He reached the ridgeline where the human force waited and saw Conway waving from a hundred meters to the north. He looked over his shoulder to make sure the rest of his company was behind him and, satisfied that they were keeping up, moved in her direction.
When he reached her location, Eli offered a silent nod of recognition, propped the Ginny against his right leg, and reached up, suddenly anxious to release the clasps of his helmet. He turned the locking mechanism, flipped the clasps, and twisted the helmet a quarter turn clockwise. With a sigh of relief, he lifted the helmet from the suit and breathed nonprocessed air for the first time in two days. It was the hot, sand-blown air of Telgora, but it felt wonderful. Even the tiny pricks of sand hitting his face were almost welcome in a painfully familiar way.
With the helmet removed, he offered his commander a perfectly executed salute and a thin smile.
In return, the colonel surprised him by closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around his body. It was an unexpected greeting, and while he couldn’t feel the embrace through the PEACE armor, he definitely felt it in the core of his being.
Epilogue
A crowd of more than one hundred thousand filled the stands that had been set up on the tarmac of the recently renamed Captain Jamison E. Gurney Spaceport. The large crowd arranged around the Gurney Spaceport was a healthy mix of Minith, human, Telgoran, and Waa; all of whom had reason to observe the medal ceremony and cheer on their own races’ medal recipients. The damage caused by Gurney and his fellow pilots had been mostly repaired, and the Zrthn ship that had occupied the space was now gone. Still, all of those in attendance understood the significance of holding the ceremony here, where the majority of the battle had been fought.
Eli had never met the pilot whose name the spaceport had been given, but he had heard of the man’s actions from Colonel Conway. He had also viewed the vids from the pilot’s final flight. While many no doubt credited Eli and his company of rangers with playing the largest role in quelling the rebellion and defeating the Zrthn invasion, Eli thought the pilot did more than he ever could have done. He and his fellow pilots had reduced the Zrthn forces around the ship by 25 percent before being taken down by the Minith rebels. Gurney had then single-handedly destroyed nearly half the Minith who were marching on the native Telgorans and sacrificed his life to accomplish the feat. His actions were the turning point and provided Eli with the leverage he needed to convince Oinoo to cut his losses and retreat.
Eli stood at attention, a position that he had somehow managed to hold for the past hour without wilting in the face of the ever-present sand-pricks that bit at his uncovered face.
The ceremony was being projected on a giant vid screen that resided somewhere behind Eli and the other recipients. The audio projected out over the large crowd and gave the waiting soldiers a running update of the proceedings. By following along, they were able to estimate just how much longer they had to wait—either to receive their award or to wait for the others to have their turn.
The end was nearing. The hundreds of former prisoners from the Rhino stations had been the first to get their medals. They were issued Meritorious Agsel Awards en masse, a company at a time, to expedite the ceremony. The next level of awards—Bronze Agsels—were given out to those who had been instrumental in freeing the captives being held by the Zrthns and securing the alien battle carrier. Tenney—who had just received approval for a transfer, and was in her final days of being his XO—Crimsa, Ellison, Captain Zin, and the rest of rangers were included in this tier.
Eli and the rest of the assembly listened as the last of those awards were made. From his periphery, he saw the award presenters appear on his far right. Finally, they had made it to the rank where he and the final recipients waited.
The first person in his rank to be pinned was Colonel Conway, and Eli listened closely to the announcement. His commander was awarded the Silver Agsel—her third, he was surprised to hear—for her actions during the rebellion. The announcer noted her resistance against the initial assault on the ranger headquarters and her ability to assemble a large force that was capable of defending the Alliance. Her bravery and leadership while leading that force against the eleven hundred Minith who survived Captain Gurney’s final attack were cited as the primary reason for the award.
The award was appropriate. After they met on the ridge above the spaceport, he and the colonel had discussed next steps and settled on a plan. She had taken her force and moved to help the Telgorans, while Eli and his company of rangers had moved toward the building where Drah was still holed up with his most loyal supporters.
Next in line was Free. The young Telgoran who had worked so hard at becoming a ranger had been assigned to help Colonel Conway’s attack against the Minith. He had been instrumental as a guide into the underground tunnels and at communicating with his people to help locate, outmaneuver, and ultimately defeat the Minith force that was successfully rampaging through the Telgoran homelands. For his efforts, he was also awarded a Silver Agsel. He had also, from what Eli had been told by Titan, been universally accepted back into the Family that had once shunned him as being “Alone.” He was still alone, but he was now a hero among his people.
After Free received his medal, the three individuals who were presenting the awards stepped up to Aank. Eli couldn’t see the trio very well. Twigg stood between them, and the first sergeant’s bulk blocked much of the scene. But he listened as they presented the Waa engineer a Silver Agsel for his efforts at figuring out how the portals worked and for his translation services aboard the Zrthn ships. Besides Eli, only two others knew just how important the diminutive engineer’s services had been to repelling the invasion and defeating the rebellion. If his abilities hadn’t been a secret, he would be receiving a Golden Agsel, not Silver.
The Silver is more appropriate to my contributions, Eli.
Really, Aank? Even here?
Blink. Blink.
Eli smiled and sent a feeling of thanks and appreciation toward the Waa.
