“How long do we have until they arrive?” Hereford asked.
“Unsure, sir,” Sanders replied. “Depends on how rapidly they’re able to decelerate. They’re moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light right now. We have two days, maybe three if they slow down more rapidly.”
Hereford sighed and closed his eyes. It seemed like almost no time at all had passed since Earth had been under a similar threat from the Naga. He’d helped organize the defense then. It would be entirely up to him to manage Earth’s resistance now. Luckily, he had an ace in the hole he could play. Hereford hoped to keep his secret project under wraps a little longer, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Sanders, radio the USSF Warrior. Tell her to make ready to help us stop those ships,” Hereford ordered.
Sanders balked. “Are you sure, sir? The Warrior is still being fitted out. It won’t be combat ready for weeks yet...”
They didn’t have weeks. Couldn’t Sanders see that? “I gave you an order. Make it happen,” Hereford said.
Owen raised an eyebrow. “The Warrior?”
“What’s left of the big Bug transport ship Colonel Foster captured. We stripped her down, then we built her back up again. We still can’t replicate most of their tech, so we set out to refit the ship with human and Naga technology instead,” Hereford said. “The result: the USSF Warrior, biggest and baddest ship humanity has ever sent into space. Or she will be, when she’s finished. But finished or not, we need that ship now.”
Hereford returned his gaze to the monitor where satellite telescopes continued tracking the incoming objects. Twenty ships out there, all headed to Earth. A massive fleet, by any standards, commanded by an enemy they had yet to meet. It was going to take everything they had to stave off destruction.
But if the Bugs thought Earth was going down without one hell of a fight, they still had a thing or two to learn about humanity!
To be continued in Book 13, “Flames of War”!
Author’s Notes
This book isn’t trying to make a political statement.
Although we certainly have a great many protests going on in the world right now, and enormous amounts of anger splashed all over the headlines, it’s probably worth mentioning that this book is in a made-up world with made-up characters and situations.
But while I didn’t start writing this book intending for it to carry any specific theme, what came up repeatedly during the writing process were my thoughts on anger and hatred. Most specifically the corrosive nature of those emotions.
Anger can be a great thing sometimes. It helps keep us alive, encourages us to fight against injustice, and can make the world a better place, in moderation. But taken to an extreme, all anger does is tear apart lives and make people miserable.
Hate is even worse. I can’t say how many times I’ve seen someone’s life torn apart from the inside out because they couldn’t control their hate. It’s a terrible and tragic thing to see, so that’s how I’ve presented it in this novel.
My heroes and villains in this tale aren’t that much different. All of them have done something wrong out of anger or hatred at one point in their lives. The difference between the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ in these tales is that the heroes have learned to recognize the damage hate can do and work to control it. They strive to be better than they were yesterday.
I feel like this represents our real world pretty well. Human beings aren’t perfect. We’re never going to be. But we *can* strive to be better than we were yesterday. It’s through challenging ourselves to do the right thing, to live better lives, and to be better people today than we were yesterday that we can grow and change — both ourselves and the world around us.
I want to thank everyone who’s been continuing to enjoy the Satori books. It’s been a little while since the last release; I’ve been hip deep in working on the Steel Dragon series with Michael Anderle. But the Satori adventures are some of my favorites and I know lots of readers love these tales as much as I do.
What’s ahead for the Satori crew? Well, the next book will be “Flames of War” and is already underway. We will definitely see the series go to at least sixteen books. Might be a few more past that. We’ll have to see. There’s still plenty of universe to explore out there, after all!
Thanks for your ongoing support of these fun adventures. And most of all, thanks for reading!
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 free story for fans of Kevin McLaughlin’s science fiction! Learn the story of how John found the alien ship on the moon, launching the adventure which spans the stars and saves all of humanity!
https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Uor9d
About the Author
When not practicing hobbies which include sailing, constructing medieval armor, and swinging swords at his friends, Kevin McLaughlin can usually be found in his Boston home. Kevin’s award-winning short fiction is now available in digital form at all major ebook retailers. His urban fantasies “By Darkness Revealed” and “Ashes Ascendant” are available in ebook and print. His latest stories, the “STARSHIP” series and “King of the Dead” serial, are ongoing.
I love hearing from readers!
www.kevinomclaughlin.com
[email protected]
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