The Hannaria Series

Introduction to the Hannaria Series

2009-11-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Beginning with a set of short stories in 2007, The Hannaria Series has developed into a large generational sci-fi story shown through the first-person points-of-view of different characters.

In Book 1: Out of the Gray, readers meet two teenagers--Rica Miller and Alex Verin--who are both caught in the middle of a conflict between a race of aliens called Hannarians and a human political terrorist group called the Earth Independence Party.

In Book 2: Legacy, the connection between Hannaria's Ambassador Jernard and the Verin family is revealed in a two-part story (Part I taking place in 1999 and Part II picking up where Out of the Gray leaves off).

Book 3: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished will be available to read in rough-draft format in late 2009 and early 2010 before being published in paperback, Amazon Kindle, and Adobe Reader eBook fomats. Links to chapters will be posted on Gather.com through The Hannaria Series Group, which you can view and subscribe to by clicking here.

Bonus Online-Only Content:

You can find The Hannaria Series and all of my other published books at these links:

More of my short stories and articles can be found for free at the following websites:

Prologue to Book 1: Out of the Gray

2009-11-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Introduction by Rica Miller

When I was five years old, my adopted mother used to tell me fairy tales to help me fall sleep. In them, you always knew who was right and who was wrong. It was clear-cut, just as the fact that good always won in the end.

In real life, there are a lot of men and women who walk a gray line, believing that it will keep them safe. Some stay on this line for so long they even forget who they are—sometimes for the better but more often for the worse.

You see, the gray is nothing more than an illusion. Whether you know it or not, your decisions are always sliding you in one direction or the other. Then one day something wakes you up, and you realize where your choices have brought you.

Whether good won out this time or not will be a matter of your perspective. The reality is choices were made on both sides to get us to this point, and harder choices will have to be made to determine what happens next. The problem is people are only getting one side of the story—the side they want you to know.

This is difficult for me because I have gained and lost so much in this past year that I haven't had time to fully comprehend it. I haven't even had time to grieve, but there’s too much at stake right now for me to just sit things out.

I also know what it's like to be afraid. I didn't even know I was a Hannarian until a year ago, so I do understand. I just want you to know that there’s nothing to fear from them—from us. What's going on right now isn’t what you think.

I have no reason to lie to you, and I hope you won't let a small difference in our DNA cause you to shut out what I'm about to tell you. You need to know the truth and understand why things happened the way that they did.

Whether you decide to trust me or not, you still need to get out of the gray—out of that fog of indecision that's clouding your thinking. If you don't, we are all going to lose.

Introduction by Alex Verin

I was taught to believe that the Hannarians were Earth's enemies only pretending to be our friends. For a long time, I believed it. Then I overhead some things I wasn't supposed to hear.

When the Hannarians arrived on Earth on September 30^th, 2113, many people believed that it meant a new chapter for our planet—or the beginning of the end of it. The event itself changed the entire legacies and directions of several human families, including my own.

These aliens were not what people had expected. Instead of the small gray-skinned creatures of pop culture, they looked a lot like us—with the exception of having an inner glow in their eyes that seemed to intensify in certain situations.

The dilemma of whether to trust the Hannarians divided Earth, with both sides passionate about what they believed would happen once contact was reestablished. Seven years later, a global political alliance known as the Earth Independence Party—EIP for short—was formed in the United States and began to gain momentum in almost every nation on the planet.

When Hannaria’s Ambassador returned to Earth on August 4^th, 2133, those old enough to remember the original event were astounded that the he had not physically aged. It was explained to him by members of the UN that we had no diplomatic consensus on becoming allies because Earth was many peoples and governments, which was a contrast to his planet's rule by one emperor. This news didn’t seem to bother him, and he explained that his government was patient and that he would do his best to explain what they could offer to us as a planet or even as individual countries.

Many generations later, my father Adam Verin was a senior representative and part of the EIP. After the 2300 Congressional elections, the EIP controlled almost a forth of the United States House and Senate. The Democratic and Republican parties were still divided on Hannarian issues even after 187 years of contact, and the EIP had used this to their advantage for several decades to leverage into almost equal power.

The problem however was how this one done, first by smearing opponents and then outright intimidating them. All of this occurred through small but well-funded radical factions and never fell back on its official leadership, even when senior leaders in the party were well aware of it. Even my father had looked the other way on some unethical things that helped him get his position, although he didn't know I knew this.

