Category: Short Stories

Arvan was thinking as fast as he could.

‘Arvan, if you do not eject in the next forty seconds you will be killed when the Bluesonic core explodes.’

‘But Kal, I’ll drown in the ocean if I eject now, we’re too far from the island. There must be something else I can do?’

Arvan, desperate not to panic was running out of options. He was full on regretting his decision to follow the distress beacon co-ordinates, even though it was his job. As a band three Tiritane Explorer, he was duty bound to offer help in any way he could.

‘Kal, what if we blow the emergency release bolts on the engine housing and separate the hull from the cockpit? We could glide the cockpit section towards the island and the seawater will cool the Bluesonic core. We might even find a way to reattach it later.’

‘Ok, it might work. You’ll have to glide on manual as the instant loss of power will render me inactive, you will be on your own Arvan.’

‘Do it, do it now!’

‘Primed and set for three, two, bye Arvan.’

All the bolts blew at once with the hull falling away seconds later. As the cockpit nose sprang up, Arvan fought hard with the control column determined to level the craft off. Kal could be annoying and often sarcastic but Arvan was going to miss his ship’s AI.

You can read the rest of this story in my book: The Old Jack Tales
Available on Amazon

Rin set off into the sky, his heart racing, his wings spreading as far as they could go. A fierce wind was blowing a gale off the sea, bending the low trees over at an angle and acting like a wedge causing a great up draft. Rin like all the young crows sought the rising air with excitement and exhilaration. He loved days like this, hovering, swooping, and soaring for hours on end.

Flying up beside him for a moment or two, Rosen, his father, nodded over towards the great tower.

‘Follow me Rin, we need to talk.’

Sounding ominous to him, Rin wondered what could be so important a private talk was required. As they alighted onto the sill of the only first floor window, Rosen began to speak in a low whisper just loud enough for Rin to hear.

‘Your great grandfather needs your help son. You must fly to the top of the tower at nightfall, no one must see you and you must not tell anyone. It must be a secret meeting.’

You can read the rest of this story in my book: The Old Jack Tales
Available on Amazon

Lynn and Bella were best friends and inseparable, spending all their time together. Their mums were best friends too, serving as laser gun technicians on an ion hover ship. Joining the Sea Exploration Service Cadets at the age of twelve had been the best thing ever for Lynn and Bella. Excelling in earning all their competency badges and now at seventeen, enrolling full time as armed protection guards for hover-ship cargo transporters. With full weapons and combat training, they were so good and worked so well together, it was like they had a psychic connection. Always deployed together and simply known as LB in the SES.

Some of the cargo was very valuable, especially the vehicle transporters. There were occasional attacks on these missions from Skravian sea pirates. Old Jack and his black power-jet ship being the most notorious of them.

You can read the rest of this story in my book: The Old Jack Tales
Available on Amazon