Synopsis

Jagen and Ank have been sent to Earth from their home planet, Rykos, on a fact-finding mission. Emperor General Xenon is a megalomaniac who wants the two young explorers to tell him if the planet is suitable to invade, conquer, and add to his collection. This is their first mission, and Jagen and Ank are eager to prove themselves.

However, upon landing, they make a starting discovery. Not only do they like Earth with its fresh air and sunshine, they also like the humans and the tracliodytes whom they met. The problem is that their immediate boss, Captain Cutter, is counting on them to send back reports explaining how perfect Earth is for a takeover so he can relay that information to the Emperor General.

Things become complicated when the leader of Earth’s five underground cities, Supreme Commander Reginald Botta, decides to stage a surprise attack on the Earth’s surface. Jagen and Ank have a decision to make. By getting involved with the battle, the two explorers might be helping the humans and the tracliodytes, but they are also jeopardizing their mission and the wrath of Emperor General Xenon. They have a life-changing decision to make. What are they going to do?

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Excerpt

The space pod bounced once, twice, and then a third time before finally coming to rest. From inside, a voice yelled, “Geez, Jagen, watch it!”

A different voice, apparently Jagen’s, responded testily, “Watch it yourself, Ank! This thing is hard to control!”

“Whatever!” Ank sputtered. “We’ve been in this thing for what, six months? I can’t stand it anymore! I’ve got to get out of here. I’m going crazy!” He started pounding on the side of the steel module. BAM! BAM! BAM!

Jagen cried out. “Ank! What are you doing?”

“Trying to get this stupid thing open!”

BAM! BAM!

“Hold it,” Jagen said. “I’ve got an idea.” His tone of voice was mildly sarcastic as he reached across Ank’s chest and flipped a switch. There was a rush of air and a popping sound. Then all was quiet. “There. That should do it.”

“What’d you do?” Ank asked, his voice full of amazement.

Jagen shook his head. His traveling companion could be a little dense sometimes. Well, A LOT dense when you get right down to it. “I did what we were supposed to do, Ank,” he said, derisively. “What we were trained to do.” He pointed. “I flipped the switch that says For Exit Only, just like we were taught.

“Oh,” Ank said, sounding and looking chagrined. “Oh, yeah, I forgot.”

“Well, I didn’t,” Jagen said, shaking his head again, something he was getting used to as well as tired of. Ank was not only his traveling companion but also his friend. However, sometimes…

With the switch flipped and the space pod depressurized, it was safe to exit, so they did. Jagen lifted the lid, and the two explorers from the planet Rykos stepped out of the metal container onto the firm ground of Earth and looked around.

Oh, my goodness, was the thought that immediately struck them both.

“WOW!” Ank spoke first. “So, this is Earth.” There was a sense of awe in his hushed voice.

Jagen nodded. His eyes were wide with wonder. “Yeah,” he said, nearly whispering in reverence. “It is.” He looked around some more. “Earth,” he said. “Man, this is incredible.”

“No kidding,” Ank agreed. “It’s definitely not like where we came from.”

They were standing on a lush plain full of bright orange, red, and yellow flowers. Within a short walk from them, a stream babbled serenely as it wound its way from snow-capped mountains in the distance. There were more meadows and more flowers on the plain that stretched toward the mountains. Nearby birds were singing from a grove of tall trees.

Jagen and Ank both breathed deeply. Blooming bushes and shrubbery filled the air with a sweet scent unlike anything either of them had ever smelled before. The air was fresh and clean, the sky was blue, and a bright yellow sun shone down upon them. The day was warm and pleasant. It was another world compared to where they’d come from. It was a world they were immediately drawn to.

The two explorers had journeyed to Earth from the Tribion galaxy on a fact-finding mission. Their planet, Rykos, was a vast wasteland of dust, dirt, dust, and more dust. The two suns that hovered over their home planet were hazy orbs floating in a brown atmosphere of miasmic gunk. There were no green trees on Rykos. No colorful wildflower fields or tranquil, bubbling streams. There were no majestic, snow-capped mountains. And certainly, no twittering songbirds were singing from sweet, aromatic bushes.

Jagen and Ank had lived all twenty-two years of their lives on their home planet, and compared to that desolate place, Earth was like a paradise. It might take some time to get used to it. If so, that was fine with them.

But first, they had a job to do.

About the Author

Jim is an award-winning author who lives in a small town in Minnesota. He loves to write! His stories and poems have appeared in over five hundred online and print publications. He has also authored 27 books, including poetry, flash fiction, and short story collections, novellas, and novels, all of which are available through traditional outlets and on his website.

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