So I finally got to see the end of THE EXPANSE! Woohoo!
Now that we've caught up with the general population in terms of our internet speed (many thanks to StarLink and Elon Musk -- thank you, thank you!) we can now finally make use of a FireStick.
We're still learning the ropes, but the first thing I did was sought out those inaccessible seasons of one of my all-time fave sci-fi (w/romance) TV shows that I'd been deprived of for the last few years.
Aw, yes, it was like going home again. I even cheered the first time I saw the Roci power into view. Probably one of my favorite sci-fi ships evah now. She even gives the old Falcon a run for her money. In fact, a model of the Rocinante is the only model ship I have on display in my office.
It was great getting reacquainted with all the regulars again -- Holden, Naomi, Alex, Amos, Avasarala, Bobbie, Peaches, Drummer and a host of others -- and to meet some of the newer characters introduced to the show, as well. But of course, it was only a brief reunion before I had to say goodbye again in the finale. Still, it was a very satisfying goodbye.
Though the story line wrapped up all the major threads, it definitely left a lot of things open-ended for any possible futures, possibly as a TV mini-series or limited series in the future.
I think maybe the reason this Hugo Award-winning show resonates with me on so many levels are the similar elements it shares with Inherit the Stars and the series.
A remarkable ship - check
An enigmatic captain - check
Crew conflicts - check
Multi-planet politics - check
Enemies to allies - check
A looming threat to the known universe - check
Now that I've experienced the multi-season small screen saga, I think I may dive in and explore the entire book series by James S. A. Corey (which is actually the local author team of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). I know the books are different, with more intricate plots and a larger cast of characters than the series, but I think it might be an inspiration to experience the story as it was originally conceived.
I'll close with the haunting opening title to The Expanse, which also made its mark in terms of atmosphere and visuals and suited the series to a T. This, too, is going to stick with me.
Dear Expanse. Please return in some form to continue your story.
In today’s science lesson, boys and girls, we’re going to
review some basics that the writers of television science fiction seem to have
forgotten. The shows I’m going to rant about are generally categorized as space
opera—adventures set in space, sometimes with a military framework—and are among
my favorites, but in a few cases, the writers just went too far with poetic
license. That’s okay if you’re writing fantasy or paranormal, but in science
fiction, the science should be a little more rigorous, even on TV.
Let’s start with The Expanse, the fifth season of
which just concluded on Amazon Prime Video. There’s a lot to love about thisseries,
based on the books by James S. A. Corey, starring Stephen Strait, Dominique
Tipper, Wes Chatham and Shohreh Aghdashloo. The ongoing political and shooting
battles between three factions in the near future: Earthers (which include
colonists and others on the moon), Martians (long-time colonists who are now
independent of Earth) and Belters (independent spacers who make their living
among the asteroid belts and outer planets of the solar system) are constantly
entertaining and full of marvelous worldbuilding detail.
Why, then, do we always have to “hear” the
roar of ships’ engines in the blackness of space (that is, from the external
shots)? As the tagline to ALIEN so famously put it, “In space, no one can hear
you scream.” Vacuum can’t transmit sound; there aren’t enough molecules to
vibrate to a level where humans can hear it. Those engine sounds would only be
heard from inside the ships, if at all. Yet, every time we see those
thrusters light up against the backdrop of black space, we hear a roar. No! They
would be completely silent. Explosions: silent. If I remember correctly, even
Classic TREK in the Sixties got this right, and certainly 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
did.
The writers on The Expanse just plain
have a disregard for the dangers of vacuum. They insist on issuing projectile
weapons to their crews despite the problems a wayward bullet would cause in a
pressurized hull. It’s the future, after all! Give them lasers or proton
pistols or something that won’t put a hole in your ship.
The Expanse is excellent, but tends to ignore vacuum.
Things finally came to a ridiculous head
this season when somebody got the bright idea to send one of the main characters
(Naomi Nagata, played by Dominique Tipper) out an airlock without so much as a
rebreather or a light jacket. It was her idea, too, mind you, an escape to a
ship tethered alongside the one where she was being held captive. O-k-a-a-y! Someone
must have read the research
that says an astronaut once lasted 14 seconds in near-vacuum in a testing
situation when his suit sprang a leak. Wow! Plot bunny! So they shoved Naomi
out an airlock with nothing, had her cross a catwalk to the other ship, open
the other airlock and repressurize, all with few effects. No boiling eyeballs
or saliva, passing out from lack of oxygen, “bends” from pressure changes,
frostbite on various extremities from the extreme cold, etc. Sure, I believe
that.
