December: The Souls of the Stars Saga, #1

By Karen A. Granovsky

Perfect for fans of Star Trek.

 

Over a hundred years in the future, Earth has fallen under the invasion of a hostile alien race—the Drevi. Half the human population has been captured as specimens, while the rest are fighting for their lives in a resistance movement that has suffered more defeats than achieved victories.

 

Ted Anderson, a 42-year-old information specialist from the American States, thought nothing could save him from his new life. In spite of being an aide to a leading Drevi scientist who treats him well, he is reminded every day what he truly is. A specimen. An Inferior with no future.

 

Then he crosses paths with two strange new aliens, their assignment to investigate and aid their government in determining whether it should intervene to help free a subjugated humanity. And all of Ted's dreams come true. He matters. He's going to travel to a distant world to advocate on behalf of his people. And most of all, he is free again.

 

Now Ted is drawn into a dangerous conflict to save all he knows and loves. But the fate of more than just humanity might rest on his shoulders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Loyalty Press
• Release date: Dec 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781393099369

Book preview

The Souls of the Stars

Book I

December

Also By

Karen A. Granovsky

Novels:

Fantastical Creatures

Fantastical Companions

Fantastical Rebirth*

The Souls of the Stars Saga

December

July*

*Forthcoming

The Souls of the Stars Saga

Book I

December

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Karen A. Granovsky

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Defiant Dragon Studios

December © 2018 Karen A. Granovsky

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any way without permission.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Draft2Digital Edition

Published by Defiant Dragon Studios

www.defiantdragonstudios.com

Table of Contents

Prologue

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

Appendix

About the Author

For Alethe, the best friend I could have asked for.

Prologue

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Did you even think this through, Alana?

Yes, of course I thought this through, Alana said, her voice shrill and irritated. You, on the other hand, clearly didn’t.

I couldn’t let you go alone. Besides, your mother asked me to.

Sometimes you shouldn’t listen to my mother.

I should when you’re acting rashly, Trell replied. You’re upset, I get it. But I know you can get lost in the heat of the moment. Her hands clenched visibly as she gripped the lever on the control panel harder.

Trell sighed and fell silent, shifting his weight on long, feathered legs to get comfortable. Badgering Alana when she was already agitated wasn’t a good idea, even if his words were born out of concern for her well-being. The best he could do was give her some space.

Nearly fifteen minutes of silence passed except for the humming of the engine and the gentle whirring of the scanners before she spoke again. You’re right, Trell. I know you’re right. But you shouldn’t have come along on a mission like this without permission.

I had your mother’s permission, he reminded her.

She fixed her eyes on him. The whole Parliament should have approved it. Not to mention the KSS.

Well, I didn’t have time for that, now did I? he replied coolly.

Alana went quiet, so Trell continued, his voice trembling. Do you really think we can do this?

What, stop an alien invasion on another planet that doesn’t even know we exist? She looked at him in mock surprise. Of course we can. Who the hell do you think we are?

Trell laughed, in spite of everything. Oh Alana, your star shines boldly in the heavens. Never change.

She smiled and focused her attention back on flying the ship through deep space, towards a small system with a yellow dwarf star.

I

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Wake up, human! A harsh female voice rang in the man’s head, jerking him harshly from the deep oblivion of sleep.

Moaning with more irritation than he intended, he opened his eyes and uncurled his body from its balled-up position. A cold, metallic ceiling greeted him.

I know you’ve been spoiled by Dr. Hio, human, but let me remind you that you are still a specimen, despite your... uncommon position.

He sat up, fighting the urge to give Moflair a dirty look or talk back to her. She was Dr. Hio’s head assistant, and if she were human, he probably would have referred to her as old hag. Behind closed doors, of course.

She appeared humanoid, which alone was strange. He’d expected, in spite of what science fiction novels implied, that extraterrestrial life would look more like starfish than human beings. All Drevi were tall and bald. Moflair was short for her species, but still tall compared to him; she stood about two heads taller than his five foot, ten-inch frame. Dull green scales ran up her neck and to her temples, where they curved just above her eyes to give the impression of eyebrows. The rest of her skin was pallid gray, and while not exactly reptilian, it certainly wasn’t mammalian either.

I am aware of my situation, he said, not meeting her irritated gaze. It was always better not to make eye contact.

