But Emet did not sit. He stood at the head of the table, looking at the others. None of them were eating or drinking. They all looked back, eyes somber. As Emet stood in the firelight, he felt like some ancient Viking chieftain, about to order his warriors into battle.
Here before him were warriors as brave as any from history. Here were his closest companions. His officers. His family. The salt of the earth.
A boom sounded outside. The walls shuddered. The cannons were firing every few moments now, scaring off basilisks who kept creeping toward the walls. Emet could hear the beasts shrieking in the distance. Gunfire rattled, and the shrieks died. But Emet knew another basilisk assault would come, probably within moments.
He spoke to his officers.
"From this moment onward, the Heirs of Earth are no more. We are now soldiers in the Human Defense Force. The HDF was the proud military of Earth before our exile. It rises again. We will keep our uniforms, but we will bear new ranks. We will emulate the structure of the Human Defense Force. Commodores will become colonels. Admirals will become generals. In the old days, the Human Defense Force was a single military that fought across land, sea, air, and space. It will be so again. Your minicoms contain information on your new ranks and units. As more refugees join us on Earth, they will bring with them their own militias. They too will integrate into the HDF. This is an army for all humanity. We are no longer rebels or refugees. We are soldiers of Earth."
Their eyes all shone. Everyone here had heard of the legendary Human Defense Force, the army the Golden Lioness had led. Everyone stood a little taller.
But Emet now had to deflate them.
"Our situation is dire," he said. "The basilisk armada surrounds our world. Millions of the aliens fill our forests and mountains. Millions of humans still languish in exile, their passage home blocked. We ignited a light of hope on Earth. Yet now the basilisks threaten to extinguish it."
Mairead McQueen, the wild pilot with flaming red hair, leaped to her feet. "So we'll kill the bastards! Every last one of them. We'll blow 'em up! I love blowing things up. Especially aliens."
Ramses tugged her back to her seat. "Sit down, Firebug. Let the Old Lion speak."
Emet struggled to suppress a smile.
They're brave and eager, he thought. Good.
"Friends!" he said. "A year ago, the Galactic War ended. It was a cruel war. The bloodiest war in history. Many planets burned. Billions of aliens perished. During that war, the scorpion tyrants murdered five million of us. They butchered our brothers and sisters, our parents and children, in their dreaded gulocks. We defeated them. But when the war ended, we found a smoldering galaxy."
"Good," Mairead said. "Let the whole damn galaxy burn."
Emet ignored her. "Many empires collapsed during the war. The old order is gone. The Hierarchy once ruled millions of planets. Those planets are now lawless. The great Aelonian civilization once ruled a quarter of the galaxy. But their fleets are a fraction of their previous size now; most of their empire is gone. The galaxy is in chaos."
"What do we care?" Now it was Bay who spoke. The young man rose to his feet, face flushed. "That's no longer our problem. I only care about Earth."
Mutters of agreement rose across the hall. Officers nodded.
"Bay is right!" said a grizzled general.
"Let the rest of the galaxy go to hell," muttered another man.
Emet pounded the tabletop. "Hear me! This state of chaos will not last forever. The surviving civilizations are assembling into a great alliance, one they call the Galactic Order. A year from today, they plan to redraw the map of the Milky Way. They will assign every star, all the billions of them, to a civilization that will rule it. Sol—our star—is up for grabs. And the basilisks will try to claim it."
"Let 'em try!" Mairead said. "I don't care what some sissy diplomats say. Earth is ours! We earned it. With our sweat. Our tears. Our blood!"
Emet spun toward the Firebug. "Try defending Earth when the entire Galactic Order descends upon us. The war for Earth will be fought with guns, yes. But also with diplomacy. We must convince the galaxy that we humans own Earth. We must gain independence from the Basilisk Empire. We have a year. If we fail—our species will be exterminated."
Now they were all silent. They all stared back at Emet, fear in their eyes.
Again basilisk shrieks sounded in the distance. Again the guards on the wall fired their guns. Again cannons boomed. It was a moment before this new assault was repelled.
The basilisks will keep chipping away at us, Emet thought. They won't rest until we or they are all dead.
