Humankind: Book 1 in the Invasion Day series Read online

  Humankind

  Book #1 in the Invasion Day series

  By LC Morgans

  Copyright 2015 LC Morgans

  All rights reserved

  This book is also available in print at all Amazon outlets.

  LICENCE NOTES

  This ebook is licenced for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please destroy it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art by LC Morgans

  Cover photograph © NejroN Photo, courtesy of www.bigstock.com

  For those who love us, and those who don’t.

  Because in the end, neither will matter.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  A Brief History of Earth, humankind, and its demise

  Glossary of terms, and general information regarding the Thrakorian reign

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  About the Author

  A Brief History of Earth, humankind, and its demise.

  “The human race will ultimately be responsible for its own demise. It is with great certainty that I alert you of this now, and you heed my warnings. What we have called the ‘benefits culture’ for hundreds of years has caused profound chaos to our world and its economy, and it is damage I fear we will not return from.” President of the USA, Harold Chant, the year 2465.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  “We need to find alternative fuels and a cure for overpopulation. But short of a miracle or genocide, I fear it’s too late…” Queen Anastasia of England, the year 2989.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  In the year 3030 an alien species known as the Thrakorian’s attacked Earth. On Invasion Day, the extraterrestrial race invaded the planet by force, however such influence was not needed. The Thrakorian’s took control easily from the indigenous race that foolishly believed they possessed it, and any who opposed the new reign were killed instantly. Many were slain publicly to demonstrate that the invaders weren’t interested in taking prisoners, and some lives were taken just show how uninterested the Thrakorian’s were in negotiation with the leaders of the old world. Soldiers stormed the streets, homes, businesses, schools and churches. They obliterated over half of all the human population on their first wave, and then enslaved the rest who would go on to either work or die under their new leader, King Kronus. They had travelled millions of light-year’s to Earth for the invasion, and the mission was carried out with precision and tact. It was by all accounts an easy harvest, and the humans were left ashamed by their lack of fight—and rightly so.

  Thraks looked human, and spoke their various languages, but soon replaced the previously adopted concepts of both nationality and race with a simplified version. Those who survived were given one language to speak exclusively—English, and were henceforth simply called ‘humans.’

  Their lives as they once knew were shattered by the new powerful regime. In the days that followed, humans were split into classes and sectors, microchipped like cattle, and put to work. None could match the strength, skill and intellect of the Thrakorian race, and their technology far surpassed that which the humans had once believed to be innovative and impressive.

  From that day forward, every human knew their place, and they would learn to be grateful for all their powerful masters had given them, or else suffer. The foolish, lazy, burdens on society previously used to getting a free meal and a roof given to them died in the streets, while their hardworking neighbors were rewarded with food and shelter. Only those who worked for their amenities thrived, and the benefits culture was no more. Credits replaced currency, and the only way to get them, was to earn them.

  Nothing was the same again, and their leaders enjoyed the order of things in their newly created world. Slaves were aplenty, and there was much work to be done, so every human had a role to play. They either did it willingly, or died defying their powerful masters.

  King Kronus had never once doubted the success of his mission, and quickly took his place on high for all to adore and worship, or else refuse and perish.

  Rebels rose up to challenge his reign, and most were eliminated with no effort at all, but some remained. There would always be those who fought the regime, but the Thrakorian’s loved a good hunt, so didn’t mind one little bit.

  And so began a new era on Earth, where a savior came from the heavens, but at what cost?

  Glossary of terms, and general information regarding the Thrakorian reign.

  Earth’s new class structure (in descending order):

  King Kronus

  Kings Guard Service (a separate entity to the regular Thrakorian army consisting of its highest honored members.)

  Thrakorian Royal Armed Forces

  Thrakorian civilians

  Mixed-breeds (those whose families were forged years before Invasion Day to establish a presence on Earth prior to the arrival of their species. Many ensured they were appointed heads of state, or elected Kings and Queens of countries due to be overruled by King Kronus on his arrival.)

  Gentry (Humans with extraordinary talent, intellect or skill worthy of a higher standing above all others of their race. They are handpicked by the King’s chief advisors, and are expected to work hard if they want to keep their place. Many were branded as traitors to their race, while most were envied for the strength of will and readiness to serve—and their sinister tactics were well rewarded.)

  Human Royal Armed Forces (dependent on rank)

  Human upper-class

  Human middle-class

  Human lower-class

  Convicts (those tried and judged by the Lawbringer for crimes against their King. They are treated like vermin, and ordered to work for nothing but basic food and shelter rations in service to their overlords, and housed in specialized areas away from the general human population. In return for training and further provisions, many well-behaved convicts are often given more responsibility if they show willingness and repentance for their crimes.)

