Designated: Zaratan Trilogy

By Evelyn Lederman

A journey home…

New challenges to face…

An ultimate decision to be made…

Kara Howard faces her greatest fear when she returns to Earth. She is now the purple faced alien who is designated to represent her new world. All her work to reunite families will soon meet its final test.

No longer able to breathe her home planet's air, her future must be made galaxies away. Her life is further complicated when the mission is jeopardized by betrayal. Once again, Kara must choose sides in the ambiguous allegiances between families.

She walks a tightrope of her own making between the two men in her life. But her ability to make a final decision is compromised by new challenges aboard the ship. The girl who liked to disappear into the shadows continues to standout, making her a target.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evelyn Lederman
• Release date: May 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386879855

Book preview

Acknowledgements

To my readers who screamed for the third book in this series. It was great to have both teen and adult readers fall in love with this series. I blushed at each compliment.

THE JOURNEY HOME

Chapter 1

Kara Howard jerked at the sound of her name. She heard only part of what her guardian Narobe Krone said after zoning out. She must have misunderstood or taken out of context what he communicated. There was no way she was going to be Zaratan’s representative to Earth. A seventeen-year-old girl would never be given such a hefty responsibility.

All eyes were focused on her. It would be embarrassing to ask Narobe to repeat what he said, confessing she hadn’t paid attention. The sterile room gave her nothing to concentrate on, thus not keeping her engaged in the mind-numbing discussion. She should have brought paper and pens to take notes to stay involved in what was being discussed. They were four days away from Earth and still had a long laundry list of tasks to complete.

What would my responsibilities entail? she asked. The question was the perfect smoke screen for having been caught daydreaming.

A grin was evident on Narobe’s otherwise stoic face. Kara hadn’t fooled him. Her Zaratanian guardian knew her better than her own parents. She had come to love the man who had stolen her from her home on Earth.

Narobe was a tall, confident man. Since meeting him, his salt and pepper colored hair had become more gray. Responsibility for Earth’s children and internal Zaratanian politics had weighed heavily upon his shoulders. Plus, he was head of the Berendral family aboard the ship.

When we are within range, you will be the face and voice that Earth sees and hears, Narobe replied. The prodigal daughter returning home to reunite families. None of this would have been possible without your involvement. It only seems right to have you be our spokesperson.

Three years ago, the Zaratanians invaded Earth. They destroyed three remote towns to demonstrate their destructive capabilities before presenting the planet with their demands. Four thousand children between the ages of twelve and fifteen were selected to go to Zaratan. Additional cities would have been destroyed if any of the Selected hadn’t join them. Kara had been among their number.

She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. A familiar panic consumed her. What am I supposed to say? Do you really think Earth’s leaders will listen to a kid? What about the guy who addressed us initially?

Kara still remembered watching the purple faced middle-aged man spell out the aliens’ demands from her living room. She had been left by herself to deal with the invasion. Her parents had chosen to work rather than stay with their children. Her older brother Kyle had taken off with friends. Now on the rare occasions she remembered that day, their abandonment still hurt.

This time, she would be the equivalent of the purple alien except to the few people on Earth who remembered her. Breathing pure Zaratan air had tinted her skin a light lavender color. The element sarian, not found on Earth, was present in her new world’s atmosphere. It laced the air she breathed on the ship.

Calm down, Kara. Narobe placed his hand on hers. She immediately felt better with the simple contact. Earth was initially given the recording we present to all worlds where we collected our ancestors’ children. We will not threaten them but present them with one of their own. I will prepare a script you can read.

Her fingers drummed on the table as she considered Narobe’s words. She would be less intimidating than the first messenger the people of Earth saw. If Narobe wrote what she was going to say and she reviewed it ahead of time, she could perform the role. What would her parents think when they saw her on their television?

Narobe must have been confident she was appeased because he continued the meeting. Are the shuttles fueled and destinations programmed into their computers? When an affirmative answer followed, Narobe continued down his checklist. He finally reached a question she could answer. Are the orientation games designed and ready to execute?

Kara scooted forward in her chair. Yes, sir. There will be no suicide pills, electrocutions, or anyone drowning. It took a while, but we managed to find activities to challenge the adults and assure no one is killed in the process.

