The Calypsis Project Boxed Set (Books 1-2 - The Echo-Alpha Duology)
Page 61
Several soldiers knitted their brows. Some scowled at her.
Nearest the stage, the surviving members of Alpha Team radiated nothing but warmth and encouragement. Bennett, Sevadi, and West. The three of them stood there, beaming, urging Alana to continue.
“That night marked the beginning of a new era,” she said, “an era in which humans and Drocain can coexist peacefully. And for that, I owe thanks. To Kenon Valinquint, for trusting in me from the start. To Levian ‘Nher, for seeing the potential in our efforts. And to my stepfather, Lance Knoble, who’s undying support carried me through until the end. Were it not for their sacrifice, we would not be here today.
“So here’s to them—the courageous souls who took a leap of faith and were willing to forgive past conflict in order to fight for a greater cause.
“Here’s to victory, to our freedom.
“Here’s to friends made, and friends lost . . .
“. . . Here’s to the heroes who did not return.”
On that note, the opening segment came to a close, and the crowd broke off into smaller groups. The rest of the service was filled with good food and old stories, with music and dancing and the occasional bout of laughter.
Things grew quieter as the day wore on. People came and went. By the time evening rolled around and the streetlamps were coming on, Liberty Park had become vacant once more.
Alana crossed the lawn to the memorial stone in the heart of the park. A slanted chunk of black granite, a miniature version of the eight-foot walls running the perimeter. Unlike the walls, this slab bore no names. All that had been carved into its polished face was the UNPD’s insignia—an eagle clutching a globe in its talons—and the words:
In Memoriam.
It was a monument to the fallen, the unknown and unsung, whose names may never be heard or truly recognized by the masses. Most of them were civilians—brave citizens who took up arms and died fighting for their homes. But a few were enemies turned ally.
“Hey, look who’s back,” Carter said on his way to the stone, Jenkinson and Parker strolling beside him. He pointed towards the street, where a UNPD shuttle had just landed.
Jhiral Alume emerged from the craft, all bound in leather and green cloth and boasting a shiny new medallion of her own. The triangular piece of bronze dangled from a chain around her bicep, glittering with flecks of amber.
She had taken off several days ago for a ceremony on Dyre. Although she’d wanted to attend the Chelwood Gate memorial as well, Anderson had advised against it—assuming her presence would only further upset the mourners.
It was an unfortunate reality, but she had understood.
Alana crouched to pluck a small rock from the footpath, then started scratching at the base of the monument as her teammates gathered around her.
“How’d the ceremony go, Alume?” Jenkinson jerked his chin toward her arm. “I see you’ve been decorated.”
“A token of thanks from the Empress,” Jhiral said, “for opening her eyes to Bhelios’ light and showing her what good the old technology can bring us.” She twisted the medallion in her fingertips. “She actually flew to Ceida on a ship to unveil a new showpiece for the city. They built a statue in Kenon’s honor.”
Alana paused briefly in her etching to gape at the tattooed warrior. “Holy shit, seriously?” That sent a flood of emotion through her body, warm and fuzzy and threatening to overflow in a tearful outburst of joy.
The corners of Jhiral’s mouth curved upward. “His mother was so overwhelmed by the gesture that she nearly fainted. I believe his father sat vigil at the statue last night, too.” She inhaled deeply. “It’s amazing what Kenon set in motion. I wish he could have been around to see it.”
“Shame we couldn’t do more to credit him here,” Jenkinson lamented. “Sure, people know he played a significant role in the endgame. But no one will remember him for what he did, for the sacrifice he made . . .”
Jhiral cocked her head. “How come?”
With a huff, Parker explained, making air quotes as he did. “Apparently High Command is worried that naming a lizard ‘Savior of the Galaxy’ will stir up too much trouble for the alliance, so we’ll just have to settle for the honorable mention. For now, at least.”
“It’s okay,” Alana said, dropping the rock. “We’ll remember.” She dusted off her knees and retreated from the memorial stone, drawing her teammates’ attention to the new symbol she had scratched into it.
Two concentric circles bisected by a straight line now graced the polished granite. A few thinner strokes branched off from the outer circle, jagged and kinked—spreading outward like veins.
It was the mark Kenon bore following the pulse at the Silver Forge, the mark that burned across his skin like a luminous tattoo. It was confirmation of his vykord status, proof of the extraordinary power he possessed, and now it was a permanent addition to the monument.
Maybe someday the colonies will learn what it means, she thought. And maybe when that day comes, we’ll be able to share the whole story with the world.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Alana twisted at the sound of a woman’s voice and saw Dr. Chambers walking their way. Her fiancé had come too. Though he chose to hang back near the stage, it was good to see him out—and showing his scars, no less. His sleeves had been rolled to the elbows, revealing the contractures on his left arm and the new prosthesis on his right.
Alana gave the Doctor a hug. “Hey, how’s it going? The tabloids are going nuts about the Bureau this morning. What happened?”
“Finally lifted the embargo on that, did they?” She hooked her thumbs in her belt loops. “In that case, I am pleased to announced that Sector Zero is no more. Authorities stormed into HQ a few days ago, terminated Lincoln’s program, and carted DuFrayne off to prison.”
Parker’s brows shot up. “Oh, jeez . . . just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Who’s in charge now?” Carter asked.
“Haven’t decided yet. The sector managers are calling for a vote, but we’ll see how that goes.” Chambers shrugged. Sweeping her hair aside, she looked to Lieutenant Jenkinson. “In the meantime, I was wondering what your plans were.”
