Snippet for SFFSat: A Tale of Two Colonies

October Snippet

For the Halloween month of October, I'm boosting my SF story set on a planet inhibited by giant arthropods.

A Tale of Two Colonies. There is no respite from insect attacks on planet Delta, where Lily is scouting for remnants of the lost colony. Conley is a descendant of the original colonists and familiar with the hazards.

Snippet:

Lily leaned against Conley and relaxed with the boulder supporting her back. She closed her eyes sleepily under the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Conley shifted slightly. “Lily?” he said softly.

“Yes,” she opened her eyes. He was gazing into her face.

“Thank you,” he said, and kissed her warmly.

She slid her arms around his neck and leaned into his embrace. It was peaceful lying in the sun with a faint humming sound in the distance. As they kissed, the sound grew louder.

Suddenly, Conley broke away and leapt to his feet with a warning yell, “Stripers!”

Looking up, Lily discovered the source of the sound was orange striped insects flying above. She struggled erect and pulled out her laser. Conley jumped high in the air to slash with his long sword at the zooming insects, which were attacking in formation. 

Comments are welcome!

Please return to SFFSat and read any other snippets. 

Flash Fiction: Alone on Mars

I'm sharing a short story (<500 words) composed for Kindle Write On

Alone on Mars 

Bump! Lucilla woke, blinked in the dim light and lay still, waiting with all her senses alert. It was almost midnight from the time on the display. Her hammock swayed gently. No, that motion was wrong!

She checked her air intake and sat up cautiously, holding the sides of the hammock. Crack! The whole room shook violently, tossing her onto the floor. Pain stabbed as she hit a hard object. She rolled against the interior wall, and dragged herself upright.

It was a quake, a major quake judging by the rocking of her domed shelter. 

Fear quickened her breathing as she scanned the room, checking for damage. Most of the furniture was bolted down. Her chair lay on its side. The precious com was fastened securely. But, her disks littered the floor, and a coffee mug rolled to the opposite side of the cabin.

The shelter grew quiet. She seized advantage of the lull and scrambled to her feet. She rushed to the transparent wall, and gazed outside. The piercing beauty of the stars struck her as always. More and brighter stars than were visible through the grimy smog of overpopulated Earth. The dense pinpricks of stars in the spiral arm of the galaxy cut diagonally across the black sky.

The dim shape of Phobos hung in the lower east quadrant. As she noted the moon’s position, her com beeped to announce an incoming signal and she saw the hawk icon.  

“Phobos to Mars 1. Lucilla, are you all right?”

She felt a surge of relief mixed with exasperation at the sound of his voice. Jason never kept to the formal protocols for communication. He was only the voice in their daily exchanges. Still, it was good to know he was watching.

“Mars 1 to Phobos. Lucilla here. I am fine. I am assessing damage from quake. Over.” 

“Roger, Lucilla. Seismic monitors went crazy. It’s a big quake. The epicenter is fifty kiloms west of your dome. Over.”

“Mars 1 to Phobos. The dome is intact. Minor disruptions inside. I’ll check the surface outside. Over.”

“Roger. Watch out for aftershocks! I have a shuttle, but Phobos sets in one hour. Over.”

She gazed outside at the orange rocks. A distant rumble increased in volume. Boom! A chasm cracked open and roared towards her dome.

 She screamed.

The jaws of the crack rushed underneath. The dome lurched at a crazy angle and slid into the gaping hole.

“Jason!” she yelled.

Bump! The floor buckled and she smashed against a wall, losing consciousness.

She woke, battered and dizzy. A blurry shape swam into her view, and resolved into a man’s face with bright blue eyes and unruly brown hair.

“Who are you?” she whispered, blushing at the sight of a live person after two solitary years.

He blinked, “Jason. I came as fast as I could and dug you out. Your dome has sunk beyond repair. You’re stuck with me until the relief crew arrives.”

She smiled. It would be interesting. 

 I am expanding the theme of this piece into a novella set in the near future. 

 

Comments are welcome!

 

SFR Brigade Showcase - Captured by the Hawk

Captured by the Hawk

I have been composing science fiction and fantasy stories for decades, but only became a self-published author this year with 2 full-length novels and 3 novellas. SFR Brigade membership has proved a valuable resource for me as an author and a reader.

For October’s Showcase, I will highlight my Space Operetta with its feisty heroine and charming rogue of a space pirate. The eBook is free Oct. 3-4.

Description: 

 Interstellar spy, Grey Kat, is captured by the enigmatic Black Hawk, renegade captain of the Rogue Star, who terrorizes the Emperor’s spaceships. He persuades her to assist in his next piracy attempt, which plunges them into a series of comical misadventures traveling through several ships and different planets. Will she discover the secrets of the mysterious Black Hawk before she suffers the fate of his unfortunate ex-wife?

 5* review on Amazon

Character Interview with the heroine, Katrina Sligo

Interviewer: You go by several names in the story. Which one do you prefer?

Heroine: The different names come from my full name and reflect different aspects of my personality. I am both Grey Kat, the interstellar spy, and Mistress Trina Sligo, daughter of the Solarian ambassador. Not many people call me Katrina, but they include my favorite people.

Interviewer: What is Captain Hawk’s best feature?

Heroine: His green eyes of course! They are the only visible part of Black Hawk’s face in his sexy black outfit.

Interviewer: People say he is a charming rogue. What is your opinion?

Heroine: He’s not charming me! I like to see a man’s face when he kisses me. And, what about his dead wife? Her cabin on his spaceship hasn’t been touched since her death. He has too many mysteries in my opinion.

Interviewer: Didn’t you agree to help him steal a ship?

Heroine: Yes, and it was a total disaster. It went from bad to worse; I was knocked unconscious three times! And all he can say is “Kiss me Kat!”

Excuse me, I have a man to fix. She hisses, If he doesn’t stop singing “When Irish eyes are smiling.” he’s in real trouble! Cormac must have told him how much I hate that song!  She reaches for the nearest heavy object and runs out. 

OK, it is a four-leaved clover not a shamrock. But, I found it in our backyard!

Please return to check out the other authors' contributions at SFR Brigade Presents

Comments are welcome!