EarthRise
Authors: William C. Dietz
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - DEATH DAY MINUS 80
Chapter 2 - DEATH DAY MINUS 79
Chapter 3 - DEATH DAY MINUS 65
Chapter 4 - DEATH DAY MINUS 54
Chapter 5 - DEATH DAY MINUS 41
Chapter 6 - DEATH DAY MINUS 20
Praise for
EARTHRISE
“An intriguing look at the psychological and sociological essences of two alien races as well as the human reaction to a first encounter. William Dietz also profiles humanity and shows us as a race worth surviving for many of us are willing to die in the name of freedom. An insightful . . . action-packed novel.”
—Midwest Book Review
“This concluding sequel to Dietz’s
DeathDay
contains the same wide cast of characters . . . balanced by their better-than-average depth of portrayal . . . [an] interesting speculation on the nature of race relations and class divisions. Build[s] an atmosphere of captivity, which aids considerably in reader identification with the plight of human characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Well-drawn, fast, intelligent action.”
—Booklist
“
Independence Day
with a twist. Dietz delivers a rousing finale to his apocalyptic vision of Earth’s invasion. His portrayal of ordinary people fighting for their lives and freedom is a touching tribute to the human spirit, demonstrating that life goes on and love doesn’t die.”
—Romantic Times
DEATHDAY
“Great reading for anyone who loved
Independence Day
or
The War of the Worlds
.”
—Kevin J. Anderson
“Dietz has taken a diverse—and surprising—cast of characters and woven an extremely intense story.”
—Rick Shelly, author of
Holding the Line
“A fast-paced tale of survival and resistance.”
—Library Journal
“Breakneck pacing, good action scenes, and unexpectedly strong characterizations. Alien invasion buffs should enjoy, enjoy!”
—Booklist
“Dietz provides more than just an opening gambit of a military science fiction along the lines of
V
. He provides a deep social and psychological study of humanity . . . Leaves breathless readers waiting for [
Earthrise
].”
—BookBrowser
“When it comes to military science fiction,
William Dietz can run with the best.”
—Steve Perry
Don’t miss William C. Dietz’s
FOR MORE THAN GLORY
A Legion of the Damned novel
Now available from Ace Books
Praise for the
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
novels
“A tough, moving novel of future warfare.”
—David Drake
“Exciting and suspenseful . . . real punch.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Dietz’s expertise in matters of mayhem is second to none.”
—
The Oregonian
“Unrelenting action.”
—
KLIATT
“Lots of action, good characterization, a menacing enemy reminiscent of Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker series, and a rousing ending.”
—
Science Fiction Chronicle
Ace Books by William C. Dietz
GALACTIC BOUNTY
FREEHOLD
PRISON PLANET
IMPERIAL BOUNTY
ALIEN BOUNTY
McCADE’S BOUNTY
DRIFTER
DRIFTER’S RUN
DRIFTER’S WAR
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
BODYGUARD
THE FINAL BATTLE
WHERE THE SHIPS DIE
STEELHEART
BY BLOOD ALONE
BY FORCE OF ARMS
DEATHDAY
EARTHRISE
FOR MORE THAN GLORY
FOR THOSE WHO FELL
RUNNER
LOGOS RUN
WHEN ALL SEEMS LOST
WHEN DUTY CALLS
AT EMPIRE’S EDGE
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
EARTHRISE
An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2002 by William C. Dietz.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
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375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
eISBN : 978-1-101-50033-0
ACE
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For Marjorie, with all my love.
1
DEATH DAY MINUS 80
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020
Man is born free: and everywhere he is in chains.
—JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
The Social Contract
, 1762
HELL HILL
The sun had risen, the early-morning air was crisp, and Manning could see his breath. From his vantage point, standing atop the vast stack of cargo modules known as “Big Pink,” he could also see a generous swath of the strange almost surreal landscape in which he and thousands of slaves had been forced to live during the last few months. Months that felt like years.
What he and everyone else referred to as “Hell Hill” was located on a finger of land once known as Governors’ Point, located just south of the once thriving city of Bellingham, Washington. A place that had once been home to a well-respected state college, a small but charming central business district, and a population willing to trade the hectic pace of a city like Seattle for the pleasures of kayaking on Puget Sound, snowboarding on Mount Baker, and hiking in the Cascades.
But that was prior to February 28, 2020, the day that the Saurons destroyed the cities of New York, Paris, Moscow, Madrid, Cairo, Beijing, Sydney, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Tehran, and New Delhi.
The worst damage was inflicted by powerful energy cannons mounted on Sauron spaceships. Dreadnoughts that measured almost a mile in length, were more than two thousand feet wide, and carried upward of twenty thousand aliens plus the slaves required to support them.
Though unable to descend through the atmosphere, the largest battleships had no difficulty firing their weapons from space itself. Earth’s atmosphere shrieked in protest each time a bolt of energy tore through the air. Those located within a half mile of the impact experienced a chest-thumping concussion, and if they were fortunate enough to survive, could watch skyscrapers topple, bridges collapse, and entire neighborhoods erupt into flame. The fires spread to suburbs, grasslands, forests, and jungles. Soon the entire planet was wrapped in a blanket of thick gray smoke.
But that was little more than the beginning. Confused by the nature of the attack, and uncertain as to who the instigators had been, the humans turned on each other. The cities of Bombay and Islamabad were consumed by mushroom-shaped clouds, while three neighboring countries launched subnuclear missiles at Israel.
All of this occurred not over a period of months, not over a period of weeks, but in a matter of
three days.
Nor was the attack over when the orbital shelling finally ended. That’s when the Saurons employed space-to-surface missiles against hardened military installations, when the systematic carpet bombing started, and when swarms of manta-shaped alien attack ships sought to clear the skies, roads, and freeways of human life.
With the exception of assets which their superiors had identified as potentially useful, the Sauron pilots destroyed anything that moved, including airplanes, trucks, cars, and the long ragged columns of refugees that snaked out of the cities searching for shelter.
More than 3 billion people died, enough to eliminate any immediate resistance, but not so many as to drive the human race to the edge of extinction.
No, the Saurons were careful to stop short of complete annihilation, not because they had a system of ethics, but because they
needed
the survivors. Needed slaves to construct the enormous citadel-like fortresses within which a new generation of Saurons would hatch, each killing its progenitor during the birth process, and each taking its place within the complex racial hierarchy upon which the alien culture had been built. A social structure in which each caste had a distinct function: The Zin governed, the Kan fought, and the Fon performed menial work, or
would
have performed menial work had it not been for the diminutive Ra ‘Na, a slave race upon which the aliens were heavily dependent.