Happy Holidays

Did these in Daz3d.

Happy Holidays everyone!

The Calm Before the Storm is publishing now!

Hi,
An early Christmas gift to the fans out there, thank you for your loyal patronage. I just finished publishing the manuscript at Amazon and B&N, it should go live in the next 6 to 72 hours.

 

Fleet Admiral John Henry Irons has been the guiding force behind the reconstruction of the Federation, practically dragging the galaxy back from the dark ages by sheer force of will. He has met some remarkable people along the way, inspiring them to join in his effort. Here are ten tales of the Reborn Federation, spanning from Liberty or Death to Blockade and beyond.

Some of the stories actually are prior to Liberty or Death, or at least start prior. I forgot that part until now. Oops? lol

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

And here we are!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082WNZHMM

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-calm-before-the-storm-chris-hechtl/1135644586?ean=2940163113293

Happy Holidays everyone!

The Calm Before the Storm Snippet 5

Last snippet. I'm going to publish the manuscript later today or tomorrow!

Still in I'll be Home for Christmas:

Since Shanti's kittens were the equivalent of teenagers, it was inevitable that some of the kittens wanted to be with their friends for the holidays. Sabu had been the first to start moving his life out of the household and stretching himself into his adult form. He was leaving soon so he resented being tied to home. But then he felt guilty, it was going to be a long time before he got the chance to be with family again.

He had become dark and brooding after the assassination attempt. The changes he was going through as he matured into an adult were not helping with his mood swings. Each of the kittens were young adults. Sometimes they resented that they were aging at half the speed of some of their Neo friends.

They had each taken additional classes on top of their normal abbreviated high school mandatory classes. Lil Red was big on helping them with their homework, though they were far ahead of her.

Hrriss and Zuhura were graduating the abbreviated Neo high school with general and science associate degrees. That would clear the way for them to get into their respective chosen fields later for a lot less investment in time and money. Suqi and Sabu had a couple of college classes under their belt, but they were more hands-on oriented.

Sabu was the black sheep of the group, stubbornly preferring to go his own way, even when it didn't make sense. His Aunt Rah called him hardheaded. His mother liked to say that he had to learn things for himself. Lil Red liked to call him Mister Ornery.

His siblings gave him a guilt trip during their talk and exchange of Christmas lists. “Look, this is our last Christmas together. Our last time,” Zuhura said plaintively. “Don't be a snot.”

“You don't know that.” Sabu growled, hunching his shoulders. Some of his friends had a plan to go to a party at Jany's house since her family was out of town and then go skiing. He wanted to go badly.

He resented Zuhura playing the doe eyes. He knew his sister; she was incredibly smart and a bit manipulative. It bugged him into resisting even though he knew she was right.

“Not for sure but probably,” Hrriss said.

“You don't know that,” he said again stubbornly.

“Don't I?” Zuhura asked, studying him. “Hrriss and I are going to Antigua. You and Suqi are going to Agnosta to become Marines like dad was. Who knows when we'll all be able to get back together again. Maybe in a decade, maybe never again. So, let's try to make the best of it. For mom's sake?”

Sabu scowled but that made him nod slowly. They all knew how badly their mother missed their father. “All right,” he grumbled.

“Thanks, bro,” Zuhura said, teasingly tugging on an ear until he growled and took a mock swipe at her.

~~~*~~~

Zuhura had a test to study for. Hrriss had planned to stay on the planet and become a ranger like their mom and aunt but had been talked into joining his sister on Antigua and pursuing a justice degree. He'd already earned a full justice degree scholarship. That meant he was also busy studying hard.

Each played music. Lil Red had introduced them to ear buds and headphones to keep the volume of competing tastes in music down to a dull roar indoors. She still shook her head as she picked up after them.

They didn't notice when Ellen came by for a visit until they sniffed her out. Their former nanny was greeted with hugs and purrs as the troop came down to chat with her.

~~~*~~~

Shanti couldn't get any of the kittens free; they all had tests so she visited her sister Rah and her new family alone. That was a pity, but she knew that her sister would understand. Besides, it was nice to catch up alone.

It was fun, but Rah was distracted by her own family. She had just had a litter of three and was quite proud of them. It took time to get the kittens sorted out. Shanti didn't begrudge the time; she was always gooey over kittens and cubs.

Once the kittens were tired out and bedded down for a nap, they finally had a talk over a cup of tea just before she had to leave.

“So, what's new?” Rah asked.

“Well, I hardly see you,” Shanti drawled as she stirred her cup. Rah had taken an extended maternity leave. When she came back, she was planning on handling dispatch duties for a while.

“Yeah, I know,” Rah said ruefully. “Who would have thunk it. Me getting hitched let alone have a litter of my own?” she shot a fond look to the camera feed watching the sleeping trio.

Shanti flicked her ears in wry humor over that statement.