He figured he shouldn’t waste time—Dr. Hio was waiting for him. He stood up and moved towards the bathroom, grabbing a set of clothes on the way. Moflair remained standing in the center of his quarters and redirected her attention to a folder full of papers she was carrying.

He showered quickly, in real water, not yet used to those weird cleansing brushes the aliens used. They were disgustingly gooey. Fortunately, Dr. Hio sympathized with his needs and had installed a shower in the bathroom in his quarters.

The warm water flowing over his skin felt good; so good that he almost forgot he was in a hurry. He washed his hair with an odd-smelling shampoo and rinsed down quickly before turning the water off and stepping out of the shower to dry himself. Reaching for his clothes, he pulled on his dress pants, shirt, and suit jacket. He used to hate suits because of how downright uncomfortable they could be, but now, they were one of the only things from his old life that remained.

He tied his tie, straightened it, and finished off his morning routine by brushing his teeth with a toothpaste that tasted oddly like honey. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he saw an ordinary-looking man of forty-two years with short black hair, blue eyes, an angular face, and an average frame.

Ted. That was his name. But he might as well have forgotten it. Dr. Hio was the only person, besides himself, who called him by his birth name. To everyone else, he was just human, or, if they were feeling fancy, Specimen #50014.

He could feel the exhaustion in his bones and see the purple bags under his eyes. He shook his head violently, trying to get his body working again. It was either that or give up, and he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

He stepped back out into his quarters where Moflair was waiting for him, her left eye twitching. The Drevi expressed impatience not by tapping their feet, but by twitching their left eye. Twitching the right eye meant something entirely different, but Ted hadn’t figured out that nuance yet. He knew more about Drevi behavior than most humans, but also knew he would never completely get used to living among them.

Moflair snorted. You humans.

He ignored the insult, as he had learned to do.

I will report to Dr. Hio now, Moflair. He cocked his head to the side politely, the equivalent of a human dip of the head. It was a gesture of respect and politeness.

Moflair twitched her left eye once more and turned to leave the room.

He stood there, alone for a moment, eyes scanning the tiny room he’d been assigned. It only had space for a bed, a closet, and a small desk and chair, plus the adjacent bathroom. He supposed he should feel grateful and lucky since the accommodations were better than most, but he just couldn’t bring himself to.

He was a specimen, looked down upon for being what he was, a human, something to be studied but not respected. It felt as though his old life had ended and he’d been reborn into a completely worthless new one. He tried not to get caught up in such thoughts most of the time, instead focusing on work and getting through each day. But deep in the recesses of his heart, it hurt.

Come on, human. I haven’t got all day! Moflair snapped from behind the door.

Ted started a bit at her shrill voice before lowering his head and hurrying out of the room.

It was a brisk, five minute walk to the labs through the large compound the aliens had built. The labs themselves were pristine and white, with several aliens, Dr. Hio’s other assistants, hovering over many strange devices, machines, and computers. Ted knew what some of them did, but many others were still a mystery to him.

Ah. Good morning, Ted, Dr. Hio greeted him in a friendly voice.

Good morning, Dr. Hio, came Ted’s automatic reply.

Dr. Hio was considerably younger than Moflair. His scales were the same color, but all Drevi seemed to have those dull green scales. Although he had mild wrinkles near his eyes, they weren’t so much from age: Dr. Hio smiled a lot. Even his black eyes seemed to hold a twinkle of mirth in them at all times.

Would you like to run the computers today? Dr. Hio asked.

Ted hesitated. I’m sorry, but are you sure? I don’t want to get into trouble with your superiors... Humans were strictly prohibited from even touching most Drevi technology, for obvious reasons. The punishments ranged from reassignment, to in extreme cases, death.

Most Drevi would have snapped at him for talking back, but Dr. Hio just smiled. It’s all right. I’ll take full responsibility.

Ted shrugged and made his way over to the machines. Dr. Hio, as he understood it, was one of the most accomplished and well-respected scientists in Drevi society. The man had been kind enough to Ted, at least. And the way things were, that kindness went a long way.

Ted had to admit he enjoyed learning about the Drevi’s technology, and Dr. Hio’s offer had not been an isolated incident. Ted had already learned a substantial portion of their language as well, which was an extremely important skill in and of itself. As for the Drevi themselves, they picked up languages very quickly, so most of them were already fluent in the languages of the regions where they had been stationed. Because they were in the American States, Dr. Hio and his employees had learned English.

