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  Treason

  The Supernova Cycle Book 3

  Elizabeth McLaughlin

  Kevin McLaughlin

  Copyright © 2020 by Kevin McLaughlin

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. Alexandra

  2. Jackson

  3. Alexandra

  4. Jackson

  5. President Wright

  6. Jackson

  7. Alexandra

  8. Jackson

  9. Alexandra

  10. Jackson

  11. Alexandra

  12. Captain Dalton

  13. Jackson

  14. Jackson

  15. Alexandra

  16. Jackson

  17. Alexandra

  18. Jackson

  19. Captain Dalton

  20. Alexandra

  21. Jackson

  22. Alexandra

  23. Alexandra

  24. President Wright

  25. Alexandra

  26. Jackson

  27. President Wright

  28. Alexandra

  29. Jackson

  30. Alexandra

  31. Jackson

  32. Alexandra

  33. Alexandra

  34. Jackson

  35. Jackson

  36. Alexandra

  37. Jackson

  38. Alexandra

  Elizabeth’s Author Notes

  Kevin’s Author Notes

  Afterword

  Other Books by Kevin McLaughlin

  About the Author

  About the Author

  1

  Alexandra

  "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.”

  The new President Wright stood with his right hand on the Bible as we gathered in front of the White House grounds where a hastily thrown together ceremony was being conducted. Jackson and I stood behind President Wright as he finished his oath and took his place as President of the United States. Before any of us had returned to the White House security teams were sent ahead to sweep through the place, ensuring that no security risks remained. All things considered, I didn’t rule anything out.

  Wright’s first act as President was to install a heavy military presence in and around the White House grounds. He didn’t view his administration as one that needed to make friends with the populace and wanted to be especially sure that the increasing unrest did not breach the perimeter. As a result, his swearing-in ceremony was sparsely attended. When he had finished repeating the oath, President Wright turned to face the few attendees who had been allowed to witness the ceremony in person. Only a select few were screened and approved to witness the new President’s rise to power. The dearth of crowds didn’t seem to phase him in the slightest. He stood tall, speaking in a confident voice and gesturing to the assembled with gusto as if he were speaking to a crowd of thousands. At least the guy didn’t have self-esteem issues.

  For the rest of the world, his face and voice were being broadcast from camera drones that hovered creepily in front of the podium like animals waiting for their prey. They made an endless buzzing noise that had been grating on my nerves since we had been called to stand outside. I stood well back from both him and the cameras, attempting to hide behind Jackson. Much to his discomfort, Jackson’s weapons had been taken from him. I could tell that he felt particularly uncomfortable standing near to his former military colleagues clad solely in alien armor. More than a few of the officers present made sure to cast narrow-eyed glances at him. Though no one would ever say it to his face, Jackson was looked unfavorably on by many men and women in the armed forces. Abandoning your fellow soldiers was bad enough, but fighting for another species entirely was too much for them to tolerate.

  Thankfully the presence of cameras and the knowledge that millions were watching seemed to ensure a temporary politeness, if not outright niceness—at least while the lenses were pointed their way. He returned the sentiment and hissed at them, making some of the more senior attendees jump. I was happy to see that Ka’thak had been teaching him a few tricks even if I thought he should play nicely right now as well.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” The President paused to let the echo from his microphone fade. “It is my great privilege to stand before you today. Though it is with a heavy heart that I take this oath, I pledge to dedicate my presidency—and my life—to the preservation of humanity. This crisis has already taken so much and so many from us and I promise you that it stops today. With my leadership, we will overcome this trial together. My administration will lead us through to survival, no matter what.”

  No matter what. I had gotten weird vibes from this man since the moment I had met him but the creeping feeling crawling up the back of my neck was getting stronger. I understood political rhetoric was always promises over potential but ‘no matter what’? No matter what could mean a lot of things. Whereas President Lee had at least been forthcoming about the terrible choices she had to make, ‘no matter what’ sounded like none of that mattered. From what I had observed of the new President,, he conducted himself as the military man he was. Anything that was not mission-critical was expendable. In some ways, I could see the logic. A strong hand was needed, certainly, but an iron fist would only hinder our efforts. I felt it paramount that we had to keep solving the problem with compassion and consideration for the gravity of the situation, not plow through it with recklessness.

  “There is another person, another hero, who deserves our recognition and thanks. Dr. Alexandra King, would you be kind enough to join me?”

