Well, Xander seemed to have things under control... Chapter 21. The pistol bucked three times in Xander's hand, almost without him willing it. A screech and convulsive writhing showed that he'd hit the sinuous creature just as the targeting app had said he would; the centisnake, as Maddox had named the thing, shuddered to a slow halt; once it was still, Tavana stepped forward and brought the machete down hard, taking the head from the body and causing another powerful but this time harmless sequence of [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 19
July 4, 2016 By 1 Comment
The Sergeant was down... ----- Chapter 19. Xander sensed the information dump hit, stream through him and into his omni, even as he saw the Sergeant slump down and felt as though the bottom was dropping out of his world as it did. No. This can't happen. The other three boys were staring at him and the unconscious Sergeant, eyes wide, tears trickling down Francisco's terrified face. His own terror was clawing at his mind, the thought of facing a world filled with things like that monster without Sergeant Campbell looming [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 15
June 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Time to step out and take a look... ------ Chapter 15. "No, Maddox, Tav, no one but me and the Sergeant gets armed." "But Xaaaaaander –" "No but Xander, Maddox. You don't even know how to handle a gun yet, and I don't think that Tav or Francisco do either." The other boys glared at him and Campbell, but finally the glares turned to pouts. "Well… okay. You're right." "Good listening, kids," Campbell said. "Guns are not toys. We've got several from the cargo, so if and when I think you boys are ready, all [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 11
June 15, 2016 By Leave a Comment
It's when you're sleeping that questions occur... ----- Chapter 11. "Sergeant?" Xander whispered. He saw the eyes snap open, look around, registering where the Sergeant was, the person speaking to him, the fact that everything else seemed normal, in the time it took a normal person to blink. He's always ready for everything. "Sorry to wake you, sir," he said. Campbell sat up slowly. "I figure you must have something you want to say that the others shouldn't hear. If I agree with you, then there's no [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 8
June 8, 2016 By 3 Comments
They were doing repairs... ----- Chapter 8. Xander watched the installation of the precious coil in his VRD, one of the gloved hands gripping the coil and the other tightening part of a not-quite visible fixture. "There, that's got it!" the Sergeant said. "Check the connectivity, would you?" "Connection shows good, sir!" Tavana answered from the pilot's seat. "We just had the Trapdoor status light go green!" "Well, now, that's a relief and a half." A tiny glint in [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 6
June 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Well, they had power, but they were still stranded in the vast dark... ------ Chapter 6. Xander blinked himself awake and stretched, letting the tensing of his muscles start the blood pumping. The interior of LS-88 was quiet except for the faint hum of various pieces of equipment and the murmur of the environmental systems. It should also have been pretty dark, but there was a glow from the pilot's seat. Probably what woke me up. He glanced around. To his surprise, not only were Francisco and Maddox asleep, but the [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 4
May 30, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Well, it was time for our heroes to start fixing things... ------- Chapter 4. "What next, Sergeant?" Xander asked as they put the wrappers from the ration packs into the disposal. "Yeah, that's the question, isn't it?" Sergeant Campbell glanced around the shuttle's cabin. "What do you think, son?" "I think you're probably better qualified to answer –" "Damned right I am, son, but in this situation we all need to learn to be qualified. We're in an [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 1
May 23, 2016 By 3 Comments
Here we begin snippeting Castaway Odyssey; expect release of the eARC in July! CASTAWAY ODYSSEY By Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor PART I: ADRIFT Chapter 1 "Franky, get strapped in now!" Xander Bird said. "You're not my mama!" the red-haired little boy snapped back in a frightened tone. "You can't tell me what to do! And I'm not Franky! I'm Francisco Alejandro Coronel!" Xander closed his eyes for a moment, ignoring the lifeboat drill alerts, and took a deep breath, running his fingers through his slightly-too-long curly [ Continue reading... ]
What You’re Saying