Earth Rising - Dave Cole - Bog

L'atel hit the hyper-light control. His ship was seriously damaged but all the indicators seemed to suggest that the hyper-light would still work. If it failed to start, he and the human colonel in the seat beside him were both dead. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, the engines seemed to take forever to activate. As the seconds ticked away L'atel and Colonel Yeager were becoming convinced that something had gone seriously wrong. Just then, the stars disappeared. Are we alone? For ages humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered if there was anyone else out there. Five years ago that question had been answered a small group of aliens made an unscheduled crash landing on a Tennessee lake on live TV. As mankind adjusted to the knowledge of alien visitors, national leaders learned the more disturbing details. Aliens were not only here now but had been visiting Earth for thousands of years. In addition to being the unwitting hosts of off-world travelers, mankind had also been used as pawns in a galactic game of chess between two very advanced races. The action-packed follow up to Splashdown: First Contact? Earth Rising picks up five years after the events of Splashdown: First Contact?, in which L'atel, an alien cargo pilot, and six unauthorized passengers first arrived on Earth. While most of his passengers had eventually returned to their home-worlds, L'atel and one of his female passengers, Pan'niah, had chosen to remain on Earth. They married and settled in Las Vegas Nevada becoming the first two actual space aliens to hold a Resident Alien Card issued by the United States Government. Five years later, mankind is poised to become a part of the cosmic community. Alien technology is filtering into the consumer marketplace. Alliances have been formed and treaties signed. Soon, by hook or crook, mankind will have interstellar capability, despite the attempts of the Ebens to block us. Mankind is about to become much more than a pawn in that galactic chess game. But to the Ebens, who have played the part of the queen for thousands of years, there is no room on the board for anything but pawns, and they will do anything make sure that it stays that way. Five years ago we defied them, and they promised that we would regret it. Now it seems as though they are about to make good on that threat. A war is coming. Is mankind prepared for the fight?