“So,” she crossed her legs after a moment.

“So,” her sister echoed mirroring her.

“You know you can be an irritating snot, you know that?” Shanti observed with an ear flick.

Rah's eyes twinkled. “I learned it from my big sister. Spill!”

“I'm that obvious?”

“To me. Give!”

Shanti laughed. “I went to visit Moira the other day. She's on the hunt for a successor.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. She tried to saddle it on me! Can you believe that?” Shanti said with a shake of her head.

Her sister cocked her head thoughtfully as she stirred her tea. “Well, now that I think about it …”

Shanti stared agape at her in shock before she chuffed. “Do you want to get smacked?”

“Well, I'm just saying, with your law enforcement pedigree, plus the blessing of half the planet …”

“Not you too!” Shanti laughed.

“Well, better than some … politician,” Rah said, making the last word sound like a swear word.

“True, but I get enough paperwork and stress with my present job. Not to mention people occasionally trying to kill me. Me and meetings?” Shanti shivered. “I'd want to wring their necks after the first one!”

Her sister doubled over in a giggling fit.

Shanti rolled her eyes but there was a glitter of humor in it. “Thanks but no thanks,” she said firmly.

“Well, you've got to appreciate the offer. And it was just a suggestion,” Rah said between giggles.

Shanti snorted and shook her head. She sipped her drink as her sister recovered.

“So,” Rah said, taking a sip of her own drink. “What are you going to do when the nest is well and truly empty?”

Shanti flicked her ears. “I don't know,” she said honestly. “Spoil my niece and nephews rotten?” Rah snorted. Shanti shook her head wryly. “The way White keeps shelling them out I don't know if it ever will be.” She took on a thoughtful look as she looked up to the ceiling. “I considered going in for Star Marshal.”

“Huh,” her sister said noncommittally. “You could do it.”

“I know that. It's the travel part. I dunno about that,” Shanti admitted. She chuffed at herself. “Call me an old-fashioned homebody girl I guess. I can get enough excitement and adventure here.”

“True.”

“If the family moved to Antigua though …”

“No.” She squirmed a bit, considering mentioning the offered trip to Antigua. She decided against it. She was pretty sure where her sister would side on that dilemma.

“I mean, you'd be with Jethro,” Rah offered.

Shanti laughed. “Only when he's home!”

“True.”

“I don't know where in the galaxy the kittens will end up. College is just a stepping stone to their own careers,” Shanti reminded her.

Rah nodded sagely.

“Besides, they don't need me hovering.”

“And Jethro?”

“What is it they say? Absence doth make the heart grow fonder?” she said.

Rah smiled.

“We will see each other again.”

“Hopefully.”

“And we'll screw like minks when we do. So he'll probably get me knocked up and then take off again,” Shanti said in an aggrieved voice.

Rah doubled up laughing again. “Well, that'll solve your empty nest problem!”

“Maybe,” Shanti said.

When she left, she timed it just ahead of an incoming snow storm. Once she was home, Shanti and Red worried about the kittens but they said they were on their way. She reminded herself they were mostly grown; she had been in the resistance when she'd been their age. They'd held the kittens back long enough.

She felt a pang. She was going to miss them terribly and Jethro. She didn't know what the future would bring. She was almost tempted to follow them to Antigua.

Almost. She knew that they needed to strike out on their own, to become their own adult persons. They didn't need a helicopter mom hovering over them. They would trip, they would fall from time to time, but they'd learn to get up and stand on their own two feet, or four as the case may be.

Watching the snow fall curled up by a window in the evening, curled up with a book, the kittens come in, stomping their feet.

~~~*~~~

The Calm Before the Storm Snippet 4

So, I got the manuscript back from Goodlifeguide last night. I'll work on publishing it soon.

I decided to skip to the end here and start one of the Christmas stories in the book:

I'll be Home for Christmas

Shanti McClintock parked the truck and then got out, checking her gear. She'd done her vehicle patrol, but she liked to do a foot patrol in a couple of areas. Her favorite part of the capital was a strip in the business area decked out in a Victorian theme. It was the most festive and therefore had a lot of shoppers and business.

Nothing beat actually getting out and meeting the people, let them see you as a person, not someone in authority lording over them. It helped when she needed information about a particular vexing case. She was more approachable on foot.

Besides, she needed the exercise and breath of fresh air. Sometimes she thought they'd taken a step backwards by getting the patrol vehicles. Sure they let her cover a lot of distance, and do so in a hurry on occasion, and they could haul a lot of gear, but they were so … confining.

Technically, she didn't need to be out on patrol; she was a Planetary Ranger Commander. She ran an entire precinct. By rights she should be in meetings. But she hated them with, well, not quite a passion, but enough of one to actively avoid them whenever she could.

Her implant feed scanned the crowd for her. No one was coming up in her wanted files. That was good; she didn't want to have to make a scene.

Her implants had come about after Jethro's last visit and assassination attempt. She'd received a full package including an antigeriatric stabilization treatment. She'd protested of course, but Moira, Rah, Cali, Moreta, and Blizzard had insisted. She'd even gotten an email from Admiral Irons, who she suspected was the true motivating force behind the gift.

He'd made it clear that he wanted to give her the tools to stay as safe as possible despite her profession and to keep the kittens safe. Given Jethro's problems with the Guild, she'd reluctantly agreed.

Besides, the implants were addictive. She didn't have an A.I. like her husband's Bast to manage them, but they helped a lot with handling communications and paperwork.

She tipped her hat or warmly greeted friends while out on her walk. She was polite to others who smiled at her, nodding and giving them a tip of her hat in passing as well. She passed on season's greetings and wasn't above getting a hot cup of tea and a snack. She saw vendors roasting chestnuts and other things and handing them out to eager shoppers.

