Passing the Flame - a Wolfie Steel short story
Seventeen dollars and thirty-eight cents, he thought disgustedly, then chastised himself for allowing the distraction. Halfway down a rope dangling from the side of the city’s largest skyscraper was probably not the smartest place to inventory the...
Worlds Apart - Chapter Ten
"Relax." "I should be telling you the same thing," Bo said, bluntly. "You look like shit." "I am...aware of that." The Kenzine wished that he could express his frustration, but to do so would have been counterproductive. Had his hair not been...
Filling the Void - Chapter Fifteen
The door to the passenger cell of the robotic shuttle opened with a pneumatic hiss. The lone passenger stepped into a large aerodome that smelled strongly of the same ozone and synthetic lubricants that seemed ubiquitous among spaceports across the...
Filling the Void - Chapter Twenty Six
Lucas rolled over in his warm, soft, wonderful bed and gave his pillow a healthy squeeze. Now more than ever he coveted the luxury of sleep, since he was so rarely allowed to sleep himself awake. A tickle at the end of his face made him twitch and...
Filling the Void - Chapter Five
Alone in his room, Victus sat on his bunk and waited for the rest of the boys to finish their dinner. His fear that he would have to go to bed without his supper had become reality, but the punishment wasn't nearly as bad as he'd anticipated. True to...
Filling the Void - Chapter Eleven
Dagen was well into his sixth hour of sleep when something small and warm poked his exposed arm. In a stupor he shuffled away from the intrusion, his tired body encouraging his mind to return to its rightful place beneath the evening tides. "Mister...
Filling the Void - Chapter Eighteen
Their hunger sated, Lucas and Victus retired to their shared room. As they passed the negin's private suite, the sound of a child's giggly laughter reached them through the closed door. Lucas raised an eyebrow. "He has kids?" "No," Victus said, trying...
Filling the Void - Chapter Seventeen
Victus flowed through his Tai Chi forms with the peaceful grace of a fish gliding through water. The cool dawn air, made humid by the surrounding acres of grass growing unnaturally on this near-desert world, felt dense and energizing as it moved in and...
Filling the Void - Chapter Twenty-three
Moving as one, the small class of young ken-shi brought their bamboo practice swords down, slashing diagonally across their chests. "Hai!" They regrouped, pulled their swords close to their centers of gravity, then pulled their free arms around in a...
Worlds Apart - Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven "Victus," Dagen said, catching his son's attention. “Don't worry. I'll make sure you have enough. Lucas will be safe." Dagan nodded and smiled reassuringly as he closed the connection, forgetting for a moment that his son could...
Worlds Apart - Chapter Eighteen
As clearly as if he'd been standing next to Bo, Dan's voice came through their link. \*urgency\* bo Bo paused, wrench in hand. what get over to shuttle three they need you Bo grunted in annoyance, not at his partner but that his...
Worlds Apart - Chapter Twenty
The stream of people emerging from the shuttles slowed to a trickle as friends and family reconnected on the planet's surface. They clustered in small groups, waiting for someone - anyone - to tell them what to do next. Dan's attention was drawn...