Deeelays

Pending completion of the cover, my first short story has sadly been delayed :( I'll have a better idea of when it's coming out soon, before April is out is all I can say at the moment.

On a side note, things have actually been looking up for the SpacePirate :) Details and Story release ASAP!!!!!

The First American Space Pirate: The Last Great Adventure

     A hero is generally uniformed. A hero is defined by his deeds. A hero is a champion of truth and justice, someone to be admired.

     I am no hero. 

     My uniform is the standard issue blue jumpsuit worn by every other low life serving time in the Outer Ring CosmiPrison. An Internment camp on a moon no one has ever escaped, orbiting a planet no one has ever heard of some 1.7 million light years from home. Outer Ring is a privately owned prison with corporate agendas, belonging to CosmiCorp. Cosmi being the company that built the Tollgates across the Einstein Wormholes. As greedy and capitalistic as Cosmi was, the Tollgates were engines of the most powerful nature, the culmination of human intelligence and understanding. Essentially, they bent two points in space to a single unified point to allow for instantaneous travel across incomprehensibly immense distances. For a price of course. 

     As for my deeds, it would seem that I lacked better judgment this time. I got cocky and careless. I’ve hijacked literal megatons of cargo, smuggled many goods; food, money and on a few occasions political refugees and persons I would rather not know the purpose of. Never had I directly stolen anything from Cosmi, my arrogance led them right back to me after all these years. I had never seen PrisonGate open before and anyone that has, has never seen it again. Normally when the toll for the gates is paid, an infrared tag is placed on your ship allowing for a return trip. PrisonGate does no such thing. Crippling nuclear-magnetic beams grab ships of any size and pull them into the gate. It leads straight into a holding facility for whatever ship happens to be forced through it. Here they are remanded and the ship they once occupied is scoured and reduced to a skeleton. There are two transport gates for employees, government personnel and deliveries, but they are heavily guarded by a small, but extraordinarily powerful armada, one located in orbit of the moon of Earth. The other directly orbiting the planet Lokton. 

     PrisonGate is carried in the belly of a massive freighter called Novus Dei. The largest vessel ever created on land, sea or aerospace, co-constructed by man and sentient beings from a planet in the andromeda galaxy, neighboring the Milky Way. Bordering on the size of Jupiter’s satellite, Io. The Novus is the headquarters of the Vox Vocis, the infinitely long arm of the law out here in the ether. If she is looking for you, you should be terrified. For if the mouth of this whale is open, you will be swallowed into its’ oblivion. No aerocraft can escape her insatiable appetite for “justice”. She loves the taste of pirates. In particular, she has hungered for me with an incredulous bloodlust for many years. 

     I was once what they called, “A Hero”. 

     They called me the Star Fox, a moniker given to me by history. Reminiscent of Irwin Rommel, the famous tank commander from the Second World War. The Desert Fox. My tactics in space were regarded as his were in the sand. Labeled so for a video game I played in my youth.

***

    First came The Famine.
    A time of turmoil and chaos following the collapse of the global weather system after the United States Air Force attempted to gain complete control of it. They wanted to manipulate the fog of war. Create prime war-time conditions. Initially, it was successful, but no one could foresee that the long term effects of playing god with the earth's natural patterns would cause a new dust bowl. The world went into a drought and only privately owned, small subsistence farms were left to support mankind. Food stamps became ration stamps. Tens of millions died within the first year. By the end, around 2.4 billion of the people on earth were dead.
     Then came The Plague, the white death…

     Much like in the mid 1600's, the bodies were piling up, disease was beginning to grow and fester and spread. This was no black plague. This was the white death. Your "Zombie" apocalypse. This wasn't your grab your guns n' go glorified fantasy. This was the total degeneration of society. Cannibalism, that was merely a survival instinct. The people of the world were starving. Some had no choice, we were all dying. This helped spread the disease but it was already everywhere, in days you were like a mad cow with rabies, incapable of any sort of function. Within a week, you were dead. Dead, dead, no reanimation, not undead, but fucking gone. You could hear the return of the call to "Bring Out Your Dead" and before the bodies were even done smoldering, CosmiCorp began purchasing the remains of the political parties in the western hemisphere. They had complete control over us because they saved us from the edge, we gave it to them like a tithe. Less than an estimated two billion people survived at this point in the body count. 

