Alice

by on April 26, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

The original Cowboy squadron was made up of two veterans and ten of us newbies from all over the northern United States. Pennsylvania, Dixie, Texas, the Indian Nations, Hawaii, and Minnesota, they all sent their sons and daughters to fight. So did California. That’s where Alice came from. Kinda. She was born in Texas like all of our cybers at the time, but she was unique in her own way. She formed herself in the image of a real living woman. Well…formerly living at least. The Shang bombardment killed a lot of people, you know. Alice chose to become one of them when she was born. She combed every database and every picture she could find on the networks, and built a personality and a body that matched that dead woman so well that if they’d been standing side by side, I don’t think anyone could have picked out the differences. Maybe Peter could have, but I wouldn’t have put money on that.

High rez version available for free on Patreon

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A Primer on the Races of Humanity – Arnam

by on April 25, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Peloran were the Albion’s generalist supersoldier, but they could not do everything. That is why the Albion created numerous specialist races to fight in their war against the Ennead. The Arnam were based on the standard Peloran design, but modified for underwater use. Their most notable difference from the other Races of Humanity is their dark blue or purple skin. Designed to retain heat in often bitterly cold waters, the Arnam can easily survive at temperatures that would kill other humans in minutes, either above or below water. They don’t do nearly as well in hotter or drier climates though.

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The Gemini Affair on An Atlas to Time, Space, and Bonfires: A Sci-Fi Anthology

by on April 24, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The Gemini Affair takes place a century after the main timeline I’ve been writing for Jack. The War is over, and Jack is wandering around and doing his thing. Enjoying retirement from the worlds and just doing what he wants. Then he runs into a clandestine rendezvous of ships that don’t appreciate being observed.

That sets up The Gemini Affair, a short story that will first appear in An Atlas to Time, Space, and Bonfires. It’s an anthology of a couple dozen short stories written by authors who just love sci-fi and want to support it. It has funded on kickstarter, and there are still a couple days left to get in on it. The stories are all written. The art has been created. I’ve seen the whole thing, and while its still in editing, it is a real deal. We’re not talking vaporware here. Backers can get exclusive digital art created for the anthology, full digital novels, signed physical art prints, a true dead tree version of the anthology ready to be placed on your bookshelf, and cool stuff like that.

I think it is a cool project, I’m happy to be part of it, and I’d like all of you to have a chance to get a piece of it as well. So…once more into the breech…here it is. 🙂

An Atlas to Time, Space, and Bonfires Kickstarter

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Daniel

by on April 23, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Daniel Freemon was far more courageous than even he knew. Few would have guessed it when he was the young and rebellious spawn of a once-great actor. But for all its horrors, The War gave many of us a chance to rewrite our futures. Both Daniel and his father took their chances and drove them all the way to the end of the line. His father reinvented Dixie into one of the primary military powers of the United States. Daniel reinvented himself into a man of profound courage in the face of the enemy who would have destroyed us all. And I would still say that about him even if he had not died saving hundreds of American sailors. They saved thousands more as The War went on, and went home to have their own families, all of whom owe their very existence to a man named Daniel Freemon.

High res version available for free on Patreon

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Grace

by on April 22, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Sometimes it seemed like Grace spent most of her time trying to teach her pilot how to act like he was the son of the president of Dixie. The problem was that he loved to party, and he loved to dance. And since Grace was born to complement him, so did she. Now when I say party, I mean serious dancing affairs with real live bands and some of the best Ozark beers I’ve ever tasted. And the dancing is the kind of stuff that would curl the toes of your typical Northern Minnesotan. I loved it. Daniel was a real good dancer, but Grace was a master. I could have watched her dance for hours. Come to think of it, I probably did. They ran a lot of really amazing parties during The War. To keep our morale up. Total mission accomplished there.

High res version available for free on Patreon

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