  Wait. What? Me? Fuck. Hell no. Please swallow me up into the ground right now and let me die.. I absolutely hated public speaking. My classes, which seemed a lifetime ago, were the closest I got to giving speeches. Jackson coughed and shoved me forward. I glared back at him and made my way to the front of the crowd where the President extended his hand. He took the opportunity to pull me by the wrist into the center of the camera’s view and kept a tight grip on my arm as he spoke. The anxiety I was already feeling as immediately intensified. Not only was I being forced into the spotlight—I was physically unable to leave it. The way he smiled at me was even off-putting. It was a big, toothy grin that reminded me of a lion about to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

  I pointed with my other hand at Jackson behind my back and motioned for him to join me. He smiled and shook his head, shrugging as I stood in front of the camera lights, trying to maintain my composure as much as possible. I was tempted to shoot him the finger but I figured there must be at least one camera near my back and thought better of it. I’d get him back for this later.

  “Dr. King was called to action at the very start of this crisis. From the beginning, she has lent her extensive skills and services to her country without hesitation. She led the initiative in establishing diplomatic contact with the aliens and was instrumental in quelling an insurrection within the alien government. She now occupies a prestigious position as the principal liaison to our alien friends.” Prestigious? I thought back to the months of grunt work and frustration I had endured. There was zero prestige, only endless work. At least Ka’thak’s people treated me with respect. To the humans, I was their glorified errand girl, fit only for the tasks they had no inter
est in doing themselves.

  I stifled the urge to cough. Great. Not only was I quite literally in the spotlight, but having my accomplishments listed in front of a worldwide audience was the height of humiliation. I had a problem with anything that could be perceived as me showing off. I wished desperately for some kind of distraction. Interruption. Camera failure. Rogue hawk crashing into the cameraman. Anything. Please? No such reprieve came. Damn. I just had to grin and bear it, then. Fake it ‘til you make it.

  “Dr. King and Lt. Colonel David Jackson both ensured the destruction of Jesse Proctor and his attempt to control the survival of the human race. She has demonstrated valor above and beyond the call of duty and above that expected of any American. It is for this reason that I am awarding her the Presidential Citizens Medal.”

  A round of applause from the paltry crowd. Wright paused to take the medal from a young woman. I wanted to shrink away from him as he affixed the medal to the lapel of my jacket. The man stank of sweat and old coffee. It took significant effort to not wrinkle my nose. I stood and forced a smile at the applause of the assembled. I balled my hands into fists and felt my nails digging into my palms. All this celebration of my efforts had to come with a price. Politicians weren’t known for handing things out for free. The other shoe would drop.

  “As she has been such an integral part of our efforts, I am appointing Dr. King the head of the committee to select the passengers on the starship she helped capture.”

  I managed to keep my face straight and forced a smile as he took my hand to shake it again. This was the last thing that I wanted on this Earth or any other. Of course, it fell on me. The new President had to preserve his good image. Leave it to the old rich guy to use someone else as the scapegoat. Nothing like being railroaded into a job you never asked for on national television. For better or for worse, I was the new face of our mission to the stars.

  2

  Jackson

  I stood and pressed my arm against one of the windows of the ship as I watched the shape of the Floridian peninsula come over the horizon. Even though I had spent well over two weeks in orbit,, I hadn’t gotten over the sight of the big, spinning blue ball below us. It was truly beautiful to witness the whole of humanity on such a scale. I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the click of Ka’thak’s claws behind me and turned to salute.

  “Relax. Jackson. You’re not on duty. May I watch with you?”

  “Of course, sir.” I moved aside so that Ka’thak could have a better view. “I find it hard to believe that President Wright chose to launch the ship first and resupply in orbit. Seems like the opposite of logical if you ask me.”

  “Hm,” Ka’thak agreed. “Yes, it does indeed. I understand how he is under pressure to reassure his people by taking action.” Ka’thak was under much of the same pressure. Both the council and our people were chomping at the bit to be on our way. It seemed like the closer the time got the more difficult it was for them to wait. I honestly couldn’t blame them. The aliens had lost so much, and so many. What should have been a difficult task had turned into a living hell.

  “I suppose so. I can only hope that he isn’t making a mistake. It’s not as if they have another backup.” The next ten minutes would be humanity’s greatest triumph or their worst defeat. No pressure on the guys manning the helm, I was sure. I was happy to not be in their shoes.

  “From what I have heard, the American President assumes that it will be more difficult to cause any damage to the ship in orbit. It’s obvious that he hasn’t been properly instructed in the risks of space travel.”

  I laughed. “That’s typical of most American Presidents. Certainly no reason to let him know that now.”

  “At the very least he hasn’t asked us to provide any assistance this time. I have respect for the humans, Jackson, but I’m very happy to be attending only to my own affairs once again.” Ka’thak sighed.

