by Cory Travis
Table of Contents
Table of Contents1
ORPHANS OF WAR
BOOK 1
By Cory Travis
© 2014 Cory Travis
All Rights Reserved
From Earth to the Stars: A Brief History
By Matthew Rivers
In the mid-twenty-second century mankind had depleted the Earth to the point it could no longer sustain us. The planet’s resources were all but gone. It was time to start looking for new homes. The world leaders turned to the stars for answers. Utilizing research data gathered over the past one-hundred fifty years, they began looking to other galaxies containing planets that could possibly sustain human life. In a desperate bid for the survival of our race they sent search and surveillance teams out to the thirty-two planets deemed to be the most likely candidates for colonization. Of those planets, twelve had the qualities required for human life to survive; and each of those presented its own set of unique challenges.
Nevertheless, mankind ventured out into the black, making new homes and adapting to new worlds. As the Earth continued to die from consumption and pollution, humanity evacuated, leaving the planet uninhabitable.
The first two planets to be colonized reside in the same solar system and became the capital planets. The remaining planets were spread out and ultimately received less funding for development the farther they were removed from the capital planets. These outer planets were considered to be the more rugged of the planets. Largely populated by miners and farmers, they were largely relied upon for their resources to sustain the capital planets.
Together, the twelve planets formed the Interplanetary Treaty Alliance for Prosperity (ITAP). Governed by the capital planets, the treaty formed a government that ruled over all twelve planets. While individual planets have their own planetary, country, and state governments; each ultimately answers to the Alliance.
Now, nearly three-hundred years after leaving Earth, humanity thrives in our new homes, on our new planets.
Chapter One
News flickered across the vid screen in the kitchen as Matt ate his breakfast - cereal, the kind with marshmallows, designed for kids, but enriched with vitamins and protein packs to help kids grow up healthy and strong. Matt only cared that they were delicious. He brushed his jet black hair out of his eyes as he realized his mom would make him get him cut again soon; oh, well. He took another bite of cereal.
Matt was staring at his history paper with the big ‘A’ written in red across the top. He couldn’t wait to show it to his dad when he came down for breakfast. He thought back on all the research he had done about the history of space exploration and colonization, as well as the Earth, abandoned and forgotten. Funny how with everything else that’s changed over the past three-hundred years cereal is still the best breakfast food out there.
The back door swung opened as a tall man in slacks and a polo t-shirt walked in. His face was friendly, even with the small scar running along his jawline, but his toned muscles still spoke of endless hours spent in the gym training.
“Duncan! Look, I got an ‘A’!” Matt exclaimed, waving his history report excitedly.
“I see that. Good work.”
“Oh, hi Duncan,” a slender woman walked into the room, still putting in her last earring. She stood proud and exuded a kind love that poured over everyone she met, like the sun light nourishes flowers to grow.
“Mrs. Rivers, you look lovely this morning,” Duncan returned, admiring the elegant blue gown she wore that resembled that of royalty - which she was, in a manner of speaking.
“Yeah Mommy, you look beautiful,” Matt added with a sheepish grin as some of the milk from his cereal dripped down his chin.
“Thank you, honey,” she smiled brightly, kissing Matt on the forehead. “I only wish that I felt better about what my husband is about to do,” she added to Duncan with dread.
Duncan nodded in understanding; it wasn’t his place to criticize the plans of President Rivers, but this particular plan did have obvious risks associated. It was something that he and the President had discussed at length in private, but despite his efforts the President would not be swayed from the path he was on.
“Hurry up Trent! You are going to be late to your own party,” Mrs. Rivers shouted back up the banister towards their bedroom. “Thanks again for coming in on your day off to watch Matt,” she said, returning to the kitchen and retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge.
“It’s no trouble, Mrs. Rivers. Although, I do think it would be better if I were to accompany the two of you to the event.”
She returned a look of utter disapproval. “Trent is adamant that you remain here with Matt,” she said, her gaze turning thoughtful for a moment. “Although I’m not entirely sure why…”
Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of her husband’s hurried feet coming down the stairs. Trent Rivers, President of Hekla, she would never get used to the title, she still hadn’t gotten used to Senator Rivers and he’d been a senator for over six years before assuming his new title last month. He did look the part though, sporting a nine thousand dollar suit and a million dollar smile.
“Look Dad,” Matt leapt from his seat, adamantly waving his history paper. “I got an ‘A’!”
Trent bent down and picked his son up taking the history paper with a genuine look of pride. The family resemblance was obvious, from their matching jet black hair to their deep blue eyes – Matt was every bit Trent’s son.
“You sure did. Great job, Matty!”
“Matty, time to finish your breakfast,” his mom said with equal parts love and authority. “Your dad and I have to go, but we’ll be back later tonight. Make sure you do your homework before bed.”
Matt put on his best ‘sad’ face, “I want to go with you,” he said with a pout.
