Who can you trust?

 

What would you do if your father had arranged to marry you off to an old, fat, rich man on the promise that your child by him would inherit an Empire? And your dad hadn't discussed it with you first?

It happened all the time in the past, especially between noble families. It even happens today. I wonder how many of those women – in the past and in the present – were happy about the match?

That's the opening premise in A Matter of Trust. Princess Amira is not happy about the arranged marriage so she runs for it. She find herself looking around for people she can trust not to sell her out to her suitor's agents and some she thought she could trust in fact - she can't.

I've used Midjourney to produce portraits of the main characters for me.

Admiral Ul-Mellor - the Demon Admiral

Princess Amira

Here's a snippet where Admiral Ul-Mellor and Amira meet again.

Brom gestured toward the two officers. "You met Admiral Ul-Mellor at Christoph's funeral, do you remember?"

How could she forget? The white uniform almost shimmered against his ebony skin, the gold rank insignia on his epaulettes gleamed in the soft light, his red eyes were as intense as she remembered. The only Jort she had ever met. Her heart beat a little faster. She'd thought of him many times over the months since the funeral.

 "It's wonderful to see you again in happier circumstances, Admiral. I so much enjoyed the short time we spent together after Christoph's funeral."

"Our visit to the catacombs was memorable, Your Highness, an occasion that lingers in my memory. I am delighted to see you again." Taking the hand she offered, he brushed her knuckles with his lips.

Amira quivered, and hoped no one had noticed. He'd even remembered her name. Or maybe Brom had mentioned she was here?

 Will the Demon Admiral protect her from her family?

Princess Amira is ready to start a new life after the death of her husband, but that doesn’t include marrying the man her father picks out for her. Pursued by his agents, she races across the galaxy in a desperate search for a safe haven. Amid simmering tensions at the edge of the Empire, Amira renews her acquaintance with Imperial Admiral Ul-Mellor. Although his detractors call him the Demon Admiral,  Amira finds him intelligent, articulate, and very attractive.

But Ul-Mellor is not human and Amira is a princess – far above Ul-Mellor’s status on his home world. He and Amira will have to overcome a gulf of cultural and class differences if they’re to turn their mutual attraction into a relationship. And what will Ul-Mellor do when faced with a choice – Amira or his hard-won commission?

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Amira and Ul-Mellor appear in several other Dryden Universe stories - but this is their initial romance with the requisite HEA. I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers,

Greta

 

Starting on a new story

 All this mucking about with Midjourney has coaxed the Muse out of hiding and I've started a new book - my first bit of serious writing in at least six months.

My favourite stories to write are history, mystery, and a splash of romance and this one fits the mould. 

Dragon Island, off shore from the fishing village of Portosinta, was a known base of notorious Yrmak pirate Drarkghon back in the days when the space trading routes were closer to Santa Bella. But that was hundreds of years ago. The pirate is long gone but his legend lives on. The story goes he left a treasure on the island but despite treasure hunters, archaeologists, and historians - both Human and Yrmak - combing every inch of the place nothing has ever been found.

Jill Beersohn is an academic with expert knowledge of Yrmak culture in this part of the known galaxy. She reluctantly becomes involved in the search for Drarkghon's treasure due to family circumstances. An old flame, Dan Bishop, turns up unexpectedly and together they find a CLUE.

And that's all I'll tell you right now - except they're going on an ADVENTURE.

In the meantime, here are a few visuals.

Dragon Island

It's surrounded by cliffs with only one way into the lagoon in the middle. You probably guessed how it got its name - 'Drarkghon' doesn't mean dragon but it sounds like it. The island is riddled with caves.

The remains of an Yrmak temple still exist on Dragon Island but it has been thoroughly explored, including with radar systems.

Maybe we can find a clue down here

If there is a treasure to be found, it's sure to include items like this ceremonial carved box. Yrmaks prize green stone. This box would have been coveted.

If they do find treasure, Jill and Dan will still have some competition from Yrmaks. Yrmak warriors are not to be underestimated.

