Earth Vs. Aliens (Aliens Series 1)
Page 29
The mean’s forehead began to sweat. “Now, now, young man, show some restraint. It is not necessary to frighten people and their representatives with deadly threats. Words, not violence lead to—”
“To little getting done that means anything,” Jack interrupted again. “The reality is, your naval fleet is defeated everywhere that matters. Mars and the Moon have declared their independence of the Unity, as have the people of the Asteroid Belt, now that they have taken over your governor’s residence and put Aranxis in micrograv jail on charges of corruption, theft of public resources and bribery. My Admiral Hideyoshi Minamoto was elegantly direct in his words to the three frigates that were still stationed at Ceres, do you not think?”
Dictat Maathias licked his pale brown lips, then crossed pudgy hands over a bulging belly. “Inciting a mutiny is never a constructive use of words.”
“I disagree. What is your response to my offer? Do you and the Unity Congress wish to continue ruling Earth and its people, while leaving the rest of the solar system alone, or do you wish to be dead and lose that power?”
The man’s smooth manner turned to a glower. “Did you never learn civility? Such a lack of breeding!”
Jack felt all too tempted to drop the asteroid right then. But even falling at just one gee through Earth’s atmosphere would result in destruction far beyond the old League buildings. Innocent citizens would be killed. Though how many innocents resided in a city that had made its name as a center of diplomatic talk which rarely meant much was a matter he wondered about.
“My mother Julia Munroe taught me civility. And she stated it should be shown to people who deserved civility, and who offered civility to all visitors. I gave it up after I put my long sword through the guts of a rockrat who wanted to kidnap my youngest sister and rape her in his habdome.” Jack paused, wondering briefly if Maureen might just fire a geo-penetrator into the man’s dressing room, the GPS coordinates of which they had long ago acquired. Tempting. “As for breeding, well, my Grandpa Ephraim of Tennessee gave his life in the Battle of 2:1 Kirkwood Gap in 2072 when he rammed a Unity frigate, killing all on board. And himself, sadly. I prefer to live and enjoy making idiots like you pay heed to normal people.”
“An American? That explains your rudeness. And your threats.”
“Yes, it does. And did I tell you? In the Asteroid Belt, we will renew our celebration of the Fourth of July and we will reinstate the Bill of Rights for all Belt citizens.” Jack grinned. “Perhaps your Unity citizens may choose to do the same, after seeing more broadcasts of Aliens attacking humans.”
“Enough!” the man said, his glower moving to blunt decisiveness. “Yes, to your question. The Unity Congress disavows all claim to control over people, property and locations lying beyond Earth’s atmosphere. While we ask for the return of captured naval personnel, we will not launch warships against any craft—so long as it does not threaten Earth. Acceptable?”
“Acceptable,” Jack said. “And make sure your congress has a publicly broadcast session in which it votes to pass legislation to guarantee exactly what you just said. If I do not see such a broadcast within the next three days, my calling card will come to visit your dressing room.”
“You are most disagreeable. But the Unity Congress will do as you say, within the timeframe you require. Now, may I take leave of your unpleasant presence?”
Jack nodded slowly, still smiling. “You may leave. AV off.”
“Wow!” yelled Denise. “That was some wild diplomatic hoodoo!”
Max reached up to touch their fusion drive controls that had lowered from the Pilot cabin’s ceiling. “Leaving station above Geneva. Heading for the Belt and Mathilde.” The man grinned at Jack, his face shiny with humor. “Think your sister Elaine can wait that long to have a first date with Ignacio?”
“Max!” yelled Cassie from behind Jack.
Elaine glared at him, ignored Max and began setting up the NavTrack vector for 253 Mathilde.
Jack ignored them all and looked to Maureen, who had increased power to the mechhands as their drive thrust put strain on the giant boulder they had grabbed from its NEO placement near the Lagrange spot that lay between the Earth and Moon.
“Milady, do you think you’ll have to bed fifteen Belters in order to gain fifteen volunteer commerce raiders? For our scavenged grav-pull drives?”
Her slap was hard and stinging. “Young man, your Grandpa Ephraim would have been much more subtle. You need to learn subtle. And anyway, half of our new ship volunteers are likely to be women captains. What do you say to that!”
Jack touched his right cheek, winced, then said the only thing he could say.