     Then came The War…
     And like we as animals have always done, we turned to violence instead of helping our fellow man. We continued the cycle of inevitability. Use up one resource, fight and die over it, technological boom. Perhaps our mother had seen it as a necessity for our cancerous existence. The earth had purged us. 

     I lost everything. I lost my sanity. I lost my family. So I told my soul to proverbially fuck off. I became a ruthless killer. I enlisted with CosmiCorp right around the time we made first contact with the Loktons in Andromeda, at the precipice of The War. A war between continents is much like the war inside a man. There are two, perhaps far more, sides to the story. Like a coin toss that defies logic and physics and lands perfectly on its ridges.
     No one really wins. 

     No one really loses. 

     Everything changes. 

     Following The Famine and The Plague, on the brink of extinction, CosmiCorp rose from the ashes of the hungry, the sick and the dead to change the course of human history. Our impending annihilation drove technology forward, thousands of years worth of exponential discovery. Looking for a suitable new home, the most intelligent minds left on the planet created the Tollgates. Interstellar exploration became possible and the rush to find a planet humankind could occupy was much like a fire in a theatre, everyone pushing and storming over each other with no regard for life but their own. That’s how the war began. In the beginning, God created the end.
     The dissolution of the western governments allowed for the formation of privately owned political parties. Private politics at its core, CosmiCorp grabbed the best footholds, and then formed their corporate army, the Vox Vocis. After first contact and shadowy agreements between the Loktons, they became the law in the known, accessible universe. 

     I was a VV Commandant Level IV - AeroPhalanx Division. The Aeros were sleek, cigar shaped craft and were as feared as an M4 Sherman was during the last global war. Tanks of the stars, heavy hitters. Looking back, it was more of an extermination than a war. Cosmi had control of almost all of the wealth remaining on earth. Surviving factions, even the combined effort of the Russians and the Chinese, had trouble competing in space. Using conquered enemies like Egyptian slaves, fallen combatants were conscripted into work platoons. They mined and dug and farmed and all out drained Earth’s last remaining resources in order to supply the machine that was the corporation. Precious metals and gems were used in attempt to become part of cosmic commerce once the wormholes were opened. 

     Like I said, I was once considered a hero. That was something I never meant to be. Being the champion of villains and corruption was no longer something I could stomach after the war. Memories of my family and reminders of little bits of life before the world fell to shit brought my soul back to life. My heart beat with a desire to run further than I could have when I had first lost everything. Murdering people that couldn’t even afford to fight back, wanted the same thing we did, was not courageous. That was always the downfall of our species, we always argued the same point but called it different things, spoke in different languages, had different means to our selfish ends. Serving with an implied sense of purpose given to me by people I could never whole heartedly agree with wasn’t filling the hole left in me by my wife and son. 

     It only made it grow bigger. 

     So I deserted the Vox Vocis, I took my best men, sent the rest home on a lifeboat. I stole the Nibiru, my loyal ship, my experienced crew and we headed through the Nearest Tollgate to the star system Exander. A solar system with three planets inhabited by human like races and like the Darwin Finches, these humanoids varied slightly in evolution from planet to planet. We pointed the ship to the smallest of the three planets, Derlact. A neutral planet that refused any dealings with the industrious Cosmi or anyone from the milky way for that matter. I wasn’t certain how they would react to treasonous rogues. Perhaps they wouldn’t believe our story and would assume we were some sort of psuedo-solictor knocking at their door. Pretending to have deserted to get a foot in the door and go after their vast wealth of monatomic gold, one of the most prized resources in all the universe, next to water, the only commonality in the need of all species that was universal. It was discovered that air was not necessary for all evolutionary lines, but water was. 