  Rebels (the lowest of all humans, and considered to be of zero worth to the Thrakorian reign. They are hunted down and killed on sight, while their sympathizers are gunned down or exiled in the arid lands formerly known as South America, where the radioactive atmosphere and barren landscape offered nothing but a long and painful death.)

  ~~~~~~~~~

  Human Royal Armed Forces rank structure (in descending order):

  Gentry:

  General

  Elite Officers:

  Colonel

  Captain

  Secondary Soldiers:

  Lieutenant

  Sergeant

  Primary Soldiers:

  Corporal

  Recruit

 
Convict

  ~~~~~~~~~

  Thrakorian Royal Armed Forces rank structure (in descending order):

  King Kronus

  Kings Guard Service:

  (Only one of each title is awarded, and they are master’s of all soldier’s beneath them.)

  Chief of Defense

  Lawbringer (judge and juror of all who stray from the laws)

  Besieger (Capturer of rebels and rogues)

  Master Protector (the personal guard of the King)

  Marshals of the Army, Navy and Air force

  Regular Thrakorian Royal Armed Forces:

  Palodin (the highest rank bestowed on a soldier, given to those renowned for braveness, intellect, heroism and loyalty to the King.)

  Lorde (a superior warrior, respected and heralded for their mastery in their field or fields.)

  Duke (the strongest fighters and most experienced conqueror’s.)

  Sentinel (a soldier who guards their division and keeps watch over their comrades.)

  Inquisitor (a soldier who’s highly trained to seek out information, by any means necessary. Nothing is forbidden, and a long and painful death would come for any human who refuses them.)

