Chapter 12
Second Last Chances
Crush Joined Brix and waited for the trail of fire streaking across the skies to turn around and start to approach their colony.
“Any chance this is a good thing?” Brix asked, his hand fiddling with the icon clipped to his chest. His appointment as the new Mayor had left the man self-conscious in a way that Crush had never seen before. It wasn’t the work; he had been doing all of that already, and it wasn’...
2024-04-16 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Six
Dungeon Interior - The Play Begins.
“Switch out weapons,” Dennis called as they filed into the dungeon. Sam placed the cocoons on the ground to one side and opened his pack, pulling out a wicked-looking crossbow and two bundles of bolts. Dennis unstrapped the riot shield from his back and untied the hammer from his leg.
“Are you sure we can’t use our guns?” Tayla asked for the fifth time since they left camp in the early m...
2024-04-12 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Eleven
Crystals, Samples, and Regrets.
Lucy was finally satisfied after almost an hour of tinkering. She had run over a dozen simulations on her latest design and was now confident that their suits would block the energy, whatever it was.
“It’s almost reminiscent of Transit Energy,” Lucy explained. “It isn’t that, but it is close. I’d almost call it the potential or chaotic energy, but none of that is right. It’s mor...
2024-04-11 08:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Five
Townies
Lily’s feet hovered a few inches above the ground as she drifted gently down the street, her head buried in the comic. It was her third one in the scant block between the newsagents and here. The pages blurred as she read, then she reread it, and then she stopped and examined several panels individually.
Walking had been too much to focus on, apparently, so she just hovered.
“One moment!” She called and dashed b...
2024-04-10 08:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Ten
Disquiet.
The dirt beneath her boots felt wrong. Nellie tried her best to convince herself it was all in her head and that knowing how drained and dead this place was made her imagine things. But she knew that wasn’t it. Her senses were beyond such tricks now.
Soil should crunch, smoosh, or softly whisper against her boots as she walked. This stuff just flattened with a puff of dust. It reminded her of ash. A field of ash. Her fee...
2024-04-09 08:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Nine
New starts
Nellie leaned against the airlock and marveled at the bustling activity on the main floor. It was quite something to see her own people as they managed the unloading of machinery and personnel from Bly’s Revenge. It was amazing.
By far, the strangest sight was the large metallic cubes that walked in on their own. Those were nanite units in truly massive numbers produced from the massive Nanoforge on the Bly. They...
2024-04-09 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 4
The Forest
“There is just no way that lions, tigers, or bears should be anywhere near the UK,” Bert insisted again.
“Well, then how come they were,” Bell insisted from her perch on the head of her new pet. The poor thing was still too scared of Slothy to even think of misbehaving. “Are you sure they weren’t always here, and you just never noticed?”
“Yes, Bell,” Bert said through gritted teeth. “People tend to...
2024-04-05 08:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Eight
Search Party
“In the end, it came down to the simple choice between security and space,” Lucy told Nellie as they walked through the docking tube into the new station. “I assumed you would prefer the increased hull strength rather than the extra floor space.”
“You know my paranoid little heart so well,” Nellie laughed. “How much stronger is it?”
“By cannibalizing the other two sections, we have created an e...
2024-04-04 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 3
Moving Out
The Waystation rolled out only a day or two after the Bowery had disappeared into the distance. The departure of the others had left the place feeling empty, and Bell was not taking it very well. She kept looking off into the direction they had gone and frowning.
That would be followed by a brief bout of anger, typically at Bert, before she flew off and mothered the hell out of Lily, who was starting to seem a little jumpy ...
2024-04-03 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Seven
Air Up
“Shuttle Resurgence on final approach,” Baz called over the comms.
“Acknowledged, Resurgence,” Salem replied. “We have confirmed the dock is now structurally sound; you are cleared to land.”
“See you soon, sexy,” Baz clicked off.
Salem caught herself grinding her teeth and stopped. She was a synthetic life form; there was no need to wear down her dental implants for no reason. He only did things ...
2024-04-02 08:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Six
Upgrades!
Nellie lay back and brought up the list of upgrades again….