     Derlact was 10^(10^100) light-years from Earth and the Derlactians were an extremely, if not, overly cautious people. Very wary of all uninvited guests. Standing at an average of about 8 feet tall with twice the muscle density of us, evolved to remain firmly planted in half the gravity of our planet, they were very intimidating and most certainly did not appreciate the corporations and traders’ conquest perpetrated by those that came from our home planet. They were also known for being ravenously vicious. 

    This was what I was up against in my first act as Captain of the miscreant Nibiru and I’m sure our absence was being noticed by now. Vox vehicles were exempt from the tolls and the IR tags when travelling through the gates and I had my engineers remove our locators before we even began this whimsical trip, so we at least had that time purchased in our benefit. Unfortunately, yet not unexpectedly, far across time and space, Four Star Kernel Veracruz, Ian Veracruz, my friend and Captain of the Novus Dei, was rousing the ship to life. Sending a vulture, small four man recovery craft specifically designed to retrieve the lifeboats, known as a vulture for its’ claw like appendages meant to lock into the top of the boats. Also known as such because the affectionate term for picking up the lifeboats was “circling the dead”. Lifeboats automatically set off a beacon upon launch from their mothering vessels, a direct signal to the Novus for pick up. Within hours a vulture would be there to swoop up the downed crew. Veracruz saw that this particular beacon was that of the Nibiru’s. He knew something was wrong. His loyalty to the Vox Vocis and CosmiCorp was unwavering. Soon, my friend would interrogate the remains of my men. Soon, my friend would become my enemy. So loyal, he would imprison and murder his own family if he were ordered to do so. 

     As we came into the orbit of Derlact, my nerves began to rattle. I ordered my 1st Lt. to try and find a hailing frequency for the planet to no avail. Those nerves shook harder, but I remained superficially stoic and kept my hands steady for my most certainly frightened crew. I knew what they were truly feeling however, because I felt it too. 

     With intense hesitation, I mulled over my next move. This was a godless region of the cosmos. Inhabited only by beings who claim to have ridden “The Great Wave” from what we call, the Big Bang. The ever outwardly expanding blast from whence all things came. They believed their lineage and existence was instantaneously created with all other matter. Their 14 billion year heritage made the men of Earth question everything they knew. Those steadfast in their beliefs felt the Derlactians were just a superstitious cult who knew as much of their origins as any other creatures in the universe. 

     No matter. 

     How long they had been there was irrelevant. I needed to do something and fast. This lonely star system and its binary red dwarves, the planet was about the safest place in all the stars to evade the clutches of the Vox Vocis. The weight of guilt had led me there. I ran to escape the echoes, the screams of my past. If I were such a weapon, I would no longer be the right hand of this conglomerate mechanism. 

     I barked at the pilot and navigator to break orbit and begin descent. I made the decision post-haste so as not to second-guess myself. 

     We had not many places to go and I had chosen to bring us there. On a whim I was beginning to question. Halfway across the great macrocosm, the Novus Dei was certainly pounding the grunts of the Nibiru with questions about what had happened. Being so fresh faced and new most of them, the lower level crew had in all likelihood already told Veracruz what had transpired. Treason they would say in an attempt to save some face. No matter where you are, what army you belonged to, the all-encompassing penalty for treason is death. I was already dead, spiritually, emotionally, so physically would not make a difference. All communications links to the Novus had been shut down. Veracruz would be inclined to believe I had commandeered my own ship. Lost my mind, which maybe I had. He was a relentless tracker who spent years honing his skills. Yet even he wouldn’t think I possessed the insanity to go there. If he had, he still wouldn’t have been able to bring the Novus to this place. The Derlactians had powerful weaponry upon the surface to deter even a ship of her size. 

     Our descent was slow and prudent. Within a mile of the surface, there was a sudden jolt and a violent shake, knocking everything that wasn’t bolted down or strapped in forward and to the floor. Then we were stopped in our tracks, dead in the water. Demanding a status report I wondered if we had clipped an unseen mountain. I knew that wasn’t very likely. 

