Freefall: A First Contact Technothriller (Earth's Last Gambit Book 1)
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She tore the letter across. Then she tore it into smaller pieces. Then stuffed the pieces into her pocket, to be flushed down the crapper later. She looked him in the eye. “It’s gone.”
EPILOGUE
“Mission Control, this is the SoD,” Katharine Menelaou said. Her singsong intonation emphasized that this was their second try at making history.
“Reading you loud and clear, SoD.”
“Power generation is stable. MPD engine is online, and thrust is stable.” Abruptly, Menelaou veered off script. “So do we have permission to haul ass before sod’s law strikes again?”
She’d got that from Jack—sod’s law. She winked at him.
"Spirit of Destiny, you are approved to haul ass,” Mission Control sent back.
“Hey Goose, I feel the need … “ Jack called out.
“… the need for speed!” Alexei called back.
Jack laughed out loud, and keyed in the throttle command to send full power to the booster engines.
Spewing superheated plasma, the Spirit of Destiny bulled out of Earth orbit.
Next stop: Europa.
*
Down in the storage module, Skyler observed the other crew members. They were all strapped into their acceleration couches, lined up across the floor of the module.
Which of you is it?
Boisselot.
Xiang.
Qiu.
Hannah was down in Engineering. He knew it wasn’t her.
Ivanov had taken the co-pilot’s seat on the bridge for the burn. It might be him.
Also on the bridge: Menelaou. (Please let it not be her.)
And Kildare.
What if it was him?
What if Lance had been murdered by the very saboteur he was seeking to expose?
Lance had been no spy. Skyler knew that now. A redblooded, flag-waving American patriot, that’s all he had ever been, and his trigger-happy methods just demonstrated his high-proof Americanness. Flaherty had been right, Skyler had been wrong.
Skyler might as well’ve murdered Lance with his own hands.
He’d made a colossal, life-changing mistake. But it was too late to fix that now.
The boosters roared. Gravity pressed down on Skyler’s body, a full two Gs. He struggled to breathe. It was a terrifying, exhilarating sensation, but one thought filled his mind.
If Lance had not been the saboteur, then the saboteur was still on board.
THE STORY CONTINUES IN
SHIPLORD
EARTH’S LAST GAMBIT, VOLUME 2
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THE CREW OF THE SPIRIT OF DESTINY
Commander Katharine Menelaou (US)
Pilot Jack Kildare (UK / US): EVA specialist, advanced medical support
Mission Specialist Koichi Masuoka (JP) Hannah Ginsberg (US): reactor and propulsion
Mission Specialist Alexei Ivanov (RU): co-pilot, EVA specialist, and hydroponics
Mission Specialist Giles Boisselot (FR): xenolinguistics, advanced life-support
Mission Specialist Adam Hardcastle (US) Lance Garner (US) Skyler Taft (US): communications, hydroponics
Mission Specialist Qiu Meili (CH): optics and sensors and electronics, hydroponics
Mission Specialist Xiang Peixun (CH): EVA specialist, advanced life-support
DISCOVER THE ADVENTUROUS WORLDS
OF FELIX R. SAVAGE
An exuberant storyteller with a demented imagination, Felix R. Savage specializes in creating worlds so exciting, you’ll never want to leave.
EARTH’S LAST GAMBIT
A Trilogy of Present-Day Science Fiction Technothrillers
Ripped from the headlines: an alien spaceship is orbiting Europa. Relying only on existing technology, a handful of elite astronauts must confront the threat to Earth’s future, on their own, millions of miles from home.
Can the chosen few overcome technical limitations and their own weaknesses and flaws? Will Earth’s Last Gambit win survival for the human race?
Freefall
Shiplord
Book 3, title TBA
THE RELUCTANT ADVENTURES
OF
FLETCHER CONNOLLY
ON THE
INTERSTELLAR RAILROAD
Near-Future Non-Hard Science Fiction
An Irishman in space. Untold hoards of alien technological relics waiting to be discovered. What could possibly go wrong?
Skint Idjit
Intergalactic Bogtrotter
Banjaxed Ceili
Supermassive Blackguard
THE SOL SYSTEM RENEGADES SERIES
Near-Future Hard Science Fiction
A genocidal AI is devouring our solar system. Can a few brave men and women save humanity?
In the year 2288, humanity stands at a crossroads between space colonization and extinction. Packed with excitement, heartbreak, and unforgettable characters, the Sol System Renegades series tells a sweeping tale of struggle and deliverance.
Keep Off The Grass (short origin story)
Crapkiller (prequel novella)
1. The Galapagos Incident
2. The Vesta Conspiracy
3. The Mercury Rebellion
A Very Merry Zero-Gravity Christmas (short story)
4. The Luna Deception
5. The Phobos Maneuver
6. The Mars Shock
7. The Callisto Gambit