Autonomy: Book 2 in the Invasion Day series
Read Autonomy: Book 2 in the Invasion Day series Online
Authors: L.C Morgan
Autonomy
Book #2 in the Invasion Day series
By L.C Morgan
Copyright 2016 L.C Morgan
All rights reserved
This book is also available in print at all Amazon outlets.
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please destroy it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover art by L.C Morgan
Cover photographs courtesy of www.bigstock.com
All it takes to change the world are two simple things:
One extraordinary event and one incredible person.
So easy, right…
Table of Contents
A Brief History of Earth, humankind, and its demise
Glossary of terms, and general information regarding the Thrakorian reign
A Brief History of Earth, humankind, and its demise
.
(If you needed a reminder…)
“
The human race will ultimately be responsible for its own demise. It is with great certainty that I alert you of this now, and you heed my warnings. What we have called the ‘benefits culture’ hundreds of years has caused profound chaos to our world and its economy, and it is damage I fear we will not return from.”
President of the USA, Harold Chant, the year 2465.
~~~~~~~~~
“
We need to find alternative fuels and a cure for overpopulation. But short of a miracle or genocide, I fear it’s too late…
” Queen Anastasia of England, the year 2989.
~~~~~~~~~
In the year 3030 an alien species known as the Thrakorian’s attacked Earth. On Invasion Day, the extraterrestrial race invaded the planet by force, however such influence was not needed. The Thrakorian’s took control easily from the indigenous race that foolishly believed they possessed it, and any who opposed the new reign were killed instantly. Many were slain publicly to demonstrate that the invaders weren’t interested in taking prisoners and some lives were taken just show how uninterested the Thrakorian’s were in negotiation with the leaders of the old world. Soldiers stormed the streets, homes, businesses, schools and churches. They obliterated over half of all the human population on their first wave, and then enslaved the rest who would go on to either work or die under their new leader, King Kronus. They had travelled millions of light-year’s to Earth for the invasion and the mission was carried out with precision and tact. It was by all accounts an easy harvest and the humans were left ashamed by their lack of fight—and rightly so.
Thraks looked human, and spoke their various languages, but soon replaced the previously adopted concepts of both nationality and race with a simplified version. Those who survived were given one language to speak exclusively—English, and were henceforth simply called ‘humans.’
Their lives as they once knew were shattered by the new powerful regime. In the days that followed, humans were split into classes and sectors, microchipped like cattle, and put to work. None could match the strength, skill and intellect of the Thrakorian race, and their technology far surpassed that which the humans had once believed to be innovative and impressive.
From that day forward, every human knew their place and they would learn to be grateful for all their powerful masters had given them, or else suffer. The foolish, lazy, burdens on society previously used to getting a free meal and a roof given to them died in the streets, while their hardworking neighbors were rewarded with food and shelter. Only those who worked for their amenities thrived and the benefits culture was no more. Credits replaced currency and the only way to get them, was to earn them.
Nothing was the same again and their leaders enjoyed the order of things in their newly created world. Slaves were aplenty and there was much work to be done, so every human had a role to play. They either did it willingly, or died defying their powerful masters.
King Kronus had never once doubted the success of his mission, and quickly took his place on high for all to adore and worship, or else refuse and perish.
Rebels rose up to challenge his reign, and most were eliminated with no effort at all, but some remained. There would always be those who fought the regime, but the Thrakorian’s loved a good hunt, so didn’t mind one little bit.
And yet, there were huge discrepancies the likes of which most humans didn’t care to see. But
she
saw them. Kyra Millan, probably the most devoted human soldier in Kronus’ cause, but also the one with the most amount of questions. Despite everything she’d done and the ladders she’d climbed, or the friends in high places she’d made along the way, she saw through the lies. Kyra believed in him, and had told him so, but Kronus responded by calling her a fool. He’d made her life’s work seem like nothing more than a waste of her time and talents, and then he’d sent her away without another word of explanation.
But, Kyra knew she would continue to serve him, for what else did she have without her unwavering loyalty to Kronus and his reign? She knew she had to find a way to balance what she knew and how she felt, however neither he nor any others of his kind were making it easy on her. Kyra’s heart was breaking at being dismissed so callously, but she still yearned for his approval and cherished her place within his regime, so much so she’s determined to fight him on the issue—even if she has to break every rule in the book in order to prove herself right.
Glossary of terms, and general information regarding the Thrakorian reign
.
Earth’s new class structure (in descending order):
King Kronus
Kings Guard Service
(a separate entity to the regular Thrakorian army consisting of its highest honored members.)
Thrakorian Royal Armed Forces
Thrakorian civilians
Mixed-breeds
(those whose families were forged years before Invasion Day to establish a presence on Earth prior to the arrival of their species. Many ensured they were appointed heads of state, or elected Kings and Queens of countries due to be overruled by King Kronus on his arrival.)