Secondary Class choices available for direct memory download:
Commander -
War is hell; this class set allows you to download the combined experience and reflexive skills of three commanders who excelled in the art of battle.
2024-04-02 08:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Two
New Arrivals
“Who are you?” Martha asked the woman before her. Something had happened to Martha, but she wasn’t sure exactly what it was. One moment, she was in the multitude of her people, and the next, she was standing in a small stand of strange trees with no idea what had happened to her in between.
Her people, the connection to them? Gone.
The doors in her head? Gone.
And this world felt…wrong. Different fro...
2024-03-29 09:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Five
Space Stations and Extra Legs
“Welcome back, Captain,” Remy said as Nellie walked onto the Bridge of the Bly. It was nice to be back. Planets were all very well and good, but she needed the sounds and feel of a ship around her to feel comfortable. Something had happened to her in those busy few days marooned in an ore belt with nothing but a few compartments blasted off a larger ship to keep her alive. The success she felt the moment...
2024-03-28 09:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter One
Welcome Home
“What a shit-hole, no offense,” Bell poked around the bungalow Bert had once shared with Gwen with every sign of distaste. “What’s that for?” She asked as she pointed across the moldy room at what remained of his desk.
“Laptop computer,” Bert said with a smile. “It was how I played games and that kind of thing. Like the screens Way-Way has, but connected to a really big network of other screens....
2024-03-27 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Four
Distractions
The Resurgence's bridge was quiet as they headed back through the upper atmosphere to dock with the Bly. There were so many traded glances that they seemed to think Nellie didn’t notice. Her patience was not precisely her strongest point, so they barely left the atmosphere before she snapped.
“What?” She asked. “What is it?”
“That conversation with Duke and his people will cause problems in the future...
2024-03-26 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Three
Landfall
There was no plan for what she would say when she saw Crush again for the first time. Part of her was sure she would slap him, while another part wanted to hug him. There was no way to tell how it would go before she saw him again. The scans from the shuttle had clearly shown he was in trouble, so she hadn’t exactly had time to think it over before they jumped.
“Are you Doing a little gardening, Crush?” She wi...
2024-03-26 09:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Wesley Lancaster is a down-on-his-luck and frankly half-assed actor wanting nothing more from life than to do as little work as possible, get laid as often as possible, and occasionally irritate the insufferable Todd.
Working with a touring World War 2 recreation company is hardly the highlight of his career, but it lets him get some travel in and stay one step ahead of his debts.
After an argument with Todd, Wesley is sent to grab a rifle for a client demonstration and ends up s...
2024-03-25 10:22:16 +0000 UTC
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Hey all,
I just wanted to let everyone know that Book Two is now up on Amazon. As it is included in the Kindle Unlimited program, I will be removing all but the last few chapters over the next week or so.
Also, Don't forget that Waystation Vol 5 starts next week, and a chapter will be released on Wednesday and Friday.
2024-03-23 11:49:19 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Two
Derelict
“Looks like someone was here before us,” Nellie said as the screen showed a dark shape outlined against the volcanic planet.
“No signs of power or life,” Lucy offered.
The powerful lights on the front of Bly’s Revenge lit up, finally showing details. It was dark metal, pockmarked with what looked like micro-asteroid strikes and extensive signs of neglect. The closer they got, the more they could see. A dead space station, hanging in orb...
2024-03-21 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter One
Arrival Time
Nellie sat back in the Captain’s chair and tried not to guess what they would find when they came out of Transit Space and arrived in a completely unknown area of space. It was a much more familiar concept to her than to most of the people on her ship or even the others traveling with them.
She had been stuck in an unknown area of space since a few months ago when some massive alien corporation decided to replace her with a copy. The horrific mom...
2024-03-19 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Prologue
Jump Transit
Crush ran for the door the moment he saw the bulkhead start to buckle, but it was still a very near thing. Even as he spun the wheel and sealed the compartment, the chaotic energy of Jump Transit filled the room. A shudder seemed to run through the ship, and loud groans and creaking sounded from all sides.
“Crush!” Vicky’s voice sounded loud as it came from a speaker beside his head. “Crush! Can you hear me?”
