by Ryan King
O'Neil lifted his head and stared at his screen, trying to look busy. He happened to see a message in his queue that he hadn't noticed before. Opening it, he read with growing excitement.
"Sir," O'Neil called out to Porter. "I think you need to see this."
"What is it?" he walked down the stairs and over to stand behind O'Neil.
"Sir, it looks like a high-yield thermonuclear event within the past three hours. Satellites picked up the emissions."
Porter frowned. "Another reactor meltdown?"
"No, sir. The intensity was too high and it didn't last long enough to be a meltdown."
"How large?" asked Porter.
O'Neil shook his head. "Sir, that's not my specialty. Someone from WMD Division would better be able to answer."
"What's your best guess?"
O'Neil rubbed his face. "I would say a tactical nuke. One kiloton, maybe two at the most."
"Where?"
"Right on the border of western Kentucky and Tennessee."
Porter looked startled. "The same place we think the radio transmissions were coming from?"
"Possibly sir, it's hard to say with certainly. All the references to Jackson Purchase indicate that this event could be related. That last radio transmission indicated some sort of local conflict."
"Can we get a flyover to take a look at it?" asked Porter.
"It's too far away for our UAVs. It's also off the elliptical orbit path of our closest satellite...although we could alter the orbit."
Porter frowned at him. "Absolutely not. You know that even moving that bird one degree of latitude takes months off its lifespan. We have to make them last as long as possible because we're not getting any more."
"Yes, sir," O'Neil watched the screen again, however there was no further information.
The Lieutenant Commander stared at the screen over his shoulder. "Kentucky, huh?"
"Yes, sir. What should we do?"
Porter didn't answer for nearly a minute. "Well, I guess we better go check it out. Alert whatever recovery team is on green cycle. Tell them to get kitted up in full NBC for a long range mission. I'll expect a pre-mission brief to me at 1200 hours. Also, leave a message for the day shift to prepare a briefing for the general."
"Will do, sir," said O'Neil no longer bored.
Porter moved back up the stairs slowly speaking to everyone and no one. "Kentucky. Something is definitely going on there. We better figure out what it is."
Looks like things aren't all quiet out there after all, O'Neil thought.
Author’s Note and Acknowledgements
I began writing theLand of Tomorrowseries in January 2010 and published the first bookGlimmer of Hopein September 2012. The second bookChildren of Wrathfollowed in October 2013 and this book concludes the series. I wrotePaths of Righteousness at nights during my most recent deployment to Afghanistan in 2014. Like any combat deployment there are difficult and trying times, so I was grateful for the escape and fulfilling labor I found in writing.
Although I intended this book as the end of the series, I can easily imagine myself taking up this tale again in the future. The story chooses the writer more often than the writer chooses the story. Do not be surprised if in the future we explore Nathan’s new world again.
This novel went through several rewrites and revisions in order to improve the story and the final product. In order for this to happen I needed the help and input of friends who willingly took time to read my manuscript and provide feedback as well as support. My wife Kristin has always read the first draft and encouraged me along the way. Fellow authors David VanDyke and Luke Jones did the majority of the editorial work and provided crucial input to make this reader-worthy. My father-in-law Sherman Chaudoin identified a number of typos that everyone else somehow missed. Thank you all.
Ryan King - 1 June 2014
