D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening (37 page)

Now, there was Eden. He never would have guessed Eyani, the enigmatic beauty with the lavender scales, was actually an agent working for a large-scale resistance organization, and that the slightly obsequious Bob was the AI for an entire space station? That group certainly seemed well organized and informed. He still wasn’t comfortable with them knowing so much more about him, while he knew so little about them. Regardless, he had high hopes for what they’d bring to the fight.

Stranger still, that Toriko’s Professor FX was actually an Eden agent. After not finding a single lead on him, they end up encountering him on the last mission. In his mind, he saw the professor slowly falling with a fresh blast wound through his back. He still needed to tell Toriko. Somehow.

Regardless, his goal was still the same: assemble a functioning team of D’mok Warriors as fast as possible and find the Nukari and a way to stop them.

Functioning? He smiled at the thought of Seigie, Toriko, Allia, and Ichini. And Naijen. What mattered was that the effort was underway. Despite all their challenges, the group was finding ways to get things done. And not falling apart from their many differences.

What concerned him was just how much further he had to go to create a team that could really make a difference in this conflict. The Nukari were everywhere. Their operations were well underway on a massive scale. He felt like the boy in an old Earth tale he had once read or heard somewhere, sticking his finger in a dike. Could a little action like that be enough to save everything?

Or was his team just a sore thumb, a flea-sized annoyance to the Nukari that they could easily eradicate if they felt any real threat to their massive infiltration of so many worlds?

At least he wasn’t alone anymore. In fact, it wasn’t just that, he felt like he had a new, albeit slightly dysfunctional, family.

“Sir,” a soldier in a black uniform said nervously. “Here’s the requested mission report, sir,” he said, setting it carefully down on the desk and backing away.

With gritted teeth, the grizzled general stared at it. Of all the great Nukari minds, how did he end up with such incompetents under him?

First a team of scout droids was destroyed, setting back their plans on Auen. Then a key mine is nearly lost due to rebel terrorists. And now the operation to secure technology from Tericn and that hostile research station was bungled.

“Dismissed,” he said harshly. The underling skittered nervously away.

He stared at the Nukari emblem decorating the memory stick on his desk. Among the bits and bytes stored was a copy of the report he had already read once before. Was he really to believe one man just happened to appear as involved in
all
of these incidents? How would his inept subordinates react if they thought one person was behind all their failures? And what should he make about the latest claim that this
person
could shoot energy from his hands?

The ability to project energy? That sounded familiar.
Is this what Kajlit’ga has been babbling about all this time
, he wondered.

He groaned, as he entertained the thought of her over-developed sense of self-impotence and delusional “significant contribution” to their cause. Every time he saw her, he tried not to roll his eyes at the endless chatter about her super creatures, inherited from a derelict genetics project.

Fine then, time to see what her “miracle creatures” could actually do.

“COM Kajlit,” he said to the air. A computer bleeped in response, followed by a pleasant tone while he waited.

The line clicked open.

“Yes, General?” she said with a reverent curiosity.

“Come to my quarters, it’s time we put your team in action.”
       

Michael Zummo was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1974. From his earliest days he was enthralled by computer games, specifically the Sierra On-line adventure games. They inspired his sense of exploration in strange lands, and interactive storytelling.

In 1996, he graduated from Caroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin with a double degree in computer science and communications.

Throughout his winding career in interactive marketing, video game design, and creating user interfaces for computers, tablets, and Web sites, each adventure held the same root. What motivated him wasn’t just understanding people and crafting digital interactions, but rather, taking people through an experience—on a journey—to be his true passion in life.

Writing has become his ultimate vehicle for this passion.

Thank you very much for reading D'mok Revival: Awakening.  I hope you've enjoyed the beginning of this epic adventure.  

The second book, D'mok Revival: Retribution, is on schedule for release in early 2014. Please head to
http://www.dmokrevival.com
for developing news.

In the meantime, I love getting feedback from fans. Hearing what you liked and didn't like helps me refine the existing series manuscripts and become a better writer. If you're interested, you can email me directly at
[email protected]
. You can also post comments or messages on the
D’mok Revival Facebook page
.

Lastly, my goal is to share this story with as many people as I can. I truly love the characters and believe many people will be able to identify with their experiences and personal struggles. If you could, I would deeply appreciate if you would post your review of D’mok Revival: Awakening on
Amazon.com
. Regardless of how good or bad you felt the story was, feedback is important not only for me as a writer, but for the community of science fiction fans. We will all benefit from your honest opinion. Please be sure to be as specific as possible about what you did or did not enjoy.

Thank you again for your time and support.

Sincerely,

Michael Zummo