Meanwhile, I'm planning on one thousand words per day. I doubt this will be finished before next year - but you never know. The working title is "The Dragon's Hoard"- but that might change because I don't want people to think it's a shifter story.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,

Greta

The one that got away

 

Picture New Year, somewhere warm where people will gather as the midnight hour approaches ready to drink a toast to the coming year, or maybe to celebrate the final demise of that last year from hell. Everyone's happy, laughing, enjoying the warm night and looking forward to the fireworks which will reflect in the still waters of the lake.

The bangs start, the sky lights up. And then the bangs of fireworks mix with the crack of automatic weapons and the laughter morphs into shouts and screams...

And then I woke up.

I rarely dream - at least, I rarely remember them. But I remembered this one. It wasn't as coherent as my description, just a kaleidoscope of images of fireworks and terrorists and I had an idea for a story.

Ella and the Admiral is a short story, set in the Dryden Universe.

Here’s the blurb:

When Admiral Goran Chandler suddenly turns up in Ella’s restaurant her comfortable world is thrown into turmoil. Ten years ago he’d been a senior commander, and captain of the frigate Antelope. She had been Lieutenant Bulich then, and he’d kicked her off his ship.

With unexpected danger threatening, and a killer stalking the corridors of the Hotel Majestic, Ella and the admiral must work together to escape with their lives before they can consider the events of ten years ago, and what they mean now.

***

I know romance has its own tropes and 'rules' but I think that often puts romance into fantasy. You meet the love of your life, neither of you have even a thought for anyone else and you live happily ever after. 

Yeah, right.

In the real world, people marry too young and fall out of love. They have affairs, they get divorced. Relationships can be messy. I have real world experience of things like that and I know I'm not the only one. So, this little story is about a second chance, perhaps the one that got away.

Here’s a snippet which won’t need much introduction, except to say this is the evening of the planet’s five hundredth anniversary. There’ll be parties, revelry, dancing in the streets, and fireworks over the lake. A group of eight arrives for dinner at the restaurant where Ella works. One of the party is her former commanding officer. She escorts the guests to their table, making sure Chandler doesn’t realize she has recognized him.

***

Chandler made sure Ella didn't realize he'd recognized her, turning to his colleagues to discuss where everyone else was going to sit. They were all senior officers from his flagship, here for a private birthday dinner with Captain Ibbotson, away from the military, away from formal engagements representing Fleet. He'd had a chance to look Ella over, keeping his expression carefully schooled, when she had introduced the two attendants who would be looking after their group. She'd hardly aged. Those compelling dark eyes were just as compelling, her lips just as luscious. She'd grown her hair, but wore it tied back. The dark red uniform suited her, accentuating the brown of her skin.

"It's our job to make this a memorable evening for you. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask your attendants, or me." Ella beamed a smile around the table, although she brushed past him as though he wasn't there. Ibbotson thanked her, and then she walked away.

Ella. To start with she'd been just another junior officer, inexperienced but capable and willing. On a frigate the officers got to know each other, shared jokes and meals, sometimes even some leave time. She was fun, interested in everything, willing to try the food on any planet. He'd enjoyed her company more than he should have. Chandler wondered if she was still married. He had met the husband, briefly, when the man came to collect his wife for a weekend at home, but he couldn't remember the fellow's name, or what he looked like. What Chandler did remember was the feeling of jealousy, that this man was going to take Ella home and… have sex with her. That was when he'd realized he'd let himself get too close. He was her commanding officer. She was married. He was married, too, then.

 

***

 

A couple of days after I wrote this story the terrorist attack took place in Nice, France. You might remember a man drove a truck into crowds of people watching the fireworks on Bastille Day. Premonition? I most sincerely hope not. 

 

You'll find all the links to Ella and the Admiral here

 

 

Supernovae can have unintended consequences

 

You'll have seen that 'space nut' in my 'about me' description. (Writer Photographer Animal lover Space nut) What that means is I'm interested in astronomy, cosmology and generally the science of of the universe. And one of the most spectacular events in the night sky is a supernova.

