Loose Ends is Publishing NOW!

So, I got the manuscript back from Goodlifeguide.com yesterday, but I was wrapped up in writing. This morning I forced myself to stop and publish it. :)

The Ansible, more adventures on Third Earth, the Necrons, the Dyson Sphere, and more. All sorts of stories tucked away in this book for you to explore. :)

As usual I'll post the links when they go live. Enjoy!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z8B59NL

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/loose-ends-chris-hechtl/1134145388?ean=2940163127818

Loose Ends

Sitrep:
So, Goodlifeguide contacted me this morning, we're back on track with Loose Ends.

PRI 2 Hostage Rescue is in the hands of the last 2 Betas. We'll see how it goes.
Speaking of Hostage Rescue, here is the cover:

It was an interesting project. I've already got the threads and plot for the next book. (and it is going to be a doozy!)

In other news, I'm back to writing after a somewhat productive week off. I finished 1 Christmas project, started 1, I have a V3 reindeer frame printing now after spending the weekend redesigning it, and made minor progress on the droid.
I even experimented with PETG and managed to print the pulley tensioners. But it messed my CR-10 up. I just got it back to normal.
I got the parts in to fix the Da Vinci Pro. That will be a project to fix. I want to use that to print the TPU and PETG stuff from now on.
But, as I said, I started writing. The next book is another anthology of short stories, these all in the Irons time period in the Engineer Universe. That should make some people happy. :) The first story is nearly half finished. I'm shooting for 8-10, hopefully completing 2 a week if I can swing it. There are 17 in the folder so there are still a few more to be cut from the list. (There were 25!)

On to the snippet!

Still in Third Earth:

<O>^<O>

Tygra checked the new base setup and then looked over to the shuttle. It didn't stay long; it couldn't since the jarheads had tried to appropriate it twice.

The new base was further back than the one he, Panthro, and the others had built. They'd thought the army would have taken that one too, but Colonel Heiser had other ideas. He'd set up on a outcrop of rock a couple dozen kilometers away from their old base that the Marines had taken over.

At one point, his people had considered it, but he'd discarded it since the slope had been too much to easily use for the shuttle. The army had brought in their combat engineers to solve that problem, much to his envy and secret disgust.

The new base was supposed to serve as a resupply base. That was its official purpose on paper at any rate.

What they were really doing with it was a bit different. Veterans had come forward but they'd been rusty. They were being retrained at the base. Retrained and rearmed with a mix of found and manufactured improvised weapons. The majority of the group were cats of course, many from their old unit—those that had survived the last pyramid assault on Earth that was.

Many still had nightmares about it. And none were happy that a copy had appeared here, on their adopted homeworld. And all were vehemently united in their desire to remove the bloat from their home once and for all.

After all, they owed the next generation that much, to get it right.

Even if they had to do it all over again, with, or perhaps without the official help of the military.

Panthro's scheme might break the stalemate they had all found themselves stuck in. The Marine and army battalions had been stymied by the pyramid for too long. Burrowing under the energy shield and its guns seemed like the only logical option they had left.

Now it was up to Roberts to accept the damn report.

<O>^<O>

Lieutenant Colonel Schultz Heiser nodded in approval as his people moved around the base with order and efficiency.

He'd read the latest proposal from the native cats and approved. He'd even offered the services of his combat engineers, but that had been nixed by Colonel Roberts. He found that knee-jerk reaction petty. Roberts was keen on remaining in command. He knew why; they both wanted their combat ticket punched.

He was pretty sure the stiff-necked jarhead would see the way the wind was blowing and fall in line. Which was why he was ramping up his combat engineers and prepping them to move in to support.

The big black cat's plan wasn't without its flaws. He knew it couldn't be done alone though; it would take more than just the tunnel machine the cats had bodged together on that tank. Supports were going to be needed, plus a way to keep back the sand. It wasn't rock they were tunneling through after all.

His people were working on that or so they said.

He whistled tunelessly as he decided to go drop in on them and check and make sure they really were doing as they said.

<O>^<O>

Marie Romero Rest in Peace

Marie Romero

Nov 3, 1976- October 7, 2019

 

Sorry for the crappy old photo. My phone sucks.