“I hope you have a grand time doing whatever you choose to do—before we head out to battle more Aliens!”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
T. Jackson King (Tom) is a professional archaeologist, journalist and former Hippie. He learned early on to question authority and find answers for himself, partly due to reading lots of science fiction novels. He also worked at a radiocarbon dating laboratory at UC Riverside and UCLA. Tom attended college in Paris and Tokyo, then helped organize anti-Vietnam War demos in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tom is a graduate of UCLA (M.A. 1976, archaeology) and the University of Tennessee (B.Sc. 1971, journalism). Tom has worked as an archaeologist in the American Southwest and has traveled widely in Europe, Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. Other jobs have included short order cook, hotel clerk, legal assistant, telephone order taker, investigative reporter and newspaper editor. He also survived the warped speech-talk of local politicians and escaped with his hide intact. He writes hard science fiction, anthropological scifi, dark fantasy/horror and contemporary fantasy/magic realism. Tom’s published science fiction novels are ALIEN ASSASSIN (Wilder Publications, 2014), THE MEMORY SINGER (Fantastic Books, 2014), ANARCHATE VIGILANTE (Wilder Publications, 2014), GALACTIC VIGILANTE (Wilder Publications, 2013), NEBULA VIGILANTE (Wilder Publications, 2013), SPEAKER TO ALIENS (Wilder Publications, 2013), GALACTIC AVATAR (Wilder Publications, 2013), STELLAR ASSASSIN (Wilder Publications, 2013), STAR VIGILANTE (2012), THE GAEAN ENCHANTMENT (Wilder Publications, 2012), LITTLE BROTHER’S WORLD (Fantastic Books, 2010), ANCESTOR’S WORLD (Ace Books, 1996, with A.C. Crispin), and RETREAD SHOP (Warner Books, 1988, 2012). His short stories have appeared in JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER DREAMS (Fantastic Books, 2009). His poetry has appeared in the anthology MOTHER EARTH’S STRETCH MARKS (Motherbird Books, 2009). Tom lives in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA. He has three grown children. He can be reached at tjacksonking@hotmail.com. More information on Tom’s writings can be found at www.tjacksonking.com/.
PRAISE FOR T. JACKSON KING’S BOOKS
RETREAD SHOP
“Engaging alien characters, a likable protagonist, and a vividly realized world make King’s first sf novel a good purchase for sf collections.”– Library Journal
“A very pleasant tour through the author’s inventive mind, and an above average story as well.”–Science Fiction Chronicle
“Fun, with lots of outrageously weird aliens.”—Locus
“The writing is sharp, the plotting tight, and the twists ingenious. It would be worth reading, if only for the beautiful delineations of alien races working with and against one another against the background of an interstellar marketplace. The story carries you . . . with a verve and vigor that bodes well for future stories by this author. Recommended.”–Science Fiction Review
“For weird aliens, and I do mean weird, choose Retread Shop. The story takes place on a galactic trading base, where hundreds of species try to gain the upper hand for themselves and for their group. Sixteen year-old billy is the sole human on the Retread Shop, stranded when his parents and their shipmates perished. What really makes the ride fun are the aliens Billy teams up with, including two who are plants. It's herbivores vs. carnivores, herd species vs. loners, mammals vs. insects and so on. The wild variety of physical types is only matched by the extensive array of
cultures, which makes for a very entertaining read.” –Bonnie Gordon, Los Alamos Daily Post
“Similar in feel to Roger Zelazny's Alien Speedway series is Retread Shop by T. Jackson King. It's an orphan-human-in-alien-society-makes-good story. Well-written and entertaining, it could be read either as a Young Adult or as straight SF with equal enjoyment.” –Chuq Von Rospach, OtherRealms 22
“If you liked Stephen Goldin’s Jade Darcy books duo, and Julie Czerneda’s Clan trilogy, then you will probably like Retread Shop since it too has multiple aliens, an eatery, and an infinity of odd events that range from riots, to conspiracy, to exploring new worlds and to alien eating habits . . . It’s a fun reader's ride and thoroughly entertaining. And, sigh, I wish that the author would write more books set in this background.” –Lyn McConchie, co-author of the Beastmaster series
STAR VIGILANTE
“For a fast-paced adventure with cool tech, choose Star Vigilante. This is the story of three outsiders. Can three outsiders bond together to save Eliana's planet from eco-destruction at the hands of a ruthless mining enterprise?” –Bonnie Gordon, Los Alamos Daily Post
STELLAR ASSASSIN
“T. Jackson King’s Stellar Assassin is an ambitious science fiction epic that sings! Filled with totally alien lifeforms, one lonely human, an archaeologist named Al Lancaster must find his way through trade guilds, political maneuvering and indentured servitude, while trying to reconcile his new career as an assassin with his deeply-held belief in the teachings of Buddha. . . This is a huge, colorful, complicated world with complex characters, outstanding dialogue, believable motivations, wonderful high-tech battle sequences and, on occasion, a real heart-stringer . . . This is an almost perfectly edited novel as well, which is a bonus. This is a wonderful novel, written by a wonderful author . . .Bravo! Five Stars!” –Linell Jeppsen, Amazon
ANCESTOR’S WORLD
“T. Jackson King is a professional archaeologist and he uses that to great advantage in Ancestor’s World. I was just as fascinated by the details of the archaeology procedures as I was by the unfolding of the plot . . . What follows is a tightly plotted, suspenseful novel.”–Absolute Magnitude
