As you can tell from the date of my last posting, it's been a while since my last blog post. This is because I have been focusing my efforts on editing the first volume in my "Find Your Truth" series, "Your Truth is Out There." Even so, I've had to delay the release date a couple of times, mainly for reasons that have little to do with the book itself. I'm expecting to release the book sometime in the first quarter of 2015.
In the meantime, here's a short excerpt. Comments welcome!
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In the back of his mind, it had always been one of Alcorn's greatest fears that someone would endanger his family, that they would attempt to use them to compromise his position, particularly as he climbed higher in rank. He had just always assumed the coward behind such an act would actually be from somewhere on planet Earth.
Janny.
She had always been his greatest strength. Whenever he needed someone to turn to, to lean on, or more often than not, someone to stand up to him and tell him when he was wrong, she was the one who was always there for him. She was the strength behind, and within, the four stars on his shoulders.
Now, in this critical moment, he would not allow her to become his weakness—for her sake, not for his. She would never be able to bear it, knowing that she caused his downfall, even if it were beyond her control, as it was now. No, for her sake, he couldn't back down, nor let his guard down, not even for a second. But there was someone else to think about. He and Janny weren't the only family members involved.
"General, may I have a word with you?" It was Lhvunsa. He was so deep in his thoughts, he hadn't heard her approach.
"Of course," he said, as she took the seat next to him, "what's on your mind?"
"Reconciliation, General, reconciliation between you and your son."
Alcorn looked at Lhvunsa, then looked away.
"Yeah, after what you said back at Ricnor's headquarters, I kinda thought that might be the case. You wanna hear something funny, I've been thinking about it too."
"That's wonderful," said Lhvunsa, "so you'll talk to Theo, then?"
"I didn't say that."
Alcorn sighed. It was the sigh of a man carrying a heavy load, one that he'd carried for far too long a time, but couldn't yet put down. He looked back at Lhvunsa, even though the sight of her expectations pained him even more.
"There's too much you don't understand, Lhvunsa. I've caused too much pain and resentment in Theo for one conversation to magically make it all better."
"You're wrong about that General," said the green-skinned beauty. "I may not understand everything, but I do know that much."
Alcorn shook his head.
"You may be right, but even so, it wouldn't matter. Janny's kidnapping is my fault. Whether it was Ricnor or someone on Earth, it was bound to happen at some point and when it did, it was always going to be my fault. But that's not the worst of it. What I have to do next is, and it's something Theo will never forgive me for. It's better he think badly of me now, then to think well of me, possibly even forgive me and then have it all ripped away."
Lhvunsa nodded her head slowly, then without a word, stood up and started to walk away. Alcorn turned back to his thoughts and so didn't notice when she turned right back around and was now standing right next to him. She bent over and spoke into his ear in a voice as quiet as it was scornful.
"You may be right about some things, General," she said, "but here's something you don't know. Something you can't know, and that's what it feels like to have Ricnor squeezing you so tight with one arm that you can barely breath, while he's holding that spike of his at your throat with the other. All the while, using you to threaten the people you love into doing things they otherwise wouldn't do. That's what your Janny is feeling right now, General. That's what I know."
Alcorn turned around to look at the striking female, whose face was inches from his own. Her face a frozen glare, daring him to challenge her. Physically, she looked nothing like the woman he loved, but he clearly recognized his wife in the scolding he'd just received. He also recognized when he was on the wrong side of a losing argument.
"Oh for love of God," he said, "sit down before you make a scene and Theo sees you."
"If you think that's making a scene," said Lhvunsa, "you have no idea what I'm capable of, General."
"Of that I have no doubt," said Alcorn, his face a full-on frown. He looked away for a moment, then turned back to Lhvunsa, this time examining her much more closely, as if he were trying to analyze her, right down to her DNA.
"What in the name of the Gods, are you looking at?" she asked, even more irritation in her voice.
"I'm trying to figure out whether or not you're really a non-terrestrial," said Alcorn, "because you sound an awful lot like a certain Earth woman I'm married to."
Lhvunsa didn't flinch, nor even hesitate.
"I don't care what you think of me, General, nor do I care about all that has gone on between you and Theo. What I do care about is what your wife is going to see and feel when we show up to face Ricnor. Will she see a father and son divided or united? As someone who has been where she is now, I promise you, it will make all of the difference." She stood up, as if to leave, but looked at him with eyes that pierced straight to his soul. "Now, go and talk to you son."
"Is that an order, ma'am?"
"General, I'm not sure whether or not you noticed just how good my English is..."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have," said Alcorn, "but what does that have to do with anything?"
"In order to properly speak a language one must understand the culture in which it's spoken. To that end, I've studied your culture as well as your language, and in so doing, I found that when a woman gives a man a directive, such as I've just given you, there are only two words that are considered to be an acceptable answer."
"I'm all ears," said the General.
"I believe the response you're looking for General, is 'Yes, dear.'"
Alcorn laughed out loud in spite of himself and the horrific situation he and his family were in.
He stood up and bowed deeply to the lady with three arms and green skin who, despite their obvious physical differences, still somehow reminded him of his beloved Janny.
"Yes, dear," he said, with a smile.
As Lhvunsa made her way back to her husband's side, Alcorn straightened back up and watched, catching Gsefx watching him. Alcorn could feel and sense the empathy radiating from the gaze of the being he'd given his allegiance to, empathy that could only come from a being who knew exactly what he was going through, because Gsefx had experienced it himself. Alcorn silently nodded his acknowledgement, then turned to find his son.