Happy Blog Day Everyone!
Following last week's bombshell, it's back to Short Diversions this week, but I do have some Brennan and Riz related news to share, but first, let's deal with their Comic antics!
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
Wasn't too happy with this week's strip. Made too many mistakes (especially a glaring spelling mistake...grrr) but the Riz parts came out quite well considering!
I think part of the issue was that I had no idea what I was doing when I first touched pencil to paper. I know I can do better.
Brennan and Riz Story Update
Still waiting on a date and time for when the great switcharoo will take place (see last week) but, knowing that it's imminent, I started this:
No, your eyes do not deceive you, this is the proposed story list for Brennan and Riz Volume 3! There's a few new stories here, as well as two more refugees from Harvey Duckman Presents. Plus, this will also be the first time that the Yeti in the Snow will be available in print, having spent the last six years as ebook only.
Things could still change here, especially regarding story names as I really need to check if I'm allowed to release a story called Ghost Riders in the Sky. I'm fully prepared to change it if needs by. The word counts are using the unedited versions, so I'm expecting that to fluctuate a bit.
Oh, you noticed the '?', that's because that's story isn't finished yet, being the latest incarnation of my madness on the waves story! Yes, this news has restarted my passion for Brennan and Riz and I've made some good headway already.
Hopefully I can keep you updated on this as things progress.
VSS365 Host
From April 16th till the 30th, I will be your host for the popular #vss365 writing prompt. For those that don't know, vss stands for Very Short Story (with the 365 standing for days of the year). The writing community who use it m, are completely brilliant, and it's an honour to provide the prompt words.
If you're an Twitter/X user, feel free to join in and post your stories/poems.
Short Diversions: Lives in the Storm
This week's short story is actually one I written a while ago that sadly never went anywhere. It's set in the Vector Unit Regen: Orphan's War universe (same as the first Short Diversions story, The Cockpit).
Please enjoy.
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Lives in the Storm
‘You’ll be going in hot!’ A woman’s voice roared at Jensen from the communicator inside his helmet.
‘I’m to provide cover for Red Fox and Silver Coyote, correct?’ he asked, feeling proud for remembering his peer’s call signs. It felt to him like he had been training for this his whole life, and not the few months it had actually been. He readied his hands on the controls, the warmth in his brain telling him he was connected to the humanoid shaped machine that encased him. He looked down on the mechanics scurrying around like ants, getting away as the platform he was on started to rise, with the orchestra of hissing steam accompanying the blaring klaxons.
‘Correct,’ the woman replied. ‘We’re sending out Green Ferret, and Indigo Stallion, so stick with them. Don’t chase after the enemy, simply provide covering fire for Red Fox and Silver Coyote and return to the ship. Good Luck.’
Jensen psyched himself as the platform locked in place, with him now overlooking the turmoil in the skies as explosions dotted the horizon, black smoke tainting the sky, corrupting the clouds. His teammates didn’t say anything. Jensen, knowing that they were like him, recent recruits. Yanya and Thomas, he didn’t know their last names, and he wasn’t sure who had taken what code name. There hadn’t been any time to talk to them more, and Jensen didn’t see much point, they weren’t the people he was desperate to befriend.
Taking a deep breath, he waited for the distinct sound of the catapult charging up, before its magnetic launchers sent him into the fray. In the moments before, he told himself why he was doing this, why he had thrown his lot in with the so called “terrorists.”
The catapult activated with a screech and the thunderous roar as Jensen’s Vector Unit was thrown from the air ship and sent it flying. Its boosters keeping its trajectory stable. The comrades he was supposed to be working with were just in front of him now, their machines arming their weapons, and pointing their rifles forward. The target revealing itself to be an Atlantis Empire warship, flames erupting from multiple points in it’s hull, as enemy Vector Units tried to stop two other machines.
Jensen knew them only as Red Fox and Silver Coyote, never daring to speak to them when he saw them on the ship, yet he knew every other detail about them, idolising their bravery, their piloting skills. It had been stories of their exploits that settled his decision to join, the despair turning to rage and then passion, spurred on by the Rebel Broadcasts that were played in defiance of the draconian Atlantis Empire.