~~~*~~~

Lil Red was busy at home. Once she got her usual morning chores done, she set into baking a few things for the neighbors. She checked on her sister's kittens. Her youngest nieces and nephews were sleeping so she slipped out of the house to check on the bears next door. She found them all hibernating nicely. She left the salmon cookies on the counter and then quietly slipped out and returned home.

~~~*~~~

When Shanti went off shift, she stopped by the capital building to talk with the planetary president, Colonel Moira White Wolf. Security was tight, but she was a ranger and had an appointment. She was also well-known and in uniform so it wasn't much of a hassle to get in.

The capital building was decorated for the holidays. Moira had restarted the tradition of holiday lights and festive things. She had recently overseen the tree lighting ceremony; Shanti had pulled security for it.

The arctic Neowolf was near the end of her last term. She was ready to retire again, though she wasn't sure if she would remain in the Marines or not. She couldn't help but tease Shanti about filling in her shoes.

Shanti shook her head frantically. “Oh no. No way. Uh uh! Not me!”

“Well, maybe later,” the wolf said with a grin and ear flick.

“In your dreams!”

The colonel chuffed a laugh.

“Well, there is a trip to Antigua coming up …,” the wolf said slyly.

Shanti grimaced, ears going flat. “The law enforcement conference?”

“Yes. We need to send someone. Since it is around the same time as the kittens starting their semester … and you'd get to settle them in …”

Shanti scowled. “I'll think about it, okay?” she said after a long moment.

Moira studied her and then nodded. “You do that. It passes through Protodon, and a little birdy told me that the military is staging through there.”

Shanti shrugged that idea off. The chances of seeing Jethro were remote.

“And, if you do go, you and the kittens might be able to tour Protodon and Antigua.”

Shanti snorted. “Are you trying to say I need a family vacation? Or just trying to get rid of me?”

Moira sat back with a canine version of a laugh. “A bit of both my dear, just putting a bug in your ear.” 

“Consider it in. Now, are we going to see you around Christmas?” Shanti asked, changing the subject.

Moira sighed. “I wish, dear, but I promised to visit the pack up north.”

“Ah, well, I'll have one of the kittens drop off your gifts then,” Shanti said. She felt a bit down about that.

“You don't have to do that.”

“Oh, but I do. And they all should try to see you since they are leaving soon. I don't know when they'll ever get the chance to see their “Aunt Moira” again.”

The wolf cocked her head. “Empty nest syndrome?”

Shanti sought out her own feelings and then shrugged it aside with an ear flick. “It's not empty yet,” she pointed out. “And I doubt it ever will be with Lil Red and Lil White around. Especially with Lil White!”

Moira chuckled. “Yes, she's her own population explosion,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Something like that,” Shanti said with a nod.

“Get a tree yet?” Moira asked.

Shanti shook her head. “We do that a few days before Christmas so it's fresh. That and so the kittens won't wreck it,” she said with a long suffering sigh.

Moira chuckled. “Your litter or Lil White's?”

“Both!” Shanti said in exasperation. Moira chuffed louder.

~~~*~~~

The Calm Before the Storm Snippet 3

So, so far nothing from Goodlifeguide, I may need to check in with them.

I'm skipping to another story.

This is from "Heathcliff and the Alley Cats," a short story that will introduce them to the universe. A familiar face puts in an appearance here at the beginning...

Pi Sector Capital

Command 1 Space Station

“We won't let you down, Admiral,” the diminutive orange tabby said from his place in front of the admiral's desk.

The admiral had to stand to see the cat. Some might think it absurd to talk to a cat, but this cat talked back, even if he was on the plump side.

Commander Heathcliff M, known as Heathcliff the one thousand, was a bit of a throwback. He looked like a pumpkin, Admiral Horatio Logan thought. Not at all like a well-respected ONI agent.