“I hear you, Vic,” Cru...
2024-03-19 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Four
To boldly go
“All crew braced for liftoff, captain,” Salem said.
“All hatches secured,” Remi said after double-checking his boards.
“Shields and weapons online,” Dar-Ken called.
“Engines are online, all readings in the green,” Baz grinned.
“All systems ready, captain,” Lucy said proudly. “Bly’s Revenge, ready to launch.”
“Lift off in five, four, three, two, one… launch!” Nellie said, feeling the sli...
2024-03-14 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Three
Check List.
Nellie stared at the door to the control room and tried to control her temper. She was not doing well.
“Molly,” She called. “This is over.”
“Fuck off!” Molly called from inside. “As long as I control this array, you can’t do a thing!”
The thing was, she was right. With no scan data, the crazy woman was targeting randomly now that her people were dead. The beam was sweeping back and forth constantly, impossible t...
2024-03-14 09:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-Two
Cry of the Banjo
Nellie and the others moved carefully through the darkness, their bodies low to the ground. Their armor colors constantly shifted to match the color of the terrain, making them even more difficult to see in the dark. It wasn’t exactly camouflage, but close enough in this light.
“Coming into range of their sensors soon,” Lucy sent over comms. Everyone had their suits sealed, allowing them to talk without alerting anyone. “Tell me w...
2024-03-12 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Forty-One
Molly-fied
Nellie slid back into the Captain’s chair with a feeling like coming home. To make the experience even better, she felt the chair adjust itself to her, becoming the most comfortable thing ever.
“I have sensors,” Lucy confirmed.
“This thing will handle like a dream,” Baz said with a grin as he hopped into the pilot seat with a shiver of pleasure.
“We haven’t even moved yet,” Nellie said with a grin.
“I can sen...
2024-03-12 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 40
Last-second change of plans
“Aww, come on!” Jo-Ban said as he ran alongside Nellie. “Just a few.”
“I am not giving you nanites, Jo,” Nellie said for the fifth time.
“What about all that not hiding stuff?” JoJo insisted. “Come on. Nothing says you're done hiding like a totally badass new drone!”
Nellie found herself laughing despite her frustration.
“See!” JoJo leaped on the sign of weakness. “I’m already a cyborg; ...
2024-03-07 09:00:19 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 39
Game On
Ahern slammed the pad against the table until it shattered. He roared and swept the bits aside before noticing the cowering aide and snapping at the idiot to get out. Prit-Mal would not have cowered! She would have understood!
“Second! Get in here, now!” He slammed the comm line closed and gripped the edge of his desk until his knuckles turned white. His entire fleet was gone, air support was gone, and his escape plan was gone.
“Reporting a...
2024-03-05 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 38
Fire in the Skies.
“Dammit, Duke,” The woman grumbled as Duke finally squeezed his muscled frame into the comm seat, “Where the hell have you been?”
“Captain Bruchs,” Duke said, trying to hide his irritation, “We were not supposed to communicate until I was ready to launch.”
“Shit happens, Duke.” She chuckled bitterly. “All hell is breaking loose up here, or didn’t you notice the skies flashing above your damn farm!”
“Wh...
2024-03-05 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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New Releases!
New Stories!
The Waystation Returns!
Hey all,
Just a quick note to let you know what to expect this month.
Firstly, there is the end of Book Two for Nellie and the Nanites. A few days later, I will be publishing the book on Amazon. I will give time for everyone to read it here before I add it to Kindle Unlimited, so don't worry.
Next up, Book Three begins immediately after Book Two ends....
2024-03-04 16:59:49 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 37
Yard Work
“What do you mean they are coming back?” Paren asked the flustered Salem.
“The sensors report there is a mix of creatures coming from, well, everywhere.” Salem flicked the scans to Paren’s implant.
“Fuck!” Paren hissed. That was a lot of creatures. “Is it waves again?”
“No,” Salem said. “This is a mix of creatures. Some that never even passed this way.”
“Why?” Paren asked. “Is something attracting the...
2024-02-29 09:00:06 +0000 UTC
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