Once the computer was booted up, Ted began accessing files that would inform him of the procedures and experiments they would be performing that day.

The first experiment had already begun, and a human man, who looked to be a little older than Ted, was brought in through a side door and properly restrained against a wall. Dr. Hio gave Ted a sympathetic glance, and Ted averted his eyes from the scene.

Ted could sense the restrained man watching him as he went about his daily business. He was no doubt wondering, Why is there a human here, working with the Drevi? Then it would occur to him: that Ted had sold out his people for better treatment. Then the look of anger and hatred would pass across the man’s face, making Ted feel more uncomfortable and alone than ever.

Moflair walked up to the man to take a standard blood test, but as soon as she got close he lashed out at her with the only weapon he had available, his teeth, letting out a snarl that sounded more animal than human in the process.

Ted flinched at the sound as Moflair took a step back and reached for her weapon, but Dr. Hio raised his voice in anger to stop her. Damn it, Moflair, don’t harm him! he yelled, and even the iron-willed Moflair backed down like a scared puppy. Dr. Hio is scarier than he looks, Ted thought. And when did he learn to curse in English?

With a potential crisis averted, Dr. Hio walked over to the man, who was still undoubtedly the perfect combination of pissed and terrified, and began talking to him in a soothing voice, assuring the scared man that he wouldn’t be harmed. With slow movements, Dr. Hio took out a body scanner and began scanning him, no doubt gathering more data about human physiology. In the beginning, the doctor had tried asking his subjects questions, but unsurprisingly, even the most basic questions about how human bodies worked were met with silence and obscene comments. Ted remembered one woman who had said more curse words in a single sentence than Ted thought possible.

Ted let out a sigh of relief. He hated it when they fought. Why couldn’t they all just be like him, submit and cooperate so they would survive? The instant the thought crossed his mind, however, he felt ashamed. He knew there were plenty of humans out there who were still free and resisting the Drevi invasion, even if it cost them their lives, and here he was, sitting in a lab with his tail tucked between his legs, trying to do everything in his power to stay out of trouble. He sickened himself.

Dr. Hio wasn’t cruel, so none of his specimens were ever harmed in his lab unless they fought back with lethal force, but that didn’t make Ted feel much better, especially when he knew that other Drevi scientists weren’t as humane and Dr. Hio’s motivations were more practical than anything else. Ted felt like a collaborator, a traitor to his own people. But it was hard to be a hero when he was better off than the poor bastard chained to the wall. He wanted to keep it that way.

Disgust at his own cowardice proceeded to claw at his insides.

*

We’re nearing Earth, Trell reported.

How many ships are in orbit?

Uh... Trell checked the readout. Twelve, it looks like? Only one warship.

Well, they wouldn’t need more than one, Alana said, observing through the viewfinder. The scanner readout could tell them nearly everything that was going on, but using the viewfinder allowed them to actually see outside through a camera mounted on the hull, because it simply wouldn’t be safe to put windows in a spaceship. It looks like we might be able to sneak in near the planet’s southern pole. The continent down there is uninhabited. A pause. What is that? She pointed to a huge celestial body orbiting the planet.

They changed places, and Trell looked at it too, squinting. I think that’s a natural satellite. A moon.

Oh, of course, Alana said, looking a little embarrassed. I’ve just never seen one before.

Well, Kolea doesn’t have any, so of course you haven’t, Trell said with a laugh. Shall we go in for a landing?

Yes, Alana said, transitioning back into business mode. I’m going to send out false scanner signals. Hopefully they won’t even know we’re here.

The pair fell silent, the air in the ship heavy with tension. If the Drevi saw through the trick, they’d be dead in seconds, for their little scout ship wouldn’t stand a chance against a Drevi battle cruiser. The technique should still work, since the Koleans had learned how to fool Drevi scanners before, but it was not outside the realm of possibility that the technologically advanced aliens had updated their ships.

The scout ship entered the planet’s atmosphere unmolested, followed by the release of two tense breaths and the ship shaking from turbulence.

Which continent are we aiming for? Alana asked, her voice wavering along with the quaking ship.

Apparently, we don’t have any control over that. The gravitational pull is stronger than the KSS thought, Trell said through a clamped-shut beak. So, um, that one.