     Then I heard an ominous sound, like that of a medieval blacksmith on his anvil. A boarding party I ventured to guess. We had been caught in a perpetual suspension field. They must have been watching us the whole time. I ordered the crew to be ready but to take no aggressive actions. As I had said, it didn’t matter when these people had come to be, 100 years ago or 14 billion, their weaponry was eons more advanced. With a small, unprepared crew, we’d barely get a shot off before they cleared the room and the ship became scrap metal. I was brave, but not stupid. My success had come from knowing when to pick my battles and this battle would not be won. 

     I heard the lower deck bay doors burst open with great force. They were in. In moments, inaudible shouts in an alien language could be heard outside the main deck doors. We were all paralyzed with an unknown fear. I made a weak attempt to reassure them as the massive Derlactians filed in. Human like in appearance, slightly grayish tint to their skin, they had torsos with similar size to ours in length. The major defining difference in our structures was the length of their legs were slightly long in proportion to their bodies, the knees were freely double jointed, a complex system of spring like ligaments in the joint kept them upright without having to lock them. They could run faster, jump higher and scale much larger vertical objects than we could. More than half their total height was leg. 

     They seized and captured my men and I. There was shouting and an air of confusion filled the room. Leaving many bruises and with intimidating violence and force, we were swiftly under their control. With my face planted firmly into the deck and a gun grazing the back of my head, I saw one of them appear to shout into some sort of radio. Immediately, the shipped jarred back into motion and our descent continued. We were being pulled in. 

     I cursed myself for my brashness in coming here. 

     What had my impulsiveness gotten us into? This was beginning to feel like one of those mouthfuls with your own foot to fill it, far more than I could chew. All the chaos around me had become a quiet panic. Heavy breathing and quiet whimpers. 

     Fear and a sense of impending failure were beginning to overcome me. All of a sudden, a whooshing sound reminiscent of a bat being swung through the air was coming from behind me. With a sickening thud the lights went black. 

     I was out.

***

     Following hours of interrogation, Veracruz, in righteous anger at my betrayal, executed the entirety of the men I had abandoned. Fearing they may have still been loyal to myself and the Nibiru. Perhaps he was erring on the side of caution and perhaps it was in part due to one of his famous temper tantrums. Either way, for Ian, the hunt was on. 

     He knew a defector of my caliber could stir up unrest and uneasiness amongst his higher-ranking commanders. He also knew a swift and brutal punishment would quell that and make a prime example of me and what happens to traitors. An example that had always been assumed, but never executed. Most just blindly followed Cosmi, hailed them as their saviors. Maybe fear kept them in line. Maybe it was just something I couldn’t see. I gave everything before they were even conceived as a company, I owed them nothing. 

     The Fox was now the target of the old English hunting party. From this moment on, I would always hear the hounds in the distance, the trotting, rhythmic beats of the horses’ hooves.

***

     I awoke slowly. A putrid smell filled the damp air. As my eyes strained to adjust, but never did, I realized I was in a pitch black room. The scent gave me the feeling that I was in a cave. More than likely. My consciousness surged and I began to grasp the situation more clearly. My arms were tightly fastened around a post behind me. Immediately I froze and went completely silent when I heard the sound that must have awoken me from my sleep… A sick snap and a crunch, quickly followed by a thud sounding much like a sack of potatoes being dropped to the floor. Where the fuck was I? What the hell was going on..? 

     I heard another body come to life not far from me. Within moments I recognized my 1st Lt.’s screams. He yelled for help, for his mother, anyone who might provide him comfort that unfortunately was beyond trillions of miles away. No one was coming for him. The gravity of that distance was probably hitting him at that very moment. Before I could even open my mouth to whisper something that might calm his fears. Something that was definitely not gravity was about to hit him, something sounding like a herd of elephants bounding across the darkness, charging directly toward his pleas for salvation. I don’t know if it was the breaking of the post he was tied to or his spine that made such a horrible noise, but I will never forget that sound and it has since woken me from many already restless slumbers to this day. 

