I’ve been finding it a little tricky to post snippets from The Concordia Deception. So much happens in the first few chapters it’s difficult to avoid posting spoilers. So rather than feature an extract from chapter two I decided to simply continue on from the previous snippet. Cariad and Ethan are on their way from the colony ship, Nova Fortuna, to the planet surface, where the Naming Ceremony is soon to take place. 

The Concordia Deception is book one in my new Space Colony One series. As you might have guessed, this series is about humanity’s first deep space colony. The Concordia Deception comes out on 21st June 2018 as part of the Galactic Genesis box set. Book two, The Fila Epiphany will be published a month later in July, so you won’t have to wait too long to find out what happens to the characters. 

The prequel to Space Colony One is Night of Flames, which you can download free here. 

I hope you enjoy the snippet!

Chapter One (cont.)

They sped through the entrance and across the wide shuttle bay to the station at the very end, where a single shuttle stood, its ramp down. An attendant appeared as they approached and took Ethan’s case to stow it in the hold. The passenger cabin was nearly full but they managed to find two seats together, where they sat and caught their breath as the pilot made the final checks and sealed the hatch.

“I can’t believe I almost missed the ceremony,” said Ethan when his breathing had returned to normal and the shuttle was maneuvering from the bay. “What would I have told my grand kids when I’m old and gray? I’d have to make something up. Oh yes, grandpa had a front row seat and saw everything. The Leader forgot her words three times! No, that’s no good. I’d have to think up something more interesting than that.”

“Whatever you made up,” Cariad replied, “it would likely be more interesting than the actual ceremony. I know it’s a momentous occasion and all, but I’m not looking forward to it. Our new Leader’s capacity for monotonous droning has to be some kind of record.”

“Didn’t you know that’s an essential requirement?” Ethan asked, straight-faced. “The candidates take a test after nomination. If they can’t drone monotonously for at least four hours straight, they’re not allowed to stand for election.”

Cariad chuckled, but when her laughter subsided she said in a serious tone, “I still think it should be you up there speaking today. It’s what most people want. They look up to you. You would make a great Leader.”

“Uh, no, I wouldn’t. And I don’t want that anyway.”

Her friend began to look uncomfortable as he always did when she mentioned the issue, so Cariad let it slide. She would only be stating the obvious. The facts were plain: Ethan had saved hundreds of colonists’ lives practically single-handed during the First Night Attack, when a sabotage on the planet surface had led to an invasion of predatory native wildlife. Everyone knew of Ethan’s heroism, though the man’s role had never been formally acknowledged. The Gens and even some of the Woken would have felt safer with Ethan in charge, but his self-effacement wouldn’t allow him to even contemplate the notion.

“It’s a pity you can’t be Leader,” said Ethan. “You would be perfect for the job. Plenty of people would vote for you.”

“No,” Cariad replied. “It’s right that none of the Woken can stand for election. We’re from the old world. The new world belongs to you Gens. We’re only here to help with the transition.”

Ethan tutted and shook his head. “But if it weren’t for you—”

Cariad placed a hand on his arm. “We’ve talked about this often enough already. Let’s not go over it again, huh?”

He was referring to her actions that terrible night of the attack. She’d figured out how to repel the predatory organisms, but he always overstated her role. It wasn’t her who nearly died saving others. What was more, Ethan was wrong to think that the Gens would countenance a Woken as Leader. Gens viewed the Woken with a mixture of suspicion, envy, and animosity. The friendship between her and Ethan was rare.

The window covers around the passenger cabin opened and retracted. The shuttle had entered the atmosphere of the planet and would be landing soon. Cariad looked out at the view of the blue and green dome beneath them and wondered what the planet would be called.

They dropped lower. The settlement was coming into view. At the center of the small town of prefabricated houses Cariad could see the open-air stadium. Within it, she could make out the tiny moving figures of what had to be more than two thousand people. The surrounding streets were empty.

Beyond the town, a low jungle of vegetation spread out. The life forms that had attacked the first night’s camp had come from among the plants, and now a well-maintained electric fence and regular patrols protected against a reenactment of that terrible event. Cariad recalled the digging of the first cemetery afterward with sorrow.

To one side of the settlement the rest of Nova Fortuna’s shuttles stood in short, neat rows, and standing out among them was the sleek, shiny shuttle that belonged to the Guardians, the most recent arrivals at the planet. Their ship, Mistral, humanity’s first faster-than-light starship, hung in orbit above the new world like Nova Fortuna did, though Cariad had never been to it. The Guardians hadn’t invited any of the Woken or Gens aboard. It was odd, but no one dared to challenge them on the subject.

The shuttle was making its final descent, and Cariad realized that the normally talkative Ethan hadn’t spoken for most of the flight. He looked pensive as he gazed out at the rapidly approaching shuttle pad.

“Thinking about your new life?” she asked. “Have you received your allotment yet?”

“I haven’t, no,” he replied. “That’s tomorrow, I think. All the farmers have a meeting in the morning. I expect they’ll tell us then.”

“Is there any area you’d prefer? The lake area looks pretty.”

He shrugged. “I don’t really mind what they give me. The work will be the same. Clear the land, plow, sow, reap, just as people always did on Earth.”

“You don’t seem too happy about it.”

The cabin intercom chimed. “We have safely touched down,” said the pilot. “Welcome to your new home and new life.”

His announcement was met with cheers and applause. For some of the passengers, it was their first time on the planet. If they worked in a profession that had kept them aboard Nova Fortuna, they might not have had the opportunity to go down to the surface up until then, but everyone was invited to the Naming Ceremony.

“Disembark from the rear,” the pilot instructed them. “That’s the cool zone. And no pushing. You have plenty of time to get to the stadium before the ceremony begins.”

Thanks for reading this week’s Saturday Snippet. Read the next part of the story here.