Maybe that was the point he thought with a mental nod. The best Office of Naval Intelligence agents didn't look at all like what you'd expect. The spies that did field work had to blend in.

“I know you won't, Commander; your reputation precedes you,” Vice Admiral Horatio Logan rumbled. He saw the cat's whiskers and ears twitch. He snorted ever so softly as the cat peeked up at him.

“I know a crew of Neos …”

“Hold it right there,” the admiral said. “As I said, your reputation precedes you, Commander,” he put a slight emphasis on the title. The cat fidgeted ever so slightly. He definitely didn't look comfortable in uniform. Rumor had it he ran around his ship naked.

That's all well and good when you've got fur. But UFN-071P Catillac, as the cats called the ship, was a navy ship. Specificall,y a Meridian class II prowler with a smart A.I. Where most of the Poltergeist and Zephyr class prowler ships were headed to the front, the Meridians had been dispatched to the other sectors to do long-range scout work. Many of the crews in the prowler community were hot to play their part in the pirate war directly.

Apparently the cats had a different take on it.

“I read your history,” he said, cocking his head as the cat snuck another look. “At ease, Commander.”

The cat instantly relaxed. He even sat and scratched behind his ear. Horatio snorted again. He snorted louder when the cat muttered something dark about monkey suits.

So, maybe the rumors weren't just rumors he thought.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat as the cat went to scratch behind his ear with more vigor. “As I was saying, I read your history. I noted the particular emphasis on your bloodline. I also noted you drew attention to it,” he said mildly.

The cat looked up.

“Ever wonder if you really are the one thousandth Heathcliff? There had to be others scattered over the galaxy if your ancestor was as prolific as some would have you believe.”

Heathcliff shrugged. “They can all get in line behind me, sir,” he said with an ear flick.

Horatio smiled ever so slightly. Yes indeed, he was a character. He had no idea if the cat had assumed the role or if he'd put on the clothing of an officer as a cover. For the moment, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the cats got the results needed while keeping as low a profile as possible.

And came back alive, he reminded himself.

“My ancestor might not have fought as a Snarf in the Thundercats during the First A.I. War, but he played his part. And I'll do the same here,” the cat said with quiet firmness.

“Good to hear. And as I said, I'm not prejudiced by your crew selection. But you need to keep a lid on the discipline issue and the complaints of harassment—specifically with the dogs,” Horatio said, giving the cat a gimlet eye.

Heathcliff rolled his green eyes. “Another complaint?”

“No, just noting a pattern of behavior that needs to be corrected. I know bad habits are hard to break but you are setting a bad example. Can it.”

The cat looked at him and then shrugged again, this time looking away.

Horatio decided to give up that particular tender subject while he could. He didn't want the cat to come down on the dogs and start another round of complaints and demands for transfer.

It was funny, the cats and dogs fought like, well, cats and dogs, but they were great professionally. But some of the videos of those complaints! He shook his head mentally. No doubt the dogs did something to retaliate in some way. If the orange tabby wasn't too careful, the dogs might really trip him up and make him look so bad he'd lose his command.

But, he'd belabored that point enough.

“Your assignment and the latest intel we have,” he said, pushing a chip forward to the edge of his desk with a finger. “You'll be headed northeast,” he said. The moment he took his finger off the chip the cat reached up and took the chip. “As you know, we need to get a handle on the pirates and put a stop to their plagues. We also need more detailed intelligence on the planets and star systems—the players and who is in bed with the enemy and who is willing to help us. Don't get into things too deep. And don't get into any crusades that could come down on your heads.”

“Low profile. That's what we're about, sir,” the cat said with a nod as he palmed the chip.

“Good. Any questions?”

“Support?”

Horatio smiled. “Your ship is being fully stocked now. I understand Logistics Command is in a tizzy over the amount of fish you are requesting.”

The cat wiggled his ears and actually gave off a mild snicker.

“I understand you have a small aquaculture tank. Good. And you have fish protein samples loaded into your food replicators. Beyond that you'll have to scavenge. I understand you are good at that.”

“Fuel?”

Horatio shrugged. “Again …”

“Scavenge. Got it,” the cat said with a grimace. “I hate suits,” he muttered.

“Figure it out,” the admiral rumbled. “If you get to the point where you can't go further, fine, make your way back and refine and update your intel profiles as you go.”

“Understood, sir. How far can we go?”

“Well, you are assigned to me so I'd appreciate it if you stayed in this sector,” the admiral replied dryly.

The cat flicked his ears and snickered slightly louder.

“I meant that, Commander,” the admiral growled.

“Aye aye, sir.”

“Very well. Anything else send through channels. I understand your A.I. is pestering mine for more requests. I'm giving you a blank check. Don't abuse it.”

“Try not to, sir,” the cat replied with a shrug.

“Sure, where have I heard that before?” Horatio replied with a weary shake of his head as he dismissed the cat.

<(>^<)>