December Read online

The Souls of the Stars

  Book I

  December

  Also By

  Karen Lofgren

  Novels:

  Imagine Someday

  The Souls of the Stars

  December

  July*

  Shorts:

  Hobo Zombie

  *Forthcoming from Loyalty Press

  The Souls of the Stars Saga

  Book I

  December

  Karen Lofgren

  Loyalty Press

  December © 2014 Karen Armstrong, writing as Karen Lofgren

  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.

  Cover image courtesy of NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI AURA)-ESA Hubble Collaboration. This publication is in no way endorsed by NASA.

  Published by Loyalty Press

  www.loyaltypress.weebly.com

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  XI

  XII

  XIII

  XIV

  XV

  XVI

  XVII

  XVIII

  Appendix

  About The Author

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

  “Thus spoke Zarathustra and left his cave, glowing and strong,

  like a morning sun coming out of gloomy mountains.”

  -Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None

  Prologue

  “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.”

  “You’re perfectly capable, strong, and intelligent,” Trell complimented. “When your head is level. You’re upset, I get it. But I know you can get lost in the heat of the moment.” His voice was level and calm, which only seemed to enrage Alana further, for he was pointing out things she already knew. Her hands clenched visibly as she gripped the lever on the control panel harder.

  Trell sighed and fell silent, shifting his weight on long, thin 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 except for the humming of the engine and the gentle whirring noise the scanners gave off when they were in operation passed before she spoke again. “You’re right, Trell, I know you’re right. It’s just so frustrating. And 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 was quiet, so Trell said, his voice trembling, “Do you really think we can do this?”

  “What, stop an alien invasion on a planet we’ve never been to?” 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. “Alana, you always do exactly what I think you’ll do.”

  “Oh? Is that a good or a bad thing?” she said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

  “You wouldn’t be you otherwise.”

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

  I