“That’s it? Amazing? I mean, this is pretty spectacular. How about life-changing, or revolutionary? I’d even take absolutely fantastic.” I waved my hand as if I were a model on a game show.
“It’s great, Dean. Perfect.” Mary stepped over and slid her hand into mine as we looked over our newest colony. It felt strange to think of it as a colony, but that was really what it was. Earth reborn. Dozens of high-rises stood nearing the clouds. It was modeled after the Terran sites on New Spero, only this one had a lot more houses and acreages surrounding it. We gave those to the people working the crops and tending the animals needed to survive in Middle America. From this spot, you could see for miles and miles, all the way to the canola crops near our eventual destination.
Mary had been so busy with the new site on Haven that she hadn’t seen this one with her own eyes. “I have a surprise for you,” I said.
“More surprises?” she asked with a smile.
“Come on, get in,” I said, picking Jules up off the ground. I passed her favorite little doll to her, and she shook it and hugged it tight as we made our way to the lander.
“Where are we going?” Mary asked, taking Jules from me as I shut the door to the small ship and lifted off. “And since when did you learn to fly these things?”
“I figured it was better if I learned to get around myself. I can’t always have a Magnus or a Mary around.” The reference to my friend got me thinking about them. We’d spoken a few times, and they were enjoying their mission on the Keppe’s exploratory vessel. So much so, they were considering staying on permanently.
Mary rubbed my shoulder. “Well, you can have a Mary around you most times.”
“I can handle that,” I said. A few drones hovered around the new buildings, but the city was mostly ready for living. I was happy to be leaving it in the capable hands of Paul, the same man I’d met running Central Park’s settlement.
I lowered us as we passed the edge of the city, and I moved to the south, toward the familiar landscape. Mary’s mouth formed a knowing smile. “What’s this?” she asked.
“Do you recognize it?” I asked.
“Only from your descriptions.” Mary had never seen my parents’ acreage, but we’d spent countless hours regaling one another with tales of our childhoods. “What are we doing here?”
The house was fixed up, looking like a classic farmhouse from the Forties on the outside – only with no rotting wood, a new paint job, and new shingles. “This is our new home, if you’re happy with that.”
“But we already have a home,” she said.
“The way I figure, we need a place to stay on New Spero, on Earth, and on Haven, if we’re in charge of the colonies. I hope you don’t mind, but I thought this was the perfect place to raise Jules while we’re here.” The lander touched down in the field between the huge garden and the house. It was July, and the sun was high in the sky, the garden in full bloom.
“How did you…?” Mary was looking to the plants, tears in her eyes. “It’s beautiful, Dean.” She grabbed Jules and set her down on the thick green grass. Jules started to run around, her shoulder-length hair bobbing in the wind, and our house door opened. Maggie raced across the yard and to Jules, licking our daughter’s face like she hadn’t seen her in a year. It had only been three days.
“Papa,” Jules said, raising her arms to me.
“I got you.” I picked her up, and we walked toward the house. It held so many great memories, and I hoped Jules would have the same experience and love as I’d had growing up here.
Slate stood at the doorway, and Mary’s smile grew when she saw him. It was his turn to grow a beard. I’d shaved mine off when the ordeal with Lom was over. I needed a new start. Now Slate had a bushy beard, mostly blond, speckled with brown and red hairs. His hair was longer, and he was almost unrecognizable.
“Mary, great to see you.” The two of them hugged, and Jules stretched her arms out for Uncle Slate, who happily took the little girl. “And it’s good to see you too, Princess Jules.”
“Dean, the house… it looks so inviting.” Mary walked through the doorway, and I followed. We were greeted by all of our friends.
Rivo and Garo were there, talking with Clare and Nick. Sarlun and Suma were in the kitchen with Regnig and Admiral Yope. Rulo stood at his side, smiling. Cee-eight had taken us up on the invite, and she was sitting on our couch beside the Empress of the Bhlat, whispering into her ear. James and my sister were there, and she waved at me as I entered. The room smelled of roast chicken, and a Bhlat delicacy that reminded me of fish. I didn’t ask what kind of animal it came from.
The only people missing were the ones we’d lost along the way, and Magnus and Natalia, who were far away, with little Dean and Patty at their side.
Mary greeted them all, and later, when she asked why the big event, I told her the truth. I wanted to celebrate. We’d all been through so much over the years, and it was time to enjoy each other’s company and treat these years like they were special, because they were. The threats were over for the time being, and everything had somehow fallen into place.