I guess the writer who researched the
effects on the human body in a vacuum neglected to note that the astronaut who survived
his accident was still wearing his suit (it just had a pin-sized hole) and had
a team to revive him. The last thing he remembered before passing out was the
saliva on his tongue boiling. Naomi was on her own—and, outside of a few aches
and pains, was just fine!
This kind of thing makes me crazy, mostly
because The Expanse offers itself as a science-based show. Star Trek,
on the other hand, has always pushed the boundaries of what is considered
acceptable science. It is true space opera, in that there is an element of the
old “Buck Rogers” serials in it, and always has been. Still, the science in
TREK has less of fantasy about it than some franchises, and a separate fandom
has even arisen around the military structure of Starfleet (with fan groups organized
in ships and in cordons of Starfleet “Marines.”)
This third season of the latest iteration of
the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Discovery, gave fans a lot to
think about when heroine Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa
Martin-Green) and the U.S.S. Discovery leapt 930
years into their future to protect the secrets of the “spore drive” and time
travel. They found a galaxy much changed from the one they knew. A galactic
disaster called “the Burn” had rendered dilithium crystals inert, destroying all
dilithium-dependent ships in a single stroke. As a result, Starfleet and the
Federation all but crumbled overnight, leaving systems and planets prey to
slavers and opportunists like the Orion-run Emerald Chain. Burnham had to find allies
and connect with what’s left of the Federation, but first she had to find the Discovery,
which somehow hadn’t followed the same flight path into the future as she had.
Though I missed the characters that drew me
to the series in the first place—Captain Christopher Pike (the delectable Anson
Mount of HELL ON WHEELS) and Spock of Vulcan (Ethan Peck)—this third season had
plenty of new features (and characters) to keep me intrigued. The writers,
though, made a couple of boneheaded mistakes that belong more in fan fiction
than on national television.
The
gentle Kelpien Saru (Doug Jones), for example, may be a fan favorite, but he is
NOT captain material, as he showed multiple times this season. (Remember that
episode of Classic TREK when Kirk was split into Nice Kirk and Evil Kirk and
Nice Kirk made a lousy captain? Yeah. That’s Saru.) The writers did fix this
mistake by the end of the season, in a very satisfying way (I won’t tell you
how in case you haven’t seen it.)
But they allowed another major error to
stand. You can never, ever, make an ensign First Officer, as they did
here. As most of us know who have a military background, there is a command hierarchy
that must be followed. People advance in their careers through the ranks. And
an ensign is the lowliest officer rank aboard ship. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman)
has been an ensign for the duration of the show and saved the ship multiple
times. (In that way, she’s the very definition of a Mary Sue, the minor female
character in fan fiction that takes an overblown role.) I’m sure she’s a fan
favorite. Please, for God’s sake, promote her. But don’t make her the First
Officer, who answers only to the Captain.
At least that captain is now Michael Burnham,
who, despite her flaws, has a commanding presence.
Before I dive into this week's blog, I just want to put this out there.
Power to the SF/R community! The petition to #SaveTheExpanse (SyFy Channel has, unbelievably, axed season four--whatever are they thinking?) is gaining momentum and gathering thousands of signatures daily.
This is SciFi television at its finest and having this spectacular series disappear would be a travesty. If you're a fan or just want to fight for the cause of great Science Fiction (with Romance), please check out the petition on Change.org and see other ways you can help. (Link below)
If you'd like to read my (most recent) blog why this is such a great series, here it is: The Expanse Returns
Mind That Word!
(It's a pun. Horseracing fans will get it.)
Many of us are still reeling and shaking our heads over the mental gut-punch of the whole "cockygate" debacle--and one romance author's actions in trademarking a single word that could, potentially, trigger a landslide that would quite literally bury the industry.