“The latest in the StarBridge series from King, a former Rogue Valley resident now living and writing in Arizona, follows the action on planet Na-Dina, where the tombs of 46 dynasties have lain undisturbed for 6,000 years until a human archaeologist and a galactic gumshoe show up. Set your phasers for fun.”–Medford Mail Tribune
THE GAEAN ENCHANTMENT
“For magic, a quest and a new battle around every corner, go with The Gaean Enchantment. In this novel, Earth has entered a new phase as it cycles through the universe. In this phase, some kinds of “magic” work, but tech is rapidly ceasing to function. In the world of this book, incantation and sympathetic magic function through connection to spirit figures who might be described as gods.” –Bonnie Gordon, Los Alamos Daily Post
“In The Gaean Enchantment the main character, Thomas, back from Vietnam and with all the PTSD that many soldiers have—nightmares, blackouts—finds his truth through the finding of his totem animal, the buffalo Black Mane. He teaches Thomas that violence and killing must always be done as a last resort, and that the energies of his soul are more powerful than any arsenal . . . Don’t miss this amazing novel of magic and soul transformation, deep love, and Artemis, goddess of the hunt and protector of women.”–Catherine Herbison-Wiget, Amazon
LITTLE BROTHER’S WORLD
“If you’re sensing a whiff of Andre Norton or Robert A. Heinlein, you’re not mistaken . . . The influence is certainly there, but Little Brother’s World is no mere imitation of Star Man’s Son or Citizen of the Galaxy. Rather, it takes the sensibility of those sorts of books and makes of it something fresh and new. T. Jackson King is doing his part to further the great conversation of science fiction; it’ll be interesting to see where he goes next.”–Don Sakers, Analog
"When I’m turning a friend on to a good writer I’ve just discovered, I'll often say something like, “Give him ten pages and you’ll never be able to put him down.” Once in a long while, I'll say, “Give him five pages.” It took T. Jackson King exactly one sentence to set his hook so deep in me that I finished LITTLE BROTHER’S WORLD in a single sitting, and I’ll be thinking about that vivid world for a long time to come. The last writer I can recall with the courage to make a protagonist out of someone as profoundly Different as Little Brother was James Tiptree Jr., with her remarkable debut novel UP THE WALLS OF THE WORLD. I think Mr. King has met that challenge even more successfully. His own writing DNA borrows genes from writers as diverse as Tiptree, Heinlein, Norton, Zelazny, Sturgeon, Pohl, and Doctorow, and splices them together very effectively.” –Spider Robinson, Hugo, Nebula and Campbell Award winner
“Little Brother's World is a sci-fi novel where Genetic Engineering exists. . . It contains enough details and enough thrills to make the book buyers/readers grab it and settle in for an afternoon read. The book is well-written and had a well-defined plot . . . I never found a boring part in the story. It was fast-paced and kept me entertained all throughout. The characters are fascinating and likeable too. This book made me realize about a possible outcome, when finally science and technology wins over traditional ones. . . All in all, Little Brother’s World is another sci-fi novel from T. Jackson King that is both exciting, thrilling and fun. Full of suspense, adventure, romance, secrets, conspiracies, this book would take you in a roller-coaster ride.” –Abby Flores, Bookshelf Confessions
JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER DREAMS
“King is a prolific writer with an old-time approach–he tells straight-ahead stories and asks the big questions. No topic is off limits and he writes with an explorer’s zest for uncovering the unknown. He takes readers right into the world of each story, so each rustle of a tree, each whisper of the wind, blows softly against your inner ear.”–Scott Turick, Daytona Beach News-Journal
“Congratulations on the long overdue story collection, Tom! What I find most terrific is your range of topics and styles. You have always been an explorer.”–David Brin, Nebula and Hugo winner
“I’m thoroughly loving [the stories]; the prose is the kind that makes me stop and savor it – roll phrases over my tongue – delicious. I loved the way you conjure up a whole world or civilization so economically.”–Sheila Finch, SF author
“Judgment Day and Other Dreams . . . would make a valued addition to any science fiction or fantasy library. There is a satisfying and engrossing attention to detail within the varied stories . . . The common thread among all works is the intimate human element at the heart of each piece. King's prose displays a mastery over these myriad subjects without alienating the uninitiated, thus providing the reader with a smooth, coherent, and altogether enjoyable experience . . . King is able to initiate the reader naturally through plot and precise prose, as if being eased into a warm bath . . . There is a dedicated unity amongst some of the entries in this anthology that begs to be explored in longer formats. And the works which stand apart are just as notable and exemplify King's grasp of human emotions and interactions. This collection displays the qualities of fine writing backed by a knowledgeable hand and a vivid imagination . . . If Judgment Day and Other Dreams is anything to go by, T. Jackson King should be a household name.” –John Sulyok, Tangent Online
Table of Contents
Other King Novels
Dedication
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTTEE
N
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PRAISE FOR T. JACKSON KING’S BOOKS