Weight of Gravity

by Sheron Wood McCartha

  “Oh, yes, that would help.” Elise sounded dazed.

  The room lit, then dimmed. Richard turned as Hallie, Ariel, and Darius blinked out.

  Bashar was rubbing his eyes and looking bewildered.

  Through the comm speaker, Richard heard Elise yelp. So, the Enjelise must have arrived on board her ship.

  Of the ten Alysian ships, only three survived intact: Elise’s Black Death, Sam’s Blue Bomb, and Elija’s Purple Haze. However, a crippled few contained wounded survivors. Also, three living Fallen were captured off a damaged ship for interrogation and study.

  ***

  “Dean, Dean. Are you alive?” Through a haze of consciousness, Dean became aware of Hallie’s voice. His ship was spinning out of control. Centrifugal force pinned him to his chair, but he fought to squeeze her hand and received a squeeze in return. He moaned. He barely held on to reality. Blood poured over his face and pain shot throughout his body, leaving him gasping. .

  “Don’t worry, darling. We’re going home.He’s alive!” she exclaimed into her comm, causing him to wince.

  The voice softened, “Don’t worry, darling. I'll take you home.”

  The Music of the Spheres filled his senses. A bright light blossomed, enveloping the cockpit, and carried him away.

  ***

  While tallying the death toll, Richard choked as he read names of those he knew. Hard-working Captain Longstaff, loyal Garrett Townsend, prickly Lucas, heroic Tanya Ranger, serious Adji T’Kai, and many others who he hadn’t really gotten to know well. These brave souls willingly had sacrificed their lives to protect Alysia.

  Because of their sacrifice, Alysia would survive. Celebrations crowded her streets, and for several glorious days, Terran and Alysian alike drank and sang and celebrated in harmony the fact that they survived.

  Chapter 43

  A Lesson in Pool

  In the many days that followed, doctors tended the wounded, high-level leaders spoke stirring words over the departed, and surviving loved ones reunited with their families. Surprising new romances bloomed due to the fertile soil found in a close brush with death.

  Stuck for the moment on Earth2, Richard dallied in the lounge, content to watch the life of bustling humans around him. So much still needed to be done here, but he wanted to go back home. Right now, however, he was satisfied to simply enjoy the moment, glad to be alive.

  Raising a drink next to him, Elise said, “We saved our world.Now everyone can go home. I want to feel safe and live a good life there.”

  Learning in, he kissed her. “Because of you, a large part of the Terran fleet was willing to return and put their lives on the line to rescue us. They put their lives on the line. They would never have done that if not for you.”

  Straightening up, he thought of Tempest now napping under the watchful eyes of her minder. His recent communication with her future self had assured him that, despite major disruptions, she had gotten the Time lab back on line again. She refused to elaborate any further but encouraged him to be optimistic about the future, thanks to his timely intervention. It had made a difference. Sighing, he felt more content than he ever remembered feeling in a long while.

  He looked up as Bashar strolled in, a mischievous smile playing about his lips. “Hey, anyone care for a game of pool?”

  Richard grinned back at him. “Isn’t that some Terran sport?” He felt Elise stir beside him.

  She lifted her face to Bashar. “What’s pool? Sounds intriguing.”

  Bashar straightened up, startled. “I could show you how to play if you’d like.”

  Richard glanced across the room to the pool table and the smirking cadets ringing it. He stood up and jingled his pocket. “Might be interested in a little game. How about you, Honey?”

  With a straight face, she nodded and accompanied the men over to the green-felted table. Picking up a stick, she waved it awkwardly about.

  Bashar grabbed her wrist. “Whoa! Watch out. You could poke a hole in someone with that.” He turned the stick around. “Let me show you how to hold this thing.”

  “Oh, I see.” Elise slid her fingers up and down the stick while Richard chalked a new cue, then handed it to her.

  “Don’t you usually play for money?” she asked.

  The cadets ringing the table crowded forward, showing sudden interest. “Well, yeah,” Bashar drawled, looking around. “It makes the game more interesting.” They all nodded at each other, broad smiles lighting their faces.