It may be hard to understand, but the choices I made were because of the seeds of doubt that were haunting me prior to this past year. Despite the fact I knew it was possible the Hannarians could take over the planet and feared them, I came to another realization that was much more terrifying.

What if we were becoming something worse?

Portia Robers--GBN Broadcast Report for November 12th 2300

2009-05-22T04:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to 'Live at Noon'--I'm Portia Roberts. Today is Monday, November 12, 2300.

Our top story: Despite an unprecedented number of protesters, diplomatic negotiations between the United States Congress and Hannaria's ambassador continue today at the Johnson Memorial Building in Washington, D.C. Top items listed on the agenda include an update on the progression of the Space Station Destiny project--now set to be completed in early February of 2302--and the annual debate over the proposed amendment to the Technology Agreement of 2113 to allow the use of Hannarian medical scanners in Earth hospitals.

With us today are Republican Senator Mark Wallace, Democratic Senator Richard Glenn, and Earth Independence Party Senator Fred Keller. Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to join us during your lunch recess. First of all, I think I can speak for most of the viewers of this program when I say these diplomatic meetings are probably one of the most difficult aspects of your positions--considering the decisions you make not only have the potential to impact our country but the entire planet.

Senator Wallace, out of everyone here you have taken the most public criticism for your surprise decision to break the deadlock that resulted in the Destiny project in 2290. Can you give us some insight into your thought process when making these decisions--especially in relation to the vote later today on the Hannarian medical scanner issue.

Wallace: I think the number one misconception that's out there Portia is that these kinds of decisions are just made on a whim--I mean no one ever brings up that I voted against the Destiny project for seven years before I felt like enough evidence was presented by Hannaria's ambassador to make it a viable project that is in the best interest of both planets. I'd also like to point out that over eight trillion dollars--four trillion in the United States alone--has been spent into Earth's economy by the Hannarian government to fund this project, and this is possibly going to turn into hundreds of trillions with the planned expansions not only to the station itself but increased future trade with Kydena and Hannaria. Most of my so-called public criticism has been through the EIP--not the general American public. There's a major difference in my opinion.

Roberts: Thank you, Senator Wallace. Senator Glenn, you seem like you're at a point where Senator Wallace was just a few years ago. You've voted against most Hannarian issues but have stated you are trying to keep an open mind. What are your concerns about the Hannarians that are causing you to use caution in relation to these major issues?

Glenn: Well, one thing that's always bothered me is even after 187 years of contact, we still don't know who we're really dealing with. The Ambassador has visited our planet hundreds of times since 2113 and knows everything about us--to the point he sometimes uses Earth movies for debate examples--and not one human has ever been allowed to set foot on Hannaria this entire time. The Hannarians want us to trust them, but it's obvious to me that they don't even completely trust us yet. I just think if they're being cautious, maybe we should be as well. I'm going to listen today, but it's going to take a lot more information on these medical scanners before I'm even going to consider voting for this amendment.

Roberts: A very valid point, Senator Glenn. Senator Keller, since the last election the Earth Independence Party now controls a fourth of the U.S. House and Senate, and your counterparts in the European Union and China have seen extraordinary rates of political growth as well in the past twenty years. Is this a trend you expect to continue or does the shifting in the votes in favor of the Hannarians by both the Republican and Democratic officials lead you to believe many of these worldwide deadlocks are starting to break?

Keller: I think the fact that more Republicans and Democrats have decided to side with the Hannarians is related to why our party is seeing so much success--not just with Hannarian issues but with major domestic and global issues the other two parties have failed to address for centuries. We are getting results, Portia. In the past ten years, there has been an influx of passionate and talented people into the party that are gaining the attention of voters. I've been very impressed by Representative Adam Verin from Virginia, who has given the Hannarian ambassador the first major political challenge I've seen in my entire career. I believe the combination of all these things--and the frustration that the Hannarians think they can gradually encroach on Earth if they're just patient--are going to be the reasons these deadlocks are not only going to stay in place but start shifting back in our favor.

Roberts: Thank you, Senator Keller. Coming up next, we'll be interviewing Ectotech C.E.O. Neil McFerrin on what to expect from the upcoming release of the new DMR operating system, Sapphire 8.2. Stay with us here on GBN, Los Angeles.

