by Matt Verish
Anyway, I digress. No point in pondering whether or not their efforts bought us some time and much needed privacy. All of it would have been for naught if Rig hadn’t tinkered around with the damaged engine while the rest of us panicked about the ship going dark. Ol’ Rigsy made good on his debt by activating and programming our stolen repair drone to do what it does best. Military training and all that time with Terracom technology makes him quite valuable to this crew. Aside from Emmerich’s undying hatred for him, he should fit in quite nicely.
Oh, I forgot to mention the other stupid decision I made. I let Arthur go on his merry way. I couldn’t blow his brains out the back of his head after proving my point to Cain, now could I? I never intended to do so anyway. He’s on his ship floating, aimlessly as we speak. Still tied up, of course, but knowing him, he’ll free himself in no time...and probably plot his revenge. Selling his survival to Rig wasn’t easy, but I am captain. Thankfully Chrysanthemum—I love that name—was still out cold when I gave that order. She would have knocked me out for letting him get away scott-free on his ship. Fortunately, Cain claims to have programmed Art’s ship so that it would not be able to locate us. Not sure how he did it, but I believe him.
And on the subject of location, Lin is well on her way to another solution which will free Rig of his Ocunet prison. Just like she did for her psycho father before he became a cube. Seems Cain had SolEx load her entire lab aboard this ship as “evidence” prior to our harrowing escape. That’s what I call foresight! Now if only he had thought to transfer a quarter of my former company’s yearly gross profit into a secret bank account. We can’t have everything, now, can we?
Everything... Hm. While I wouldn’t consider this lifestyle to be optimal living—nor would I ever recommend it—I would say that it is strangely satisfying. The more I think on things, the more I realize my life was nothing before the good inspector imposed her will upon this ship. Since then, I’ve found purpose. It might not have given me everything I desire, but for the first time since serving in the Starforce, my life has meaning again. And that’s awesome!
Well, I think it’s time to wrap up this little vanity project of mine. I have a strong desire to blast some Deep Purple throughout the Icarus as we cruise the galaxy as the System’s most wanted.
Oh yeah, that’s the ship’s name now: Icarus. No more of that technical ICV-71 nonsense. We flew just a little too close to the Sun for comfort. I just hope we didn’t lose one too many feathers in the process of naming her.
Icarus. It’s only fitting, don’t you think?
CONCLUSION
Thank you for sharing in my adventure in Icarus. I hope you will continue to follow this ragtag crew in the subsequent Interstellar Cargo novel, Daedalus, when it is released. Please consider sharing your thoughts through a review on Amazon. Your honest feedback is insightful to me as well as other readers, and I appreciate your time and consideration.
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Again, thank you, and I hope you continue your journey with the crew of the Icarus for more daring adventures into the stars.
Sincerely,
Matt
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with any writing project, aside from the author’s task of putting words to page, so many other people factor into the equation that is a completed novel. I would like to properly thank them for all their diligence and hard work. Without them, Icarus would not be the book you see before you. I am forever grateful for everyone’s contribution.
First and foremost, I must thank my beautiful wife, Stefanie. My muse. My everything. Her very presence is an inspiration, and she championed my little writing project. Her insight and sometimes brutal honesty helped to shape Icarus into the novel it needed to be. I can’t thank you enough, Babe. I love you.
Dad. Your love of all things science instilled within me the curiosity to explore the universe and all the wonderful knowledge it contains. I deeply respect your passion for robotics and early computers. You have no idea just how proud I am of you for building the one and only working paperclip computer that has since been placed into a museum for the world to see.
I’d like to thank Patrick, my social media buddy. We challenged each other to “Race to 75K” in order to achieve our goal of writing a novel. I might’ve won the “challenge,” but what I really gained was a better understanding of how I write. I can’t wait to race again.
To Cari and Richard, for reading ARC copies of my book and giving me honest opinions. We may be close friends, but both of you have never been shy about telling me what I need to hear. Thank you for always taking time out of your busy lives for Stef and me.
The Shire. No, not the one in Middle Earth—the one on Facebook. It’s a secret group of independent authors, and I’ll refrain from revealing the names of its members. Thank you all for your expert advice, wisdom, and endless laughs. I learned so much from you guys.
And to Tom and Shawn. Tom created the spectacular cover, and Shawn designed the professional interior for the paperback. Both of you made Icarus capable of standing beside any Big Six publisher novel that comes out today.
Finally, to all the readers I hope to reach. Thank you for taking this journey into the stars. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Verish is a speculative fiction author who has been writing stories since the fourth grade. He realized his desire to become an author when he met his wife, Stefanie, in the autumn of 1997. They kept in constant contact while Stefanie was away at college, and it was through email that they planted the seeds of their epic fantasy world, Secramore. Eventually they became M.S. Verish, and they have been writing books as married co-authors ever since. Matt is a John Carpenter film buff, lover of all things nature, hopelessly behind on his reading, collector of his wife’s artwork, and a thrash metal music connoisseur. Icarus is his first full-length solo project.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
ALSO AVAILABLE
INTRODUCTION
WHEN IN BIG TROUBLE...
ICARUS
PART ONE | TEST FLIGHT
1 | ICV-71
2 | LAUNCH
3 | INSPECTION
4 | RADICALS
5 | CAPACITOR
6 | BLACKOUT
7 | DC-ALPHA-6
8 | SINGULARITY
9 | EQUALS
PART TWO | TWIST OF CAIN
10 | SCOUT
11 | RIGGED
12 | COLOSSUS
13 | RESEARCH
14 | OFFLINE
15 | REBIRTH
16 | BAREFOOT
17 | CORNERED
18 | LOCKDOWN
PART THREE | UNCHARTED
19 | CRATER
20 | DARKSTAR
21 | PIRATES
22 | SMASHER
23 | DOGFIGHT
24 | VIRUS
25 | ROGUE
26 | ICARUS
CONCLUSION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