He watched his teammates firing into the mess of the battle, and Jensen went to do the same, till he noticed a Vector Unit flying below him, a black mirror to his own, the same model, the colours inverted. Not content with just providing cover fire, even for his heroes, a hazy daydream of grandeur played out in front of his eyes. He envisioned that this lone Vector Unit was on a mission of sabotage against the Valhallan’s own airship. The images shifted to him taking down the enemy, being hailed as a hero for a mission done gloriously. A heroic kill on his first ever mission, the mark of a rising star. It’s this act that gets him deployed along his idols, their equal. Their friend.
‘White Jackal! What are you doing!” The woman’s voice in his ear shouts as Jensen darted after the lone enemy. His daydream got wilder, as he’s now relaying the story to his family, their proud feelings showing on their faces, any regret they had over his life choices gone. Flying lower to the ground, Jensen was able to escape much of the black smoke that had blotted the sky. Now, he could see the enemy clearly, just as they turned and fired a shot off from their plasma lance, a strong weapon that had spelt doom for many a pilot before.
Jensen flew into him, knocking him off balance so the lance shot helplessly into the air. With the butt of his rifle, Jensen slammed it into the red mooneye of his opponent, shattering it, but proving it wasn’t done in yet, the enemy pulled two large serrated knives, their blades glowing white with armour-melting heat. One of the knives cut through the rifle, and the other narrowly missed the cockpit. The gravity of what was happening, still hadn’t sunk in, and convinced of his own victory, Jensen pulled out his own knives from their storage on his legs, throwing away the remains of his rifle.
The two clashed again, using fast movement from their thrusters, they looked like roving ball lightning that kept striking each other, creating gouges in the armour and pushing the machines to their breaking point.
Despite the carnage, Jensen still couldn’t shake the daydreams that imposed itself, now he imagined his family meeting his new best friends, Red Fox and Silver Coyote, the three of them sharing a laugh about this very encounter. It was because of this distraction that he didn’t see the incoming blade and could only react as it stuck deep into his machine’s chest. While narrowly missing Jensen himself, it did rupture several of the systems that sparked out, burning him. Shards of metal impaled him, keeping him pinned to his chair. With a free hand, he pulled off his helmet, his silver eyes, the same as all those born outside the luxury of the Domes, stained red.
Fuelled by rage, he attacked with new ferocity. This caught his opponent off guard, a point he didn’t waste as Jensen slashed upwards, from what would have been the groin area to the top of the shattered head. The blow had been too shallow to completely destroy the black Vector Unit, but the damage was done, and with it, the taste of victory mixing with the coppery taste of blood in Jensen’s mouth. His opponent had one last trick up his sleeve though, as it flew towards him, catching him in a bear hug.
Confused as to what was going on, and feeling tired the robotic voice giving a countdown took on a different meaning in his day dream delusion as his parents counted down to him blowing out the candles on a cake, just as they had been the day they were gunned down by Atlantis Empire thugs. The voice got to zero and both machines and their pilots were enveloped by a light that devoured them utterly, reuniting Jensen with those he had lost.
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Fifteen minutes earlier...
Jonas Drent looked around for the enemies, his blood boiling in his veins. Two Vector Units had somehow passed through their sensor nets, passed by their patrols and with one well-timed strike, had managed to take down the Empire’s Grace, a hornet class airship that should have been practically invincible if you believed all the talk about it. Jonas had known better to believe that, he wasn’t some starry-eyed kid enlisted from the Domes. Throughout all his years, he knew the truth about many of the matters that the Empire had lied about, but he continued to serve regardless. His machine was perched on the hull of the ship, explosions ripping through other areas, the flames licking at the feet of his Vector Unit, and despite being inside it, he felt the heat.
‘Second Captain Jonas Drent, we have new orders for you. We’re abandoning the Empire’s Grace.’ The voice belonged to Commander Fenice, who was also flying around in his own custom Vector Unit. Jonas cursed his name and the order. Given what he'd been told, it meant that they were in full retreat. Or at least, those privileged enough would be retreating. Everyone else would be expected to give their lives up to cover their escape.
Jonas himself had so far survived three of these events, much to the chagrin of his superiors who were getting dismayed that a “Silver”, as he was, was surviving this long. To date, no “Silver,” had gotten this far in the military chain, and it’s also why his progression was being throttled. He was the oldest 2nd captain serving, with those of a similar rank at least ten years his junior, and none of them, were born outside of the Domes or the well to do families.