Emet spoke again, more softly this time. "This chaos provides an opportunity. The basilisks are afraid. They sided with the scorpions during the Galactic War. The scorpions lost. The basilisks were forced to surrender. For this failure, their old emperor was overthrown, tossing them deeper into upheaval. According to the terms of their surrender, the basilisks cannot take further military action—not even against us humans."
"Bullshit," Bay said. "About a million of those muckers attacked our colony this morning."
"Not their soldiers." Emet said. "Those were wild basilisks. The commoners. The peasants. Do you think we, only a few thousand colonists, could withstand a basilisk army, armored, supported by heavy artillery, and bombarding our settlement from orbit? The basilisk military surrendered to the Concord, Bay. And technically, we humans are a Concord species—or at least, we fought alongside the Concord in the war. The basilisks are still bound by their surrender treaty. They can blockade us. They can fire on ships trying to run the blockade. They can pester us, bleed us. But they can't engage in full-out war."
Bay snorted. "Why the hell would they even care? They're damn snakes. Aliens."
Emet nodded. "Smart ones too. More cautious than the scorpions. A new queen, the cruel Xerka, now rules them. She is careful and cunning. She knows the galaxy is up for grabs. Xerka is ambitious, patient, and hungry. When the maps are redrawn in a year, Xerka hopes to gain many star systems, to form a vast empire, the largest in the Orion Arm. That's why she's holding back now. Why she's blockading us, preventing more humans from landing. She wants to prove to the galaxy that Earth is hers."
Rowan spoke for the first time. "Why the hell does Xerka even care about Earth? It's just one planet in her empire. She rules thousands of planets."
Emet looked into her eyes, and sadness filled him—sadness for the lost innocence he saw in the girl.
"Earth is the planet of humanity, Rowan," he said softly. "The most hated species in the galaxy. The species of homeless wanderers. The species that brought down the Hierarchy, that caused the basilisks to lose the war. That shamed them. Among all her thousands of planets, Earth is most precious to Xerka. She will dedicate herself to ruling Earth—and killing us all."
The words hung in the room. Even with the crackling hearth, a chill settled over the hall. More gunfire sounded. More basilisks screamed, and the ground trembled as a cannon boomed.
Finally Rowan spoke. "So what do we do?"
"We play the game," Emet said. "The maps will be redrawn in a year? We will stake our claim! We will prove to the Galactic Council that we deserve Earth. We must—must—bring more humans home. Based on our estimates, up to seven million human refugees still languish in space. Most are still trapped in refugee camps, others are desperately trying to navigate through space. We must smuggle them through the blockade. We must fill this planet with more humans—with millions of them. We must prove to the Council that we have a civilization here. A culture. An identity. That our claim on Earth is stronger than Xerka's. A year from now, Earth must stand tall as a free world!"
"So we break through the blockade!" Mairead leaped onto the table and raised her fist. "We blow 'em all up!"
"Firebug, sit down." Ramses pulled her off the table before she could knock over the roast boar.
Emet smiled thinly. "Mairead, I appreciate your love of explosives. But bombs won't defeat the basilisk arm
ada. We have a more subtle plan." Emet turned to look at a shadowy corner of the hall. "Leona? Tom? Please rise."
They stood up and stepped into the light. Leona Ben-Ari, the Iron Lioness. Tall and proud. The woman who had led the Corvette Company in the Battle of Terminus, an assault famous across the galaxy. The warrior who had led fleets at Aelonia, the climactic battle of the Scorpion War. Beside her—Tom Shepherd. The Man on the Mountain. The man who had survived a gulock. Who had led rebels in war. Who had found and mentored Ayumi the Weaver. Both of them were famous—not just among humans but aliens as well. All in the galaxy knew their names. The heroes of the war.
"Leona, Tom," Emet said. "Your task will be to leave Earth. To head back to the stars. And to find allies. You must travel world to world, telling the story of Earth. Tell them how we evolved on this planet. How for centuries of exile, we dreamed of coming home. How we suffered. How we are reborn. Tell them that Earth is proud, that Earth will be an ally to all peaceful civilizations. The maps will be redrawn in a year. Make our case."
Emet knew how much leaving Earth would hurt them. How vast and cold space was. How much he was asking of them.