Mrs. Amy Tourville--Baltimore, MD; December 1st 2299

2009-05-22T04:20:00.001-07:00

I'd been dreading this all week, but at least I wasn't going to be the only other person in conference room when the Millers arrived. Both Principal Holdcraft and Coach Hastings had promised to be there--not because they had a lot of contact with Rica but because I was going to be the messenger of some bad news. It had been my general experience that no parent likes learning that their child has been cheating, but the Millers had developed a reputation of being antagonistic when they were told anything they didn't want to hear about their daughter. I had been warned by Rica's other teachers to expect this latest news to not be taken well.

The evidence was clear however. Spread out in front of me were Rica's test scores in English, math, and science. From August to early November, she had been in the low C's in math and science and barely passing English. Her sixth grade scores showed similar patterns. Then starting two weeks ago, she not only started making A's but perfect scores. The optimist in me wanted to dismiss this as Rica beginning to apply herself, but in class she was still as scattered as--

"Are you Mrs. Tourville?" a thin gray-haired man roughly in his fifties asked at the conference door entrance and then held his hand out to me. "I'm Charlie Miller--my wife Rebecca is held up in traffic but will be here in a few minutes. I checked in at the front desk but thought I'd just show myself in here. Can I ask what this is about? I know normally these things aren't until May, and I had to take an overnight transport here all the way from Alaska since you wouldn't tell Rebecca anything over the phone."

"I think we should wait for your wife to get here," I replied as I shook his hand, hoping my back-up would also arrive before then. "I'm sorry, but we couldn't do this over the phone--I had no idea you had such a long commute, though. Do you travel out-of-state for your job often?"

"Sometimes," he replied as he sat down in one of the chairs across from me. "I'm semi-retired, but I get calls for special construction projects by previous employers. In fact a friend of mine just called me last week and wants me involved on the final stages of the Destiny project--Rebecca and I are still discussing it, with Rica's best interests being our main concern of course. We're not in any major rush and think it would be best to at least let Rica finish out middle school here in Baltimore. I think Rica would enjoy the adventure of it however--she's good with people and technology, so being in such an advanced environment could open up a lot of opportunities for her as she gets older."

It was then that I figured out why she was cheating--Mr. Miller had such high and unrealistic expectations for Rica that she was trying to live up to them. I also sighed in relief as I seen Principal Holdcraft come through the door with a woman who must have been Rebecca Miller. She looked younger than her husband, but I noticed a very fine line of gray in the roots of her brown hair. Mr. Miller smiled when he seen her, but Mrs. Miller's focus was on me as she sat down. By her expression, Principal Holdcraft had already told her why we were meeting.

"I don't care what you're going to show us, Mrs. Tourville," she said firmly as she glanced down at the paperwork in front of me. "Rica wouldn't cheat on her tests. We've always told her just to do the best she can and focus on--"

"Is that what this is about?" Mr. Miller interrupted in an appalled tone as he stood up from his seat and glared at Principal Holdcraft. "Rica's grades go up, and you think she's cheating? When she was struggling last year, you told us to hold her back in sixth grade because seventh would be too much of a challenge for her--but if we had done that, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to overcome anything. Now she actually starts doing well in regular seventh grade classes, and you accuse her of this! She may not be my biological daughter, but don't you dare think that I'm just going to sit by and let you treat her like she's--"

"We haven't spoken to Rica about this yet," Holdcraft said quickly as he walked behind me and turned the list of her scores around to put them in front of the Millers. "It's not just that her scores went up, Charlie. It's that they went up overnight, and they're all perfect. We don't know how she's doing it. Nothing else about her behavior in class has changed--she doesn't misbehave and gets along with the other kids, but her attention always seems somewhere else. We called you in here so we can get permission to search her DMR--we've confiscated it out of her locker, but to find out if she's stored copies of the tests on it we need the password."

"No," Mr. Miller replied as he shook his head. "I trust my daughter, Mr. Holdcraft, and the thing is if you bring her in here and accuse her of cheating--and you're wrong--well, you've just made a little mistake at your jobs and will forget all about it by next week. Rebecca and I will have to deal with the aftermath of not only breaking Rica's trust of privacy but her thinking that every time she starts succeeding that something must be wrong. Do you have any idea what that can do to a kid--especially after everything else she's been through?"

"If you refuse, we'll have no choice but to put that on her record," I replied, feeling a pit develop in my stomach even though I knew I had to do my job. "That would carry with Rica no matter where she goes, Mr. Miller--even Destiny. You told me you want what's in Rica's best interests. We clear this up now, and--"

"It's Narnia," Mrs. Miller said as she stared down at the list of Rica's grades, but she had a smile on her face when she looked up at me. "Her DMR password is Narnia. Rica's read the entire series outside of school in the past two weeks, Mrs. Tourville, which is why I know she's not cheating. Something has changed with her--more things are making sense to her than they have before, even just two weeks ago."

