I spend the holidays quietly, with just the people in my house and a small number of other people to join my dinner table. It was nice.
When not entertaining, I caught up on some reading, mostly, my friend Soldwolf's story, Meeting the Parents. It is a military sci-fi novel in the making, where the hero, Scott Eckert, a decorated space Navy officer from Earth and his lovely, Quen'tra, a young woman from the planet of Tamal, who is part of a prominent family from her world.
You can meet the characters involved in The Morning Edition (ch 2), listen in on the Big Sister Interrogation 3 times (ch 5), learn about the Cultural Differences (ch 16), how the Tamalnii celebrate the couple's First Night Out (ch 17), the various Preparations (ch 23) necessary both on the personal/family end as well as political/military aspects, the merge of various types of Celebrations (ch 32), the various Lessons (ch 46) to be learned and so much more...
It is a captivating story, which has the potential to catch the eyes of publishers to be turned into a real book. I'm hoping that someday, I will be a proud owner of a signed copy of this novel, and in reading, I review the newest chapters in hopes of grabbing more readers to help make this come to fruition.
In chapter 49, Return Fire, the battle plans are in place, and they're doing so subtly. Loyalties are scarce and possibly outnumbered. Will the humans be able to fight with/for the Talmalnii? Or will the futuristic pirates pummel through weak links?
The heavy ships are lined up. Ready. Set. When do they go? Mission: Save a Planet. Tours are canceled, but only for tourists, the military tour is a full go for action. Do the pirates go undetected? Blown out of the air? Do cloaking devices exist and work or are the trails still detectable?
In the meantime, the kids are getting into stuff. Will they ruin it for their parents to do their jobs correctly? Are they causing too much trouble? Or is it all for the right reason? Read on to find out!
Chapter 50, Firefight is exciting. The numbers are in. Assessments are being made. Will it be more of a cleanup or will they have to battle hard? Is this war or a rescue mission? These explosions aren't the ones we hear about from the Revolutionary War. These aren't your ordinary rockets, and these bombs bursting in air do a lot more damage...
Defense strategies are in place. The tactical offense is set. Will the Hero & his family persevere in this mission? Is there going to be a family feud or will they read each other and make it work? Curious minds sitting on the edge of our seats want to know...
I wonder, though. Are far away lightning strikes and explosions really advanced species at war out in the stratosphere? Maybe they're not really any stars imploding on themselves. As for the casualties, the enemy line suffers more. Let's just hope not all is demolished and the hero & his lovely are safe with family & friends!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned - I appreciate your patience and Happy Ground Hog Day!
