuttle program a long time ago and our outlook for exploring space was bleak without an infusion of civilian involvement. I ended up drawing a lot of the inspiration for Jesse Proctor from Charles Augustus Magnussen of BBC Sherlock fame. His character stood out to me as one of the most slimy, creepy, inhuman villains I had ever seen. Perfect for a secretly insane billionaire with dreams of controlling the human race.
I wanted to write a story that didn’t deal with as many morality questions as the first book did. Exodus is a story of coming together, if not perfectly. Humans and aliens putting their differences aside to fight a common enemy. It’s an idyllic scenario, and you’ve seen that things don’t run as smoothly as they could. I wanted to play around with the preconceptions and biases we all possess as human beings. I also wanted Alex and Jackson to experience growth that would change them as people.
Our heroes aren’t out of the woods just yet! Will the new President lead humanity into the stars without more fighting? Have we seen the last of Jesse Proctor and his cronies? Will all go well with the mission?
Stay tuned for Book 3, Treason.
Exclusive free story for fans of Kevin McLaughlin’s science fiction! Learn the story of how John found the alien ship on the moon, launching the adventure which spans the stars and saves all of humanity!
https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Uor9d
Other Books by Kevin McLaughlin
The Ragnarok Saga (Military SF)
Accord of Fire - Free prequel short story, available only to email list fans!
Book 1 - Accord of Honor
Book 2 - Accord of Mars
Book 3 - Accord of Valor
Book 4 - Ghost Wing
Book 5 - Ghost Squadron
Book 6 - Ghost Fleet (2019)
Valhalla Online Series (A Ragnarok Saga Story)
Book 1 - Valhalla Online
Book 2 - Raiding Jotunheim
Book 3 - Vengeance Over Vanaheim
Book 4 - Hel Hath No Fury
Lost Planet Warriors (Military SF with light romance)
Book 1 - Desperate Times
Book 2 - Desperate Measures
Dire Straits - Free short story for email list fans!
Adventures of the Starship Satori (Space Opera blended with military SF)
Finding Satori - prequel short story, available only to email list fans!
Book 1 - Ad Astra: Book 2 - Stellar Legacy
Book 3 - Deep Waters
Book 4 - No Plan Survives Contact
Book 5 - Liberty
Book 6 - Satori’s Destiny
Book 7 - Ashes of War
Book 8 - Embers of War
Book 9 - Dust and Iron
Blackwell Magic Series (Urban Fantasy)
Book 1 - By Darkness Revealed
Book 2 - Ashes Ascendant
Book 3 - Dead In Winter
Book 4 - Claws That Catch
Book 5 - Darkness Awakes
Book 6 - Spellbinding Entanglements
By A Whisker (short story)
The Raven and the Rose - Free novelette for email list fans!
Dead Brittania Series:
Dead Brittania (short prequel story)
Book 1 - King of the Dead
Book 2 - Queen of Demons
Raven’s Heart Series (Urban Fantasy)
Book 1 - Stolen Light
Book 2 - Webs in the Dark
Book 3 - Shades of Moonlight
Other Titles:
Over the Moon (SF romance)
Midnight Visitors (Steampunk Cat short story)
Demon Ex Machina (Steampunk Cat short story)
The Coffee Break Novelist (help for writers!)
You Must Write (Heinlein’s rules for writers)
About the Author
When she's not playing pirate aboard tall ships or hunting down the best place to grab ramen in whichever country she's found herself in, Liz McLaughlin can be found at her keyboard, bringing to life science fiction stories to change the world. A lifelong avid reader and winner of her seventh grade Young Authors contest (thanks Mom and Dad!), Liz broke into writing in search of a way to bring diversity and representation to science fiction and beyond. Her stories seek to change the genre through normalizing people of color and LGBTQIA+ as participants in the futuristic epics we all know and love.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Kevin McLaughlin has written more than five dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, along with more short stories than he can easily count. Kevin can be found most days in downtown Boston, working on the next novel. His bestselling Blackwell Magic fantasy series, Accord science fiction series, Valhalla Online LitRPG series, and the fan-favorite Starship Satori series are ongoing.
I love hearing from readers!
www.kevinomclaughlin.com
[email protected]
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