SFFS: Snippet #11 From Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several weeks.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

I sat down in my captain’s chair, looked around at all of the dark and dormant screens, and then relaxed. The air I had needed to last me. It was too bad that I was confined inside this helmet, though, because I really needed another drink of Vladirian liquor.

As it was, I would have to try and fall asleep in the darkness, and hope against all hope that my emergency beacon would attract help soon. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

* * *

A long, drawn-out beep woke me later, I didn’t even know when. Disoriented, I looked around the cockpit, but it was still as dark as I had left it. I looked over my suit, finally lifting the console on my wrist and realizing that most of my air was gone. To be honest, I think I would have preferred not having any sort of warning toward that end. If I’d just drifted off to sleep unaware, I think it would have been preferable.

But that wasn’t likely either, because I’m certain I would have woke up gasping if the air had run out completely. So, either way, I wouldn’t have escaped that violent end.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above.

SFFS: Snippet #10 From Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

I've now sent my next Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things off to its beta readers.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several weeks.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

Jeanie became what I would have considered irate, if she had the ability for emotions. Given everything that had just transpired, maybe that wasn’t beyond the realm of possibilities. “Step away from the panel, or I will eject you into outer space.” To try and prove her point, she opened the doorway back into my living area.

I looked out the doorway, and smiled. It became obvious she wasn’t her usual self because she wasn’t thinking clearly. I would have laughed if the circumstances had been different. “But, Jeanie, how are you going to eject anything when you already depressurized the ship?”

Leaving her with that realization, I slammed the power switch down. All of the lights on the panel slowly extinguished as all of the main power in the ship, including that which supported Jeanie, went dormant. The emergency lights, on their own system, still functioned. I stood and stepped back through the living area and up to the cockpit.

If I didn’t miss my guess, the complete power shutdown would have set off the emergency beacon automatically. And although it had been a while since I had to use my own beacon, I remembered it had a higher power transmitter than our standard communications array. Hopefully it would be enough to reach that communications beacon nearby, because otherwise, I only had the air I was breathing through the suit, from its tanks and its re-circulators, and that would be it for me as well as Jeanie.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above.

SFFS: Snippet #9 From Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

I've now sent my next Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things off to its beta readers.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several weeks.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

The doorway was still out of reach, and I needed to stall while moving faster, before she realized my plan and somehow cut me off from the cargo hold. “Do you still believe the lighting system is operational?”

“Of course it is.”

“Well, I can still see that it isn’t. So, just to be on the safe side, I think I’ll check the cargo.”

I passed through the doorway into the cargo hold. Floorboards rested along the center corridor, leading all the way between the four cargo bays to the aft bulkhead. I was finally home free, and rushed toward the very aft-most floorboard.

Jeanie had deduced my plan as well. “Aston, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving us both before you do something you’ll regret.” I knelt down and unfastened the floorboard.

“You don’t want to do this.”

“It’s the only way,” I insisted, as I unlatched the final fastener and tossed the floorboard aside. Inside, the central power distribution panel was lit up like a welcoming orbital station.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above.

SFFS: Snippet #8 From Inoculation (a DIRTY DOZEN story)

Welcome back, everyone, to another week of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday.

Edits are finally finished with my next Aston West "series" novel, All Good Things. Planning to send it out to beta readers before long.

As mentioned in prior weeks, my new Aston short story collection Dirty Dozen is available over at Amazon, I figured I'd continue on with my snippets from the last several weeks.

First, the blurb:

Join space pirate Aston West in the second collection of short stories from his universe, featuring classic space opera tales by T. M. Hunter. Building on Aston's first collection (Dead or Alive), these stories feature even more wild adventures, unforgettable characters, and exciting plot twists to satisfy your space opera appetite.

So, here's the next snippet, from my short story "Inoculation":

“It would appear that you are suffering from the effects of contaminated air and are not of sufficient mental capacity to captain this vessel.”

I barely had enough brain power to process what she’d just done, as I rushed to zip up the suit. She had just circumvented her obedience programming, and was going to disobey a direct order.

I reached up and snagged the glass-faced helmet from a shelf at the closet’s top, just as pressure valves around the ship let loose. Their rapid hissing pulled air out of the cabin faster than even I thought possible. I started to cough, gasping for air as I thrust the helmet on top of my head, and barely found myself able to seal it shut before I collapsed to my knees. With hands and arms trembling, I lifted my right wrist and saw a green light to accompany a welcome, but dull tone. Air flowed freely from the suit’s tanks and I sucked in all of it that I could.

Jeanie couldn’t be trusted, and there was only one way that I knew to stop her.

I turned and started for the door at the living area’s aft end, barely visible between the emergency lighting and the spotlight atop my helmet. Jeanie’s voice came through the speakers inside. “What are you attempting to do, Aston?”

I really didn’t want to tell her my real plan, because I had no idea what she’d try to do next to stop me, and really didn’t want to find out. “Just wanted to check and make sure the cargo is all still there.”

“Nothing is wrong with the cargo,” she insisted in a serious tone.

Hope you enjoyed it! If so, pick up a copy from the link above.