Gentry
(Humans with extraordinary talent, intellect or skill worthy of a higher standing above all others of their race. They are handpicked by the King’s chief advisors, and are expected to work hard if they want to keep their place. Many were branded as traitors to their race, while most were envied for the strength of will and readiness to serve—and their sinister tactics were well rewarded.)
Human Royal Armed Forces (dependent on rank)
Human upper-class
Human middle-class
Human lower-class
Convicts
(those tried and judged by the Lawbringer for crimes against their King. They are treated like vermin, and ordered to work for nothing but basic food and shelter rations in service to their overlords, and housed in specialized areas away from the general human population. In return for training and further provisions, many well-behaved convicts are often given more responsibility if they show willingness and repentance for their crimes.)
Rebels
(the lowest of all humans, and considered to be of zero worth to the Thrakorian reign. They are hunted down and killed on sight, while their sympathizers are gunned down or exiled in the arid lands formerly known as South America, where the radioactive atmosphere and barren landscape offered nothing but a long and painful death.)
~~~~~~~~~
Human Royal Armed Forces rank structure (in descending order):
Gentry:
General
Elite Officers:
Colonel
Captain
Secondary Soldiers:
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Primary Soldiers:
Corporal
Recruit
Convict
~~~~~~~~~
Thrakorian Royal Armed Forces rank structure (in descending order):
King Kronus
Kings Guard Service:
(Only one of each title is awarded, and they are master’s of all soldier’s beneath them.)
Chief of Defense
Lawbringer
(judge and juror of all who stray from the laws)
Besieger
(Capturer of rebels and rogues)
Master Protector
(the personal guard of the King)
Marshals of the Army, Navy and Air force
Regular Thrakorian Royal Armed Forces:
Palodin
(the highest rank bestowed on a soldier, given to those renowned for braveness, intellect, heroism and loyalty to the King.)
Lorde
(a superior warrior, respected and heralded for their mastery in their field or fields.)
Duke
(the strongest fighters and most experienced conqueror’s.)
Sentinel
(a soldier who guards their division and keeps watch over their comrades.)
Inquisitor
(a soldier who’s highly trained to seek out information, by any means necessary. Nothing is forbidden, and a long and painful death would come for any human who refuses them.)
Master
(regular soldiers who work alongside humans to ensure they are following orders and not deviating from their given class and sector.)
~~~~~~~~~
Kyra was shaking with rage. She stormed out of the large meeting room and headed down the hall to the bathroom before Thrayke or any of the others could so much as ask what’d just happened between her and King Kronus. She failed to understand it herself, so didn’t know where to begin to explain and she also couldn’t fathom his reasons for having dismissed her the way he had. After all, it wasn’t like she’d tried anything on with him, or ever brought attention to their history from Invasion Day, and yet he’d seemed downright angry with her for daring to show her face in his life again.
None of it added up. Kyra had served his cause almost her entire life and he’d called her foolish, silly, and idiotic for doing so. When she’d told him how loyal she was to him and his reign, Kronus had shot her down, when he ought to have been thanking her and every other human out there fighting to keep his world turning, while he sat back and did seemingly nothing atop a throne he appeared loathed to possess.
She’d dreamed of Kronus ever since he’d come to her aid that fateful day when his race had invaded Earth and had expected to find a powerful and driven King atop his human empire if she’d ever been graced with an audience again. Kyra knew now that she’d been so very wrong about him. Instead of being the authoritative Thrak she’d expected, he’d turned up in jeans and sneakers, and had seemed bored rather than impressed at hers and Thrayke’s findings about the rebel gatherings. Kronus had a serious chip on his shoulder, about what, Kyra couldn’t be sure, and as it currently stood, she didn’t care to find out. His behavior was so ludicrous it was almost funny, but she certainly wasn’t ready to laugh about it yet. If anything, she was still raging and felt like she might lash out at the arrogant ass if he ever came near her again.
When Kyra finally left the bathroom, she wasn’t surprised to find Thrayke—both her boyfriend and Commanding Officer—waiting for her out in the hall. Thanks to his audience of fellow Thrakorian soldiers and members of the Kings Guard, he was working hard to maintain his professional demeanor, rather than take her in his arms and check that she was okay like she hoped he wanted beneath that icy façade. Despite being a strong-willed and intelligent woman, Kyra felt weak after Kronus’ harsh words and as though her determination to succeed and serve had truly been broken. More than anything else in the entire world, she suddenly wanted Thrayke to hold her. If only her lover could kiss away the tears threatening to fall and tell her everything was going to be fine. There was a part of her that hoped he would defy convention and soothe her obvious pain, but like always, they were divided not just by the social standards of their new society, but also by their separate races themselves. As usual, Kyra couldn’t show him how much she needed his support in public because of her inferiority, and she despised Kronus and his regime even more for imposing a strict lifestyle and set of rules and laws on her and the other humans he evidently cared nothing about.
