Cover, Excerpt & Book Trailer
by Carl Alves
SEAL Mitch Grace was among the first humans to see the aliens when they landed at the naval base where he was stationed, but like the rest of humanity, he was powerless to stop them. Five years later, Mitch awakens from his coma under the care of an alien physician to find that aliens control the planet. Starting alone, as a one man army, he rallies the surviving humans to build a resistance movement to take the planet back from the alien conquerors. After his capture by the aliens, Mitch is forced into intergalactic slavery to become a gladiator, fighting as the sole representative of the human species. Against all odds and far from home, he lays the plans for the reconquest of his homeland.
Reconquest: Mother Earth is the thrilling combination of Red Dawn, Independence Day, and Gladiator.
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Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Sci Fi Thriller |
Excerpt & More
Purchase links: Amazon B&N
Excerpt:
Mitch Grace worked the grill in his kitchen like a seasoned professional, whipping up hash browns, sausage and eggs on his cast-iron skillet. Normally he would not cook such an elaborate breakfast, but this morning he was not dining alone.
The scent wafted through the small apartment. Wearing her powder blue bathrobe, Deborah kissed him lightly on the back of his neck. Her long brown hair was still damp from taking a shower. “What did I do to deserve you, Mr. Grace?” She peeked over his shoulder. “You’re too good to me.”
“That’s Lieutenant Grace to you. I’d like to refute your statement, but as the forefather of our great nation once said, I cannot tell a lie.” He turned and gave her a kiss.
“Smells great.”
“I’m using a special recipe I learned when I was out in Guam, lots of exotic spices. In a few minutes this bountiful feast will be all yours. Well yours and mine.” Mitch lowered the flame on the burner and began setting the table. “In that case, you’ll get nothing. This was a test and you failed miserably.”
“What are you going to do, take a stripe away from me?”
“I just might,” Mitch replied. “I know people in the Navy.”
“Fortunately the rest of the Navy doesn’t take the SEALs seriously. We think you’re a bunch of yahoos.”
They sat down to eat on the cozy wooden kitchen table. Mitch savored every bite, much better than anything he had eaten in Afghanistan. It felt strange being home after completing his second tour of duty. He had arrived in San Diego last night. Deborah had picked him up at the airport. They spent so much time away from each other, it was hardly ideal for a successful relationship. Deborah, a naval intelligence officer, had recently spent time in the Persian Gulf. Besides being his significant other, her high level of clearance in the navy allowed her to be privy to his missions.
Their time apart had been torture. In the middle of the war zone, no matter how tough things got, thinking of Deborah always pulled him through.
Upon his return, all Mitch wanted was a good meal and a good bottle of wine. He and Deborah had gone out to eat at one of their favorite restaurants in Little Italy. It felt so good to be back home, certainly better than wearing heavy gear in sweltering heat.
As they were doing dishes, he said, “Maybe we should do it. You know, tie the knot, make it official. I wouldn’t make you change your name if you didn’t want to.”
Deborah put down the wet dishrag. “We’ve been down this road before. What kind of marriage can we have if each of us is going to be in Timbuktu for God knows how long? You know I love you. I absolutely do, but being in a relationship with you is trying. There are nights when I can’t sleep because I’m worried sick that some terrorist is going to ignite a bomb and kill you.”
Deborah had been married and divorced once. Her ex-husband was a car salesman who had not been able to handle her being away so often, finding solace with another woman. She had explained to Mitch that she had been young and naïve, thinking her ex-husband would love her enough to stick with her even when her schedule got difficult. To her credit, she made the divorce quick and painless, and moved on with her life.
“If that happened would you be any less heartbroken if we weren't married?”
“No.” Deborah closed her eyes. “But my idea of getting married would mean to raise a family and have a house with a white picket fence. When I made my career choice, I knew that would be difficult. I’ve already tried once unsuccessfully. If we’re going to be married, I don’t want to be away from you for so long.”
“Then I’ll quit.”
“I don’t want you to quit. You’re the best of the best. It would be selfish for me to let you quit just so that I could have you at home. What you do is more valuable than anything you could do in the private sector or in another branch of the military.”
“And all this time I thought you hated us SEALs. What did you say the first time we met? All we do is smash and bash everything in front of us?”
Deborah smiled. “But you do it so well.”
“Maybe I don’t have to quit. I just finished my second tour. They won't send me back again unless I petition for a third tour, not to mention the war efforts are winding down. I could become a full-time instructor. If now isn’t a good time to get married, then when is?”
Deborah shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Mitch sensed he had struck a nerve. “You have to concede that the timing is good.”
“You know the statistics. Most SEAL marriages don’t last more than a few years.”
“We’ll make it work. I love you.”
“Yeah, but who knows what the future will bring?” Deborah asked.
Mitch gestured wildly with his hands. “We’ll deal with the future later. Let’s deal with the here and now. So, are we going to do this?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe? I just argued a great case, counselor, and all you could give me is a maybe.”
Deborah asked questions about the logistics of a wedding, and Mitch had an answer for each of her concerns.
“So is this a proposal?”
Mitch pulled out a one carat diamond ring from his pants pocket. Just then his phone rang. Only important calls came in on this cell phone.
Mitch felt torn between love and duty. He searched Deborah’s eyes.
“Answer it,” she said after the second ring.
He answered. For nearly a minute he did not say anything. “Okay…Can you tell me what it is? It’s happening right now…I’ll be there.” Mitch frowned and turned to Deborah. “This isn’t happening the way I planned it.”
She chuckled. “Does it ever? So what’s the emergency?”
Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know. It was Peter Estabrook. He said that it was an extreme emergency involving national security. Whatever's going on has to be huge. Estabrook sounded…scared.”
“Huh. That’s not reassuring.”
Deborah’s cell phone rang, and she answered. After thirty seconds she hung up. “Well, it looks like whatever this emergency is, I’m involved too.”
“Let’s go to the base. I’ll drive.” He put the diamond ring back in his pocket. It would have to wait.
After putting on their uniforms, Mitch and Deborah hardly spoke on the drive to the naval base. Estabrook had not given much detail on the phone, which meant the situation was grave.
He put on a news station. The governor of California was giving a speech on his plan to fix California’s economy.
As they pulled into the base, he asked Deborah, “Are you ready for this?”
“I certainly hope so.”
~~~~~~
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