When the parade of gifts had finally stopped it was the soldiers turn to step forward. One by one, they knelt and laid large ceremonial knives at David’s feet. When each came forward, they adopted that same kneeling position and stood again. The soldiers displayed far more human signs of camaraderie, jostling Jackson before leaving their place in line. A couple of the soldiers even went so far as to ruffle his hair.
He scowled and elbowed them back the best he could. A few of the soldiers standing near us in a group barked laughter with each other, gesturing to the tops of their heads and then gesturing to Jackson’s head height. Making fun of their shortest newly minted warrior!
“Tend to your wounded,” Ka’thak said. “Gather our dead. Today we rest from our trials. Tomorrow we look to the future.”
34
David
Our guys only sent three choppers as the initial delegation, probably being careful to not spook the alien forces. Soldiers disembarked from two of the birds and set up a security perimeter. Special Forces. They were taking this seriously.
Out of the third helicopter stepped Commander Oladeru and three men wearing the trademark outfits of the Secret Service. Once they were on the ground, President Lee walked out. I sucked in a breath. Taking it seriously? No, this went way beyond that. They were treating Ka’thak like they would any other head of state. That gave me real hope that everything we’d accomplished might just have saved humanity.
To my surprise, the president wasn’t the last to exit the bird. Ko came out after her. The alien looked like he had been well taken care of, his wounds mostly healed. He had also been outfitted with a modified flak jacket, complete with USAF insignia. He walked toward our group and smiled.
“It looks like you made yourself at home, little human,” Ko said. He wrinkled his nose. “Maybe a little too much. Who vomited on you?”
I laughed and threw my arms around Ko. He squeezed me in a hug that made me remember each and every broken rib. Then he turned to Alexandra. “It seems that you got yourself into a little trouble too.” She stepped forward to embrace him.
Those greetings out of the way, Ka’thak stepped forward. Ko dropped to his knees.
“Captain,” he said, keeping his gaze on the ground.
“Stand, friend,” Ka’thak said. “Welcome home.” The two aliens embraced, pressing their foreheads together.
The President stepped forward from her group and cleared her throat. The secret service soldiers accompanying her stepped forward as well. “Should I call you sir, ma’am, or something else entirely?” the president asked.
“Sir is fine, if you’d like.” Ka’thak said.
“Sir, you have my thanks. My officers have informed me that you have played an integral part in quelling a rebellion within your ranks that would have guaranteed the deaths of both our species. You have the gratitude of the human race. How can we assist?”
“We have wounded aboard our ship. Young. Caregivers. We would appreciate any aid you can supply us. We particularly need medical supplies.”
The president motioned to the secret service soldiers who spoke into earpieces. From the other airships came soldiers bearing food, water, and medical supplies. The captain motioned for his soldiers to escort the human forces into the ship.
Commander Oladeru smirked, coming forward to shake my hand. “Well done, soldier.” He turned.
“You too, know-it-all,” Oladeru said through a forced smile.
“Stuck up moron,” Alexandra said. They faced off for a moment before the commander broke into a smile. He tapped his forehead toward Alexandra, a little half-salute, before following his soldiers into the alien ship.
“Dr. King, I could use your assistance,” the President said.
“Mine?” Alexandra looked baffled, for once. I chuckled, making a mental note of the memory. It wasn’t something I got to see often.
“Yes. These people need to be treated like we would any other ally. Which means I need someone to head up our diplomatic mission to Ka’thak’s people,” the president said. “A role I believe you’re uniquely suited for.”
“Seeing as I probably don’t have a job to go back to, I don’t see a problem with that,” she said.
“Good. You start now,” Lee replied. “Ka’thak, I’m here hoping we can begin to hammer out an agreement between our people. Is there someplace we can go and speak at length?”
“Of course. This way,” Ka’thak replied.
What followed was hours exhausting talk. I was invited to attend but didn’t contribute much. Hell, I was a soldier and a pilot. This wasn’t my gig at all. Eventually it came to a close. The Secret Service escorted the president back to her helicopter and whisked her away. Alexandra went with her. I gathered the meeting had been productive, but I was lost in my thoughts for much of it.
After all I had been through in the past week, it was clear to me that if I was going to deal with the end of the world, I wanted to make a real difference to someone. America had enough grunts out there to make sure that the people would be looked after. The aliens would need someone who could work with the military, not against it, and stand in the way of any humans that might not think that it would be in the species’ best interest to cooperate.
As Ka’thak was leaving the meeting, I caught up with him.
I contemplated what I was about to do. If Ka’thak accepted my offer, I would be saying goodbye to humanity, possibly forever. Given that Earth couldn’t be our home for very much longer, that didn’t seem like a bad deal.
“Yes, David?” Ka’thak replied.
“Sir. Captain. I have a request, if it is an appropriate time to ask.”
All the other humans had left the room already. It was just myself, the captain, and a group of his soldiers. I recognized a few of them. Somehow, that made what I was about to do feel easier.
