FREE through Sunday 10/24/2021

In a universe of opportunities, Captain Frankie and the crew of the Atalanta Empress are coming up empty.

Their day started off OK, but a giant ship attacked their little ship; they lost their jobs to a gimmicky transport scheme; and their mechanic quit after they crash-landed on a planet overrun with an invasive rodent species.

OK, the rodents might be their fault.

The capture of a Kieron fugitive on the planet could finance their escape. Unfortunately, she’s a cunning saboteur, innovative thief, and simply, way out of the crew’s league. 

Can Frankie lead an Earth widow augmented to carry heavy things, an unruly second-in-command, and two triplets with freaky mind powers on a venture beyond delivering tea towels? Or will they be devoured by space rats?

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Guardians of the Galaxy in the first Atalan Adventures novella fueled by perpetually pregnant animals, passive-aggressive phone calls, and proponents of the Millennial Gratification Project.

Losing their jobs to IT!™ is one thing. Losing grasp of known reality is another. 

Trapped in subspace, the Atalanta Empress floats outside regular space-time — and into the middle of a multidimensional smuggling operation. 

It has IT!™’s name written all over it. Seriously, it’s stamped on the boxes. 

As captain, Frankie decides to hide from the shenanigans, until the psychic triplets hear from their sister. She’s in trouble, and time — regular time — is of the essence. 

Revealing their ship to IT!™ becomes their only option for a speedy rescue. This action could cost them their lives, but continuing to hide could mean possibly losing a triplet, and definitely dying of boredom. 

If there were rocks and hard places in subspace, the Atalanta Empress would at least have a view. 

The second novella in Atalan Adventures features non-automatic automatic doors, phosphenes, and a blatant disregard for emergency savings.

It’s that time of the month for things to go bump in the night.

Gail thinks she’s a pretty big deal on the Atalanta Empress. She’s the Mover of Very Heavy Things which is important for a courier ship. And, she’s done it as a frail human octogenarian, replacing many failing body parts with mechanical ones.

When Gail is attacked during a job – a scary, full moon, stormy night sort of job – the ship’s crew becomes concerned. Not only does someone else have to go out in the rain (gross) and some of those mechanical parts are under provisional warranty, but Gail’s daughter is an attorney. It’s sort of a given that the crew will be sued.

On top of all that, they don’t know what attacked her. She’s starting to exhibit symptoms. It’s not powertrain failure or kidney function decline, but something new. She’s um…friskier. And, hairier. Oh, and attacking her crewmates.

If they don’t figure out what’s ailing Gail, they might suffer it too, besides, you know, already suffering for it. It’s definitely contagious, whatever it is. More importantly, they want their old Gail back (not that this one isn’t old).

There’s another shipment, and no one wants to carry it.

Pull up a space chair and chow down on Wilwhack Attack, a short story filled with non-canonical terror, unwanted body hair, pseudopregnancy, and poorly sampled hold music.

Twas the night before the contest and all through the ship, all the creatures were stirring, because of a mouse.

The crew of the Atalanta Empress never expected to revisit the planet they virtually destroyed with their inadvertent deposit of perpetually pregnant rodents, fertisrats – but here they are.

In the first government-sanctioned killing contest, the Atalanta Empress crew are favorites to win. The cash prize might keep their ship afloat for another heavily mortgaged month.

However, these aren’t the same fertisrats they’ve killed en confetti-flying masse. They’ve evolved, and this new challenge stems from a deeply disturbing cosmic force.

Clearly, everything is fine.

The first in a series of non-canonical asides, Winter Wonderland Extinguishment is a short story filled with confetti, entrails, and a premature ice age – just like holidays with the family.

Every journalist seeks out the story of a lifetime, but Lisa’s story might put an end to hers.

Tasked with yet another fluff piece praising healthcare company Lysent Corp, headstrong Lisa Pearson feels more like a public relations specialist than a newspaper reporter. But when she receives inside information suggesting a nefarious connection between the company and recent viral outbreaks, Lisa sets out to uncover the truth.

The Zari virus is sweeping the country. In its wake, panic and rumors of violence emerge. Lisa will do anything to break this story – her life and countless others are at stake – but who will believe her? 

Set years before Audra and Chasing a Cure, Chasing a Lead is an investigative thriller with a zombie headline. Devour this short story today.