"Emet," Tom said softly. "Are you sure I'm right for this task? I'm soft spoken. I spend most of my time alone in the mountains. I'm only a shepherd. You need a diplomat. Somebody charismatic, handsome, and eloquent."
Leona touched his shoulder. "You are handsome."
Tom smiled grimly. "Maybe to an alien."
Emet stepped closer. He stared into his friend's eyes. "Tom, I don't want to send a salesman. I want to send a hero. Go out there. Tell our story. You are the exemplary human. A man who lost all. Who suffered in the gulock. Who emerged from the inferno strong and wise and still filled with hope. I can think of nobody better to tell our tale. I'm also promoting you, Tom. You're now a colonel in the HDF. The same rank as Leona. You deserve it." He turned toward Leona. "And you, Leona, are famous for your courage. Even aliens who hate humans show you respect. They know you as the Iron Lioness, the heroine of Terminus. They will listen to you."
Tom and Leona both nodded. They raised their chins.
"I will go," Tom said.
"I will too," said Leona.
Emet turned to the other side of the table. Bay and Rowan sat there, both with stuffed cheeks. They swallowed. Big chunks were missing from the roast boar on the table.
"Sorry!" Rowan said. "I couldn't wait."
Bay nodded. "Ra, you guys talk a lot. We were starving."
Emet sighed. "I'm glad you're building up your strength. You're going to need it. I have a task for you two as well."
Rowan wiped gravy off her chin. "Does it involve working the kitchens? Cooking more boar? I'm down for that."
"I call sous chef!" Bay said.
"Enough!" Emet snapped. "Stand up and straighten your uniforms—before I make you latrine cleaners."
Both stood at attention and saluted.
Emet looked at them. He loved them both. Bay was his only son, and Rowan was like a daughter. Both were so young. Bay was only twenty-seven, Rowan only nineteen.
Do I want too much from them? Emet thought. They've already fought for so many years. Can I truly ask them to do this?
But Emet knew the answer. They all needed to fight now—more than ever. They had won a galactic war. But this was a war for Earth. This was their most important struggle, and its outcome would echo across the generations.
"Bay, Rowan," Emet said. "You two will command Operation Exodus. It will be a great mission, perhaps the greatest humanity has undertaken. You must lead out five hundred starships—half our fleet. Sail the cosmic ocean. Find the millions of human refugees still out there. And bring them home!"
The words reverberated through the hall. For a moment, nobody spoke, perhaps overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead. They listened to the fire crackling, the wind moaning, the distant rattle of gunfire and calls of basilisks.
Rowan finally spoke. "We accept." She held Bay's hand. "We will bring them home."
Emet nodded. "Good. Because I'm also promoting both of you. You're both now majors in the Human Defense Force."
Rowan's eyes shone, and she saluted.
But Bay cleared his throat, seemingly unimpressed with the promotion. "Just one problem. A tiny, little, weensy problem really. We need to fly out there with, what, five hundred ships, you said? How the hell are we going to break through the basilisk blockade?"
The door of the hall burst open.
A new figure stepped into the room.
She wore robes embroidered with silver runes. White tattoos adorned her dark skin, glowing with ethereal power. Her hair was smooth and white as fresh snow, her eyes lavender. She was a weaver, a mistress of the ancient light. She was their deadliest weapon.
"How do we break through the blockade, you ask?" Coral Amber smiled mysteriously. "Leave that to me."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Rowan had a week to spend on Earth.
A week, that was all. And it would be time to leave.
It was the best week of her life.
The basilisks harassed them every day. The giant serpents crawled over the fields outside the walls, consuming the last of the crops. Groups of them, sometimes only two or three, sometimes a full twenty or more, kept trying to tunnel under or climb over the walls. Humanity's bullets sent them fleeing. Above in the sky, the enemy warships still lurked, a constant sword at everyone's necks.
Yet Rowan had never been happier.
She spent the week toiling in gardens in the sunlight, planting fruit trees, tending to chickens and rabbits, and shooing birds away from vegetable patches. She wore shorts and sandals, and her skin—naturally olive toned—developed a deeper, richer tan. She laughed a lot. She helped Bay and the others build a smithy, a place to make bullets, blades, and farming tools. Sometimes she patrolled the walls, Lullaby in hand, shooting any basilisks that approached. The violence chilled her, but the view was spectacular—ice-capped mountains, flowery glens, and blue skies over green forests.