“Go ahead.”
I dropped to one knee, keeping my eyes level with the alien’s feet. The position set my legs and back aflame, but I was determined to do this properly.
“Captain. During my time with your people you have treated me with unending dignity and decency. You have allowed me to live among you and fight alongside you. I have been truly welcomed. I humbly request that you allow me to stay and continue fighting as one of your own. It would be my honor to serve your people and give my life if necessary, for their continuing safety.”
Ka’thak laughed and reached a hand down to help me rise. I panted a little bit as I stood but managed to stay upright.
“Little brother, we would be delighted to have you. You have served with honor. I have rarely seen such bravery in battle and such commitment to pursue justice in a warrior. You have shown that you can respect our traditions and live among us, and we love you for it. Stand with us and be counted a soldier of our people.”
Relief washed over me as the other soldiers came to offer their congratulations, thumping me on the back and shaking my hand. I bit my cheek to keep from yelping as pain shot through my back and ribs.
“Thank you, sir.”
“It is we who thank you,” Ka’thak said.
Around the room, the other soldiers hooted their agreement.
A weight I hadn’t known I was carrying lifted from my shoulders. It was the guilt I’d carried with me ever since firing that damned missile. I’d done something horrible, something I knew was wrong, and it cost many of these beings their lives.
My whole life had been about service to my country and my fellow citizens. If I was ever to make up for the wrong I’d done, the only way I knew to go forward was to offer them myself. It would take the rest of my life to repay them, but I would gladly give each day to that cause.
I looked around at the alien faces, all of them brimming with pride and welcome, and they didn’t feel ‘alien’ at all anymore.
I was home.
The End
Elizabeth’s Author Notes
Thank you so much for choosing to read my book! Incursion started when I deci
ded to join my husband in becoming an independent author. He had been writing full time for a while and I was desperate to break away from the retail job I had been working for three long years. The summer before this book was written I sat down to write a short story and ended up writing around twenty thousand words-in the first five chapters. So the idea was born.
I love to tell stories, real or fictional. Stories shape who we are and who we believe we can become. My mission as an author is to tell the stories of people who are often stuck outside the spotlight-the people who have always been there but who haven’t had the opportunity to share their voice. I believe representation is essential. If we write diverse characters, someone will read their story and know that they are seen. There is frequently an assumption that in order to write diversity that it’s necessary to make one single quality of that character the sole focus of who they are. In the real world, Brown and Black people, LGBTQIA+ people, non-neurotypical people, everyone who we label as diverse are just people living their lives the same as the rest of us. I aim to fight “typical” in my books and to illustrate a future where we may not need these labels anymore.
Full transparency: I’m a cisgender, white, bisexual, Pagan woman. I have had just a glimpse into non-heteronormative and non-Christian life, but I am very aware of my privilege. I seek out advice and input from people who belong to the group I am writing a character in, but I understand that I will never be perfect in my portrayal of someone I am not. I invite and welcome feedback from my readers as to how I can do better. You can reach me at [email protected]. I will get back to you as soon as I can. It’s everyone’s mission to learn as much as we can and I want to actively participate in the discussion.
For anyone wishing to pursue a career in writing: do it. You don’t need a fancy computer or an iPad. You don’t even really need a digital device, if you really want to go old school! (Thought you might need to borrow one to upload to Amazon or your platform of choice eventually). But no matter what you use, just write. I started writing on my days off at first, and then transitioned to writing every free moment I had. Fifteen minute break? Great. That’s at least 200 words. Hour lunch? Awesome. 1,000 words, if you can write at a good clip. I will be the first to tell you that it’s not easy and it’s not fun. There were days-and weeks-that I didn’t feel like writing a single word. Those where the days where I made myself write. Even if it was just a few sentences, it’s that much closer to finishing your book.
Ultimately the Supernova Cycle isn’t just a series about how to save humanity-it’s about how we can save the best parts of humanity. As you’ll see in the next two books, Alex and Jackson will have to face challenges that will test their trust in their fellow man, and themselves.
Special thanks are due to my husband, Kevin McLaughlin for continuing encouragement, wisdom, and kicks in the butt when necessary. Thanks also to Michael Anderle, Craig Martelle, Judith Anderle, Andries Louws, and so many at 20Booksto50K(R) who helped me to get my start on this path.
See you in book 2!
Thank you for reading my books and per aspera ad astra.
Kevin’s Author Notes
Hey there! Thanks for reading *Incursion*, first book in the Supernova Cycle! There’s two more books coming up to complete the trilogy, both of which will be coming out over the next few weeks.
This book was interesting to write, because I didn't actually do the writing part of it. I wrote the plot, and created what’s called the ‘beats’ for this book. That is, I came up with a super-detailed outline.
But the writing itself was done by Elizabeth. In fact, this was her debut novel! She’s knocked this one out of the park, too. *Incursion* has been read through by a number of folks to make sure the story was ready and up to snuff, and the reviews were stellar.
