by Brian Mansur
Paulson stared at her visitor, eyes narrowed.
Len said, “After Zeus broke apart, there were pockets of survivors: some in the airlocks, others sealed in corridors. We had the Wardens put the people into suspended animation.” He paused to let the admiral regain some poise, then added, “I think a personal call to Commander Hastings is in order. He deserves to hear this news first.”
Paulson tried to fathom the gift’s implications. It argued that Len really wanted to help. He could also be playing a cruel joke. Humanity had clearly been deceived for centuries.
“Why?” Paulson asked. “Why care about us?”
Len’s smile faded. His words came heavy with emotion. “Because it is the right thing to do.” Paulson opened her mouth to ask for more explanation, but Len held up a hand. “I will advise you when and where I am able. I failed to defend you before. Never again.” He looked into Paulson’s eyes. “This I swear: no matter how long it takes, I will not stop until you are free.”
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About the author
BRIAN MANSUR is a nerdy sci-fi geek who resides in the enchanted plains of Iowa with a beautiful Ecuadorian princess, their handsome son and assorted pluppy dogs. When not living the glamorous life of a top-tier customer service agent, he enjoys plotting the destruction of America’s enemies as an Army National Guard officer. Captive Embers is his debut novel.
You can reach him through [email protected].
Acknowledgments
I stand on the shoulders of giants. While the inclusion of any organization or person’s name here does not imply endorsement of this book, I owe are great debt of thanks to the following:
Steve Apple, David Kiel and Kelly Starks, who gave me permission to retool a few scenes and characters from their work.
Winchell Chung's Atomic Rockets website (www.projectrho.com), Rick Robinson's Rocketpunk Manifesto (www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com), Matter Beam’s ToughSF Blog (toughsf.blogspot.com) and a fine gentleman named Alex H. These people and their resources helped make this novel scientifically plausible.
There are so many more individuals whose support made this project possible. In addition to those mentioned above, others who provided critical feedback and/or encouragement include: Steve Beaulieu, Rhett C. Bruno, Matthew Friedman, Eric Langill, David S. de Lis, Vance Mansur, Rob Meier, Michael Schon. Thanks everyone.