Narobe stared at her. Obviously, he wasn’t happy with her response. Since he didn’t verbalize his displeasure, Kara didn’t respond to his look. Everything she had pointed out had occurred on her journey to Zaratan.

The families wouldn’t be terrorized as she had been. If her long-time crush and neighbor Matt Sparks hadn’t been by her side, she didn’t know if she would have survived her initial time on the ship.

Narobe’s nod acknowledged what had been done to the children taken from their homes over the years. Now that she was in charge, certain practices had been stopped.

For the past two years, they’d headed back to Earth—a trip that should have taken six months. Terrorists who didn’t wish the Zaratanians to change their practice of collecting the malleable children of their ancestors had crippled The Hope. The idea of bringing the nuclear families of the Selected made the extremists nervous. The more radical among their numbers planted bombs to destroy the ship’s engines.

I understand you worked with Dr. Sylvas to provide family members with a sedative before they enter the decontamination units and while they receive greater concentrations of Zaratan’s atmosphere. Her guardian’s eyes scanned her face, once again, sizing her up. Nice job.

Kara released the breath she hadn’t realized she held. Her discussions with the doctor hadn’t been sanctioned. She had taken it upon herself to find a means to make the orientation process physically easier.

Jim, the other man in her life, had slipped sedatives to Kara, and ultimately her team, throughout their trials. He had shown interest in her from the beginning and didn’t want her to suffer. Jim had been selected from another planet several years earlier.

The discussion continued another three hours. Kara didn’t know if Narobe ended the meeting because he was satisfied with their preparedness or in reaction to her growling stomach. She had barely touched her breakfast.

Aimee has prepared our midday meal, Narobe said. She is expecting to see you. Your absence has concerned her.

Although Kara had been adopted by Narobe and Aimee Krone, on the ship she claimed her own three-bedroom suite. When Kara wasn’t in meetings, she’d decorated her quarters in preparation for her family’s arrival. She grabbed meals from her ship level’s meal center when she was hungry.

Kara didn’t want to argue with Narobe about how she spent her time. Instead she responded, I’ve missed Aimee. Her answer didn’t provide her guardian any ammunition to continue the discussion.

She didn’t know if she was either nervous about returning to Earth or entering a rebellious stage. So much had been thrown at her the last three years. She concentrated on just keeping up. None of the children taken had the luxury of thinking solely about themselves. They all had grown up quickly.

They put on their jackets to prepare for the bitter cold of The Hope’s external corridors. Due to the size of the ship, only internal rooms were heated. The outer halls contained minimal lighting and care. Warming the entire ship would have required too much fuel.

Their dark purple jackets identified them as members of the Berendral family. They were also pure bloods. Neither of their DNA had been soiled by another family’s genetics. It was amazing that any of the Selected had pure blood. Her Berendral ancestors had been placed on Earth hundreds of years ago and never married outside their blood line.

The conference room was three levels below Narobe’s quarters. Rather than taking Zaratanians’ version of an elevator, Kara and her guardian used the stairs. It felt great stretching her legs after sitting for hours.

Aimee was there to meet them when they entered Narobe’s quarters. Kara took in the aroma of their lunch. There wasn’t only baked chicken on the counter, but cookies had been taken out of the oven and were cooling on the range. Her mouth watered in response.

She noted the table was only set for three. Where are Dafnee and Raine? It wasn’t that she didn’t like Narobe’s two youngest children who had joined their parents on this mission, but more that they didn’t like her.

My children wanted to spend time with their friends before responsibilities consumed them, Aimee answered. It will be all hands on deck as soon as the precious cargo is aboard.

Narobe and Aimee looked uncomfortable. There was something they wanted to discuss with her alone. The muscles in her neck tightened. She was afraid she knew the topic before either raised it.

You want me to stop having contact with Matt, she blurted out. Our families are close. They won’t understand or accept the prejudices the Berendrals hold against the Lorabo family.

Rather than responding to her outburst, Narobe poured a glass of wine for himself and his wife. They were going to need it.

We took your advice to not sugarcoat the dynamics between our families, Narobe said. Now is not the time to resolve age old issues.

Kara sighed, aggravated by the situation. The time to mend relationships between the families should have occurred when 80 percent of Zaratan’s population had been killed by a pandemic. Rather than coming together to repopulate their world, they reached across multiple galaxies to retrieve their exiled ancestors’ descendants.