  Master (regular soldiers who work alongside humans to ensure they are following orders and not deviating from their given class and sector.)

  ~~~~~~~~~

  Chapter One

  “Kyra. Why don’t you tell us your story of Invasion Day?” the kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Forrest, asked her with a wide, clearly glued-on smile. Kyra nodded and grinned back warmly at the woman, and took a breath, ready to begin her prepared speech. She was at the school for young human children to complete the final hour of the community service element of her high school diploma, and had to admit she hadn’t hated entertaining the kids at all. She worked hard in everything she did, but had enjoyed the days spent with the energetic boys and girls, so it hadn’t felt like work at all.

  Ever since the world had been taken over by an alien race, society had drastically changed, and so too had the upbringing of human children. Schooling was now more about what you could contribute to civilization than getting high grades, and in their final year the students were expected to show support to their community as part of their progression into adulthood. Kyra had chosen to be a teaching assistant to try and help those who might’ve been like she was once upon a time ago—alone and afraid in this big, wide world.

  “Absolutely,” she answered cheerily, and ushered for the children to pay attention. Every tiny face peered up at her from their places on the floor, and she said the same words she’d uttered time and again over her life under the new rule. “I was born in the year three-thousand-and-twenty-five. That means that when the Thrakorian’s came to Earth, I was five years old. I was asleep in my bed, of course, and my parents were downstairs in the lounge when our house was hit with some sort of explosive wave. At the time, I had no idea what was going on, just that the house was beginning to crumble and fall down around me. I was very scared, but I was also very brave. I went to find my parents, but sadly they’d both been killed.” The children all nodded in understanding, and Kyra found it a shame that they were already so desensitized to death. Orphans were unfortunately very common in her generation, and were almost treated like a separate level of society. They were raised in foster homes and given food and clothing, but were very low in the class system, and readily forgotten.

  Everyone alive on Invasion Day knew their story well, and were often called upon to retell it as a constant reminder of the day the Thrakorian’s had come to save Earth. Every natural resource had previously been exhausted, and overpopulation had caused the planet’s integrity to be forever compromised. It was a well-known fact that their world had been close to a cataclysmic event after all the damage humans had done to it over the many millennia they’d controlled it, and their race was now asked to evoke the guilt of generations forevermore via the retelling of their stories to the new ones.

  Although she was used to telling her story by now, the memory of finding her father’s burning body came back with a rush of nausea every time. Her mother’s pained stare when Kyra had watched the final breath leave her lungs still haunted her, and she never wished that visualization on anyone, so didn’t ever include that part in her retelling. She could still remember the awful smell of her dad’s burning flesh, but wouldn’t convey that to any of the children either.

  Kyra was convinced though that it was expected she should. She often wondered if the purpose of telling their Invasion Day stories was also to keep the fear of their invaders alive. The Thrakorian’s were a superior race to humans in every way, and had shown it by relentlessly murdering over half of the population the day they came to inform them they were taking over.

  She certainly wouldn’t forget that night, and for many other reasons than the strange combination of fear and gratitude. “I ran to my friend’s house down the street, but they too had been hit. I had no idea what was going on, but knew I had to find somewhere safe to hide, so I climbed up onto the roof of a nearby building and simply kept going. I climbed and jumped, edging my way through the shadows away from the sound of gunfire and shouting. Eventually, I found a beautiful garden terrace. It seemed so peaceful and well kept, as if someone had loved it once. The flowers were blooming and I stopped to catch my breath. That was when I heard what I thought was a helicopter approaching, but now I know it was a Thrakorian hovercraft.”

  “Whoa, did they land in the garden?” one of the children cried, holding his hand over his mouth in shock. Kyra nodded and grinned.

  “Yes, and I was so scared that I leapt into the nearest bush to hide. Sadly for me it was a rose bush, and the thorns cut into my skin so badly that I sat there and cried. I tried to keep quiet, but the man who’d left the craft heard me, and he came to see what was going on. He had armor on so the thorns didn’t cut him, and he pulled me free,” she told the sea of awestruck faces.

  She would never forget that moment, and instinctively put her hand on the scar in the shape of an X on her right cheekbone. There were more parts of that story she’d never told anyone, like how the man who’d helped her turned out not to be just any old soldier. He was one of the Thrakorian royals, and Earths new leader, King Kronus. His soft stare and caring hands had stayed with her even until now, and when he’d spoken it was with such a gentle, delicate tone she’d instantly forgotten about her cuts and bruises. Despite her fear, she’d edged closer when he reached out for her hand, and trusted him even though she had been given no reason to. He’d stretched inside the bush and soothed her with encouraging words and that wonderful stare, and then yanked her free from the tangle of thorns into his arms. Kronus had then removed his glove and stroked her face, wiping away the blood before planting a soft kiss on her other cheek.

  “The roses were trying to protect you,” he’d whispered in her ear a second later. “They just held you too tightly and you got hurt, but they didn’t mean it. This is just a kiss on the cheek from them, they don’t understand how to be kinder to little girls and their delicate skin.” Even now, she felt elation at the memory of his words and actions, but knew he’d probably forgotten all about her after he’d walked away.

  “So then what happened?” the same child asked, pulling Kyra from her reverie. She pushed her glasses further up her nose and urged the smile to come back to her face and replace her wistful look.

  “The Thrakorian soldiers took me to safety, and I was then given a place at a foster home for children orphaned in the invasion. They raised me, and I paid for their care by doing chores and helping take care of the babies and young children. When I started kindergarten, the foster home continued to take care of me. I’ll live there until I finish school and leave to train for my chosen career.”

  “That’s right, children,” the teacher interjected excitedly. “When Kyra graduates she is required to give her bed to another child in need of care and safety. Our society now is very different to what it used to
be, but does anyone know why?” The children raised their hands, and she picked a small girl to answer.

  “The alie.. I mean, Thrakorian’s, changed how our moms and dads work.”

  “Very good, however it is frowned upon to call them aliens. Why is that?” Mrs. Forrest asked her.

  “Because the term alien means someone who is foreign or doesn’t belong here. The Thrakorian’s saved the humans from a disastrous future, and we accepted the King for all his kindness and guidance. They belong here and we willingly share our world with them,” she replied in the monotonous tone of a rehearsed answer. Adult humans would be charged with defamation if a Thrak caught them saying that word, and the teacher had put it nicely to the child. It was more than just frowned upon, it was downright forbidden. Humans had been carted away or beaten publicly for degrading the Thraks by calling them visitors who didn’t belong on Earth. They saw themselves as Earth’s saviors, and expected to be treated as such.

  “Why else?” the teacher asked. Another bouncing child with her hand in the air was chosen to answer.

  “We don’t use money anymore. We have credits for food and utilities earned by working. When you leave school you start earning your own credits, before that our parents receive ours for us.”

  “Quite right. Every human in this new world has to work or else they starve. There are a few who’ve managed to live on the streets on scraps of food or stolen produce, but they are soon reprimanded and made to work off their debt, as well as begin a job in the lower sectors,” the teacher answered, wrinkling her nose. Kyra wondered if she’d always been such a snob, but then assumed Mrs. Forrest was well paid for her work so hadn’t had to worry about going hungry or not having enough credits for a warm bath or a lamp to read by. “Have you chosen your profession yet, Kyra?”