If you're not privy to the upheaval in the writerly Force, let me divert you to this video which recaps the situation and what's potentially being done about in an interview, mentioning the author, Kevin Kneupper, who is stepping up and going to bat for the entire writing community in filing a protest letter (who, BTW, happens to be a retired IP attorney).
Incidently, one of (our hero) Kevin Kneuppers books is Argonauts--it's science fiction (loosely based on mythology) with romance. Did I buy a copy? You betcha! As well as one of his more recent books. Really. It was the least I could do.
But now that the outrage has simmered down a few thousand degrees, a few are starting to have a little fun with all the idiocy. Comments read (and thieved...you know, because they weren't trademarked) on FB:
"Everything you write CAN and WILL be held against you in someone else's lawsuit."
"Highway to the Lawyer Zone."
"So I have decided...I'm going to get a copyright on my first name as it is on my birth certificate and I own the name. So...starting 2019 we will be canceling the month of April and there will only be 11 months in the calendar year."
And that provides me a wonderful segue from mindlessly-driven ambition to...
Mind-Driven Technology
There's been a lot of angst--and downright fear--about the leaps and bounds forward that artificial intelligence--or AI--is taking, and what it means for humanity. It seems at the very least, the human population will lose jobs and livelihoods because AI can do so many things so much faster and in many cases, better.
But what about the removing the human element from the equation? Will AI eventually network to turn against human civilization because it sees us as the enemy (ala the Terminator franchise, et al)? Or will it take a more benign path and simply deem us inferior and emotionally unstable, and decide the entire population should be--and needs to be--controlled and shepherded like unruly sheep?
Make no mistake about it, AI has the potential to be dangerous. If not carefully managed, it might have the ability to take control of all of our resources--our banking industry, our utility grid, our information sources, and our food and water supply, just to name a few key components. Control these and you control people and governments.
As we've learned from historic scenarios, this can be pretty terrifying when people do this to people on a limited scale...can you imagine AI doing this to people on a global scale?
So, yes, there are a lot of big scary question marks surrounding the potential of AI.
In the Inherited Stars Series--set 1500 years in the future--someone finally got smart. He studied history and, in particular, an incident with an AEI (artificial emotional intelligence) that very well could have ended mankind except for one lucky wild card.
This AEI was able to develop a conscience as a result of having "emotion" added to the AI abilities. But the emotional quotient also resulted in him (and yes, he was a "him"--the AEI was originally a very human-like entity) experiencing what might be described as an emotional breakdown due to guilt and remorse over his own actions. What could have been absolute catastrophe turned out very much to the benefit of humankind. But even so, the powers-that-be realized how close they'd come to the brink.
And as a result, all advanced autonomous AI, including human-like androids and inter-connective "smart" entities--were banned forevermore. But...
This aforementioned history-studying individual started exploring other avenues, specifically mind-driven technology which did not eliminate the human from the formula. He revolutionized a system that utilized the full potential of the human brain, interfacing it with technology via a neuro-connective drive that allowed certain people to do some very amazing things--and to do many of those amazing things simultaneously--once sufficiently trained to multi-task to the nth degree.
That's mind-driven technology. His neuro-connective drive, or con-drive, was essential to pilot FTL ships through a higher dimension. And if you've read Inherit the Stars or StarDog (now being expanded for a 2018 re-release) then you've already been introduced to the concept.
The name of this "studier of history" was Zaviar Mennelsohn--genius, scholar, scientist, ship designer... and father of Captain Drea Mennelsohn.
This is a season debut that I have to take special note of. The Expanse returns this Wednesday, April 11th, on the SyFy Channel.
Returning with a Hugo Award under its belt, which it won in 2017 for the final episode of Season 1, 'Leviathon Wakes,' and with five other award nominations, The Expanse only promises to get better with each passing season.
In case you've missed my rave reviews about The Expanse in past posts--
--let me tell you just five things that make this show so phenomenal.
The Romance!
Yes, I said the "R" word and yes, that's my lead. As a SFR writer, I look for moving, believable romances in the heart of a terrific sci-fi experience, and this series has it all!
The Expanse encompasses a compelling, unpredictable romance between two of the main players (and trust me, it's not the only compelling romance in the series). This one is between Holden, tragic, reluctant hero and tunnel-visioned, windmill-tilter on a quest to save humanity, and Naomi, a brilliant engineer and humanitarian, who's catch phrase is: "You underestimate my ability to break things."
