The long-awaited Challenge is about to start! ------ Chapter 8. "Boy, Tunuvun," Wu Kung said, "This is going to be fun!" He couldn't keep from bouncing up and down on his feet, staring out at what Ariane had pronounced in disbelief to be "a triathlon on full enhancers!" He and Tunuvun stood at the top of a mountain – that ended abruptly at a wall behind them! – and looked out upon a racecourse that could only be possible in a place like the Arena. Or, he noted with a momentary pang of sadness, at home. The bittersweet [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 7
October 14, 2016 By 1 Comment
If you haven't played a game before, you'd better practice it a bit prior to a species-critical Challenge... ----- Chapter 7. "I yield the play, Dr. DuQuesne; once more you have outmatched me." Orphan tipped his remaining cards into the dump-bucket. "Anyone else still in?" he asked the others, looking around the conference-room-turned-simulated Arena. A shadowy holographic display showed several simulated runners speeding along a course, overcoming various obstacles. "Not me," Oasis said promptly. "I know Marc too [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 6
October 12, 2016 By 1 Comment
Simon had a theory to test.. ----- Chapter 6. Simon stood on the bridge of Paksenarrion and gazed outward. I do not think I will ever grow fully accustomed, let alone jaded, to this. The great warship – one of several gifted to Humanity by the Liberated – was cruising now many thousands of kilometers away from the Sphere of Humanity, so far out that the Sphere itself was but a shadow in the gloom, its Luminaire a fuzzy circle of dimmed brightness. On every side flowed and eddied incredible banks of cloud – white and [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 5
October 10, 2016 By 1 Comment
Sharp-eyed readers will notice there's one edit that needs to be done in this chapter; missed it when I changed something during the writing process. So Simon had something to tell Ariane... ------ Chapter 5. "All, right, Simon; you insisted we have breakfast in private today," Ariane said; per Simon's request, she'd even had Wu Kung stay outside the meeting room. "What is so important?" Simon was uncharacteristically sober; his usual smile was a shadow of its normal self. "I would have brought this up yesterday, but by the [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 4
October 7, 2016 By 5 Comments
Ariane and Wu had found themselves involved in a Challenge that wasn't even Humanity's... ----- Chapter 4. "That might not have been the best choice, Ariane," DuQuesne said somberly. Simon was puzzled by the gravity in his voice. Reflexively, he glanced around the meeting room, but there was no one present except the members of the "core group", as Simon thought of it – DuQuesne, Ariane, Simon himself, Laila, Carl, and the newcomers Oasis and Wu Kung. "Do you think Wu might lose? Or is there some other [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 3
October 5, 2016 By 2 Comments
The Monkey King is back! ------ Chapter 3. Wu bounced along in front of Ariane, watching in all directions at once. The Grand Arcade, that gigantic area of open-air markets, stalls, covered collections of shops like mini-malls, was a constant whirl of activity that never stopped – ideal for both an ambush and an escape. He turned periodically, seeing that Ariane was just behind him, that no threats loomed nearby. Then he could return for a few moments to the enjoyment of the moment. The Arcade was one of [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 2
October 3, 2016 By 1 Comment
Our friends were about to pay a visit to their oldest alien acquaintance... ----- Chapter 2. "Captain Ariane Austin, Doctor Marc DuQuesne, it is an honor to welcome you back to my Embassy once more," Orphan said, giving the full pushup-bow which both the Blessed and the Liberated used as a sign of greatest respect. "And you as well, Sun Wu Kung. I take this to mean that the various... issues in your home system have been addressed in a satisfactory manner?" DuQuesne saw a smile instantly appear on Ariane's face, [ Continue reading... ]
Challenges of the Deeps: Chapter 1
September 30, 2016 By 4 Comments
Today we begin snippeting the third Arenaverse novel, Challenges of the Deeps, which will be released March 2nd, 2017. The eARC will be released in early December, by which point about one-half of the book will have been snippeted. Re-Enter the ARENA! ------- Chapter 1. Ariane Austin felt the peculiar jolt that the Sandrisson jump always gave her, and found a smile on her face. "We're back," she said. "Out of the political frying pan and into the Arena's fire," DuQuesne said, chuckling. "Feels good, doesn't [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 23
July 13, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Well, the Sergeant was back to consciousness if not to action... Chapter 23. "Whoa!" Tavana lunged out reflexively, catching Maddox as he was almost dragged headlong into the water. The carbonan fishing pole was bent in a sharp curve, vibrating furiously even while Tavana managed to get the smaller Bird brother back on his feet. "Got something, Tav, we got something!" "Vraiment, that we do! Can you hold it?" Maddox' face was set in lines of determination. "If… you can… keep me from falling on my [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 22
July 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Xander said the Sergeant was waking up, so why not see things from his point of view? Chapter 22. Campbell blinked his eyes blearily, forced them to focus. What… Oh. I'm inside my suit. For a moment he was confused. Was I on EVA? Fixing something? What happened? When he tried to sit up, he felt the tremendous lethargy and pain of having been still for many hours, even days, and his leg gave a dull throb despite what his nanos reported as "significant pain reduction". That cleared his head, and [ Continue reading... ]
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