Aimee filled the three plates with food. Sit and eat. I want a peaceful meal, no arguing. As soon as your family has reached Level Six and can share a meal with us, I want to have a dinner party for them. Just our family and yours, Kara.

She sat and dug into the chicken, potatoes, and green beans Aimee served. The Zaratanians had not only abandoned their ancestors on Earth, but left animals, saplings, and seeds for them to cultivate. Although there were many new foods she had been exposed to on her journey to Zaratan, many familiar items were still available.

Narobe’s wife had been nothing but kind to her. The last thing Kara wanted was to argue with Narobe in Aimee’s presence. Kara would give her the peaceful meal she desired. There was plenty of time to quarrel with Narobe without upsetting her adopted mother.

My family will be thrilled to attend, Kara replied to Aimee.

From that point on, they ate their meal in silence. It appeared there was no subject that wouldn’t set off her or Narobe. At different points in time, Aimee uttered several words but backed off before completing her thought.

Kara shifted in her chair, her discomfort visible for both to see. She felt terrible about how Narobe and her relationship had deteriorated in the last year. As her thoughts deviated from his, he tightened his virtual leash around her. Aimee had been caught in between.

After his second cookie, Narobe rose. Kara and I should return for our next session. He kissed his wife. I promise not to be late for dinner.

Kara hugged Aimee and thanked her for the delicious lunch. In truth, she was so upset, her taste buds didn’t appreciate the effort Aimee made to provide her loved ones with nourishment.

When they were in the corridor, Narobe touched Kara’s shoulder to get her attention. Thank you for not verbally attacking me in front of my wife. She has taken your side in every argument we have had. It has caused a strain in our marriage, compounded by this troubled journey.

He wasn’t getting any sympathy from her. Of course, she would, Kara responded. Aimee was selected like I was. You’ve made a wonderful home for her and given her beautiful children. But deep down, there is another family she mourns not seeing. We see the world differently than native Zaratanians. It will always be the case.

Narobe stopped in his tracks. You both should accept things as they are. There is no reason to make yourselves miserable. I do not understand.

The anguish he suffered was reflected on his face. He was an honorable man who loved his family. She knew it frustrated him when Aimee, his older kids’ spouses, or she got a faraway look. Did anyone ever recover from being forcefully taken from their parents and home?

There were no words to address the past, so she’d focus on the future. What we are involved in will change the lives of the Selected for generations to come.

She believed what she said. Lungs conditioned to only breathe Zaratan’s air, she’d be whole only by having her family with her on Zaratan. If the experiment worked, the Selected in the future would never face the transition alone.

Now it was up to her to make it work. The butterflies that were dormant while she ate now swarmed in her stomach. She held more than her own fate in her hands.

Kara fumbled with the sheets of paper containing her speech. She had read through it countless times. Last night, she practiced in front of her bathroom mirror.

She had received permission from the Manstrom family to have her friend, Laura, apply her makeup. It took some negotiations since the Manstroms were aligned with the Lorabo family. The two girls had been selected during the same harvest. Laura was from London and as members of the same orientation team, they had grown close.

Her blonde friend had been taught by her mother proper posture and how to present herself. Although Laura resembled a supermodel, she had been friendly and supportive from the start. She had been an older sister to Kara and the two younger girls on their team.

You’ll do a marvelous job, so relax. Laura finished applying blush to her cheekbones. I’ll stand behind the projection device. Pretend you are talking to me.

The Zaratanian in charge of the telecast corrected them every time they called his equipment a camera. Kara didn’t understand the technology and tuned out each time the technician explained the basic principles. She just had to look in its direction when the time came to communicate to Earth’s population.

Laura’s presence was the only thing keeping her from freaking out. She didn’t like being singled out, but it continued to happen. Gone were the days she could blend into a crowd and become invisible.

The lights around you will illuminate when we are transmitting, the technician said. She was so nervous, if he introduced himself, Kara didn’t catch his name.

As if on cue, she was bathed in red-tinted light. Her lavender skin would appear darker as her image hijacked every communication signal broadcast on Earth.

Kara stared in front of her, the script all but forgotten. Laura motioned to the pages before her. Her trembling hands gathered the papers and her eyes scanned the text.