I could attempt to explain the nuances of their relationship, but in all honesty, this fan-made video does it so much better. (So, quick--here it is before YouTube zaps it.)
Don't let this video fool you. The Expanse is about so much more than just a truly awesome romance (or two). This video managed to bring together most of the romantic scenes between these two characters.
The Characters! (Big wow here)
The story is told primarily through three main characters--James Holden, a newly-promoted XO on the ice hauler Canterbury, Joe Miller, a police detective on Ceres Station in the asteroid belt, and Chrisjen Avasarala, a powerful UN Deputy Undersecretary on Earth.
Though The Expanse has much more Sci-Fi than R, the two male leads' actions and motives are initially driven by their tragic longing for women they can't have, and the fates of all the characters are tied to an event that sparks what could be the beginning of a system-wide war. That event is the destruction of the Canterbury by an advanced and previously unknown stealth ship, and a subsequent declaration by James Holden that triggers the catch-phrase of a rising OPA rebellion, "Remember the Cant!"
There are many important secondary characters, including Naomi Nagata (engineer), Amos Burton (muscle), Alex Kamal (pilot), James Holden's shipmates who are all survivors of the doomed Canterbury. Chrisjen Avasarala, political heavyweight. Julie Andromeda Mao--former pilot of the Razorback racing ship and rich girl turned OPA rebel who ultimately is a direct connection between several of the characters. Fred Johnson, who a decade before earned the title the "Butcher of Anderson Station," and now oversees the construction of the largest spacecraft ever built, the LDS generation ship, the Nauvoo, while secretly heading up the OPA.
This is a short study done of hardened, cynical Ceres Station cop, Miller, and his infatuation with Julie Mao and their climatic meeting that happens after her death, but...well...it's a twist as only The Expanse can deliver. And in spite of this heartfelt goodbye to Miller, it promises to keep on delivering.
Pay special attention to the last four words uttered by Miller in this clip.
The Sci-Fi Factors!
There are sooo many things to love about this show, but the authentic science fiction (is that an oxymoron? No, I think not) is one of the most mind-blowing. The shows production team has strived to get everything right. Even the star fields in the backgrounds of some of the space scenes have been researched to be sure they are absolutely correct. How the characters move in a weightless environment and the gear they wear to function in such has been done with realism. How artificial gravity is generated, usually in one of three ways: centrifugal, thrust-based, or spin-generated, is all based on known science.
And space battles? The characters gear up in their enviro-suits before battles with the anticipation that their hull is going to become Swiss cheese. How basic is that? But as elemental as it is, have we ever seen it done before?
Have I convinced you yet? If not, take a look at this enthusiastic endorsement by Spacedock.com:
Think science is boring? Check out this scene of a "flip and burn" maneuver, which shows how a ship in space might actually change direction. (Star Wars, please take note: No bank-and-turn in an airless environment!)
"The juice" mentioned in this clip is another factor. It counteracts the effects of a high-G maneuver, keeping arteries and blood vessels elastic so they don't rupture in the forces generated by the thrust, at least for a time. (We learn later that even the juice can't counteract high-G burn for an indefinite period in one heart-pounding space chase scene.)
Diversity and Inclusivity!
This is absolutely one of the most diverse casts of any genre on television, anywhere--and the beauty of it is it's all seamless. Because this future of humanity has resulted in a blending of cultures where race is no longer a factor and ethnicity is a non-issue. People are just people. Some are powerful and calculating, some are exploited and angry, and some are just pawns of one or the other. According to their background, they have beliefs and dialect unique to their situations. (I also wrote these elements into my novel Inherit the Stars, where all races merged and then were divided again according to political, social and planetary differences.)
In The Expanse what divides them is where they hail from -- Earth and Luna, Mars, or the Belt and the Outer Planets -- a trio of cultures that are all at desperate odds with one another. Each society has its own goals, its own priorities, and its own agendas. Whether they are white, black, asian, middle eastern, eastern European, pacific islander, or--in the case of one character -- a genetic blend of eight individuals of unstated ethnicity--their conflicts are based on their place in the solar system, not the skin color or the culture of their ancestors. No one cares.
