Another wonderful illustration from the amazing artists at ERA-7.
This is Lefty Loosey, or Grabbing For You, depending on who you ask. His name gesture really doesn't lend itself to specific English words.
So here is the deal. My new year's resolution is to self publish an anthology of short stories, unrelated to "Dying Embers". I will write all of the stories by the end of 2017 and will begin the publishing process on or before 2018. This is of course in addition to getting "Discovery" published through my current publisher. So we will see how this effort goes.
First Contact
"Mack! Mack! Mack!" Survey Corps Ranger Tommy Kim shouted breathlessly as he rushed up to the downed space craft. "Aliens! I saw aliens!"
Mack Dodge groaned and let his head fall back against the vessel. His hands flexed on the multitool he was using to pry open a jammed panel.
"I am going to assume that you mean aliens other than our base supervisor or our fellow Corps Rangers?" Mack asked, wiggling out from under the ship. "Did you find your helmet?"
"Yes! No! I mean aliens!" Kim shouted as he staggered up to the ship and leaned against it. His battered purple space suit contrasted against the off white of the ship's hull. "You know! Real aliens."
Mack wiped the sweat and sand off of his hands slowly as he eyed his young partner and tried to parse his eager expression and excited words. It probably wasn't their rescue because firstly Mack hadn't called for rescue yet and secondly Kim had not been this excited over the Shatar when they were on the space station. He presumably wouldn't be terribly excited about them in a retrieval vessel.
"So you saw a sentient alien that isn't a fellow Corps Ranger?" Mack guessed.
Kim nodded, and then winced, lifting his hand up to gingerly probe at his neck. "I think it was an Undulate." He said, his enthusiasm rising again as he worked out the pain in his muscles.
"Did you make contact?" Mack asked, his own interest piqued. He had yet to meet an Undulate. Their physiology didn't really lend itself to joining the Corps. "I didn't think there were any private teams on this world."
"Well he sort of made contact with me," Kim said sheepishly. "I laid down to rest - not that I'm hurt -" he quickly reassured Mack. "Just tired, and I felt something nudging my face. I sat up and he was right there. It looked like he had had been investigating my helmet..." Kim's voice trailed off and he blinked at the look Mack was giving him. Kim glanced down at his markedly helmet free hands. "Which I will go get, like I was supposed to, now, before he drags it off." Kim said quickly.
He glanced up at Mack with a grin. "Come with me?" he asked.
This is Lefty Loosey, or Grabbing For You, depending on who you ask. His name gesture really doesn't lend itself to specific English words.
So here is the deal. My new year's resolution is to self publish an anthology of short stories, unrelated to "Dying Embers". I will write all of the stories by the end of 2017 and will begin the publishing process on or before 2018. This is of course in addition to getting "Discovery" published through my current publisher. So we will see how this effort goes.
First Contact
"Mack! Mack! Mack!" Survey Corps Ranger Tommy Kim shouted breathlessly as he rushed up to the downed space craft. "Aliens! I saw aliens!"
Mack Dodge groaned and let his head fall back against the vessel. His hands flexed on the multitool he was using to pry open a jammed panel.
"I am going to assume that you mean aliens other than our base supervisor or our fellow Corps Rangers?" Mack asked, wiggling out from under the ship. "Did you find your helmet?"
"Yes! No! I mean aliens!" Kim shouted as he staggered up to the ship and leaned against it. His battered purple space suit contrasted against the off white of the ship's hull. "You know! Real aliens."
Mack wiped the sweat and sand off of his hands slowly as he eyed his young partner and tried to parse his eager expression and excited words. It probably wasn't their rescue because firstly Mack hadn't called for rescue yet and secondly Kim had not been this excited over the Shatar when they were on the space station. He presumably wouldn't be terribly excited about them in a retrieval vessel.
"So you saw a sentient alien that isn't a fellow Corps Ranger?" Mack guessed.
Kim nodded, and then winced, lifting his hand up to gingerly probe at his neck. "I think it was an Undulate." He said, his enthusiasm rising again as he worked out the pain in his muscles.
"Did you make contact?" Mack asked, his own interest piqued. He had yet to meet an Undulate. Their physiology didn't really lend itself to joining the Corps. "I didn't think there were any private teams on this world."
"Well he sort of made contact with me," Kim said sheepishly. "I laid down to rest - not that I'm hurt -" he quickly reassured Mack. "Just tired, and I felt something nudging my face. I sat up and he was right there. It looked like he had had been investigating my helmet..." Kim's voice trailed off and he blinked at the look Mack was giving him. Kim glanced down at his markedly helmet free hands. "Which I will go get, like I was supposed to, now, before he drags it off." Kim said quickly.
He glanced up at Mack with a grin. "Come with me?" he asked.
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