The ship shot towards the eastern seaboard of North America.

*

Ted, could you... do me a favor, as I believe you say? Dr. Hio asked, checking in after an hour had passed.

What do you need?

"Would you go down to the storage units and get a sikurba? The one in the lab is out of power, and Erpha has injured her hand."

Ted nodded without a second thought and strode out of the room. A sikurba was a medical instrument the Drevi used to heal wounds by artificially speeding up the body’s natural healing process. It also utilized low-power lasers that destroyed any foreign bacteria to prevent infections. It was a marvelous device and Ted was envious his own people didn’t possess something similar.

Ted had long ceased trying to decipher the signs in Drevi that lined the walls of the compound, but he knew the way to the storage lockers by heart, as it was part of his job to be an errand runner for the research crews. The corridors of the research station were gray and monotonous, but relatively easy to navigate.

The storage lockers consisted of three large rooms, filled with dull yellow containers of all shapes and sizes. As he understood it, nothing was really organized in the storage areas since the Drevi hadn’t had much time to unpack and properly catalog anything that wasn’t directly related to new research findings.

Ted’s knowledge of the Drevi language was especially helpful in the storage bay. It wasn’t a difficult spoken language to learn, but when written, it was a whole different story. There were so many confusing lines in each symbol that stood for a word, as if a toddler had drawn it with a box of crayons. Color was important in their written language too—a line in a symbol could mean one thing in one color and another in a different color. Nevertheless, he had learned what the labels looked like for the items he usually was called to fetch, and the sikurba had been one of the first. He opened the container, dug through it for a minute, and found exactly what he was looking for. Having completed his errand, he locked the doors behind him and began to make his way back to the labs.

He decided to take a different route back, just to see them. A right turn down one hallway, and another right at the next, and there they were. On his left, through an enormous glass window, they stood tall, the dim overhead lights gleaming off the shiny metal hulls. Starships, two of them. The November and the December. The November was the smaller of the two. It had triangular engines on either side of a pointed main section. The engines looked like they had wedges cut out of their centers, like the flag of the old Earth nation, Nepal. The December was huge, with two massive engines that curved downward in a U-shape and hugged a section of the ship that was shaped like an oval. That oval attached itself to the front of the ship, which was a huge disc that rested on top of the ovular section. Some of the last examples of human ingenuity.

Ten years previously, scientists had succeeded in creating a ship that could break the light barrier. Then about two years ago, the Twelve had been built, all named after the months of the calendar year, all equipped with faster-than-light travel. The ships had been built by a private corporation and sold to those who could afford them. But right as they had rolled off the assembly line, the Drevi had come. From what he knew, most of the ships had been destroyed in the invasion, and the two before him were possibly the only ones left.

Ted sighed. Neither of the ships had been used since the Drevi had taken over Earth. The Drevi hadn’t any use for them, so the magnificent ships had been left to gather dust in the hanger once the Drevi technicians had been over them thoroughly. How he wished he could just take one of those ships and fly away...

The sound of footsteps jolted him out of his fantasy. He turned, terrified that he would be accused of laziness and punished.

But the two creatures who approached were not Drevi, and certainly not human. They were small in stature and seemed almost delicate to Ted. One was slightly taller, and appeared male, but both were almost half a foot shorter than Ted. The other was definitely female. At first glance he thought they were wearing masquerade masks, but upon closer inspection, he realized the feathers that made up their eyebrows and extended to their temples were attached to their skin, which was also covered in a sheen of smaller feathers. The male’s feathers were a deep blue color while the female’s were a fiery red. They both had small yellow beaks, and from the look of it ostrich-like legs, covered by lightly-woven pants. Each also had a small pack strapped to their backs.

Who are you?! Ted cried, his heart leaping into his throat. Who were these people? What were they doing there?

The woman raised a hand and placed it over her mouth, almost as though she were laughing.

Please, be quiet, the man said in strangely accented English. Ted couldn’t even begin to place the accent, but the English was flawless, if a bit unconfident. We want to... he searched for the word, help you. I am Trell. This is Alana. We are Kolean.

Ko-lee-an?

We’re from the planet Kolea, in a star system relatively close to here, Trell explained.

Why are you here? Ted whispered skeptically.

