Turn of the Pipes (A Redpoint One Romance)

by Marlow, J. A.

  Ignacio stopped laughing. "What's wrong."

  "Tulip, Sunflower, Sky, Sunbeam, Buttercup." Rachel stopped. Her bot didn't respond to any of it. Only sat there next to the other bot, staring at her.

  "Pookie," Rachel said. Her bot beeped in response. She said the name again, and out came another beep.

  She collapsed into her bed while Ignacio doubled over laughing.

  "Life is not fair," Rachel said to the ceiling.

  Ignacio leaned across her body, propping himself up with a hand on her other side. "How do you intend to keep two Pookie's straight?"

  "Do you have any idea of the ribbing I'm going to get from everyone in the maintenance platform?" Rachel wailed. "The oil incident was bad enough!"

  Her ID bracelet beeped as Ignacio broke out into more laughter.

  "Arthur, I have a clog that keeps moving," Tish's voice said. "Do you remember if Rachel said what this kind of problem might be and how to fix it?"

  Rachel lifted her wrist to say, "Tish, it means you have an invader in the pipes. Irvine the newt is on the move again."

  "Rachel, get off the line. You are off-duty," Arthur said.

  Ignacio lowered her band-arm, sliding down her arm to cradle her hand and kissed each of her knuckles. "Arthur is right. I'll go take care of Irvine. If it's any consolation, he will be with me for only three more months. Then he'll be cleared to return to an on-planet refuge."

  "Good thing. I'm not sure how much longer my pipes can take it," Rachel said with a grin. She pushed him away as he leaned over to give her another kiss. "Go, Tish will need your help. Pookie, lead him there."

  Her bot chirped agreement as Rachel added, "Be careful with Irvine. We have a lot to thank him for."

  Ignacio slid off the bed and nodded. "He saved your life."

  Rachel shook her head. "No, before that. A newt in the pipes is what brought us together in the first place. I'll always be thankful to him for that."

  This time when he leaned over to kiss her, agreeing with every word, she let him. With all her heart, she let him.

  The End

  Other "Redpoint One" Titles

  Once Upon a Pet Show

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  J.A. Marlow writes across many genres, including science fiction, young adult, romance, and others. A private pilot with several years of flying experience in Alaska, J.A. Marlow enjoys adding to stories a touch of the mystery and exotic nature of the land sometimes called “the last frontier.” Popular series include "The String Weavers," "Salmon Run," and "Redpoint One."

  Publisher Homepage: http://starcatcherpub.com

  Author Homepage: JAMarlow.com

  Author Newsletter: JAMarlow.com/newsletter-signup/

  Twitter ID: jamarlow_sf

  Email: jamarlow.sf@gmail.com

  Other Titles From J.A. Marlow

  Mop Jockeys and Fighter Pilots: The war killed any emotion in Captain Carme Batista but Felix the janitor refuses to believe it, but will a brutal battle reveal she's more alive inside than she thought?

  Curse of the Second Date: Abandon all hope with the second date… Jack desperately wants the second date with the woman of his dreams to go as well as the first. Instead, an unbelievable cascade of disasters threaten to torpedo the blossoming romance. Attempting to turn the night around, he escorts Millie to her door… to find his next obstacle in the form of her waiting cat.

  Are We There Yet?: The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Larson family head out in their space-RV on a vacation trip to Venus when the mini-disasters start piling up, soon leading to an age-old refrain… "Are we there yet?"

  SAMPLE - ONCE UPON A PET SHOW (A REDPOINT ONE ROMANCE)

  Does love stand a chance among alien pets and intrigues?

  Vallory Schist does not care about winning a prize at Redpoint One's annual Exotic Pet show. She must quickly find her rare Etrucian Daubpups a new habitat, and an attraction to Damien cannot get in the way.

  Failing life-support systems at both the show and station keep engineer Damien Lysander busier than ever. Then he encounters Vallory and her heat-sensitive daubpups... and the fireworks when they are together.

  Add into the mix the nosy Naughty Knitter's Club, interfering repair bots, a series of pet-nappings, and daubpups who will not stay in their cages...

  How can love not bloom?

  Available now!

  ***

  Eight, nine, ten… wait…

  Oh no. Only ten.

  Vallory Schist recounted the rounded sleeping forms of the Etrucian daubpups in the clear solid-sided cage. Each a different mix of colors, each with their thick banded tail wrapped around their bodies, their feet and nose tucked in.

  She frantically started a visual search of the area, hoping the eleventh hadn't strayed too far. Could it be back on the passenger spaceliner, or lost somewhere on the docks of Redpoint One? She looked helplessly across the busy docks. Robots and small transports running along invisible lanes above their heads, with others moving more slowly along lanes marked on the floor with bright glowing-yellow lines.

  People, families, freight, transports, and robots everywhere. Hundreds of them, and this was only the one dock. Other docks just as busy lay nearby across several levels. How would she find a lost daubpup in all of this?

  "We'll have a transporter here soon," the black-haired deck-hand who had helped her off-load the big clear-sided cage said. He looked down at the large watch on his wrist. "They were delayed getting another cage down to the pet show."

  "Understandable, considering it starts tomorrow," Vallory said, not really thinking about her words. They didn't matter. The delay meant she had a little more time to find her stray daubpup. It must be in the cage during customs check-in. How would she explain it to the show officials or judges when it showing up later?

  Or if it showed up. If the ship left with her daubpup on it, who knew if she would ever track it down. She even knew which one it was. Penny, named after her copper-colored fur, had been notoriously antsy lately, to the point the other daubpups growled at her. No wonder the rest of them slept so hard. The trouble-maker wasn't with the group.

