The sound of screaming woke him. It took a few seconds before he realized it was his own voice. Behind the cry was the subtle sound of a white noise generator near the bed. He pushed the sodden sheets away from his body and looked at Alice sleeping next to him. After all they had been through, she had proven immune to his night terrors. The air was cool against his naked chest as he stood and padded to the small bathroom adjoining the bedroom.
Flushing the disposal unit, he decided not to return to the bed. The nightmares had only gotten worse since they had returned to Earth and he didn’t want to dare another one. He moved through the bedroom to the small living area beyond. The house was pre-fabricated and small compared to the cabin he had grown up in, but it was fine for the two of them. A ticking clock, a gift from Alfredo Ortiz before he left for his own home, told him it was near sunrise. He needed to shake the dread from his soul if he had any hope of reclaiming the land his father had left for him.
Lee started the small coffee pot in the kitchen and looked out the window. A dull gray sky was brightening slightly as the sun made its way to the horizon. The land was scorched and covered in a fine ash, but it was solid ground, and that was enough. The coffee maker let out a small ding and he turned back. As he did, the corner of his eye caught something he hadn’t expected.
Speeding up the road from town was a plain black skimmer. The population of the planet had been reduced dramatically, and most of the rest were still in space, fighting the remaining enemy forces in distant places. Since arriving, the only skimmers he had seen were from the recovery bureau, and a message delivery from Henry Moore announcing the birth of his son and the condition of his wife. Lee refused to accept any electronic reception whatsoever at his home.
As the skimmer pulled closer, he opened the porch door and stepped into the cold air. A man in full military regalia stepped from the skimmer and looked around. Lee moved from underneath the eaves of the house and into the yard. Beneath a struggling tree nearby, the small marker of his father’s grave was just casting a morning shadow. It was a promise Chang had made and Farthing had completed, to return Everett Pearce to the place he loved.
“Admiral Dalton,” Lee said to the man as he approached. “I thought you’d be in space.”
“Being the last ranking officer left means I don’t get to ride into battle anymore,” Dalton replied, extending a hand to Lee. “It’s good to see you, Captain.”
“I’m not a captain anymore,” Lee replied, not taking the hand. “No uniform anymore. What can I do for you, Franklin?”
“You are still a son of a bitch, you know that, right?” Dalton said, dropping the hand and looking around. “Nice spread. Is the bureau helping you get new cattle?”
“You didn’t come here to discuss cows, Admiral. What do you want?”
Dalton paused to step back. He turned slowly around, breathing in the air deeply. Like most fleet officers, Dalton had spent most of his life away from gravity wells. Lee could spot his shakiness as he held himself steady on the ground. When he turned back, Dalton had a smile on his dark face that looked out of place.
“I’ve got these kids, Lee,” the admiral began. “You should see them. One kid was just like you. He was a pilot who took command during the fighting. He’s a hot stick if I ever saw one.”
“They exist,” Lee said, crossing his arms and leaning against his home. “Sometimes you even need them. I bet you hate this kid. He breaks rules you think should be obeyed and believes in heroes, doesn’t he?”
“You have no idea. After you came back, that kid took Mars straight into battle at half strength, missing shields on the starboard side of the ship. Took out a Ch’Tauk dreadnought all by himself before the cruiser started to break up.”
“So what do you want with me?”
“I need you, Lee. I need someone to come back and teach these kids,” Dalton said, his smile disappearing. “I can’t do anything with them. They’ve heard the stories and read the books and want to hear it all from someone who lived at the edge of it all.”
“So why me?” Lee said. “There are tons of officers out there who followed the rules and fought the good fight. Why do you need me?”
Dalton watched the lengthening shadows a moment, then he said, “You’re the only one left who was there at the beginning of it all. You’re the only one left who remembers everything.”
“Lee?”
Both men turned to look as Alice stepped from the door. She was wearing one of Lee’s dress shirts and her legs were bare. She had begun to let her hair grow back, but it still looked unkempt and messy. She looked at Dalton and scowled and then back at Lee.
“Lee, what’s going on?”
“That’s the problem,” Lee replied. “I do remember … I remember everything, Franklin.”
“That’s what these kids need to hear,” Dalton said, looking Lee in the eye. “I want you to come back up with me. I can reactivate your commission with a pay increase. Come teach the new captains how to drive their admiral crazy. We’re still fighting up there, you know.”
“I know,” Lee said, looking back at Alice. It’s not my war anymore. I’ve got more important things to worry about now.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Dalton said, tilting his head and looking concerned. “The Alliance needs you.”
“That’s what I do understand, Franklin,” Lee replied quietly, pushing away from the home and stepping face to face with the admiral. “The Alliance had me and used me up. I’ve got nothing left to give. I’ve lost everyone and everything that was important to me and now I wake up screaming every morning. If the Alliance wants that back they can have it, but they don’t get me.”
“One more year,” Dalton offered, staring down at Lee without flinching. “All I ask is one more year. Tell more stories and teach these kids something.”
Lee glared at the admiral. The sun would soon be rising behind the gray, turning his father’s meager tombstone into a timepiece showing him the way to go. Finally, he turned back to Alice. She was leaning against the doorframe and staring back at him. In the tender light of dawn, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
When he looked to the land his father had loved, in his soul he felt it was his home. He looked to the dull sky and tried to see the stars but they were hidden from him. With a sigh, he turned back to Dalton and met the man’s eyes again.
“I’m sorry, Admiral,” Lee said. “I’m done.”
Author’s Notes
I have been writing this story for two years. These people have become closer to me than some of my friends and it is one of the most difficult decisions I have made to end the series here. I watched as Wellick sacrificed himself and Alice was taken and did nothing. I just kept writing because the story wasn’t over yet. It’s not that I don’t love the series; I do. It’s just that I wrote this on a lark to see if it could be done. Lee Pearce and his friends and ship mates have gone through hell and high water to get to this point and I think they deserve a break. Since Lee has decided not to tell the stories anymore, I think I will.
I went on vacation a couple years ago and watched a movie while I was there. I left the movie theatre thinking I coud have done a better job of telling the story. I hate it when people criticize and don’t produce anythig to prove they are better so I started fleshing out a small piece of the story that woud become the War for Terra. To be honest, I don’t know that the first two books were any better than what I watched at that darkened theater but I kept going and each time I think I improved on the story. Of course, there have been missteps. Resolute Victory was not the ending I had originally wanted to write to this tale. I took time off and wrote Connor Jakes and came back ready to tackle a real story. From Alliance to Glory is the trilogy I had originally meant to write. Look at it like a Tolkein novel where all the unfinished tales were written and published before the actual story was released. That’s what you have. Of course, I am not Tolkein. I write cheap science fiction and I know it.
My editor, Lee, told me he couldn’t see how I could possibly bring this series back now that the damage has been done and I admit I was thinking the same thing when I had it finished. Like Lee, I was done.
I am writing a new series now. It’s a suspense thriller set in modern times with a great cast and good story (I think). Hopefully, it will meet with a similar success as the War for Terra. I know I will still want to come back to the galaxy I created here and I can say with absolute certainty that I have not told all of the stories there are to tell here. In fact, there are one or two things I think I need to clarify about Connor Jakes and then there is that other character who might just prove to be…..
The War for Terra Series
Resolute Command
Resolute Stand
Resolute Uprising
Resolute Victory
The Adventures of Connor Jakes
Resolute Alliance
Resolute Strike
Resolute Glory
You can follow me on Twitter @ProsserAuthor1
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Check out my blog
http://resolutebooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/resolute-strike-is-here.html
Resolute Glory (The War for Terra Book 8) Page 30
