Six Forest, the Aggruder homestead “Daddy!” Jenny’s urgent hiss stopped Paul Aggruder dead in the cabin doorway. “What is it, Jenny-pie?” “There’s a roc coming this way, Daddy! Get inside and shut the door!” Paul did so, quietly latching the plank door. He walked to...
Four Forest “OK, Jenny, just like I told you. Sight on that chunk of wood.” Jenny Aggruder hauled the ancient Remington to her shoulder, still unused to the nine-pound weight of the old Magnum rifle. She lined up the sights as her father instructed her, placing the...
Three Two years later: Challis. A light snow was falling as Mike guided his aged Ford into Challis, the large flakes reflecting the lights of the growing town, striking stars where skimmer headlights struck through the tiny falling crystals. Sparkles of light...
Two Armstrong City, Luna “Andrea, don’t just stand there. The checked bags have gone on ahead. There’s no turning back now. Jenny, have you got your stuff? Let’s go!” Paul Aggruder was more than ready to leave the Moon’s gypsum mining colony. Three years they had...
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Part 5.
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Something coming up…
Ten Barrett and her crew followed Gomp, who was tracking the pod of the Hive that had taken Amole and his men. The creatures had made no effort to cover their tracks, and when one group, then another, fell in alongside Barrett’s party and made no move to interfere...
Part 9.
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The Shade Tree Jean Barrett and Darrell Weems, Amole's "executive assistant," were overseeing the loading of the three cargo containers containing two small pre-fab shelters and various and sundry supplies for Amole’s fledgling colony when the call came down from the...
The Shade Tree “Now this is more like it,” First Watch Scanning tech Ophelia Watts announced. “This one is about 1.4 AU out from a large blue-white star, so it’s got a long day, looks like about twenty-nine hours, and a solar year of about four hundred and...
Two The Shade Tree “Are we clear for space?” “Engineering reports O2 and water tanks are full, drive is at 100%, injectors charged, all systems online. All decks report secure for space,” the Exec reported. “We have departure clearance and a traffic vector,”...
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