She cleared her throat. My name is Kara Howard and I was one of the four thousand Earth children selected by the Zaratanians three years ago. My skin has changed color due to an element present in Zaratan’s atmosphere. That is why the aliens wore masks when they came to collect us.

So far, so good. Her voice hadn’t cracked under pressure. She took a deep breath and continued her speech.

No cities will be destroyed or children taken against their will. We are here to invite the families of the Selected to join us on planet Zaratan. I ask my own family to join me. There will be no negative consequences associated with not venturing to a new world. Information is being sent to impacted communities related to our arrivals to meet with our families.

Kara licked her parched lips and took a sip of water while the information was transmitted. She had successfully made it through the first part of what she needed to communicate.

For hundreds of years, Zaratan’s families were engaged in wars. Rather than executing prisoners, they were exiled to primitive worlds across numerous galaxies. The Selected are descendants of these people. We now asked our loved ones to come to Zaratan with us.

She edited out the reason why it was necessary to reclaim their descendants. Not being able to cure a pandemic didn’t paint her new world in a favorable light. She didn’t want to scare the people of Earth, but she didn’t want to expose any weaknesses related to Zaratanians’ superior technology.

We will bring gifts to our former communities that can be studied for the benefit of all. Please have our families congregate tomorrow at the designated locations and times. We will orbit Mars for one week while our families make their decisions and prepare to leave for a new world.

After she finished her last sentence, the reddish lights were gone. The broadcast was over. She didn’t trip over her tongue or stutter. Now that it was over, she was exhausted.

You did great. Laura’s enthusiasm was like a shot of adrenaline. I can’t wait for you to meet my parents. Mum will love you. Her first mission will be to do something about this. Her friend picked up a handful of Kara’s curly hair.

It’s fine, Kara complained as she reclaimed her wayward strands. She didn’t mention how unlikely it was their families would be able to socialize.

Kara’s mind was focused on the reunion with her own family. It would take place at her high school’s gym, along with Matt’s and Brent’s families. Brent had been the third child selected from her community. Ironically, since Brent was a descendant of a Berendral prisoner, she’d be able to socialize with his parents and siblings. The same was not true where Matt and his family were concerned.

In the last three weeks, she hadn’t seen Matt. The closer they got to Earth, the more the family leaders closed ranks. What little free time she had was spent decorating her quarters or at the ship’s simulated beach.

Let’s grab something to eat before I’m banished from your presence, Laura recommended. Have you considered what you are going to tell your parents?

When they arrived at the meal center it was almost empty, but Kara didn’t want Laura to be uncomfortable. Let’s order the food to go. We’ll have more privacy in my quarters and we can talk without being overheard.

Her suggestion was met with a brilliant smile. Laura could have done toothpaste commercials; her smile was that dazzling. Was it wrong to be jealous of your best friend?

Kara ordered vegetable zerba, a close cousin to pasta, but made from a grain not found on Earth. Laura requested a chicken dinner similar to what Kara had for lunch. Both meals were placed into biodegradable cartons for transport.

After they arrived at her apartment, Kara placed the contents of each dinner on a plate and pulled a pitcher of water from the cold storage unit. She placed the two dishes, glasses, and the water on the dining room table.

So what are you going to tell your parents and Kyle? Laura asked between bites. I can’t wait to meet your dreamy brother.

Laura’s eyes traveled to the family portrait she had brought with her from Earth. Kyle had always been photogenic. The camera managed to capture his vitality. Kara either had her eyes closed or staring off camera.

I guess it will involve how much I missed them and how I hope they’ll join me on Zaratan.

Her friend shook her head. You’re not the same kid who was taken from them. Kara, you are someone worth knowing. Tell them about how you and Matt were able to bring ten terrified children together. Not to mention how an alien captain took your words and initiated a campaign to bring families together. You are no longer in the shadows, but the one designated to represent an alien planet.

Everything Laura said was true, but Kara didn’t feel comfortable telling her parents everything she had been through. A part of her felt she had achieved what she had despite her parents. She dreaded the idea of selling herself and the Zaratanian people to those who should want to be with her regardless of where they lived. Kara feared they wouldn’t leave Earth and she’d be alone, yet again.

Chapter 2

Kara scanned her surroundings as the shuttle descended. She had asked the pilot to fly over Lake Michigan. The sight of water sparkling on a sunny day brought about a melancholy she wasn’t expecting.