I’m from Kolean Intelligence, Alana spoke up, her English much better than Trell’s. Trell is a scientist specializing in space travel. My assignment is to assess the situation here on Earth... Loud footsteps came from down the hallway. "Kurash," she hissed. Quick as a cat, she made for the door to the hanger.

That door’s locked, Ted started to say, but Alana had already pulled what looked like a gun from her holster and shot the locking mechanism, producing an almost ear-shattering bang. Sure enough, the door opened with a hiss, and Alana grabbed Ted by the upper arm and pulled him into the hanger. Trell followed them.

Whose ships are these? Alana asked, pointing to the two starships.

No one’s, Ted sputtered. The Drevi don’t want them.

She appeared pleased. Perfect. Let’s get out of here.

Without a word, Trell slipped past Alana and Ted and ripped open a small panel on the hull of the nearest ship. He pressed a few buttons that bypassed the locks the Drevi had put in place and the boarding ramp lowered. Too easy, he muttered to himself. The Drevi military is really going to have to upgrade their tech.

Alana pointed her weapon, which she had not re-holstered, towards the doors. Hurry, get on, she said, nudging Ted in the ribs with the weapon to get him to move. He didn’t need more urging. In a daze, he trotted up the ramp as Alana followed.

The door whooshed open and a dozen or so Drevi soldiers barged into the hanger, shooting at the intruders and their plus one. Alana managed to fire a few shots—energy blasts, just like human and Drevi guns—before the ramp shut, shielding them.

Alana rushed him through the corridors to get to the bridge where Trell was. A loud whirring, humming noise began sounding from everywhere—the walls, the floor, the ceiling—which scared the jittery Ted so much he jumped and plastered himself against the wall.

It’s just the engines, Alana said with a touch of humor in spite of her gentle tone and seemingly genuine sympathy for him.

Ted nodded and started forward again cautiously. Within minutes, Alana stopped in front of a pair of doors. Without fanfare, she reached over and punched a button on the wall, opening the doors and revealing what lay behind them.

II

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The doors slid open, revealing a majestic ovular room with gray-colored walls. Just in front of the door sat a large rectangular computer console that vaguely resembled a table. A helm, with a mind-boggling amount of commands on the touch-screen, was positioned at the front of the room. Alana ran to it without a moment’s hesitation. Even though there was a chair, she opted to stand in front of the computer as her soft fingers quickly entered commands.

Ted moved to the center of the room, unsure what else to do and staring in awe.

The engines are ready, Trell’s voice called across the bridge. He too chose to stand behind the computer console in the back of the room, despite the presence of a chair.

Alana turned the engines on, entered a few commands, gripped the steering wheel that was really only two handles attached to a joystick, and shoved it forward. Almost instantaneously, the ship lurched through the closed launch doors. The sudden movement and impact caused Ted to stumble backwards and almost lose his balance. Instinctively, he reached for a chair and sat in it, feeling woefully helpless. He watched his companions cautiously, hoping these aliens who had kidnapped him knew what they were doing. Otherwise, his life would be cut much shorter than he would have liked.

Three Drevi vessels have taken off from the nearby base and are in pursuit, Trell said.

The anxiety in Ted’s gut rose as he realized he couldn’t see their pursuers. Panic settled in. There were no windows on the bridge. The ship trembled and shook beneath him, causing his skull to ache with nausea. He found himself thinking, Come on, come on, urging the ship to go faster.

We’re clearing the atmosphere now. I’m going to try and outrun them, Alana said, the tension in her voice making Ted feel even more frantic.

Good luck with that, Trell said. They were right about one thing. This ship is inferior compared to theirs.

Ted felt a pang of sadness and indignation at Trell’s words. He thought the ship was magnificent. It was irrational, of course—he had never even touched the ship until a few moments ago. But already he felt some kind of connection to the vessel that was responsible for spiriting him away from that horrible place. Assuming we get away at all, he thought, an assumption Ted was not yet willing to make. He glanced over to the wall, where a name was inscribed in black, flowery script. The nameplate read December.

They’re still pursuing, Trell called. The ship lurched again as something grazed the hull. Ted was ashamed when a whimper of fear escaped his throat. If the Drevi caught them, he’d be killed for sure.

They’re persistent, Alana said through a clamped-shut beak.

Trell laughed dryly. Ha. Nothing in the galaxy is as stubborn as you.

Indeed, Alana replied, a smile on her face as she used her