“We’re off to Thei’legh tomorrow,” he replied. “Amalan has retired, and we’ve been invited to Lenque’s coronation. We’ll probably spend a couple of days there, see how the reconstruction efforts are going and—”
Chambers lifted her finger to stop him and clarified, “I was actually asking about your long-term plans for the future.”
Jenkinson gawked at her, then at his teammates. When all they gave him in return were blank stares, he shifted his focus back to the Doctor and said, “I guess none of us have really thought about it. Why, did you have something in mind?”
“Maybe. I’m not going to lie, though; it’ll be dangerous.”
“Oh, I think we can handle a little danger.”
“Then how would the five of you like to join the rescue mission on Earth?”
Again, the team exchanged glances. Alana could see the wheels spinning as they weighed the pros and cons. Gradually, their uncertainty gave way to excitement, and they all turned back to Chambers, heads bobbing eagerly.
“Great,” she said. “If you’re not taking off right away, could you come with me and we’ll get the documents in order?”
“And there’s the catch!” Carter threw his hands in the air.
Jenkinson wrapped his arm around Alana, chuckling softly. “Well, it looks like we’ve got some work to do.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Ready to go?”
She nodded, and together they followed Dr. Chambers out of the park.
———THE END———
THANK YOU FOR READING!
If you enjoyed The Calypsis Project – The Echo-Alpha Duology (or even if you didn’t), I hope you will consider leaving a review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend! And not only do reviews help other readers decide whether to
invest their time and money in a book, they help me to become a better writer and storyteller, so I would greatly appreciate any feedback you have to offer!
And be sure to stick around, because I have many more stories planned for the future, and I am not done with the TCP universe yet.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Well damn. Here we are at the end of the duology, the main story arc, saying goodbye to some of the characters who have been swimming around in my head for over a decade. There’s a lot of people who contributed in getting me to this point, and to them, I extend my heartfelt gratitude.
To my good friends/beta readers—Tegan Kilpatrick, Rebecca Riesberry, Erin Dancer, and Douglas Kehrly—who helped me to craft a tighter story, and made the editing process much easier on my editor.
To my mom for being an honest editor and ensuring that these books were polished and shit-free when they hit the shelves (here’s to future shit-free stories).
To Emilia Pitkänen for being one of my biggest, most encouraging supporters since this story was just a baby.
To Marc L’Hommedieu for jumping on board as my first Patreon supporter.
To everyone who has stuck with me on this wild publishing ride (friends, family, readers, and online followers—including those listed above). You guys keeps me motivated. Without you, I might have thrown in the towel after book #1.
Oh, and last but not least: to the asshats who said this was a pointless little dream and tried to discourage me along the way. Thanks for fueling my spite engines, you dirty bastards. <3
COMING SOON . . .
The Calypsis Project
PULSE
Discover the story of Earth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brittany M. Willows is a self-published author, gamer, and freelance digital artist living in rural Ontario, Canada. Her love of video games and the stories they told is what inspired her to write her own stories, and she has been building fictional universe ever since. When she’s not writing about post-apocalyptic lands and aliens and people gallivanting through the stars, she can be found hunched over a tablet drawing the very same things.
To find out more about Brittany, or to delve deeper into the worlds she has created, please check out the links below!
Official artwork featuring characters from the story can be found on her DeviantART page: charlottechambers.deviantart.com
To keep up with the latest news regarding both current and future novels, or to contact the author, you can follow her on Twitter, her blog, “like” the Facebook page, or visit the official Calypsis Project website!
Twitter: twitter.com/BMWillows/
Blog: brittanymwillows.wordpress.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BrittanyMWillows/
Website: TheCalypsisProject.com
Table of Contents
The Calypsis Project
———PART I———
——PROLOGUE——
———ONE———
———TWO———
———THREE———
———FOUR———
———FIVE———
———SIX———
———SEVEN———
———EIGHT———
———PART II———
———NINE———
———TEN———
———ELEVEN———
———TWELVE———
———THIRTEEN———
——FOURTEEN——
———FIFTEEN———
———SIXTEEN———
——SEVENTEEN——
———EIGHTEEN———
———NINETEEN———
———TWENTY———
———PART III———
—TWENTY-ONE—
—TWENTY-TWO—
—TWENTY-THREE—
—TWENTY-FOUR—
—TWENTY-FIVE—
——TWENTY-SIX——
—TWENTY-SEVEN—
———PART IV———
—TWENTY-EIGHT—
—TWENTY-NINE—
——EPILOGUE——
The Calypsis Project II REBIRTH
——PART I——
———ONE———
———TWO———
———THREE———
———PART II———
———FOUR———
———FIVE———
———SIX———
———SEVEN———
———EIGHT———
———NINE———
———TEN———
———ELEVEN———
———TWELVE———
———THIRTEEN———
——FOURTEEN——
———FIFTEEN———
———SIXTEEN———
———PART III———
——SEVENTEEN——
———EIGHTEEN———
———NINETEEN———
———TWENTY———
——TWENTY-ONE——
—TWENTY-TWO—
—TWENTY-THREE—
———PART IV———
—TWENTY-FOUR—
——TWENTY-FIVE——
——TWENTY-SIX——
—TWENTY-SEVEN—
—TWENTY-EIGHT—
—TWENTY-NINE—
———THIRTY———
———PART V———
——THIRTY-ONE——
——THIRTY-TWO——
———EPILOGUE———