  “I can certainly understand that, sir. You’ve done a lot.” That was the understatement of the century. Ka’thak managed a small smile.

  “We’ve done a lot, my friend.” Ka’thak knocked his head into mine softly. I paused a moment with him before turning my attention back to the launch. I still felt tense as we waited for the ship to lift off. Intellectually I knew that things were most likely going to be fine. Emotionally, I confess that I was sitting on the edge of my seat. Nothing to do for it now. Whatever was about to happen was out of my hands.

  The weather was blissfully clear so we had a decent view, and launch conditions were about as ideal as you could ask for. I can’t say that I understood spaceflight as well as Ka’thak or any alien did, but launching a spaceship didn’t seem that different from making a flight plan. The sheer magnitude of the ship made it easily visible to us, even from orbit. I pulled a small tablet from my pocket and tuned into a broadcast of the launch Earthside. The pre-flight checks were already in motion. I wondered if Alex was aboard. I wondered if she was all right. Until the ship was in orbit I wouldn’t have a way to contact her. Even if she wasn’t on the human ship just yet, I had no doubt that she would be otherwise occupied.

  My mind pulled me back to when I was listening to the last countdown with her, moments before the original ship was blown to pieces. The shock on her face. The disappointment and sadness in her voice. The realization that there was no other way out. She had been searching for another solution to save humanity at the time. She hated the idea of excluding anyone from being saved. Now we were only left with this single chance. This time the captured ship had been inspected time and time again by both alien and human soldiers. I had selected the team of alien soldiers and engineers myself. I still kept going over and over things in my head, convinced that there was something, some little detail or problem that I missed. Paranoia well earned after everything that had happened.

  “Everything’s settled with you, yes?” Ka’thak inquired quietly. “Now that the humans have a viable route to life in space, I could understand it if you wanted to stay with them. We would understand. It is not an easy thing to be ripped from your people.”

  Was I truly ready to say goodbye to humanity? At this point, yes. I was tired of fighting for beings who were all too often out for themselves, no matter the cost to others. Besides, what better way to live out my life was there than to fight for a cause I could truly believe in?

  “No,” I responded, “My place is here. I meant what I said, sir. I will spend my life serving you and our people. Still, it is a little strange watching this.”

  Ka’thak put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I was constantly astounded at his patience. Thankful, too. It was because of him that I had been afforded the chance to mold myself into a proper member of alien society. It was on his word that I lived and served.

  “We certainly have come a long way since we first met, haven’t we?” the alien captain suggested, looking over my shoulder at the tablet. There was a lot of radio chatter, but things were proceeding as planned.

  “Hah, yes, yes we have.” I heard the flight checks being finalized and the countdown started. This was it. Humanity’s last, best hope for life. There was no going back, no second chances. The next few minutes would decide the fate of our species. If something went wrong now, well, I had done my best.

  “You know that you’re completely accepted here, right, David?” Ka’thak murmured. He had been quiet this entire time, leaving me to my thoughts and only speaking when necessary. There was no other being in the universe who understood what it was like to see the fate of your race hang in the balance. What a strange time the two of us had lived through.

  “Yes sir, I do.” It was not going to be easy, but the future I had with these people was bright. I looked forward to the adventures to come. On my last day, it would be one hell of a story to tell.

  “I just want to be sure you won’t regret the decision later. After we part ways with the human ship—whenever that is, there will be no going back. We still haven’t decided how the ships will travel. The
council has yet to determine whether or not we will travel together as a group or go separately. We’ve certainly provided the humans with enough information to get them on their way. After their ship is properly supplied, we will no longer be needed.”

  “I understand that, sir. It will certainly be an adjustment, but I’m ready. This is my path, and I'm proud to be on it. Everyone here has accepted me in a way that I have never experienced, or expected. As for the ships, it is certainly up to our honored council as to the course we will take and I will be happy to support their decision.”

  “5...4...3...2...1...and we have lift off at 13:00 hours.” The tablet’s speakers roared with the distant sound of the ship’s engines firing. Ka’thak and I turned back to the window and watched the tiny starship grow larger. I felt myself holding my breath and exhaled sharply. At the very least I had to remember to breathe! Intellectually I knew that things would probably be fine, but so much had gone wrong. I was surprised at how scared I felt. Surprised at how scared I was for Alex.

  “It will be all right, Jackson. The ship is sound. The people piloting it are well trained. I cannot guarantee everything, but we have prepared for this. Trust in our work,” Ka’thak said. “Though, this one was built by humans, so perhaps you have a reason to worry after all.” He laughed softly, joking in an attempt to break the tension.