The Human Insurgency by J. Kirsch

ones were dead.
    A note from Mom and Dad finally arrived, the best
piece of paper ever made as far as I cared or knew. Jobe had gone
to the enormous trouble of acquiring a frame for me to hold my
sacred letter by exploiting the refugee camp's thriving black
market. I kept it close. Tonight as I snuggled up against Jobe,
ignoring the sweat freezing along my arms, I inspected the
lacquered frame in the swaying lantern-light. I re-read what was
inside it for the trillionth time:
    Dear Kitty-Kat. Your mother and I are overjoyed to
hear that you are safe and sound. I'm almost too overwhelmed to
write. We love you so much. Please share this with your sister if
she hasn't received the letter we sent. Tell Myla how much we love
and miss her. Details can wait. Just tell us, when are you coming
home?
    Home. The idea of it had become something bigger.
This whole planet we called 'Earth,' maybe that was the best
definition of 'home.' Humans, despite a cruel situation, had begun
treating each other like family. The war wasn't over yet, and who
was to say that this feeling of universal kinship would last any
longer than the alien threat? But the very idea that it could exist
gave me a feeling of hope, like a girl about to dip her head
underneath a waterfall on a scorched afternoon.
    Humans might not be the noblest of creatures, but
under crisis we had formed a unique alliance, and not just between
ourselves. Jobe cocooned me in his warmth as I shifted in bed. I
daydreamed, realizing that the face of that alien leader on the
mother ship remained deeply etched in my mind. Would we meet again?
Curiosity and hope won out over fear, and dreams seemed rimmed with
possibility.
     
     
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Author's Note:
     
Thank you for reading my story. Please take a moment
to write a review at Smashwords to share thoughts or give it a
thumbs up! It's always rewarding to hear from readers. This story
would not have been possible without the encouragement of K.G.
McAbee, Jerry Nicholls, and many others to whom I'm very
grateful.
     
Please feel free to visit my science fiction/fantasy
blog, Starfarers and
Knights , for updates on my latest projects.
     
Also check Smashwords to buy the Omega
Station omnibus , a complete collection of science
fiction stories by authors K.G. McAbee, J. A. Johnson and (yours
truly) J. Kirsch, which chronicle an exciting futuristic world on
the edge of known space.
     

About the Author of Human Insurgency
     
J. Kirsch lives in the Carolinas with a lovely
spouse and a noticeably cute canine. J. has always enjoyed
story-telling, perhaps thanks to the two librarians who raised J.
on a steady diet of imagination. When not helping others do
research, J. can usually be found at the local Barnes & Noble
typing up a storm. J.'s adventures into writing and publishing
began after completing the NanoWriMo challenge for novel-writing.
J. enjoys writing in all genres of fiction, but science fiction and
fantasy (often with a good dose of romance) will always be J.'s
first loves.