  A long thick pink and copper-colored banded tail flicked out from behind one of the beat-up suitcases sitting on a nearby hovering luggage-sled. The tip of it twitched as it traveled across. It turned, going in the other direction, the fine fur flowing with the switch in direction. Penny, on one of her exploration forays.

  Once certain that the deck-hand was busy with his wrist communicator, Vallory stepped to the side and reached past the suitcases. Her hands met with soft baby-fine fur. She lifted the squirming daubpup out from behind even as Penny attempted to twist out of her hands in order to continue her exploring. Big slanted eyes narrowed as one of her fingered paws caught against Vallory's shirt.

  "Be good. Today is an important day," Vallory whispered to Penny as she stepped back to the cage. She didn't know if the daubpups could understand anything she said. Most likely no more than a dog or a cat, in any case, but she still talked to them. Sometimes they appeared to understand her.

  Like now. Penny stopped twisting and turning to crane her head back towards her to sniff at her with a petite front nose at the end of a short snout. Vallory knew that look. She was being tolerated.

  So long as that toleration meant Penny stayed in the cage at least through the end of Redpoint One's Annual Exotic Pet Show. Until she could talk to a few people attending in hopes of finding out what she needed.

  No, finding what the daubpups needed.

  Vallory cracked open the cage door, a rush of cooler air coming out. Good. The cage environmental systems were working well. With Penny inside, she closed the door and straightened just as the deck-hand looked up.

  "Roy is almost here. Have everything?" he asked.

  "Yes, everything is here," Vallory said, clasping her hands behind her back.

  Inside the cage, all the daubpups woke up en-mass, all looking back at her. Then they moved to t
he edges of the cage to watch the dock activity. Of the people and small hovering sleds and vehicles moving back and forth.

  Maybe she should have covered the cage. If they found something interesting they might all decide to escape like Penny just did. Vallory's stomach roiled at that thought. A worry she'd carried with her for the entire flight to Redpoint One.

  Please. Just a little longer. A few days, she silently pleaded with the daubpups.

  ***

  "Once Upon a Pet Show (A Redpoint One Romance)" is available at online retailers everywhere.

  SAMPLE - THE CHILDREN OF JAD OMNIBUS

  It all started with an ordinary day and ended with her life changed forever...

  Finding remnants of an ancient crashed ship in a forest of the planet Jad may save Elvy Akuma's father's job at the Jad Cultural Center, but it could also restart the war between Human and Chion. Through the threat of pirates, Chion Warriors, treasure hunters and more, Elvy and her friends Tiver and Pelik must rely on each other to protect themselves, the heritage of Jad, and peace itself.

  All while finding a piece of history that history forgot.

  This Omnibus collects together the four Children of Jad novelettes at a bargain price, completing the entire story arc in one volume. The collection includes: Glint of a Suncatcher, Glint of a Ring, Glint of an Artifact, Glint of a Tower.

  Available now!

  ***

  Elvy craned her head up. Her heart gave an interrupted beat when she recognized the unsmiling face. She froze.

  Warrior Ipek. The same Chion Warrior she'd challenged in the Jad Council only a couple months before.

  They were alone in the middle of the forest. As well as she knew the forest, he would know it better, so no point in running. Would he do anything to her? To have his revenge at her defiance?

  He moved an arm towards her, and she automatically flinched.

  "Are you hurt, child?" he asked.

  Her eyes went wide, not expecting the question. Nor the extended hand with the palm up as if to help her up. She gulped, pulling her knees under her. He reached down to grab her by the upper arm, helping her get to her feet.

  She stood in front of him, staring at him, mute. Her mind was still running, still repeating the same words. They tumbled out of her mouth, "We need help."

  "You are referring to the pirates who have attacked the archeological site?" he asked as his hand fell away from her arm.

  She nodded, her teeth starting to chatter. Her lungs and chest felt hot, but the rest of her felt cold from the cold rain. "My father got most into the storage building. He activated the forcefield, but they can't stay in there forever. What if they have bigger weapons?"

  She stopped, Warrior Ipek's words finally filtering through. "Pirates?"

  Warrior Ipek gazed off into the trees, narrowing his eyes. As if he were looking through the barrier of green and could see the dig site. "We observed their landing. A small ship, coming in low over the forest. We doubt Jad Approach Control saw them."

  Her heart starting to calm, she rubbed the mud off her arms. "They were right behind me. Can you help? I mean, do you want to?"

  His attention abruptly returned to her, and he demanded curtly, "What do you mean by such a question?"

  Great, she'd done it now. She tugged at the ring on her thumb. "I mean the council meeting. I know you are angry at me."

  "I am," he said, but his arms relaxed. He stepped to the side and guided her down the faint trail behind him. "But I am a Chion Warrior. My thoughts on the matter are of no consequence at this time. We have kept our promise. The Warriors will protect the site."

  ***

  The "Children of Jad Omnibus" is available at online retailers everywhere.

  STAR CATCHER PUBLISHING

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  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-937042-21-9

  Published exclusively by: Star Catcher Publishing

  Copyright 2012 J.A. Marlow. All Rights Reserved.

  Illustrations and graphics copyright 2012 by J.A. Marlow. All rights reserved.

  If any typos or formatting problems are found with this ebook, please contact either the author or the publisher.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. This book may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the author except in case of brief quotations for the purpose of advertising, promotions and critical review.

  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and locations portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity or resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  All rights to the characters in this written work are reserved by the author and may not appear in any written work or broadcast by any means without the written permission of the author except for the purpose of advertising, promoting and critical review.

  To the author's knowledge no aliens, animals from any known world, or humans were harmed in the writing or making of this book.