     There was a terrible thrashing about, it almost sounded like a dog playing with his food. In total darkness, I was trying to analyze the whole situation. Useless, I needed my hands free, it still felt like I had my belt on, which if they hadn’t taken it, would hopefully still have a flashlight and a knife hanging from it. I squatted down, slid my hands down the post to the dirt, felt around with my limited range in the off chance I would find something, anything, even remotely sharp. Nothing. So the next choice was to climb up. Stressing shoulders and planting feet firmly against the post, I writhed upwards as a lumberjack would climb a redwood however reversed and painfully. While no more than 5 or so yards away from me, unseen horrors were still taking place.

Tease

Late tonight I will be posting a teaser for my new series of short stories. I know I said it would be free, but I've been informed I should probably sell them on kindle. The first one will be available 4/14 for just .99. Love it or hate it, all of your support will be amazingly appreciated. It's at the bottom of my life, on the precipice of a new beginning, that I have decided to give it everything I've got and pursue my dreams. I'm done flyin a sign on street corners, I want something greater <3

The Space Pirate

You've maybe wondered how someone ends up behind a cardboard sign. Some have lost everything. Some are about to lose everything. All are searching for something more. It's difficult to explain the total desperation of my situation. I'm not homeless, yet, but in a matter of days I will be. Lost my job and ended up in a workmans comp lawsuit. My fiancèe left me and took our son. That seems to be the driving force behind my desperation, I want my son back in my life...

Finally got something taken care of that was preventing me from getting a job. It's a long story, but long story short I took an air tazer shot to the chest. I'm a recovering alcoholic and up until a recent relapse and subsequent return to sobriety, I was 3 years sober. I've tried and tested many different directions in my life and I'm still tryin to figure it all out for my son.

I would like to start writing a series of short stories on this blog. I promise I'm a good person and a very smart kid at heart, I've just made bad decisions, been in the wrong place, wrong time.  Some of my hardship is merely circumstantial. Imagine if a million little pieces wasn't a fraud, that would be my life, only more like a billion little pieces.

I need help. Financially, emotionally...

I'm honestly just trying to get back on my feet and in my eyes this is all only temporary. I'm looking for work so job offers or leads or suggestions would absolutely be accepted in lieu of a donation. I'd like to think I have a good resume including everything from washing cars to being accepted into the navy's nuclear power program, until I screwed that up. Like I said, I'm no dummy, I'm just lost. I'm about to lose everything.

Honestly, I just need my son back in my life and I'm trying to find my jumpstart to great things, the great things I hope I can achieve. I'll work for it, I'll dance for it, tell you a joke, sing you a song. I'd truthfully like to start my own business someday. I was verbally and on one occasion physically abused at my previous job. The workmans comp lawsuit reference. My managaer at the time kneed me into the wall while I was working on my hands and knees and wrecked my shoulder. The owner then told me I'd be fired if I went to workmans comp. My wife was pregnant with my son at the time so I kinda fell into his trap.

Life has just been a bit rough on me for the last couple years and I feel that its ok that I'm alive and have my beautiful boy to look forward to and enjoy. There's a lot more to all of this of course. I just want to get back on my feet, go back to school, get a job, become an author hopefully.

I miss my routine, ever since I was fired and went thru the lawsuit with my former employer, things have gotten out of hand, the only thing that's helped is going back to AA. I know that I've also messed up too. Feel free to ask me anything, take a picture of me and post it here. Anything. Anything I can do to earn whatever assistance you can offer.

I know I've made some mistakes I have to do some serious atoning for. I'm ready to do that and I want to. I promise I won't let you down, I can't. I have to have some, at the very least, some minor success, something to keep me going, just a bit of hope. Like I said, I would like to write a series of short stories on here to hopefully earn your respect and support. I <3 you. It's gonna be a good life. Perhaps I will see you around.