“What Kitty said.”
Chuckie grinned. “I’ll take it.”
We were heading for the gate that Andrews had in what it was now calling its Alien Craft Hangar, when Tim stepped through it. “There you guys are. Nicely done, Kitty.”
“What?”
He grinned. “Centaurion Division has people lined up for recruitment in pretty much every country. Your speech about not wanting to send kids in to die when you could handle it yourselves has apparently made all those kids and anyone else who’s ever dreamed of being in the military or going into space want to get in on the action. And their governments are encouraging it, particularly those governments who don’t have nukes and who, therefore, feel that they’re firmly on Big Queenie’s good side.”
“I’m going to regret giving myself that nickname, aren’t I?”
“Probably. We’re going to have to expand in order to train everyone. Just wanted you to know so that it didn’t catch you by surprise.”
Gave him a hug. “You’re the best, Megalomaniac Lad.”
“I am, it’s true. You guys need to go home, take showers—trust me on that—eat some food, be with your families, and get some sleep. Oh, Chuck, Angela had your parents brought out here, just in case. They’re at the Embassy along with pretty much everyone else who isn’t at the White House.”
“I’m definitely going to go home and shower and change, then, before I see my parents. I don’t think it’s good for them to see any of us looking like we do right now.” Chuckie hugged me, did the man hug thing with Jeff, got a fist bump from Tim, then Jeff calibrated the gate for him and he stepped through.
“Think he’ll move on now?” Tim asked.
“We can but hope, but yeah, I do. Where are you going?”
“Home. As in, the house you grew up in. My wife’s waiting, and before you beat yourself up, she was at Caliente Base for the last day or however long it’s been since we had to roll out to the Middle East. I want a home-cooked meal and to sleep in my own bed before the next round of crises hits. You know, tomorrow.”
We all laughed, Jeff and I both hugged Tim, then Jeff again calibrated the gate and Tim stepped through to Pueblo Caliente.
“Embassy first, showers first, or White House first?” Jeff asked as he spun the dial on the gate.
“Kids first. Well, kids and pets, since they’re basically a packaged deal these days.”
“Looking like this? You sure it won’t frighten them?”
“I’m sure.”
Jeff concentrated. “Huh. Siler’s already there. He must have gone straight to Lizzie.”
“Good. It’s where he belongs, with his daughter.”
Jeff put his arm around my waist as he finished calibrating our gate. “We saved the world, baby. And the galaxy.”
“No. We saved our children and everybody else’s children. So everyone gets to see what a brave new world really looks like.”
We walked through the gate. Resisted asking why we hadn’t used our Beaming Bling. Sometimes it was better to just go with the routine.
We weren’t in the Embassy. We were in the White House, in Jamie’s room. She had Charlie on her bed with her, along with literally every animal, domestic and space-foreign, we had. The K-9 dogs were here, too.
“Mommy! Daddy!” Jamie squealed. Charlie did the Happy Baby Bounce.
The sea of animals parted for us so we could get to the kids. Jeff picked up Jamie, I took Charlie, and we both hugged and kissed the heck out of them. “You did great,” Jeff said to her when the initial loving was over and he was passing her to me and taking Charlie for the next round. “I’m so proud of you for protecting your little brother.”
Jamie smiled at him, then looked at me and smiled a different smile. She looked like Mom did, any time she and I weren’t telling Dad something for his own good.
I laughed as I hugged her tightly and kissed her head. “Oh, our Jamie-Kat is the best girl in the world. In all ways. And,” I whispered to her as Jeff gave Charlie a short airplane ride, “I’m so proud of you. You really are your mother and grandmother’s girl.”
Jamie hugged me back, just as tightly. “Yes, Mommy, I am. And I always will be.”
Then we went in for one big family hug, interspersed with lots and lots of kisses, for what seemed like far too short a time. But it made surviving that much sweeter, and everything we’d had to do to save our alien nation worthwhile. It turned out that it was indeed good to be Big Queenie.
Available May 2017,
the fifteenth novel in the Alien series
from Gini Koch:
ALIEN EDUCATION
Read on for a sneak preview
“IT’S ANOTHER GREAT DAY on Good Day USA!” the perky morning show host shared enthusiastically. “Our first hour we focused on all the new alien races we’ve gotten to know over these past few months.” The audience dutifully applauded. “This next hour is going to be even better, though, folks. We can’t wait because we’re just so excited to announce our next special guest!” More audience applause.
Didn’t share any of their enthusiasm, but then again, I was the opposite of a morning person and was still wondering why I was awake at this hour. Also could not remember the host’s name, which was because, in part, I was never up to watch these shows and, in other part, I was never up because I wasn’t a morning person and therefore wasn’t sure I currently remembered my own name.
She was pretty and Hispanic and that was all I was getting, because my brain didn’t want to do any work beyond what my eyes were sharing. Was fairly sure her name started with a K, since that appeared to be a morning show requirement. My name started with a K, too. Perhaps, in another part of the multiverse, I was a morning show anchor. Though I sincerely doubted it.
Her handsome male cohost, whose name was also escaping me, nodded equally enthusiastically. He was perky, too. Obnoxiously so. “This is a guest everyone wants, who we’re really proud to have been able to bring to our viewers first, because we go out of our way to start your days right! Don’t we, Kristie?”
Bingo, and starting with a K. Now if I could only remember his name. The dudes’ names didn’t seem to have a letter requirement. Managed to remember that he was a former baseball player, so there was that. He reminded me a lot of the late Michael Gower—big, bald, black, and beautiful, with definite charisma. The audience was clapping again. Was pretty sure there was a sign somewhere telling them to do so.
“We sure do, Adam!” Kristie said, still sounding amazingly perky. Hurray for the requirement on these shows to use your fellow hosts’ names at least once every ten minutes. “You all know her as the First Lady of the United States. Coming out right now, here’s Code Name: First Lady, Katherine Katt-Martini!”