Even if Thrayke had asked, she didn’t know where to begin explaining to him what’d just happened between her and his King and guessed he either had no idea what a douchebag Kronus was, or he’d learned to simply look the other way. Kyra figured it had to be the latter, given his years of loyal service to his reign. Thrayke had to know just how disinterested Kronus was in the running of his planet and she wondered why he’d even bothered bringing her to the Chief of Defense’s headquarters to discuss her findings at all. Kronus didn’t care about the increases in rebel activity and he’d seemed downright bored the entire time her Thrakorian commander had been outlining their discovery. In her opinion, their trip had been utterly pointless.
“General Millan,” Thrayke said in a strange combination of a greeting and an awkward attempt at getting her attention on him. Kyra peered up into his intense blue eyes and had to fight back her tears when she saw the concern for her burning within them. He clearly had no idea just how awfully King Kronus had treated her and part of her was thankful he’d had no clue, for it meant he’d played no part in her belittlement. She was glad he’d always remained such a genuine friend since joining his Gentry and couldn’t deny there was a part of her that felt bad for not having been fully honest with him in return. They’d been close for months after her arrival at The Tower and were now lovers, and yet she’d still never told him or anyone else about the night she’d first met King Kronus while he and his soldiers were in the throes of taking control of Earth and its inhabitants.
She’d spent every day since with a major crush on her sovereign savior and had somehow fooled herself into believing that he could still possibly be that kind, gentle man that’d pulled her free from the thorny rose bush as a child and kissed her better. Kyra had been just five years old at the time and had peered up into the face of a man she knew was unlike any she’d seen before, but at the time she hadn’t known why. He’d given her hope and a sense of belonging and she often wondered if part of her childish mind had turned the memory of him into some kind of guardian angel. If it weren’t for Kronus, she had no idea what might’ve happened to her on Invasion Day, or if she would’ve even survived the ensuing chaos in the aftermath of their attack. At the time, she’d had no idea their planet had been invaded by another species, but she’d later learned the truth, and how the man she’d been saved by was none other than their new ruler.
Kyra had then served his cause without question and had joined the Human Royal Armed Forces when she’d decided to pursue a career as a code-breaker and computer scientist. Not once had she had delusions that she might meet the King again, or that if she did, he’d remember her with the same fondness as she did him, and so she’d never believed her crush could become a reality. The dreams she’d had about him were never what’d driven her onwards and up the chain to her now high rank within the Gentry, but they’d fueled her confidence. Having belief in someone as all-powerful as King Kronus had been exactly what she’d needed to pluck the girl from the slums and make her believe she could earn herself a place within the human middle or upper-classes. Her crush had been a perfectly innocent infatuation for years and Kyra knew the escapism had helped her get through the tough times during her life thus far. Through her dreams, Kronus kept her hope of a better future alive, just like he had on that rooftop, when in reality he’d evidently forgotten all about her and the promises he’d made that night.
Realization struck her then. Kyra hadn’t had much luck with men later in her teenage years, and guessed part of it had to be because she’d compared everyone to her imaginary savior. After a powerful yet too intense love affair with Silas, one of her commanders in primary training, she’d then sworn off men entirely and focused solely on her career. But, when she’d reached The Tower as part of her introduction into the Gentry, she’d met the incredibly powerful and intimidating Besieger Thrayke and her guard had come down thanks to the kindness and genuine interest he’d shown in her. Thrayke had wanted to know her. He had valued her opinion and encouraged her incredible mind where others had overlooked it in the past. They’d soon let themselves develop an emotional connection, before inevitably moving onto a physical one, and he’d never treated her as inferior to him, despite his high standing. He’d shown her a world still governed by their race’s strict rules, yet given her a prestigious place among the Gentry because he’d believed in her, and together they were leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else when it came to deciphering the rebels’ codes. She was truly enamored with Thrayke both intellectually and emotionally and was eternally grateful for how he’d helped her gain confidence in her skills and settle into her high-ranking role within the Human Royal Armed Forces. They weren’t forever and they both knew it, but for now, she couldn’t deny that what they had together was pretty amazing.