At night, the nightmares often surfaced, and she was back in the ducts, or fighting the scorpions. But whenever she woke in cold sweat, Bay was always there to soothe her, stroke her hair, and kiss her. She made love to him every night in their tent.
Yes, it was a life of war here on Earth. A life of toil. And every day, along with the pain and fear, her joy overflowed.
And the week ended.
It had been an era of her life. It had lasted but an instant.
It was time to fly back out there. Into the darkness. And to bring home light.
The entire colony came to see the heroes off. The people stood alongside a dirt road, thousands of them. They held out flowers. They prayed. They reached out to touch the heroes, to bless them, to praise them.
Tom and Leona walked at the lead. Him—tall and somber, wrapped in a deep blue cloak, holding a shepherd's crook. Leona—proud and strong, wearing tall boots and a leather vest, her rifle slung across her back, her dark curls spilling out from under a cowboy hat. The hero of the gulocks and the Iron Lioness. Together, they would fly into the depths of space. They would tell Earth's story. And they would return with allies. With hope.
Behind them walked the younger heroes. Bay and Rowan held hands, their chins raised. Bay still wore his brown trousers and blue overcoat, but now they were a uniform of the Human Defense Force. A star shone on each of his shoulders—the insignia of a major. A dark cowboy hat shaded his face. His blond beard had thickened since landing on Earth; he was beginning to look a lot like his father. One of his coat's sleeves was cut off, revealing his mechanical arm of wood and brass.
Rowan still wore her own brown trousers and blue vest, and goggles held back her dark hair. She still kept that hair cut short, just long enough to cover her ears. Her trusted pistol hung at her side, shaped like an ancient flintlock. She still looked like a girl, she thought. But she was not the same girl Bay had found in Paradise Lost three years ago. Her hip was br
anded now—the mark Emperor Sin Kra had given her. Thin scars marred her limbs, the wounds of her long war. Her heart was harder, her determination stronger.
I'm no Iron Lioness like Leona, she thought. But I'm still strong. I'm like a tardigrade. Tiny and tough.
She squeezed Bay's hand. He smiled down at her. Together, the two of them would lead half the fleet. They would find the humans still stranded in exile.
We will bring them home.
Finally, bringing up the rear, walked Coral Amber. The weaver, the only one in the colony, wore silken white robes embroidered with silver runes. Her hair cascaded like molten moonlight. Her white tattoos shone on her dark skin, sigils of her power. Wisdom filled her lavender eyes. Coral was young, no older than Bay, yet perhaps the most powerful human in the cosmos. It was her power that would get them to the stars.
I don't trust her, Rowan thought. But she's our greatest weapon.
Pain stabbed Rowan, and she winced. Not physical pain. But pain nonetheless. She had seen the glances Coral had been giving Bay all week. Longing, loving glances.
You love him, Coral, Rowan thought. You're older than me. Wiser than me. Far more powerful. And far more beautiful. Your smile is like starlight, while mine is filled with crooked teeth. Your body is graceful curves, while mine is more like a toothpick. But Bay loves me. He is mine. And you cannot have him.
She squeezed Bay's hand a little tighter. Coral seemed to notice and gave a small, mocking smile.
A child broke off from the crowd. The little boy ran toward Rowan and handed her a wildflower.
"For you, Rowan," he said. "Hail to the heroes!"
Others in the crowd stepped forth, handing their own flowers, bracelets, embroidered kerchiefs, little favors of blessing.
"Hail to the heroes! Bless you, children of Earth."
Ahead waited a shuttlecraft and two Firebirds. They would take the heroes up to the fleet. Rowan paused outside the shuttle and turned back toward the crowd.
She gazed at them. Weary people. Most still haunted and broken from the gulocks. They perhaps would never fully heal. Rowan looked at the colony around them. The tall walls they had built. The gardens they had planted. The seed of civilization they had planted here too. Love filled Rowan—for these people, this colony, this world.
The War for Earth (Children of Earthrise Book 4) Page 10
