Zara sighed and leaned back. The workbench in front of her was littered with parts and pieces. She had collected every known gadget that her Mama had made and sequestered herself away from everyone. for days.
Am I afraid? Perhaps a little. Prudence seems wise at this point, and we are not prepared.
The look on Kiipo’s face was cemented in Zara’s mind. The unemotional, unflappable Xi had been surprised when she had melded with the lutu. Not just surprised but shocked enough to express something. Up until that moment, she had not believed that the Xi knew emotion. She had assumed that they had grown as a people without emotion and perhaps their faces did not even contain the muscles to express what was so common with cavepeople.
I was shocked as well. Though I am clearly something a bit different than the cavepeople, I did not expect the lutu to recognize my touch.
So she had questioned Kiipo quite thoroughly after dragging it in and placing its body under her blue net. The Ganix warriors stood nearby and passively watched the questioning unfold.
Now she knew.
The lutu should have only recognized an authorized Jariit, of which Zara was certainly not one. So yes, of course Kiipo enabled the self-protect mode when it realized that she could actually meld with the lutu. Within thirty seconds of Zara cutting off the lutu’s power, Kiipo’s countenance changed again. It became utterly unemotional, as hard as a stony exterior could become. With coaxing, Zara discovered what she thought was Kiipo’s indescribable fear.
Kiipo had been flummoxed that the self-destruct had been canceled by one who was not Jariit.
“It was not canceled. I severed the power,” Zara had explained.
“No one can sever the aji,” it had stated absolutely.
“I did,” had said Zara matter-of-factly. “Maybe you just aren’t strong enough.”
Kiipo had locked its eyes on her and then after a few, long moments it barely moved its chin upward. “In Xi legend, there are tales of the Ixant who can completely control the aji. I do not believe these legends to be true, and I am not positive that you speak the truth about the severing.”
What ridiculous myths the Xi have, Zara thought.
She had shrugged and retorted, “I don’t know what an Ixant is… or if I am one, but you can believe what you want. I was kind to you, but after what you have done, I will not allow you to be near your lutu.” Then she had walked away and left Kiipo to stew in its thoughts.
When Kpleeb, Zara, and Xir had visited the Ganix village after the attack, there were multiple huts that had been burned to the ground. The pen that had been used to corral the milk-yaks had been shattered and all of the yaks had been dispersed. There were knee-deep pits in the ground where lutu canons had blasted warriors with some kind of energy canon mounted on the lutu.
Thoka had built defenses in advance, and it was clear that they had functioned. The village walls were made of yellow stone and were mostly intact, but the locations of the defensive pods were only smoking craters. In Zara’s mind, that meant the Jariit had targeted the defenses because they posed a threat. It also meant that the Jariit could see the defenses. The lutu had soared directly over the walls and pummeled enemies from above. By examining the wreckage of the other crashed lutus, Zara saw that Thoka had been able to attack the lutu and crash them into the ground with the help of the defenses. Those lutus were physically damaged and some had arm-sized holes in their exterior fuselages.
But Mama died in the process. My weapons need to be stronger. There needs to be more of them and new types as well. Surely, once these Jariit fail to return, the next attack will be much stronger.
Now, Zara looked at her workbench and considered what she had to work with.
Thoka’s stash included what Zara considered to be a rough thruster. It was a ruddy-red ring that worked in concert with Thoka’s spiral bracelet to shove or push enemies away. What she considered to be a sibling of the thruster was a more directed bolt of power that used a green thread to pinpoint the resulting jolt. Another of Thoka’s many tools was a remote air expander that Zara called it an exploder. Zara had heard from Jial that Thoka had used it during the battle with the Xinti at the river village against Chief Kilow’s tribe. Lastly, there was a necklace that amplified the voice and one that magnified vision.
Zara examined each one and reminded herself that these few tools were actually astounding technology compared to what any tribe of cavepeople could wield. Thoka had spent time retraining herself to wield a power she could feel but not see, and the results had created an environment that would enable her to win a battle against most enemies.
Despite that strength against the Xinti, Thoka had been wounded severely and killed when the Xi had arrived. They were clearly a more powerful enemy. Zara leaned against her backrest in the smaller room. She pictured in her mind a dozen or more lutu swarming from the sky, and a horde of Ganix warriors defending. Zara was worried.
Who would win in such a battle? The weapons mounted on the lutu are incredibly powerful, but they can be overcome. They must be overcome, otherwise, the Xi will surely kill me, Da, and all of the Ganix.
Update: Amazon released a Print-On-Demand hardcover, so I’ve added that version of my book. It looks pretty good! The hardcover version of Forsaking Home is available now (315 pages).
Previous Update: The paperback version of Forsaking Home is available. It is right at 443 pages. – Cheers!
Original post:
Over the past few years I have been working on a novel in my tiny amount of spare time. Now I am glad to say that I have finally pushed enough of the words into a pile to feel like this novel (part one of the story) is complete.
The experience of writing this many words (roughly 113,000) has been one of hope wrapped in moments of complete frustration combined with a healthy drive to learn, express myself, and finish what I started. The process has been rewarding on its own in many ways, and I am proud to finally be able to publish it.
Forsaking Home (synopsis):
Edin is a young man who yearns to break free of Earth’s overbearing societal regulation. In the year 2110 he struggles to convince his pregnant wife to spend their life-savings on tickets to join Earth’s first off-planet colony. After she tells him off, he shoots himself in the foot with his impulsiveness and discovers that injustice runs deeper than he imagined.