You are welcome, Eli. And congratulations.
Eli didn’t have a chance to question why he was being congratulated. Aank sent a mental vision of a smiling Adrienne Tenney, accompanied by a sense of excited well-being and eager anticipation, into Eli’s thought stream. Eli knew the feelings well. Those same emotions filled his body every time she entered a room, or smiled in his direction. The feelings were followed up with a sense of mirth and knowing that let Eli know he had no secrets from the little green alien.
Flock you, Aank, Eli replied, and tried to suppress a grin.
When the presenters moved on to Twigg, Eli got his first good look at the three. Titan, the human emissary to the Telgoran people, held a large tray where the medals lay, waiting to be handed out. Beside him, General Treel, the newly appointed Minith general in charge of the defense forces on Telgora, read out the verbiage that went along with each award. The third individual, General Grant Justice, the supreme commander of the Alliance Defense Forces—and his father—was doing the actual pinning of the awards.
This was the first time in more than six months Eli had seen his father, but he turned his attention forward, and focused on the ceremony taking place beside him. General Treel’s low, gravelly voice recited the first sergeant’s accomplishments.
Twigg was awarded the Golden Agsel, the Alliance’s highest military award.
Twigg was credited with turning the vast majority of the Minith who refused to choose sides back toward the Alliance. He was also recognized as the Alliance soldier who captured Colonel Drah. Eli noted there was no mention of the fact that Twigg had badly beaten his former superior when he found Drah trying to make his escape to the Zrthn battle carrier. Apparently, Drah did not realize how low his standing had fallen with Oinoo, or he might not have run in that direction. Not that it mattered. His return to a Zrthn ship was a foregone conclusion.
As a point in their negotiations, Eli had permitted Oinoo to retain one of the captivity s
hips. His reasons for doing so were clear and well considered. He expected the Zrthns to remove every rebellious Minith that could be identified from Telgora. That especially included Colonel Drah. No one in the Alliance gave much thought to where the Zrthns planned on taking the traitors, or what they intended to do with them, but it was assumed they would not be well treated. Eli hadn’t known until recently, but apparently the Zrthns were known for capturing their enemies and negotiating their eventual release through completion of lengthy labor contracts.
Suddenly, as if by magic, the trio appeared in front of Eli. His father turned to retrieve the medal from the platter that Titan held, then stepped forward. The two men, meeting as soldiers in the same army for the very first time, looked into each other’s eyes. Eli couldn’t help but note how much his father seemed to have aged in the six months they had been apart. Eli understood how that was possible. Leading men, sending them into situations where they might be killed was one of the most difficult things he had ever done—and his father had been doing exactly that for most of his life. A twinge of doubt crossed his thoughts.
Can I be a good soldier, a good leader? Can I send soldiers into battle, and if I do, can I live with the consequences?
His internal struggle was interrupted by his dad reaching out to grip his right hand. The handshake was strong, and the look in the older Justice’s eyes seemed as controlled and resolute as ever. That was good, Eli thought. Those things should never change.
The younger Justice shook off his reservations as he released the handshake.
He was vaguely aware of Treel’s voice as the details of his award were recited, but he didn’t hear the words.
He didn’t need to hear them.
The pride he saw in his father’s eyes as the Golden Agsel was affixed to his chest was more than enough.
The End
Acknowledgements
If you’ve made it this far, the book probably held at least a tiny bit of appeal. If it didn’t, I’m not sure what you’re doing all the way back here, but allow me to offer my apologies. I did my best. Ideally, I hope you enjoyed the hell out of it. If you did, I urge you to take a few moments and tell others how you feel about the book by leaving a review on Amazon. In addition to helping a struggling writer (that would be me), your review will also help other readers like yourself.
It is important to name some of the key contributors to Son of Justice. This book took more than two years to write and it’s not an endeavor I could have completed on my own. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a team to build a book. Some of the key team members for this book include my Kindle Scout editor, Ty Johnson, my pre-Kindle Scout editor, Laura Kingsley; my cover artist, Keri Knutson; and my wife and best friend, Juanita. Thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, and hard work.
I also had the help and support of some very important folks . . . my beta readers. This group worked with me in advance of submitting the final draft to the editor. The book is a better product than it would have been without their wise counsel and support. In no particular order, they include: Dave Jenks, Dennis Riggs, Michael Porkchop, Chris Cefalu, Robert Allison, Roy Hawksley, and of course, my wife, Juanita, and my brother, M.L. Hawk. Thank you all for your help, support and guidance!
Finally, I want to thank you, the reader. You’ve been very good to me over the past four books. Your continued support and encouragement are what keep me going. I love you all!
Take care, and happy reading!
Steve Hawk
January 17, 2016
About the Author
Steven L. Hawk spent six years as a Military Intelligence Specialist with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division before joining the ranks of corporate America. He has a B.S. in Business Management from Western Governor's University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has traveled extensively across the United States and, at various times, has lived in Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Massachusetts, California and Idaho.
He currently resides in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Juanita. Together, they have a blended family of five sons and two Chihuahuas.
This is his fifth published novel. For more information, you can follow him via the following channels:
Website: www.SteveHawk.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenhawk
Twitter: @stevenhawk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Steven-L-Hawk-296463223817121
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