A Christmas Future with Pirates

A Christmas themed flash fiction based on my characters from Where Pirates Go to Die.  On display at the Mount Pleasant Public Library.



The Xmas Log

By: IE Castellano


My crew and I returned to the Tigerlily tonight without having to maim anyone. A Christmas miracle.

The Christmas party slogged, especially since Dirk made us take anti-poison nanos that blocked me from getting an eggnog induced buzz. His caution is not unfounded, though. No one knows how this new Milky Way Consortium will act even with the different aliens represented alongside humans in the government. My idea of caution is armored formal wear that hides a few blades from the entrance scanners and bringing along our alien crew member.

Gogi turned heads in her native regalia. Her feathers sparkled as if she rubbed in some of the pink quartz dust of her home planet. We were the epitome of what the Consortium tried to achieve with their “share Christmas with aliens” party: Humans and aliens working together.

Well, until they announced us. The fear in the eyes of supposedly former foes when taking a step or two back never gets old. Best Christmas present ever.

The four of us—Gogi, Rock, Dirk, and me—wandered around the expansive gathering room in Consortium Tower. Gogi gorged herself on as many appetizers as her four arms could reach. Dirk disapproved of the Christmas Tree, calling its decorations from around the Galaxy garish. Rock avoided Santa Claus. Dirk and I thought he knew the person in the red suit from his previous life. I wonder what my parents would’ve thought of me hobnobbing with the types of people who had them killed.

While we consorted with the enemy, Cheat looted Dirk’s old headquarters. The Consortium commandeered his little shack, so, of course, he needed to know why and make sure he didn’t leave anything of importance hiding in the walls. Cheat made it back before we did with mementos, data crystals, and a crazy, Galaxy assassin android. I will deal with Cheat later.

Eventually, a human Consortium bigwig and an alien representative—the genuinely happy to see us, Okett—finally told us why we were invited. The bigwig mentioned mending bridges, clearing bounties, expunging records, and other blubber. Anyway, they want me—notorious Naria, Captain of the Tigerlily, Pirate who saved the Galaxy—that me—to be an Alien First Contact Attaché for the Milky Way Consortium.

Okett took me aside later to explain how me and my crew were the first humans any aliens encountered that treated them with respect. He and the other alien peoples needed me to reach out to secluded aliens not some Consortium-controlled blowhard.

I agreed to be whats-it-thingy. I can use it. Bonus: Okett does not trust his Consortium human counterparts. This new job will need all the nitrobooster I can get.

Gorm has the android on ice to remove the previous government’s spyware from her system. Bob went on a mission of his own, stealing libations and guaranteed-no-poison tasties. Time to finally be merry.

Naria out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What I Learned from My Debut Novel

My first published novel started with notes about a man learning about a woman who lived a world in-between reality and fantasy. Before I knew it, I had names, places, a plotline and subplots. I never intended to write a series. Yet, I had. My initial draft was penned on unlined printer paper. When I finally sat to type it, I needed to learn how to format a manuscript. Title page, slug lines, double spaced true type font all stuffed into a tidy package. The easy part was over. I had to write query letters to agents who I thought might want to represent my baby. The hook was written and re-written. My author bio drove me crazy. The synopsis haunted me. Still, I wrote them. And out they went. I waited and I waited. Some had the courtesy of sending a reply, even if it was a canned one. Many did not. The noes poured in. The most heart wrenching replies were the ones who said that they enjoyed my work but, it wasn’t a good fit for them. Onwards I pressed. I believed in my wo...
Read more

A Little Bit of Hope with a Side of Griffin

Image
Griffin: Artist's Rendition Epic fantasy has become my sole writing style this year.  My focus: The fifth book of the World In-between Series, Hope .   Beginning ten years after the end of Whispers (Book 4), the story centers around the magical struggles of Berty’s seventeen-year-old niece.  Since she first crossed the portal ten years ago, Hope straddled two worlds—the mundane modern world and the magical world between the portals.  As a Wood Listener, she struggles to find her place in life.  Unbeknownst to her uncle, her parents, and her innocent friend trailing her, Hope stoles into the other side only to find her place fraught with danger. For your reading pleasure: a sneak peek of Chapter 2. Hope climbed the stairs of the quiet outpost.  She figured that not many guards occupied a peacetime outpost, especially one out in the middle of nowhere.  The second door on the left sat open.  She knocked. “Yes?” came from beh...
Read more

Learning from a Book Review

I offer to review books .  Usually, I will post my review here and on Goodreads as well as post links to buy the book that I got to read.  However, every once and a while, I read a book that won’t get a good review.  This is that book. This book is the author’s first book, so I will not mention the title nor the author’s name.  I have emailed the author about my poor review before posting, and actually have agreed to review the sequel.  With that said, let’s talk about the book and its issues. The premise of the book is that the main character, whose name I can’t remember (problem), becomes a masked hero to save her city from a destructive alien.  The concept is great.  The execution has major issues.  I am going to put my editor’s hat on to critique the issues in this book. The first issue is the prologue.  It could have been a chapter on its own.  I personally feel that the book should have opened on its main character.  The openi...
Read more