Prologue
Alan stood straight like an arrow. Sir Oriol walked down the line of Junior officers and stopped directly in front of him.
“You've been chosen for this mission because someone thinks you are the best,” the man said, eyes locking on Alan as if trying to make him falter. Instead he stood straighter, and Sir Oriol continued down the line. “As you know, we are here to stop the war on Altura from spreading to this planet. The people here are much like us. They call their home Earth.
“The inhabitants of this planet do not need to suffer from our war. We are to move in, eliminate the threat, and move out before the Earth people realize the truth. They are not as educated in the universe as we are. They do not know there is other life beyond their own. We do not want to start a widespread panic.
“All of you have been chosen to take on a team of these Earth humans. You are to train them and use their knowledge to help us stop the Gelandrosimbol and Basatlavan from winning this battlefield. Each of you have been given the coordinates of your team. Our forces will be focusing in on an area referred to as the Midwestern United States of America. Do all of you understand your mission?”
“Yes, Sir Orioltogorthan,” all of the Juniors said in unison.
“Best of luck to you all then,” Sir Oriol said, saluted, and then left the launching bay. But not before giving Alan one last dark look. He leaned in and whispered, “And you can be sure your father will know about everything that happens.”
Alan shook it off. Whether Sir Oriol believed in him or not would not stop him from going on this mission. There was personal business for him to attend to on Earth. The woman Alan was betrothed to was on the planet somewhere. Ultimately, his mission was to find her and bring her back to their home world again. She'd gone missing, and his gut told him she was involved in the war. It was the reason he'd joined the military to begin with.
One step at a time of course. First he would find his chosen charges on Earth. Then he would find the woman he loved more than anything. No one knew for certain if she was on Earth. Having charges would give him an excuse to explore the planet in search of her. His assigned coordinates programmed into his travel guide, he checked to make sure his atmospheric shield was fully charged. These devices would make sure he got to his destination, and that he did so safely.
Stepping towards the launch director, he took in one last deep breath to calm any final nerves.
“Sir Alanmendiquixanimackle, are you ready?” the director asked.
He nodded. “Send me to Earth.”