  “How about we wager fifty?” Richard tossed out a number. “Bashar needs the money. I hear he’s got a lot of expenses caring for that herd of lompir of his. Besides, he needs to buy an expensive present to get back into his wife’s good graces. She wasn’t happy he volunteered for helm and went to fight. May need some getting-home money, too.”

  Bashar laughed. “Solanje is on the shuttle headed our way as you speak. She’s a bit upset that I went out into the fight over her protest. You’re right, I’ll need to win big and buy an expensive present. Maybe even a crystal. She says it isn’t right Sousi has one and she doesn’t.”

  “We could go a hundred a game,” suggested Elise. She paused. “If you need the money, that is.”

  Richard noticed Sam edging his way in. “Sam, want to join our little group? I heard somewhere you play the game.”

  Sam tossed a panicked look at Richard and Elise and violently shook his head, waving a hand in the air. “Maybe another day.” He stepped back. “But I’ll watch. Should be interesting.”

  Richard shrugged. “Oh, okay.” He looked around. “So, who’s in?”

  A number of eager hands raised, and Bashar handed out several pool cues. Money appeared and piled up on a table next to them.

  Richard leaned forward over his cue, squinting at the table, then peered over at Elise. “I think we should let the little lady go first, don’t you?”

  Bashar surveyed nodding male heads as Elise tapped the rail with her stick. “Sure,” he said, stepping toward her. “Do you need me to show you how it’s done?”

  “Let me just try first. Let’s see. I’m supposed to hit the white ball with this stick, and it has to strike a colored or striped ball and knock it into one of those little pockets. Right?”

  The former cadets nodded and cast sideways smirks at each other as they chalked their cues.

  Elise leaned in, took a shot, winked at a laughing Richard, and to everyone’s shock, ran the table.

  Elise Fujeint-Steele, ex-commander of the Terran fleet, mother of a time traveling daughter, and wife to Richard Steele, and savior of the planet Alysia, demonstrated to the surprised and silly Alysians just how she played her favorite game of pool.

  Thank you for reading the third book in the Terran Trilogy. I hope you liked it.

  And, Please, pretty please, if you did like it, leave an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are the lifeblood of authors and readers alike. I would be very grateful for your feedback.

  About the author: secret info and tidbits:

  Sheron McCartha stands tall… five feet, eleven inches tall. But that didn’t slow her down. Not able to travel in space, she did manage to solo a Cessna, copilot with her husband in their Mooney, sail the Chesapeake and Caribbean, work as a stock broker on Wall Street, and raise an outstanding daughter.

  Now she snuggles indoors reading and writing amid soaring trees of the Northwest while creating alien worlds and starship adventures.

  Science fiction is her read, roses are her delight. Snowshoe kitties Bubba and Beau are her joy, her daughter Lauren, her treasure, and her husband Bland, her love.

  Check out all her books at Amazon Author Central

  https://www.amazon.com/SheronMcCartha/e/B0045K0HD6

  Read about the first time-traveling clone who was sent back into Alysia’s medieval age and started it all in Caught in Time.

  Learn all about Alysia and follow clues of a riddle in A Dangerous Talent for Time.

  Find out about the development of Alysia’s
space program and how the crew got selected for The Seeker, in Cosmic Entanglement

  Travel along and join the adventures of Braden and his crew in space as they tumbled through the stargate and battled aliens in Past the Event Horizon

  Richard’s experience building the Alysian Space Station and uncovering a secret alien genetic program is the story in Space Song.

  Understand the impact of the alien crystals and learn of the arrivals of aliens that changed Alysia forever in Touching Crystal.

  Unraveling the mystery of Kayse Kiare’s identity and the war between aliens and Alysians is the story of Someone’s Clone.

  A World Too Far starts the Terran Trilogy and tells the story from the Terran viewpoint through an exciting space voyage. Touching Crystal provides a great companion piece to this as it relates the Terran invasion from the Alysian viewpoint.

  Somewhat Alien continues the story on the Earth2 Space Station as the Terrans try to settle on Alysia and meet resistance.

  For my blog on other science fiction/fantasy novels and all things science fiction, including the challenge of being an author, go to http://www.scifibookreview.com

  For more book details and character descriptions, a map, and news: go to: http://www.AlysianUniverse.com

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  https://www.Twitter.com/Sheronwriting