Archaea (28 page)

Epilogue

As I watched him lift off in my gig, I couldn't believe the way I felt, the shame and horror at the way I was treated, at the ingratiating way I had to pretend to be someone other than who I am, someone weaker.

When the Archaea dodged our opening salvos, I swore that I would have our gunnery officer's head on my desk, but when all torpedoes were destroyed, all turret fire neutralized, and we were obviously being out-performed by a ship that clearly had nothing to lose, charging full speed against a destroyer... I knew my brief moment of command, my time in the sun, finally out from the shade of fat, undeserving slugs who couldn't appreciate the glory of their position – I knew what I was seeing on our screen was the end.

The unbelievable shame I felt when I retreated to the stern hold, and set a guard on my final bunker, when I knew I was essentially abandoning my men, that I was shaming my position and giving up, relinquishing the mantle of leadership. Clicking the binders to my wrists, I knew I would only have one chance, one opportunity to get back, to recapture what was mine.

Watching him lift off towards wherever he was going, I vowed that nothing would stop me – nothing would stand in my way from revenge. I would see Captain Smith dead, but I would see him beg for his life first. I was going to get everything I was owed, I was going to get everything I wanted. Nothing was going to stop me...nothing.

Afterword

I woke up one morning, head bursting with ideas for this book. They were maddening, ricocheting around and around through my head – I felt like I had to write this book, to let the story escape.

I wrote it laughing, enjoying every moment. I had chills, goosebumps, at one point my eyes teared up and I almost couldn't go on – but the story had grabbed me, and refused to let me go.

I didn't feel like I was writing it; so much as I felt that I was reading it, experiencing it, watching it unfold. This story very quickly grew to consume my every waking free moment. Late into the night I watched it on my eyelids, and it was the first thing on my mind the moment I woke up.     

It was an epic adventure for me, one that I can't wait to continue...