She kissed him—deeply—and only let go once he was gasping for air.
"I love you, Bay Ben-Ari."
He smiled. "I know."
The speakers on the Byzantium beeped. Fillister, who was installed into the system, spoke urgently.
"Row! Row, you better come to the bridge!"
Bay and Rowan left the galley, ran down the corridor, and burst onto the bridge.
They saw it at once.
One monitor showed a graphic of Earth, including the position of the basilisk warships. Those warships were now firing on the planet.
"Earth is under attack!" Rowan said. "We have to go back! We have to join the fight! We—"
"Row!" Fillister cried from the speakers. "Behind us!"
A new monitor lit up, this one showing a view from the stern. Rowan stared. She felt the blood drain from her face. Her heart sank.
"More ships arriving," she whispered.
For the briefest of instants, she dared to hope: Could these be allies?
She zoomed in on the image. And she saw them. And she could barely breathe.
A new fleet of Rattlers was flying toward Earth. There were thousands of the scaly warships, and a dreadnought flew at their lead. Rowan had the sinking feeling that Xerka herself was leading that fleet.
Then she saw the others.
Another armada was flying there too. A host of silvery, dagger-shaped warships. Aelonian warships! They had once been human allies. Now they flew in Xerka's army.
More fleets appeared. Alien fleets. Crystal ships. Bulging organic ships. Ships of dark iron with claws and spikes. The ships of seven alien civilizations were flying toward Earth. Thousands of warships. An unholy alliance, following the basilisks to war.
This fleet had one purpose, Rowan knew.
To destroy Earth.
"It's begun," Rowan whispered. "The War for Earth. The true war. The one we were always preparing for."
Bay squared his shoulders. "And we will fight."
Rowan held his hand, then turned toward the dashboard. She tapped a few buttons, opening a communication channel to every ship in her fleet.
"This is Major Rowan Emery. A few moments ago, the basilisk fleet began a massive bombardment campaign on Earth. Several other hostile fleets, belonging to basilisks and other species, are heading toward Earth to join the assault. There are one hundred thousand refugees aboard the Porter. At this moment, you are all soldiers in the war for Earth. Friends, we are going to join the fight. Every last one of us. We are going home. Godspeed, sons and daughters of Earth."
She closed the channel.
She held the yoke and pushed down the throttle.
The Exodus Fleet flew to Earth. To death and war. To a memory of sunlight and a dream of peace.
The story continues in The Song of Earth (Children of Earthrise V).
Click here to read the next book in the series:
DanielArenson.com/TheSongOfEarth
AFTERWORD
Thank you for reading The War for Earth. I hope you enjoyed the novel.
Want to know when I release new books? Here are some ways to stay updated:
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And if you have a moment, please review The Heirs of Earth (the first novel in the series) on Amazon. Help other science fiction readers and tell them why you enjoyed reading. Leave your review here.
Thank you again, dear reader, and I hope we meet again between the pages of another book.
Daniel
NOVELS BY DANIEL ARENSON
Earth Alone
Earth Lost
Earth Rising
Earth Fire
Earth Shadows
Earth Valor
Earth Reborn
Earth Honor
Earth Eternal
CHILDREN OF EARTHRISE
The Heirs of Earth
A Memory of Earth
An Echo of Earth
The War for Earth
The Song of Earth
The Legacy of Earth
THE MOTH SAGA
Moth
Empires of Moth
Secrets of Moth
Daughter of Moth
Shadows of Moth
Legacy of Moth
KINGDOMS OF SAND
Kings of Ruin
Crowns of Rust
Thrones of Ash
Temples of Dust
Halls of Shadows
Echoes of Light
REQUIEM
Dawn of Dragons Requiem's Song
Requiem's Hope
Requiem's Prayer
The Complete Trilogy
Song of Dragons Blood of Requiem
Tears of Requiem
Light of Requiem
The Complete Trilogy
Dragonlore A Dawn of Dragonfire
A Night of Dragon Wings
The Complete Trilogy
The Dragon War A Legacy of Light
A Birthright of Blood
A Memory of Fire
The Complete Trilogy
Requiem for Dragons Dragons Lost
Dragons Reborn
Dragons Rising
The Complete Trilogy
Flame of Requiem Forged in Dragonfire
Crown of Dragonfire
Pillars of Dragonfire
The Complete Trilogy
ALIEN HUNTERS
Alien Hunters
Alien Sky
Alien Shadows
OTHER WORLDS
Eye of the Wizard
Wand of the Witch
Firefly Island
The Gods of Dream
Flaming Dove
KEEP IN TOUCH
www.DanielArenson.com
Daniel@DanielArenson.com
Facebook.com/DanielArenson
Twitter.com/DanielArenson
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
AFTERWORD
NOVELS BY DANIEL ARENSON
KEEP IN TOUCH
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