This sort of co-author scenario isn’t entirely new to me; I’ve done similar work with Michael Anderle, where I come up with the story, then he takes my 12,000 word outline and turns it into a 60,000 word novel. But it’s the first time I’ve co-written anything with my wife! Elizabeth has been an amazing supporter of my writing throughout our entire relationship, but now it’s my turn to give her the same support for her budding career as a writer.
Creating stories isn’t always the easiest job in the world. I mean, it’s fun and I love doing it, don’t get me wrong! If I didn't love writing, I’d go find something else to do with my time. It can be a real challenge sometimes, though. Writers put a little piece of themselves into every book we create, after all. We’re taking that slice of our inner selves and showing it to you, our reader, via the story we tell.
It’s crazy easy to feel fear when pressing ‘publish’. Will people like the book? Will they hate it? Those questions are especially deep for writers because when someone says they like our book, they’re also saying they like that piece of ourselves that we’ve shown them. When they say they hate our book, it’s sort of the opposite. This sort of fear paralyzes many writers and keeps them from ever finishing a book, or from trying to publish it even if they do complete one.
It’s been said that only one in a hundred people who say they want to write a book actually start. Only about one in a hundred who start one manage to finish. Only one in a hundred who finish a book actually see it through to publishing — or at least, to publishing well, with proper editing and an excellent cover. And perhaps only one in a hundred of those people keep pushing ahead to write another book.
Elizabeth has done all of those things. She’s finished three novels and she’s working on another series already. That’s an incredible accomplishment all by itself.
But she’s done a terrific job writing these stories, too. I’ve read the finished work, as have you — if you got this far, I’m pretty sure you liked what you saw! We’re seeing the birth of a new professional artist here, someone who will go on to write tons of books that we can all curl up and enjoy.
I’m so glad that I was able to give her a leg up during her early days. She won’t need it again; the professionalism and excellence she’s demonstrated creating this trilogy will carry her far into the future.
Thank you for reading! I can’t wait to bring you the sequel, *Exodus*, and the trilogy finale *Treason*, both coming later this summer!
Kevin McLaughlin
Other Books by Kevin McLaughlin
The Ragnarok Saga (Military SF)
Accord of Fire - Free prequel short story, available only to email list fans!
Book 1 - Accord of Honor
Book 2 - Accord of Mars
Book 3 - Accord of Valor
Book 4 - Ghost Wing
Book 5 - Ghost Squadron
Book 6 - Ghost Fleet (2019)
Valhalla Online Series (A Ragnarok Saga Story)
Book 1 - Valhalla Online
Book 2 - Raiding Jotunheim
Book 3 - Vengeance Over Vanaheim
Book 4 - Hel Hath No Fury
Lost Planet Warriors (Military SF with light romance)
Book 1 - Desperate Times
Book 2 - Desperate Measures
Dire Straits - Free short story for email list fans!
Adventures of the Starship Satori (Space Opera blended with military SF)
Finding Satori - prequel short story, available only to email list fans!
Book 1 - Ad Astra: Book 2 - Stellar Legacy
Book 3 - Deep Waters
Book 4 - No Plan Survives Contact
Book 5 - Liberty
Book 6 - Satori’s Destiny
Book 7 - Ashes of War
Book 8 - Embers of War
Book 9 - Dust and Iron
Blackwell Magic Series (Urban Fantasy)
Book 1 - By Darkness Revealed
Book 2 - Ashes Ascendant
Book 3 - Dead In Winter
Book 4 - Claws That Catch
Book 5 - Darkness Awakes
Book 6 - Spellbinding Entanglements
By A Whisker (short story)
The Raven and the Rose
- Free novelette for email list fans!
Dead Brittania Series:
Dead Brittania (short prequel story)
Book 1 - King of the Dead
Book 2 - Queen of Demons
Raven’s Heart Series (Urban Fantasy)
Book 1 - Stolen Light
Book 2 - Webs in the Dark
Book 3 - Shades of Moonlight
Other Titles:
Over the Moon (SF romance)
Midnight Visitors (Steampunk Cat short story)
Demon Ex Machina (Steampunk Cat short story)
The Coffee Break Novelist (help for writers!)
You Must Write (Heinlein’s rules for writers)
Exclusive story for fans of the Kevin’s writing!
When Captain Nicholas Stein set out to stop one enemy ship, and set in motion events which shaped the course of human history for decades to come.
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/o7sag392n4
About the Author
When she's not playing pirate aboard tall ships or hunting down the best place to grab ramen in whichever country she's found herself in, Liz McLaughlin can be found at her keyboard, bringing to life science fiction stories to change the world. A lifelong avid reader and winner of her seventh grade Young Authors contest (thanks Mom and Dad!), Liz broke into writing in search of a way to bring diversity and representation to science fiction and beyond. Her stories seek to change the genre through normalizing people of color and LGBTQIA+ as participants in the futuristic epics we all know and love.
Incursion Page 15