Thrayke had also shown Kyra just how much he cared and wanted to keep her around by instigating the administration of Lorde Greegis’ strange test serum. The treatment had ensured both health and longevity to her life in a way human scientists couldn’t even begin to imagine. In that one move, he’d added hundreds of years to her lifespan by pushing her to the top of the very short list of candidates, and now she was fitter, stronger, and far less breakable than she’d ever been before because of it. Still fully human, Kyra had been given the treatment as a test subject and it’d altered not just her body, but also her genetic code itself. Their technology had repaired holes and malformations from within her makeup, but the serum, its benefits, and existence were still so top-secret that her treatment had only been given under the proviso that she was sworn to secrecy about it for the foreseeable future. Kyra had often wondered how or why they’d developed the serum in the first place, and was even more dubious after Kronus’ clear disinterest in her kind. There had to be something in it for them and she hoped that in time she might find out their real reasons for playing around with human DNA.
“Do you need me to debrief you, sir?” she asked, hoping Thrayke might take the opportunity to get her alone, but he shook his head no.
“No need, General. The craft is ready to take you back to The Tower,” he informed her, and Kyra nodded. King Kronus had told her he never wanted to see her again, and to leave as soon as possible. It appeared he’d issued orders to that effect right after he’d stormed away. It was fine by her and she vowed never to romanticize the memory of that horrid man ever again.
“Yes, sir. I’ll head down there right away,” she replied, and saluted him. In public, Kyra knew they had to maintain their working relationship, so she hid her need for his comfort and approval, but was struggling. She couldn’t bear to look into his eyes any longer, so turned to leave, but Thrayke grabbed her by the top of her arm. He leaned in close so as not to be overheard and peered at her through worried eyes.
“I don’t know what happened in there, but I’ll make sure you aren’t accused of anything or punished because of it. I’ll keep my word—the oath I made you. You can trust me to keep you safe,” he told her quietly before letting her go. Kyra knew he was referring to when she’d finally opened up to him as they’d talked honestly together the day before. She’d shared her doubts regarding the Thrakorian leadership and their reasons for having come to Earth. At the time, she’d wondered if he’d brandish her a rebel, but instead Thrayke had listened to her deliberations regarding the cracks in the system and he’d promised to keep her safe regardless of her doubts. He hadn’t confirmed or denied that her assumptions might be somewhat true, but his silence had led her to think maybe she wasn’t too far off, and how perhaps all might not be as it’d once seemed.
Kyra climbed into the small hovercraft and was escorted back to London by the same group of Thrakorian soldiers she was sure were guarding her the entire visit to the Chief of Defense’s stronghold. They’d gone there to discuss her findings in regards to the rebel gatherings, and instead of moving forward, Kyra now felt as if she’d gone ten steps back. The Thrakorian soldiers in the Kings Guard Service hadn’t even listened to her describe how and why she’d made her discovery, or once asked for her input. When she was finally allowed to speak, King Kronus hadn’t seemed overly interested in the markings she’d found leading them to the rebel gatherings, but at least he had still heard her out. It was only when he’d figured out she was the girl he’d saved back on Invasion Day that he’d turned nasty and she still couldn’t figure out exactly what’d made him treat her so awfully.
Once back in The Tower—the headquarters for the human Gentry officers—Kyra ditched her Thrakorian overseers and went to her room. She fell into bed, feeling exhausted, and lay there, praying for sleep, but remained awake for hours. She mulled over everything that’d happened the past couple of days and when morning came, she knew exactly what to do. Work was the only cure to her melancholy, so she went in early and stayed late that day and the next.
Thrayke didn’t return and his disappearing act only added to Kyra’s anxiety over the whole situation, so she worked even harder to make sure she passed the time both busy and distracted. Within a few days, she’d worked so many hours she was pulled aside by one of her colleagues, who asked after her wellbeing and then immediately offered her a shoulder to cry on when she saw the pain behind her eyes.
“I’m fine, honestly,” Kyra told the middle-aged woman, Trinny, and she was offered a scowl in response. She then fiddled with the buttons on her black combat jacket, aware that she might just be on the verge of an emotional meltdown. “There’s a lot going on, and I’m pushing myself to get through the workload. That’s all,” she tried again, and then followed the intuitive woman’s lead over to the window where they could talk privately.
“Our job is to protect the way of life millions of people out there have the right to live. But, that world means nothing if you’re stuck behind a computer all day instead of living your own life,” Trinny told her with a kind smile. “Never forget that we aren’t mindless robots working behind screens depicting a virtual world. It’s real.
We’re
real. Life is for living as well as working.” Kyra gave Trinny a little squeeze and felt herself well up when the woman hugged her back. She still hadn’t been given any comfort since before Kronus and his harsh words, and although she’d never tell Trinny what’d happened to upset her, she still appreciated the gentle reassurance.
“You’re right, thank you,” she replied, and then went back to her work on the rebel markings she’d discovered, rather than the inane tasks she’d been plowing through over the past few days. Kyra looked over her findings again and recalculated the dates and coordinates based on the algorithm she’d now perfected. Her calculations got the same results as before.