‘Roger that,’ Jonas sighed, waiting to see what the order was, on the off chance that his fears were unfounded.
‘You are to cover the retreat.’
Jonas turned the communication channel off, knowing it didn’t matter either way. The good commander was already gone from the battlefield. Jonas felt depleted, he had clawed his way into the military, to escape the drudgery of living outside the Domes. He worked past the prejudice that was forced upon him, he did every act that was asked of him. Every despicable act you could think of to do in war, he did.
He gave up trying to find any semblance of life in what he was doing. Till he met her, Fiona. She, like him, had done whatever she could to get away from the misery of her past life. Together, they achieved some happiness.
Breathing heavily, Jonas felt conflicting emotions. The indoctrinated feelings in him were rousing his anger to fight against the enemy that had crippled the ship he had served on. Yet, what most would deem common sense, called him to finally take a stand for himself.
The Empire wouldn’t care if he died, and they certainly wouldn’t be happy if he survived again. Throwing caution to the wind, Jonas left the ship, not even bothering to say farewell to twisted metal. He flew the Vector Unit down and low to the ground, avoiding the futile battle that was being fought above. He knew the resistance group, whatever they called themselves, would call this a victory, but whatever their goal, it wouldn’t matter. The Empire had more resources, it would squash them regardless of what they tried.
Jonas should have been paying attention to the world around him though, as it took a moment to register the pinging of his sensors as a white Vector Unit came swooping towards him.
Acting fast and on instinct, Jonas fired off his plasma lance, wanting to end the encounter in one blow, but it was never meant to be, as the enemy dodged it, and crashed into him. Before he could do anything, the butt of the enemy’s rifle smashed into the head of his Vector Unit, disabling the mono-eye camera. Jonas wasn’t going to let him get away with that, and relying on all the other computers, he had his Vector Unit pull out the two super-heated knives.
In one strike, Jonas cut through his enemy’s rifle, but he missed hitting the cockpit. The white Vector Unit, pulled out its own knives and the two engaged in a fierce close combat duel, each one trying to find an opening to strike in. Jonas didn’t want to be doing this, he wanted out of this situation, but at the same time, he was fighting for his life. Whoever he was fighting, he didn’t know or care about their motivations, he only cared about the fact they were trying to kill him. An opening presented itself, the enemy’s guard fell, and Jonas took it, slamming his knife forward into the cockpit. He was dismayed though when the white Vector Unit, now looking increasingly beaten, started a counterattack with renewed vigour, one that Jonas couldn’t compete with.
The culmination of this was when the opponent’s knife was slashed upwards, cutting the front of Jonas’s Vector Unit open, exposing him to the air and all the smoke. The tip of the knife had also cut into him, spelling his demise.
Coughing up blood on his console, Jonas saw Fiona again, her hand covering his as it moved to a switch that was always intended to be a last resort. She smiled at him as he pressed it, the computer trying to put out a coherent countdown, but it didn’t matter, the glow that leaked through the cockpit from the reactor told Jonas all he needed to know. With little time left, and using the last of his machine’s strength, he wrapped his Vector Unit’s arms around the enemy, mimicking the hug that Fiona was now giving him. Even though he knew she wasn’t really there. Jonas was glad to see her one last time, hoping that he would end up wherever she did, as the Vector Unit took him and his enemy into the warm embrace of death.
-
After the battle, the Resistance group Valhalla mourned the death of one of their own, having retrieved what they could. The Atlantis Empire simply crossed Jonas’s name off a list, making it match the name next to it, Fiona Kryne. They left his remains to rot where they fell. There was always someone else to replace him.
Neither side saw the tragedy of what had unfolded. Such is the fate of war...
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That's it for this week!
According to my calculations (aka the little number when I look at my blog list) this is my 99th blog post. Guess I'll have to do something special for next week's 100th won't I?
Till next time,
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin
Quick Links
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 1
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Book 1: A Boy and A Rat
The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 2
Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Volume 1
Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Fade to Noir
Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Hubble Bubble
Harvey Duckman Presents Volume 13
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