Trent looked at his son with genuine understanding as he put him back down in his chair at the table. “You don’t want to go with us. You’d have to dress up in your Sunday’s best and stay clean all day, there won’t be any other kids to play with, and the food really isn’t that good. Trust me, you’ll have much more fun here with Duncan – I heard he has a special treat planned for you this afternoon.”
Matt turned anxiously to the big man sitting quietly at the end of the table. “Really? Are we going to play in the pool?”
Duncan just smiled and nodded as he pulled the pair of orange swim goggles from under his jacket.
“Sweet!” Matt exclaimed as he sprang from his seat to run upstairs and get changed, only to be stopped by a firm hand as he was lifted off his feet and plopped back in his chair.
“Finish your breakfast first,” his dad said mussing his hair. “We’ll see you guys later.”
Matt slowly crunched his cereal as he watched his mom and dad putting their coats on and gathering their various items. His dad smiled and waved a heartfelt goodbye as he closed the door. Matt turned to Duncan who motioned up to the boy’s room with a wink, Matt dove from his seat with a huge grin and sprinted upstairs to get changed so they could go play in the family’s indoor pool.
It had been nearly three hours since Matt had jumped feet first into the sparkling, perfect temperature water of the family pool. Matt was a world class swimmer at the ripe old age of seven, some thought he might even have enough potential to be a Galactic Olympian.
“Let’s go. Your Dad’s going to be on the vid soon,” Duncan hollered at Matt as the boy was
completing yet another lap around the pool.
Once inside and dry Duncan made each of them a sandwich, which they devoured sitting on the elegant white and black couch situated in front of the large vid screen. They laughed and joked while waiting for Trent to begin his speech. The reporters rambled endlessly as they guessed at the implications of the President’s upcoming speech and what it would mean for Hekla and the other outer planets. His speech, which the reporters had already nicknamed “The Proclamation”, had dominated the gossip columns over the past week – ever since Trent had taken over the office of the President of Hekla in what was the largest margin of victory ever for the presidency.
Dignitaries, guests of honor, and politicians all arrived with their security details. The cameras roamed about the back courtyard of the Capital Building where over fifty tables had been set-up in a precise pattern that would maximize guest seating. The Capital building itself was designed in tribute to the White House that the President of the United States of America would have occupied back on Earth. Its architecture was near identical, as was the solid white exterior and much of the interior which held memorabilia of an era and planet long extinct.
The cameras zoomed in as President Rivers and the First Lady, Helen Rivers emerged from the back room, walking onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard. They waved a greeting to the guests as the thunderous applause drowned out the reporters for the next minute and half.
Once the applause died down to where he could be heard, President Rivers stepped to the microphone. After the usual thanks given to distinguished guests and pleasantries of welcoming everyone, he dove headlong into the main portion of his speech…
“During my campaign I spoke of many promises to make changes for a better life for all of Hekla’s citizens. Now, tonight, I stand before you fulfilling the first of those promises as we usher in a new era of prosperity and independence. Independence from the core worlds that have taxed and taken so much from our land and its people. Our purpose will no longer be to support the core worlds, but to support Hekla. That is why, effective immediately, I am signing into action the first ever Proclamation of Independence for Hekla.”
The crowd once again erupted into thunderous cheers and applause that all but drowned out the television reporters.
“What does that mean?” Matt asked Duncan, his tone echoing the worried look on Duncan’s face.
Duncan thought long and hard about how to answer that as he stared at the vid screen, not really seeing what was happening, so much as trying to find a way to put it into words so that Matt would understand. He grasped for the words that could possibly convey the gravity of this event.
Before he could answer his thoughts were drawn back to what was happening on the screen and the panic he saw on the face of the reporter.
“What is that?” the man with glistening white teeth asked with trembling fear.
The camera panned away to show a light streaking through the sky. It was heading toward the Capital Building. As Duncan watched, he quickly recognized the light, long before the reporter or any of the party guests– it was a P-37 Precision Strike Missile.
Duncan tried to hide Matt’s eyes, but it was too late – the missile streaked across the sky, slamming into the Capital Building dead center on the first floor double doors and exploding into a ball of fire that engulfed the Capital Building. The shock wave sent party guests, tables, and reporters flying. The camera hit the ground with a crash that shattered it, ending the broadcast, but not before it was clear that the Capital Building was gone; along with everyone present. Duncan knew this much without even seeing it, the P-37 would have disintegrated half the block.
The look on Matt’s face was pure panic as Duncan scooped him up his arms and headed for the back door.
“What’s happening?” Matt demanded to know.
“We have to leave,” was all Duncan could bring himself to say while fighting back the tears. He had to stay focused on what needed to be done. His job was to protect Matt. Thinking about the loss of his friend was only going to slow him down and he couldn’t afford that now. He would have time to grieve later. He grabbed a family photo that was sitting by the door on the way out.