I thought about Kareem telling me to change the universe, and I wondered if he would be proud. If I’d done enough to make it safe for us. Time would tell, but for now, I wanted to enjoy it.
There was a knock on the door, and Paul stood there, wearing a tie. It almost looked out of place on him, but I liked it. He was embracing his new role as leader of Earth 2.0. “Glad you could make it. Hi, Sammy. And hello, Brittany,” I said to his wife and daughter. They’d been reconnected shortly after I got word to New Spero that Earth was still inhabited.
Terrance and Leslie arrived with Karo, who was staying on Haven. He enjoyed the peace out there and had integrated himself into their community with ease.
The house was full of laughter, beverages, and good food, and when everyone left for the night, I got Jules to bed, and told Mary I’d be right up. She kissed my cheek, and her cool hand lingered on my neck for a moment.
I went downstairs and stepped outside. The air was still hot, the sun just down. A coyote howled in the distance, and it was oddly comforting to hear. I walked around the house to the cellar that led beneath our home. It had a padlock on the door, and I used a key from my pocket to turn it. That one was just for show. There was also an invisible shield, which would let only my biometrics through. I stepped down, pulling a chain to turn an incandescent light on. The steps were made from carved-out earth, and soon I was at the bottom of the small cellar.
I went to the wall, opening a secret compartment. Inside was half of one of Fontem’s portal devices. I activated it, knowing where the other half was mounted. I stepped through it, and onto the ship where Lom had been sent to the future. Only the Empress knew of the ship, and only W knew the coordinates, so it was as safe a place as any. I popped the hidden panel out of the copy of the room from Udoon, and entered the cargo room.
I slid a small device from my pocket. It was the small Kalentrek weapon that I’d found on the space station so long ago. It was the one I’d loaded Bhlat DNA into, killing everyone on a Bhlat outpost. I set it in a locked case, hidden under three other crates full of useless tools. Beside it was the time-travel device.
I held it in my hand and marveled at how small it was. No one could get their hands on this. Here it was safe. Twenty years. We had twenty years until Lom of Pleva potentially dropped from his sentence through time, and into our lives again. I silently hoped we were done with him. The Kraski were gone, and for once, I felt safe while I slept at night.
I closed the case, making sure the dangerous weapons were secure, and went back through the portal, into my cellar, to the outside. A few minutes later, Maggie was following me upstairs. I checked on Jules, who was sleeping soundly, like only a sixteen-month-old could. I kissed her forehead before going to our new room, and climbed into bed, wrapping an arm around Mary.
“Everything okay?” she asked quietly.
“Couldn’t be better.”
I closed my eyes and couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest man on any world.
The End of Old Enemy
The Survivors Book Six
Dean Parker thought he was going to coast into retirement. He was wrong.
Things have slowed down for Dean and Mary as they manage the expanding human colonies on Haven, New Spero, and Earth—until they receive a distress call from the Keppe.N
Magnus and Natalia are in the midst of a three-year exploration mission on the alien vessel, but mysteriously vanish with less than a year left to go.
The portals are failing, making the journey more arduous, and when the crew finally think they know what’s happening, they realize they are also stranded.
Join the journey as Dean Parker fights to rescue old friends while forging forward with the Alliance of Worlds.
The epic Survivors story continues with New Alliance, a brand-new adventure with familiar faces.
NEW ALLIANCE
They’ve watched us for centuries through the Rift.
They’ve prepared.
Invasion is inevitable.
The Earth Fleet has known of the Watchers for years, unwilling to share the knowledge with humanity. Now it might be too late.
Hidden away from the Fleet, one man is creating a new colony ship destined for the other side of the Rift, but he’s missing a few pieces.
Three other people have varied paths to get there. Ace goes from the streets of Earth to the Fleet training facility on the moon. Flint, an ex-Fleet pilot, must decide if a job is worth his life, and Wren, imprisoned for a secret project years ago, is given hope as an unlikely ally whispers words of escape in her ear.
Their journeys lead to Councilman Jarden Fairbanks, who knows of the impending invasion, and has prepared. All they can do is wait for the Rift to open once again, and see what’s on the other side.
Rift joins an ensemble cast facing immeasurable obstacles. If you enjoy space battles, prison breaks, androids, and aliens, buried under a shroud of mystery, this book is for you. Try it today!
A fresh new science fiction adventure from the author of the best-selling Survivors series
Start with:
RIFT
The Survivors Box Set Page 130