Gender also doesn't matter, and this series features several standout female role models, including the powerful politician, a formidable Martian Marine, and the brilliant engineer and possible former OPA operative who has a soul-deep compassion for others.
In this future, race and gender elements no longer define the individual. And there are no token anythings, just a beautifully blended cast of brilliant actors.
This fascinating interview done during Comic-Con highlights six of the cast members discussing their characters:
The Politics!
Politics in our time triggers a lot of conflicting emotions, and politics 200 years from now is no different...it just has different dynamics and different triggers. So here's the set-up. The United Nations is now the governing body for Earth and the Moon. Because robotics and artificial intelligence has basically done away with a human workforce, very few people hold jobs and instead live on a small government handout. The masses are poor and struggling. And the wealthy and powerful are enormously so. The attitude of the UN territories is pretty much stated in dialogue by one of the main characters, UN Deputy Undersecretary Chrisjen Avasarala (one of the most influential people in the solar system...and with a powerful mouth to match): "Earth comes first."
Mars has established itself as it's own political entity and is populated by tough, resilient colonists who take great pride in their planet, have a formidable space fleet and a tough-as-carbonite military (MCRN--Martian Congressional Republic Navy). Their ships are some of the best and most advanced in the solar system, that is until the mystery stealth ship comes on the scene. But Mars has a great dream they are striving for but haven't been able to reach. The achievable date keeps getting moved farther into the future.
The Belters are made up of the brave or desperate souls who occupy the asteroid belt and planets beyond. They have evolved in multiple low gravity environments. They're the working class of the system, living on a ships, space stations, a few asteroids and some of the moons of the Outer Planets. They are downtrodden and the exploited. As one Belter put it (paraphrasing): "The Belt had enough water for a thousand generations. And the Earth and Mars took it! They've made their fortunes on our backs!"
The OPA or Outer Planets Alliance is a movement that arose from the malcontent of the Belters. They vow to take back what they feel is rightfully theirs, but they're a scattered, disorganized collection of gangs and groups. One businessman and former military officer headquartered on spacestation Tycho wants to change that, and he'll use every resource he can muster or steal to get it done.
The events in Season One beautifully laid the foundation for a fast-moving, heart-pounding and often shocking Season Two. Season Three promises even more. Here's a quick peek:
This show has something for everyone...and I hope the SFR community will support it, because this kind of quality SF with R television only comes around once in a great while.
I hope you'll tune into Season Three of The Expanse on Wednesday.
Have a great week!
P.S. Thanks for hanging with me to the end of this blog. If you're intrigued with The Expanse, here's one more video you might really enjoy.
This past week I had great cause to celebrate. The news came out that The Expanse was being renewed for a third season on the SyFy channel.
Break out the champagne and the Billins, everyone, the party is on!
Redecorating the Roci
SyFy's The Expanse Television Series
As you might know from some of my past blogs, I LOVE THIS SHOW! The Expanse has everything a great space drama should have--realistic adventure, a difficult quest, fabulous characters, intricate politics, amazing dialogue, science-based world-building, the gunship Rocinante...and even a touch of romance.
In fact, the last episode included a declaration of love between two of the characters. Being a SFR fan, the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) romantic sub-plots throughout the story arc really cinch this as one of my favorite SF(R)s on television...ever!
If you've been living in another galaxy far, far away and haven't heard about The Expanse, you might want to check out some of my previous blogs (okay, raves) about the show. You can find them here:
The basic premise is that about 200 years in our future, mankind will have colonized the asteroid belt and the moons of the Outer Planets (note shameless promotional banner of my upcoming novel inserted here for effect....and because I needed more graphics) primarily to reap the rewards--water and minerals. Earth and the Moon are under United Nations jurisdiction, Mars has established itself as an independent colony of considerable military strength and no friend of the Earth/Moon, and everyone else is relegated to the outlier places in our solar system are collectively referred to as "the belters."
But how do they get around these huge, well...expanses...of space in a timely manner in the future?
Two words. The Epstein Drive.
What the heck is that?
There's actually no clear answer. That's where the "fiction" part comes in for this science fiction drama, although its far from mere hand-waveum.
