Matthew Johnathan Boone Marmaduke
At the top of Chicago’s corporate skyline, Amazon’s most powerful executives weigh an unconventional offer from a man on the ground—one that could reshape the refugee crisis, their power structure, and the game they think they’re playing.
When the V’ren ship settles across Matt Marmaduke’s northern fields, it flattens nearly two hundred acres of prime crop. The ramp lowers, and Missouri’s first alien visitor walks into the sunlight. In measured words, Matt greets her—balancing local pride, corporate authority, and a farmer’s blunt pragmatism.
From the observation alcove of the VMS Kalnareth, senior V’ren officers watch Missouri fields and a dusty human truck come into focus. Ten thousand lives ride in stasis below decks. Translator units are prepped, landing plans are set, and the question remains: will they be welcomed—or merely tolerated?
As the alien refugee ship enters Earth’s atmosphere, Beacon technology takes control—slowing and cradling it toward an unknown landing site. Drones scatter, mapping the planet in real time. The search narrows to Missouri, where one stubborn former Amazon officer is about to become the most important man on the ground.