Sue had a real mystery on her hands.... -----     Chapter 20. "Jennifer?" Sue said softly. The young woman's eyes opened and looked around; for at least the third time, Sue watched the tension in Jen Buckley's face ease into relief as she took in the clean brightness of Orado Port's main medical facility. "I still keep thinking I'm going to wake up on LS-42." "I can't blame you. You spent a bit over a year on that ship. But you're safe now." "How are the others?" "All five of you are making a good recovery, [ Continue reading... ]

Friday became unreasonably busy for me, so here's my catch-up post! And yes, let's just leave that cliff hanging while we go to a completely different point of view! -----   Part 3: POSSIBILITIES Chapter 18. Sue Fisher leaned back in the bath, luxuriating in the hot, soapy water and the fact that after tomorrow she'd have seven glorious days off. Orado Station had gone back to the old routine in the months since Outward Initiative had staggered its way into the system, and she happily embraced routine after that [ Continue reading... ]

Things look like they're getting better... which only this far through a novel is a big red flag...   -----     Chapter 17. "That's good, Francisco, Hitomi, keep doing exactly that. We're making great progress," Whips said. Hitomi flashed one of her bright smiles and Francisco nodded seriously. "Si, it is going well." Now that he was finally recovered, Franky had really wanted to show he wasn't lazing around any more; that, along with the real need to move emergency provisions and stow them inside Emerald Maui, [ Continue reading... ]

Holiday stuff plays merry heck with my other schedules. Here's a three-for-one for everyone, as we get back to the Castaway action! -----     Chapter 14. "You're sure this is a good choice?" Campbell directed the question to Sakura, even as he stared up at the column. Having Campbell ask her sent a maybe-unreasonable thrill of pride through her. "We're pretty sure, Sergeant. Dad's been doing as much studying of the ecology here as he could, and it seems that some of these columns aren't used as much. We already chose one [ Continue reading... ]

My computer died last week, so I had to go some days without it -- and you people without an update! So here's two chapters in one to catch us up on Christmas Eve! -----       Chapter 12. "Huh," Tavana said, a questioning air about him, as he lowered himself heavily onto a stump at the side of the path. Sakura glanced at him; she had a momentary flash of annoyance that he'd stopped, but she suppressed it. Tav was still not fully recovered, and was just starting to get back to regular activity. "What's 'huh'?" "The [ Continue reading... ]

Work doesn't stop because people are sick, of course... -----     Chapter 11. "You're sure you don't want another column?" Whips asked, studying the various designs he had been contemplating in his omni view. Campbell rubbed his chin, and leaned back in his bed. On his right, Tavana was propped up and trying to pay attention, but it was obvious to Whips that he probably wasn't going to stay the distance. Xander was more alert. Tavana yawned prodigiously but focused on the projections. "Living in one of the columns, I [ Continue reading... ]

Something bad had just happened to the second crew of castaways... ------   Chapter 10. "What's wrong with them?" Pearce Haley asked, a tiny tremor audible in the normally-controlled voice. "And why hasn't it hit me?" Laura shook her head, trying to banish any personal concern. That wasn't easy; anything that could take down the boys from Emerald Maui could presumably get her children, too. "I don't know yet," she said, following the projections and analyses in her omni. "Akira, how are you coming on the programming [ Continue reading... ]

So, time to start the work of a castaway again... ------   Chapter 8. "Hey, Tavana, can I ask you something?" Sakura, a note of hesitation in her voice. The two of them were at a crude shooting range that the Sergeant had designed, located in the long, low scar that LS-5 had left when it crashed. The upcurved walls of the groove left by the careening shuttle provided good cover to minimize or eliminate the chance of wild shots hitting anything or anyone, and it was fairly broad and straight, allowing the Sergeant to place targets [ Continue reading... ]

We finally reach the new stuff!   -----     Part 2: SETTLERS Chapter 7. "All right, everyone," Laura Kimei said, "settle down." Sakura knew this was mostly directed at Francisco and Hitomi; the two youngest members of their unplanned colony were running around, chasing a virtual animal projected on their retinals by Hitomi's omni, which was running some kind of game for them. Looking around the big table in the center of the clearing, she could see most of the others were already seated and paying [ Continue reading... ]