Although the drive system isn't explored in great depth in the TV series, many fans have drawn their own conclusions from the books that it's a type of propulsion system used in this future--purely fictional and not entirely detailed--but believed to be a magnetically contained fusion reactor system that uses steam as a propellant.
Described as "magnetic coil exhaust acceleration" on a Wiki page, it's super efficiency allows ships to "burn" halfway to their destination (continuous acceleration) then perform a flip and burn at approximately the halfway point (to counteract the thrust and begin deceleration) until they reach their destination. (Flip and burn is shown in one scene of series when they change direction to intercept a distress signal, but "flip and burn" as a standard part of flight isn't really explored in detail in the series.)
Sol Epstein, inventor of the Epstein Drive
SyFy's The Expanse television series
The Epstein Drive is invented about 50 years from now--or about 150 years before the events in The Expanse--by a man from Mars named Solomon "Sol" Epstein, hence Epstein Drive.
If you're a viewer, you may have already watched the episode Paradigm Shift that includes a portion derived from Drive, a prequel short story by the James S. A. Corey writing team that explores the development of the Epstein drive by Solomon. (The series has a history of tying in some of these short stories into the overall story arc that's quite brilliant and the past-future analogies in this episode are particularly poignant.)
What I love about the Epstein Drive element is that it's generated some vigorous debate and hypotheses between those well-versed in science. (Maybe a bit like the communicators on Star Trek inspiring Marty Cooper to invent the cell phone, is it not?)
If you're one of those SF(R) fans who has a genuine interest in reading thoughts about the actual science (raises hand), there's quite a lively comment string about the Epstein Drive that can be found here: http://expanse.wikia.com/wiki/Epstein_Drive
May your week be powered by magnetic coil exhaust acceleration. (Have a great week.)
Coffee. Yes, I'm one of those. Among the legion of writers who probably couldn't survive without it.
Coffee gets my mental gears turning and gives my muse a heady wake-up call that it's time to get to work. I can't tell you how many scenes I've written while CUIC (creating under the influence of coffee) or WWC (writing while caffeinated).
One of my favorite t-shirts is all about my coffee relationship. It says:
Instant Human
Just Add Coffee
Yeah, that. :)
My fave brand for home brewing? Maxwell House. I know. Borrrrrrring! Though I do have access to David's somewhat more creative array--currently Laughing Man Ethiopia Sidama Light Roast Coffee, McCafe Pumpkin Spice Aribica Coffee, and Gevalia Carmel Macchiatos. And yes, we have both a Keurig and a Cuisinart home brewer that will grind fresh coffee beans when we're in the mood.
Ah, the aroma of freshly chopped beans!
But I know I'm not alone. Coffee is deeply ingrained into our culture and such an important part of our lives, that it frequently finds its way into popular fiction. And even Science Fiction with/without Romance.
One prime example is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Star Trek Voyager franchise. Captain Jean Luc Picard is known for his iconic Earl Grey tea and likewise, Captain Janeway craved her coffee. Black.
Probably one of the most famous Janeway quotes is:
"Commander, set a new course. There's coffee in that nebula!"
Captain Janeway even declared she'd beat the Borg with coffee.
Yes, she's a true sci-fi coffee addict, but far from the only one. Just like the Earth-bound variety our fictional coffee worshippers come in many forms.
One of the more recent sci-fi epics to come to television is The Expanse, based on a series of novels by author (actually writer team) James S. A. Corey. In case you missed my recent post, you can discover a lot more about it here:
In The Expanse, one of the central characters, James Holden, is on a never-ending quest to find a good cup of coffee in the depths of our own solar system. It seems an impossible quest.
In one scene, after taking a sip, Holden deems the coffee, "Criminal."
Ade, a female navigator on the ice trawler Canterbury shows him a trick of whittling match heads into a cup of very bitter brew because the sulphur cuts some of the bite. She then smiles at his dubious expression upon taste tasting the result. "It's an acquired taste," she tells him.
Holden and Ade end up bonding over that strange concoction, though Holden continues to search for the remembered goodness of the miraculous product he once enjoyed on Earth. He finally finds what he's looking for aboard a Martian gunship, the Tachi, that he and his crew are gifted as a getaway vehicle after a catastrophe occurs.