Mr. Miller sighed at this but reached over and grabbed his wife's hand, interlocking her fingers with his.

"I'll be right back," Holdcraft said as he was already half-way out the door, and I was thankful when Mr. Miller's phone rang a couple of seconds later. He released his wife's hand before he took out a small headset from his front shirt pocket and put it on.

"Hey Jerry. Yeah, I think I have a few minutes but might have to go at any time--kind of in the middle of having my time wasted right now. I'll have to tell you about it later. I told Rebecca about your offer, and it's looking really good right now. We just want a little more time to think it over as far as the timing and the impact it might have on Rica and also Rebecca being able to see her family. Part of me wants to check things out anyway before bringing the two of them all the way over there. That's fine--yeah, I have to go. I'll call you back in about thirty minutes. Bye."

Principal Holdcraft returned and handed Mr. Miller Rica's DMR.

"I owe you both an apology," he said with an odd expression on his face. "The most recent files accessed from the past two weeks are all books, videos, and music. I even checked her hub record to see if anything was deleted. It's clean."

Mr. Miller looked down at the DMR and for a brief moment his eyes got wide like something on the screen had surprised him. He passed it over to Mrs. Miller.

"She's been doing a lot more reading than just Narnia," Mr. Miller said to his wife as he pointed at the screen. "Looks like about three books a day if you average it out--only problem I see is she's been staying up late. We do need to talk to her about that."

"I'm just looking at the rate she's getting through the books themselves," Holdcraft said as he sat down in the seat next to me. "She's gone through several books in thirty minutes that should have taken a normal 12-year-old a couple of days. I'd like to have her tested. She may qualify for our gifted program. You may also want to have Rica checked out physically since this happened so suddenly--in twenty years, I've never seen a situation quite like this. I'll be honest--I thought we were going to find those tests..."

"We need to talk to Rica first before we decide anything like--" Mrs. Miller started, but she stopped when she saw someone behind us.

I turned around. It was my assistant teacher Elizabeth, who'd I'd told to watch the class while I was in the conference. She had a panicked expression on her face.

"What happened?" I asked. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

"It's Rica--she said she was getting a headache, so I told her to go to the nurse's station. She got up, took a few steps, and just collapsed on the floor screaming. We've called 9-1-1. They're on the way."

"Where is she?" Mrs. Miller asked as she and Mr. Miller were already out of their seats.

"Still in the classroom--Coach Hastings saw what happened and said to not move her in case she's hurt. Follow me."

I was expecting the worst when we got into the classroom, but Rica was sitting up where she had fell. Mr. and Mrs. Miller knelled down beside her.

"Are you okay, Rica?" both of them asked at almost the same time.

"Do you have a flashlight?" Mrs. Miller asked as she looked up at me. "I want to check to make sure her pupils are the same size."

"I have one in my office," Coach Hastings replied. "I'll be right back."

"I think I'm fine," Rica said as she looked at her parents, "Does reading in the dark cause headaches?"

"It can, but not like this kind," Mrs. Miller said as Coach Hastings passed her a flashlight, and she shined it at each of Rica's eyes. "Your pupils are normal, honey, but I still think we should get you checked out."

Rica blinked a couple of times then turned to Mr. Miller.

"Dad, what does...mean?"

I didn't understand what she said in between, but apparently the Millers did.

"Why?" Mr. Miller asked with a concerned expression. "Where did you hear that?"

"There was a woman's voice," Rica replied. "I didn't see her, but I heard her."

"Roughly it means 'I love you, my little child,' but I don't understand how you--" Mrs. Miller started, and then her eyes grew wide. "Charlie, we've been--"

Just then the EMTs arrived, and one of them started to shine a flashlight in Rica's eyes again.

"I've already been through this once," Rica laughed as she nodded toward her mother. "One of the many advantages of having a mom who's a nurse..."

"What language was that?" I asked Mr. Miller as the EMTs helped Rica get on a stretcher as a precaution. "I've never heard it before."

"It's Italian," he said quickly as he and Mrs. Miller followed the EMTs about the door. "We have to go, Mrs. Tourville. It was nice meeting you."

I never saw them again.