Tag: war

War stories

This is the second-to-last post of my prototype audiobook files.  This longer one is chapter two of “Friend & Ally,” wherein Nichole 5 gets her first taste of war.  There isn’t much in the way of new character voices but there is a lot of action going on and I wanted to see if my voice could keep up with it all.

The final installment will be chapter three, sometime Saturday.  It will slow things down again and introduce one more important character.  Following that, I’ll create an ACX account, draw up a recording and editing schedule, and get to submitting chapters for their review; another process I am going to have to learn.

In the meantime, it has been a month since I have written a story, even just playing with ideas.  “Goddess’ Crusade” is nominally due at the end of this year and besides a vague vision of one scene in my head, the other 60k+ words won’t write themselves.

So here’s chapter two; longer, I know.  I’m still playing with Audacity’s settings and getting older about how to use it.  Cheers!

Achievement unlocked! Peace.

This is a little longer, too, but there was no good place to break it up.  Just think of it as a nice read to distract you from all of the stupidity in the news.  Which is mostly propaganda, anyway.

Having made her point and walked-back her over-the-top demands, Faustina gives Dysart time to reach out to the main players in his coalition government.  No one, not even Faustina, I think, sees this as a long-term treaty, but it is a start… a peaceable start.

Looks like we get another “beach episode” in the next scene!

Continue reading “Achievement unlocked! Peace.” →

Hoping for a clearer sky

I particularly enjoyed Faustina’s non-denial denial of what happened to the refinery.  And how she uses Alene as a conduit to let Dysart know she is sincere.  As readers, we know, via Thaad, the hole she dug for herself and her army.  The GSS President doesn’t know that.  He only knows this freak led 10,000 soldiers into his backyard.  I find their jockying for position to be very interesting!

Continue reading “Hoping for a clearer sky” →

A Brunch of Words

Here in the US, it is a three-day weekend for Memorial Day.  One which, fortunately, I am not assigned to work for my DayJob.  So, besides a short honeydew list – and my own need to rebuild my rusty outdoor grille – it is a chance to write and write.

As I’ll be busy doing that, here’s a much longer update to the story.  Sit down with some coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening and look over the shoulders of President Dysart and Empress Faustina as they have their first, real, diplomatic exchange.  And it ends up being a doozy.  Hope to have more late Monday!

Continue reading “A Brunch of Words” →

Show off

Knowing what we know, it is a little hard to not want to slap the top of Faustina’s head for being a smartass, here.  Not technically a lie, even by omission, but her blizzard of disinformation is not going to go done well once President Dysart understands what is going on.  And given how Fussy runs her mouth without her legates around, that will happen sooner rather than later.

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Generally speaking

So that’s who shows up… this time and so far.  The fact that in the last installment President Dysart saw drones in the air means to me that Faustina is at very least in live contact with her legions if not seeing into the Void, as well.

Allow me to preen over the touch that had Fausta’s simulacrum of her god-daughter not have any burn scarring.  It’s quite possible as a machine, Fausta is not even aware of her namesake’s permanent damage.

It looks as if the young general is trying very hard to be diplomatic for once.  I wonder if she can keep it together?

Continue reading “Generally speaking” →

Known Unknowns

Getting to know a little more about the current situation in and around GSS President Dysart.  I don’t see him in my head as a bad actor, per se.  I do wonder why his administration decided to choke off Louisiana’s trade… antagonizing Texas in the process.  When I need to know I suppose they will tell me.

This transition scene is rather brief.  I want to see what kind of fireworks – if any – there are once he meets Faustina Hartmann.  I wonder:  will he be meeting the General or the Empress?

Continue reading “Known Unknowns” →

President Dysart

This is something I’ve never done before:  the next section of ‘Empress Crusade’ will be told from a different perspective.  Specifically, that of the President of the Gulf Shore States.  His internal voice is the one we shall hear and we will see Faustina and her army through his eyes.  I am very curious to see how she comes across… self-confident?  Pushy?  Crazy as a rat in a coffee can?

Let’s go see!

Continue reading “President Dysart” →

Another scolding

From her personal mistake of going on recon nearly by herself in unknown territory, it is now pointed out to our genius that she has done the same thing to her entire command, putting thousands of lives at risk.

Her other family, in the form of her god-mother and her sister-in-law’s father, take Faustina to task on this point to make her older.  At least there is some good news at the end.

Continue reading “Another scolding” →