An assassin, who spent much of her young life alone on the streets of Brazil, accepts a contract from an unknown and powerful entity. She fights her conscience while navigating a treacherous path toward the completion of her contract. Her decisions will forever alter the fate of Earth’s first colony and maybe even offer her a path to redemption.
When events fall into place, the colony’s launch party is tragically interrupted by the politically motivated assassination, and Edin must choose between pursuing his freedom or becoming resigned to what life on Earth has to offer.
Here is a little excerpt that I think sets the tone for the book.
“So, you’re saying that too much safety is bad for us?” It seemed counterintuitive.
“Pretty much. Not that I wish calamity on people, though. It’s all about balance. Reward demands risk. We sent men to the Moon and Mars by risking lives and money. If we had risked more, we might have done it quicker or gone further. If we had risked less, we might not have gone at all.” Grandpa looked up at the sky as if he expected to see the Fenwater Orbital Station (The FOS, as it was commonly called) streaking beyond the few small puff-clouds that dotted the blue.
Edin shrugged, “So I guess what you’re saying is that too much safety is bad, but too much risk is bad too. Like riding in a car; if we don’t go, we won’t get anywhere, but if we do, we might get into an accident.”
“Exactly,” said Grandpa. “But you’re not actually free if you can’t make that choice for yourself.”
Edin walked in silence across the dusty ground for a few seconds before hesitantly speaking up. “Then what would you say if I told you that I want to join the Proxima Project?”
Grandpa stopped walking and looked at Edin in a searching way. “Are you serious?”
Edin paused. “I really am, Grandpa, but I haven’t told Amanda yet.”
“This isn’t because of the way we talk of freedom is it?” Grandpa asked. “Have you thought it out, or is this just some knee-jerk reaction? I’m not saying that freedom isn’t valuable, but there is a lot of finesse between theory and actuality.”
“Look at it this way, Grandpa. I’ve always wanted to own a piece land like you do. I’ve wanted to shoot your guns, have a kid who will grow up to be a real man, and do what I want to do in general. Do I really have a chance at owning a place like this? Even playing with this potato cannon would get us a fine if we got caught.”
Grandpa shrugged and rolled his eyes.
“You know I’m right. We can’t have any fun or do anything interesting without breaking a law. Remember when we used to have fireworks when I was a kid? They banned every one of them for safety reasons, even the sparklers! Then those crusted bastards lumped all fireworks in with explosives, and toys are equated to weapons. Either the world is too wimpy or…” Edin trailed off. “I don’t see what else it could be.” He looked around at the woods that were his childhood playground. “And then I think about little Henry. It’ll be twice as bad when he grows up. Have you seen the schools? I want more for him than I have; more freedom, more opportunity, and more education.”
Grandpa looked up at the sky again for a moment. “Don’t you think there are less drastic ways to change your future? There is a lot of good to work with here on Earth.”
“Grandpa, there isn’t a place on Earth that isn’t owned and heavily regulated. If I join the project, I get to be a true pioneer, and I get as much of my own land as I want. I could raise my son how I want. I could work hard and take whatever risks I want in order to succeed.” Edin raised his hand. “However hard I work here I know my options are limited.” He made a fist as he lowered his arm. “It is less risky here, but I won’t be anything more than I am now, except older and maybe with a little more in the bank. Anyway, I thought you said risks are necessary?”
“And you haven’t mentioned it to Amanda?” Grandpa said ignoring the question. “This is a real, life changing choice, Edin. She needs to be an integral part of your decision.”
“Not yet. I was hoping you’d help me figure out how to ask her. Amanda’s lack of blood relatives should make it easier for her to choose. You know I’ve saved a lot of money for the house, and I want to use that for the price of membership. It would buy us complete room and board on one of the ships.” Edin glanced at his watch. “That reminds me, I need to get back to town for our date tonight, and I am going to ask her what she thinks about the idea.”
They walked silently into the yard while Grandpa processed this news. Finally, he spoke.
“Whatever you do, you have to have Amanda with you. A man doesn’t abandon his family, and he doesn’t drag them along against their will. Follow your heart, but make sure she is with you in the decision. That’s my advice.”
About writing: I started unskilled, with only desire and an imagination. This process has been like learning a language. Aside from talent, if any, skill does not already exist it takes patience and practice to learn. In my experience core ideas are easy, but fleshing out the details is takes a lot of time and effort. Extra time is not something I have in abundance, but I think that I have learned some efficiencies that I can use to reduce the time I need to write book #2.
Often life gets in the way, but I once saw Diana Gabaldon speak, and she said one thing that stuck with me. I don’t have an exact quote, but she made the statement that a writer needs to write every day, even if it’s just a few minutes. It’s true. I have walked away for months at a time and only come back when I was disgusted by my own lack of progress, but when I write every day it keeps my mind on topic and the words flowing. Thanks Diana.
Forsaking Home is not perfect, especially in my eyes, but I hope that readers find it enjoyable and that these themes come through. There is no reward without risk (which should be tempered by balance), redemption is possible, and the course of human progress has been and will be charted by a few, bold pioneers who risk everything to achieve more.
I would be thrilled if you would read Forsaking Home. It can be found on Amazon (ebook: Forsaking Home on Amazon).