A supernova happens at the end of a massive star's life, when all its gas shrinks into itself, causing an enormous explosion that scatters star stuff into the galaxy. Stars are enormous fusion reactors, using hydrogen to create helium and in so doing putting out enormous quantities of energy. When a star starts to reach the end of its life the fusion process goes further, creating heavier elements. Supernovae create the heaviest elements, from which planets are created. So they're very important in the cycle of life.

From a distance, though, they show up as a sudden brightening of a star to such an extent that it might even be visible during the day. Supernovae are thankfully rare. If there was one nearby, planet Earth wouldn't stand much of a chance. But even distant supernovas put on quite a show. 

"In 1054, Chinese astronomers took notice of a “guest star” that was, for nearly a month, visible in the daytime sky. The “guest star” they observed was actually a supernova explosion, which gave rise to the Crab Nebula, a six-light-year-wide remnant of the violent event." Read the whole story at NASA.

The Crab Nebula

Here's another one.

"In 185 A.D., Chinese astronomers saw a strange "guest star" suddenly appear in the night sky. It was visible for a staggering eight months. That was enough time for ancient skywatchers to take notice and make the first-known observation of a supernova in human history. There’s also some evidence that Roman astronomers witnessed the event." Read about all the supernovae visible from Earth.

Needless to say, the concept of exploded stars excited my imagination, not least because, since we can't see a supernova until the light arrives here, the star could have exploded thousands of years ago and we wouldn't know. We certainly wouldn't be able to see what remained of the exploded star with the naked eye.

That's what led to my Dryden Universe story, Eye of the Mother. 

BLURB:

A distant star explodes. The ripples of its passing will rock the Empire.

When fate throws Brent Walker and Tian Axmar together, it’s strictly a business arrangement. She’s an Imperial agent with a problem to solve, he’s a space jockey with an empty bank balance and a tramp freighter for hire.

Somebody’s murdering Yrmaks and Humans, and leaving a mysterious calling card. Somebody wants interspecies war. Tian hires Brent to help her investigate, delving into Yrmak customs and beliefs to understand what’s going on. It’s an increasingly dangerous game, with more than just lives at stake. 

Before it’s over Brent and Tian will be faced with choices which will change both of them forever.

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And here's a snippet to whet your interest. Tian is explaining the significance of the explosion of that distant star to Brent.

"We're hearing rumors from the Yrmak heartlands. You know they think the constellation…. Well, no, you wouldn't. From Pok Yaavan, which is their world of origin, you can see a constellation they call the Mother." Tian brought up the view from Pok Yaavan on the common room's screen, then used lines to join the outline of the mythical figure on the starscape.

"Huh. Doesn't look like my mother. And anyway, how can space-faring species believe that crap?"

"Well, they do." Tian requested an image of the Mother as represented in art, a female Yrmak carrying a tree branch in her right hand. "Here she is. This is a statue in the Church of the Mother in Nambor space station's Yrmak district."

"Good grief."

"Why are you surprised? Humans are space farers, but some of them believe in a greater power."

"Sure. But constellations? One jump in shift space and suddenly your Mother looks like a deformed plow."

"Seems Humans had those traditions, too. Anyway, let's look at the constellation again." She reverted to the view of stars from Pok Yaavan and pointed at the star representing the Mother's right eye. It glared, much brighter than any of the stars in the sky. "It's gone supernova. We think that might be what the circle and ray symbol represents. Anyway, whatever it is, it was scrawled on a wall of an Yrmak business on Namrod station that had been attacked. Blown up and the owners killed."

"But that would have been under Yrmak authority. Why do you care?"

"We always like to know what's stirring up the Yrmaks. The chief of police refused to tell us anything, of course." Her exact words were, 'keep your ape snouts out of our business.'

Tian had asked her what the explosion symbol meant. It was always hard to read Yrmaks, but the chief's eye ridges had reddened for a microsecond. Not something she wanted to discuss. "Just a child's scrawl."

This book introduces Brent and Tian who appear in two further stories, For the Greater Good and Retribution.

Greta van der Rol