Bell of the Ancients

My brother had been piloting combat aircraft remotely since he was barely old enough to read. When the recruiters showed up at our house to solicit him with a fast …

Our ship had been damaged in the backdraft of Earths burn. The E-fleet Base had taken a direct hit from a ground-based Direct Energy Weapon before we reached it and …

We had two days left to get ready and one day to make the trip to the moon. Five fighter ships went to Mars and the three to Saturn. All …

A quick orbit of the moon revealed nothing but dust, craters and abandoned ruins of space stations. It appeared as if the war had reached the moon and moved on …

It was necessary for Leon and I to go to different quarters, but now that I was resigned to the fact we couldnt leave immediately, my focus was on how …

The room was beautiful in a bare-stone sort of way, but I hardly noticed it at first. My mind was racing over the possibilities and implications of Ryonels story. I …

My situation had just become a lot more complicated. Not only did I have to cover for Leon and Ryonel, I also had to hide and care for two kids …

I slept like I hadnt in months. The room was completely dark and silent, unlike sleeping on a space craft, where something is always humming or ticking. There were no …

A glance out the window told me the gardens below were silent and dark. The rising sun would reach my high window several minutes before it reached ground level in …

Madia and I spent the whole morning with the children and ate both breakfast and lunch until we were completely satisfied. When the children laid down for their naps, we …

Madia snuck through the door only seconds later, imitating Bartroles walk with her small head high in the air and her chin stuck out like a snowplow. We were still …

The night flew by quickly as we began to test and tweak all The Aeros functions. The mercury power source had to be spun up and that took several hours …

I was standing on the wall, looking out to sea. The thicker atmosphere of Nedan resulted in softer hues. The ocean had a warm lavender undertone, while the sky above …

Up three floors and across the big room and the bridge, then down three or five? It must have been five. That was what Dante said, wasnt it? Every floor …

I awoke about an hour before sundown. My first thought was of Leon. I believed he would get well, but mostly because of the dream. Hope based on the message …

Madia was asleep on my bed, with the blanket over her head. She was, no doubt, covering for my absence in the event someone should come to check on me. …

Lani. . . I awoke to see Ryonel squatting beside the bed, poking my shoulder with one respectful finger. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Good afternoon, Sleepyhead, he …

The streets of Solanti were silent and dark. The moons had not yet risen, and we could not risk a light until we were out of the city center. Ryonel …