And what does Holden find on the Tachi-soon-to-be-renamed-Rocinante? Yes! A fully stocked galley bursting with actual brew!
Holden be like...
And of course, being the coffee appreciator that I am, coffee also finds its way into my novels.
In Inherit the Stars, the word "coffee" has evolved into "kinna" over the centuries, and a good cup of the stuff is still a sought-after experience. Here's a brief scene where hero Sair is sharing a cup with a fellow crewmember (and former nemesis) in an enemies-to-allies moment.
____________________________________________
Sair and Zjel settled down at a two-person table, mugs of
kinna in hand. He gave her a quick smile. “Having a heart-to-heart is something
I never pictured us doing when I first boarded the Specter.”
Zjel took a sip of her kinna, screwing up her face. “Specter’s processor makes a damn better
product.” She placed her mug on the table. “I had some misconceptions about
you, Sair. I was wrong.”
He pursed his lips and rotated his cup in quarter turns on
the table. “No harm done. Well, maybe one small scar.” He showed the now-healed
line on his palm and grinned.
____________________________________________
Inherit the Stars Part I: Flight
is currently being offered
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By the way, if you're intrigued with Inherit the Stars, I'm extending a special offering to you that was made available to my newsletter subscribers until May.
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Inherit the Stars Part I: Flight comprises roughly a third of the entire tale and ends on a terrific cliffhanger. It's currently being offered for free via Instafreebie.
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But Inherit the Stars isn't the only story that features coffee consumers.
The characters in future release The Outer Planets are on a mission aboard a planetary exploration vessel dubbed the NSS Robert Bradley when they begin to forge a cautious alliance over two cups of Joe in the vessel's self-serve coffee shop.
It's cautious because one of them knows a whole lot more about the other than she's willing to reveal.
____________________________________________
The coffee shop was little more than an alcove off the main corridor with five small roundtops and a self-serve beverage and snack bar. Walls of soft blues and greens suggested sky and grass and blended well with faux cobblestone floors. Silk flora sprouted from plant wells to create a park-like atmosphere.
The environs had even been engineered to generate artificial weather. It seemed to be in Quiet Morning mode with artificial rays of soft sunlight falling in slanted diagonal beams from hidden projectors high on the walls. Despite the inviting oasis and not so late hour, the tables were deserted.
Lissa selected a Brazilian coffee blend from the brewer menu. Looking over the holograms of the soy-based donuts with suspicion, she decided she wasn’t hungry. Mitch seemed to come to the same conclusion. Coffee mugs in hand, they settled at a table near the back of the shop.
“So tell me more about you,” Mitch prompted.
Lissa took another long sip from her coffee and lowered the mug. “As a friend. Or am I being questioned by a member of security?”
His foot slipped back to the floor and he shifted forward. “As a friend.”
Lissa drained half her mug and set it down on the table. Why was she always so quick to go on the defensive with him? You know why.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“You,” he answered. “Tell me about your family.”
Lissa gripped the chairseat on either side of her thighs. Simple question for most people. Hot potato for me. “One brother. But we haven’t seen much of each other since…” My father’s death. Five years and I still can’t say those words. “…our father’s funeral.”
“I’m sorry,” Mitch said, with just enough feeling that she knew his words were genuine.
“I never knew my mother. She died shortly after I was born. There were complications.”
Mitch’s gaze fixed on the liquid in his cup. “That must have made for a rough childhood.”
“Well, not growing up with a mom, I never really knew what I missed.” Lissa quirked the right side of her mouth. “I would have liked the chance, though. People tell me I take after her.” She took another sip and batted the ball back into his court. “And you? Family?”
“My parents were killed in a flyer accident eight years ago.”
While on their second honeymoon in Aruba. “I’m so sorry.”
“I have a sister I’m very close to.” Renee. “A couple of nieces.” Tammy and Sarah, who you dote on. “And a brother I don’t speak to.”
Lissa straightened and pulled her feet under her. A brother? He’d never mentioned a male sibling before. From the sudden flatness in his voice, it seemed there might be a good reason. “Should I ask?”
He shook his head and dropped his voice. “No.”
So much for their conversation. “I guess family wasn’t such a great topic after all.”
“My fault,” Mitch muttered.
They both lagged into silence as they finished their coffee.
____________________________________________
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