  A dear friend of 29 years passed away early this morning, she lost her third (or was it fourth?) round with brain cancer. She managed to survive 10+ years with cancer, a tribute to her feistiness and unwillingness to give up. The doctors gave her 3 years, she managed to survive 10+ (and watch both of her kids graduate high school) and managed to beat it into remission several times. All that while also suffering breast cancer last year, and the loss of her father 2 months ago to prostate cancer.
  She smoked like a chimney, drank like a fish when she was younger, was 'ornery' (her words), and loved to play fight. She had a wicked right cross! I've sported many a bruise from wrestling with her. (Not to mention the surprise attacks on my rear end or 'Gibbs smacked' when I was not paying attention! She'd strike and then run away laughing)
  I loved to tease her, and I always cracked her up, usually with a bad pun or dirty/bodily function joke. I usually earned a giggle/guffaw and 1 finger salute... and occasionally a punch in the arm if I was in range. (like I said, feisty)
   Devin and I introduced her to 'Radioactive' which helped her through radiation treatments and chemo several years ago. (Apparently her taking it on as a mantra got the techs to spread it through the cancer community) She made it clear she didn't want to be treated differently because of her illness. I did my best to honor that.
  She loved online games and would frequently pester people to do them with her. Even when the brain tumor tripled and began shutting her down suddenly last week she was intent on finishing 1 game or another, or getting a new high score. She also loved killer whales and thoroughly enjoyed going to Sea World every few years. Her room was decorated in killer whales. I 3D printed her 1 when I heard her health had suddenly declined last week.

  She was my sister's friend, an 'aunt' to the her boys as they grew up, my grandmother's 'favorite', and was always trying to pitch in and help. Whether it was with a cancer walk or at the senior center, or pitching in with the extended family she was there with a hand and occasional hip bump.

You will be missed 'Short-Stuff'.

 

Loose Ends Snippet 3

Sitrep:
So, I found out that Goodlifeguide is off on vacation until mid October. Oops! So, we've got a bit of a wait there. Darn!

So, I can take my time with snippets I guess. I'm skipping to the next story, Third Earth a continuation of the Thundercats story.

Third Earth

Governor-General Lion-O sipped at his coffee and then set the empty tea cup down as he turned to watch the construction outside his office window. The capital was still undergoing repairs; it would be years before they were back to where they'd once were.

In some cases, it would take even longer because his people had been cut off from the Federation. That well and truly sucked. He was partially to blame for that.

Was it two years ago? Three? Four? He'd lost track. He flicked his ears and then shook himself and shrugged. It didn't matter. What did matter was what had ended up on his doorstep uninvited.

He had led his fellow cats and other Neo veterans of the A.I. War to a newly terraformed world they had christened Third Earth. All had been well until they'd found an oddity, a nightmare from their past that, despite all reason had somehow found its way to follow them to their new home from Earth.

And at the same time, a pirate ship had attacked, distracting them. They had managed to fend the pirates off, even take them out, miracle upon miracle, but at great cost.

The pirates had lashed out several times to drive their brutality home, wiping out a great deal of the capital as well as some areas around it. Fortunately, with no loss of life since he'd ordered a mandatory evacuation the moment they'd known the ship was hostile.

It hadn't been without injuries though; some people had been too close and had been hurt. And others had been injured or killed by the dangerous area when they'd returned to inspect the damage.

But they'd rebuilt. Not as great as before, but it was an ongoing process. It had been picking up steam right up until the Confederation turned Federation had gotten word of the attack and their curious infestation.

And then all hell had broken loose.

He growled softly, deep in his throat. He couldn't blame them, even now. He had no idea how the hell the pyramid had shown up to darken his doorstep. He and his team of “Thundercats” had taken the original owner of the pyramid down in Vegas on battered Earth long ago during the latter stages of the A.I. War.

How it had gotten to Third Earth was just one of many mysteries.

The Confederation had not been amused by the report and had dispatched a light cruiser, the Gloucester, to investigate. The ship had confirmed the pyramid and his report and had tried to take it out with a kinetic bombardment.

The pyramid had been upgraded since its last appearance on Earth; it had sported a dense energy shield, one more powerful than many had dreamed possible. It had shrugged off the KEW strikes easily.

