Second Chances

By Valerie J Mikles

Home is in the family you find. Enjoy two short stories set in the New Dawn universe.

A Reason to Walk: Lieutenant Saskia Serevi takes a bullet in the line of duty, and winds up partially paralyzed. Rescued by an outsider, she is taken from her world, and declared a deserter in Terrana's revolution. Despite years of physical therapy, her recovery is slow, until a new captain arrives and gives her a reason to walk.

The Lost Ingredient: A food memoir from the point of view of Tray Matthews. In three vignettes, Tray uses his love of cooking to cope with the loss of his older brother, and to reconnect when they find each other again twenty years later.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Valerie J Mikles
• Release date: May 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463790977

Valerie J Mikles

I'm an aromantic, asexual, agender person who is currently using she/her pronouns. Writing has given me the opportunity to discover and represent so many identities, and in turn find myself. I feel like diverse identities should exist in literature without being a central aspect of the plot. I have created several short films about asexuality, inspired by my own journey to self-discovery. Learn more about my creative side and my writing at http://www.valeriejmikles.comI'm also a PhD astronomer and former black hole hunter. I defected from academia and currently work for NOAA as a Senior Systems Engineer on a polar-orbiting weather satellite. My motto in life is that I can be everything I want, just not all at the same time

Book preview

Second Chances

SECOND CHANCES

THE NEW DAWN: SHORT STORIES

VALERIE J. MIKLES

Valerie J. Mikles

CONTENTS

A Message From the Author

A Reason to Walk

The Lost Ingredient

Sugar Cookies for Sadness

Recipe: Sugar Cookies

Rumaki for Rejection

Recipe: Rumaki

Bobotie for Brothers

Recipe: Bobotie

Afterword

Also by Valerie J. Mikles

About the Author

A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR

Second chances is a collection of short stories built in the New Dawn universe. Each story can stand on its own and provides a glimpse into the life of a New Dawn character, how they came to be a part of the spaceship crew, and how they find hope for tomorrow.

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If you’d like to see more of these characters, check out the novel series!

A REASON TO WALK

Lieutenant Saskia Serevi stood at attention on the small platform looking over the Main Plaza of the lunar settlement. She was new to the Terranan Guard and today, she stood as decoration for the stage while Terrana’s Governor delivered a grandiose speech. She and the other recruits stood as a symbol of the lunar colony’s new beginning, independent of the planet whose rule had become progressively more brutal over the past decade.

No one knew exactly what the Governor would say, but Saskia’s task today was to decorate the stage, not to critique his politics. One day, her job would be to protect her leader. That was why she’d joined the Guard—to be a protector. Saskia’s parents weren’t proud of her for wearing this uniform, but she was proud of it. Her family lived part time between the moon Terrana and the planet Aquia, and as a Guard, Saskia had tied herself to the moon.

The lunar city—the buildings, the streets, and the Dome that covered them—was constructed of strong, translucent moonslate, which was found only on Terrana. In her childhood, every surface had been painted in bright blues and greens, but as their political relationship with their home planet deteriorated, more and more surfaces were pressure-washed, returning to the gray shades of natural moonslate.

The Governor’s speech was set in the city’s Main Plaza—an acre of green grass and public gardens whose vibrant colors stood as a testament to Terranan self-sufficiency. There were about five hundred people clustered on the green, all adults, all angry about politics and waiting for the Governor to magically give both sides exactly what they wanted.

Saskia stiffened, her eyes locking on a crude gun. The crowd was supposed to have been checked for weapons, but this wasn’t a traditional energy weapon, and it wasn’t something obvious like a knife or a club. Her protective instincts flaring, she activated the stunner integrated into her glove. Although given a passive name, the energy weapon could kill, but unlike the seemingly homemade gun the hostile carried, it would not do so accidentally. She could take out the target without inciting panic.

Stand down, Lieutenant, her commanding officer hissed at her, his voice coming through the sleek, feather-shaped communication device on her ear. Major Miguel Santos stood between the recruits and the Governor. The luna-born had received a commendation for recruiting so many strong, young luna-borns to the ranks of the Guard. Being raised in gravity that was only a third of the planet’s, luna-borns rarely grew as strong as their Aquian counterparts. Saskia