Assignment: Earth by Lynne Armstrong-Jones

A struggling psychology graduate’s call to a helpline leads to a life-changing connection with an alien counselor, revealing his surprising role in an interplanetary mission—and a shocking truth about his own origins.

Jared Collins was depressed, and he had good reason to be. After all, he’d graduated with his psychology degree in the spring, and here he was still unemployed in the fall. When his dad had passed away, he’d left Jared some money, but now that was beginning to run out. Desperate, Jared finds himself calling a help line. Speaking with the counselor eases his mind immensely—almost as though she has some sort of magic touch.

He senses something quite special about her, but he has no way of knowing how very special she is—she’s not from Earth. As their relationship develops, Jared is astonished to discover that he has the skill to help her people in their mission.

And learning the reason for that will astonish him even more. How could he have anything in common with an alien?

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Excerpt from Assignment: Earth © Copyright 2025 Lynne Armstrong-Jones

Prologue

Perka. My name is Perka. At least, that is the way that they would pronounce it. It is actually a lot more like pp-KKK-uh. But they would never be able to say that—and, anyway, it would sound awfully strange to them.

Even Perka was too unusual, the KKK-stt had said. I must try harder to think like they would. KKK-stt is our sound for representative. The KKK-stt has said that each of these Earthers has at least two names.

My name on Earth will be Andrea Perk. I will certainly still feel like pp-KKK-uh inside, though, I am sure.
I have forgotten again! I must remember to use those—those—what are they called? Contractions, that is—that’s it. My command of the language will sound more natural if I do, the representative said.

I shake my head as I consider the mission before me. How sad to think that it is—it’s—even necessary. We must interfere as little as possible with their cultures, their lives. Yet we must also do whatever we can to help them. To protect them.

Before it is—it’s—too late.

I’m gazing down at my fingers, thinking about how strangely unfamiliar this body feels. And how very different it appears, with these dull, lifeless colours. I must remember to use my pigment-suppressants weekly, or even more often if necessary.

I gaze out of the viewscreen of our little craft. We can see our destination now—the third planet from the sun in this solar system. We have passed the lifeless ones that are little more than frozen rock. We have passed the large ringed one and the enormous one nearest to it, and are coming slowly closer to the one which some of the inhabitants call Earth. We have been assigned to the country called Canada.

We have now passed the reddish one which once supported life similar to ours but does no longer.

Am I truly ready for this assignment? I must be, or I would not have been chosen. And I must be successful in my mission to protect the Earthers—
Or I will die trying.