And then the damn pyramid had struck back with a series of energy beams that rivaled the firepower of a super dreadnought.

Gloucester had gotten clear, and she'd taken up residence in polar orbit out of line of sight of the pyramid.

And then the waiting game had begun.

The red-maned African Neolion stuck his pinky finger into his right ear and reamed it out gently.

“You are going to get an ear infection if you do that. You are just pushing the crud in deeper,” his mate scolded mildly.

“I can't help it. It itches,” he growled, trying to get at whatever was bothering him.

“Here, let me help,” she said softly, coming up behind him. She wrapped her hands gently around his and pulled it down, then pulled his head down to sniff and then lick his ear.

He snorted. “That wasn't the kind of help I had in mind,” he said with a mock growl. Her tail lashed his flank for the protest. He heard her soft chuff of a chuckle and then felt her tongue probe deeper.

“That's making it worse!” he said, shying away and flicking his ear with his arm instinctively to rid himself of the tickling sensation.

“Serves you right,” she said, pulling him off balance.

He growled and caught himself, then took a swat at her for retaliation, but she danced away with lively eyes.

“Minx,” he growled, hands curling into gripping positions, ready to strike.

“Barbarian! All I was trying to do was to help,” she said, her eyes laughing.

“Help she says,” he growled, scratching at his ear again. She chuffed in lively amusement.

It warmed his heart to hear that chuff. It annoyed him too though; he wanted revenge.

“Anything on the quarantine?” Wily-Kat said, coming into the room and then stopping at the tableau. “Ah, I can come back?” he said, slowly making a show of backing away.

“Oh save me,” Pumyra said, raising her right wrist to her forehead as if she was a damsel in distress. “This raving barbarian plans to … well, I'm not sure, he is getting senile and slow …”

Lion-O growled menacingly and lunged. She dodged out of his reach laughing at him. “See?”

Wily-Kat chuffed but turned the laugh into a cough into his fist as Lion-O turned a glower on him. “What do you want?” the governor-general demanded.

“Um, I was wondering if the quarantine has been lifted. Don't we have a freighter due in?”

“They passed us by. No, the quarantine is in effect until we get rid of the damn pyramid,” Lion-O growled.

“Frack,” Wily-kat muttered. “Forgot that.”

“How could anyone forget that? Especially you?”

“I forgot that they won't lift the quarantine, not the pyramid. Which is stupid, we need the supplies since our industry got more or less gutted. Don't they know that? Or care? And what about the mortgage?”

“It's been suspended while they try to deal with this mess,” Pumyra said as she danced out of Lion-O's attempt to corner her. “Gotta move quicker than that old man,” she purred, eyes dancing again as she flicked her tail in his direction.

He made a show of trying to snag it. He nearly did. She yanked it back.

“Now who's getting slow?” he demanded, eyes glittering.

“So ah …”

“Until we get the pyramid off our back once and for all, we're partially cut off. We can get some supplies from the navy but not much.”

“Yeah, they are screwing us. First they took over the base, the base we built, then they demand that we supply them!” This isn't our fault!” Wily-Kat protested

“You don't think we don't know that? We're all in the same boat. Planet,” Pumyra said, turning slightly and pretending to be distracted. Lion-O noted she was watching him out of the corner of her eye though.

He feigned going left but then rushed her to the right. She giggled and lunged forward, pushing the smaller cat's head down to vault over his head. “Gotta be quicker than that, old man!” she chuckled just as Lion-O caught her tail. “Ow!” she protested, turning and lashing out.

He gripped the tail and grinned, reeling her in like a fish. “Gotcha now,” he growled, pulling her into his embrace.

“And what are you going to do with your prize?” she demanded, eyes locking onto his.

“Well, first this,” he said nuzzling her cheek until her eyes lowered. Her guard did as well. “And then …,” he nuzzled her but his hands went to her exposed flanks and dug in with a will. She giggled and writhed as he tickled her ruthlessly. She guffawed and tried to squirm away but his hands were too strong.

Wily-Kat rolled his eyes and retreated. There was no point trying to talk to them when they were like that.

<O>^<O>