Firesetter Series

It was clear to Lance that his father hated him. Why else would he leave everything to Hank, except for that coin? You know, the one with some dude's head on it, the ancient Euro or whatever it was. Except it wasn't a Euro according to the pawnbroker. Turns out, it's an old Imperial Coin from the days of the Great Emperor, and it might be worth a whole lot of dough on the other side of the galaxy, if Lance could somehow manage to take it there.  But, how does a guy, who owes the hospital a lifetime's worth of earnings, manage to travel across the stars? Turns out, he can do it for free. Not only that, but he can get three squares a day, an apartment complete with roommates, and two sets of clothes, albeit in spandex. It's like prison, but with benefits. It's SpaceForce.  In the meantime, on the other side of the galaxy, Ailana is stuck next to her hated cousin, Embo in their grandmother's sewing shop, forever listening to the old woman wax on about her glory days as a Royal Seamstress.  No matter how she tries, Ailana can't break free of Grandmother and her needling, even after the old woman is dead. However, it will be through her needle and thread, that Ailana gains admittance into the privileged world of the nobility, where fate will introduce her to a man that bears a striking resemblance to the face on Lance's coin. 

Lance thought his life was going well. He had his own ship, the Flying Mule, an awesome crew including his best friends, Wen and Nood, a lovely and intelligent, teenage daughter, Sandy, and lucrative contracts hauling coconuts between two warring planets.  When a twist of fate sends the Flying Mule to an unscheduled stop at a nearby spacebase, Lance’s almost-perfect world goes spiraling out of control. His daughter disappears, a leak in the hydraulic system temporarily grounds the ship, and a SpaceForce safety auditor, who just-so happens to be sleeping with Lance’s ex, is demanding a full audit of his cargo.  Lance is forced to take evasive action. To find his daughter, he’s got to leave the spacebase fast, but the only way he can is by kidnapping the SpaceForce officer, and allowing a strange, alien guy, with a propensity to light fires, to join his crew.  Now, Lance is at the mercy of the alien guy, who not only knows where Sandy has gone, but is taking the cargo to somewhere else, to a planet in turmoil on the other side of the galaxy.

Sandy is heading off to college as brand new cadet at the SpaceForce Academy when something goes horribly wrong with the transport plane. Two hundred teenagers are trapped with only a drunken captain and a mechanical droid, who is programmed to do nothing more than serve tiny cups of soda and non-legume snacks. Fortunately, the Flying Mule is in the vicinity and a rescue is only moments away. That’s until the transport plane is sucked into a worm tunnel, whisking everyone across the galaxy. Back on Rehnor, Dov has moved Ailana and her young son to his duchy in Kildoo, after the destruction of yet another palace. As no one else is sitting the throne, Dov has declared himself the new king, despite his lack of an army, lack of funds, and lack of subjects. Ailana has contracted a disease and has requested to see her son Amyr before she dies. Sir Bennet is now tasked with locating the elusive young man and dragging him back to Rehnor kicking and screaming. In the meantime, in Karupatani, King Rekah frets about his own lack of funds to provide for the many immigrants returning to his shores. If only they had something to sell, something upon which they might build an economy. To that end, he visits Pellen, the most successful businessman in the land, whereupon they embark upon an adventure across the sea.

As a newly commissioned ensign in the Allied SpaceForce, Sandy lucked out in her assignment on the S/S Discovery. It was the premier ship in the fleet, the most sought-after posting, and one she deserved after graduating at the top of her class. Sandy was well on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a ship captain, just like her mom, the infamous Captain Jill.  Unfortunately, only weeks into her first assignment at Sandy’s performance review, she is disheartened to discover that she only Meets Expectations. Knowing that a lackluster rating will never get her that coveted position on the ship’s bridge, Sandy dwells on her poor performance and ends up making more mistakes. This brings her to the attention of the ship’s obsessive-compulsive, perfectionist commander, a man who just happens to be Sandy’s ex-boyfriend, Amyr. 

Something odd is happening in the galaxy. For Angie, a young lieutenant serving at Landbase Rozari, the stars have come out of alignment while the planet has grown unseasonably cold. Back in space aboard the S/S Discovery, a strange skin affliction is paralyzing practically the entire crew, or at least those who are mostly human.  In the meantime, Captain Amyr is suffering from a massive headache, which is not related to Sandy’s indecisiveness about their upcoming nuptials, and whether or not they’ll actually take place.  Strangest of all, half a quadrant away, Sandy’s mother, Captain Jill is determined to renew her relationship with her one-time flame, Sandy’s father, Lance.  Will Jill win Lance’s heart once again? Will Sandy finally don her ring and say I do? And, will Amyr conquer his headache in time to save Planet Rozari before it spirals out of orbit and across the galactic divide? 

Ary never knew who his real father was, but that was alright as he was surrounded by a loving family. Sandy, on the other hand, couldn’t get Ary’s father out of her mind, despite focusing on her work as Captain of the S/S Asteroid, and her almost-marriage to Kyle. When the Asteroid is called into the galactic divide, Ary and his almost-sister, Kit are deposited on a spacebase for vacation. There, they will be met by a strange man, who will take them across the stars to the meet the one who holds the key to Ary’s future.

Ary has just been commissioned as an ensign in the Allied SpaceForce and assigned to the S/S Discovery. Like his mother’s command, the S/S Asteroid, budget cuts have left the ship on the verge of falling apart, but that’s the least of Ary’s problems. The truth is, he really doesn’t want to be there, on the ship, in outerspace, in SpaceForce. In the meantime, Sandy’s life is in even worse shape. The S/S Asteroid is being decommissioned, while Sandy is forced into an involuntary layoff. Responding to an advertisement to fly for Yber, the former starship captain sets her sights on being an entrepreneur. If only she didn’t have that little drinking problem, that dependency on her flask, not to mention that odd disease she picked up somewhere near the Intergalactic Divide; that deadly and virulent strain of the Intergalactic Avian Flu.

A Firesetter Short Story Practically from his first memory, Ary knew he was destined for the SpaceForce Academy, following in the footsteps of his famous parents.  However, attending the Alliance’s premier military school was quite a daunting prospect.  Fortunately, his sort-of step-sister, Kit would be right by his side.  That is, until Kit unexpectedly announces she'd rather try her luck on Broadway.  Now, Ary’s off to the Academy himself, doing his best not to screw up and unfortunately failing miserably.

Let's face it, Mike is a loser. Despite being born with the proverbial silver spoon, he's a failure at just about everything. After being hit in the head with a baseball, Mike wakes up unable to see, prompting his grandfather, Steve to take him across the stars in search of cure. However, Mike and Steve end up finding something more than just Mike's lost sight, something that will turn Mike into a king.

An epic adventure of galactic proportions! A Thread of Time: It was clear to Lance that his father hated him. Why else would he leave everything to Hank, except for that coin? You know, the one with some dude’s head on it, the ancient Euro or whatever it was. Except it wasn’t a Euro according to the pawnbroker. Turns out, it’s an old Imperial Coin from the days of the Great Emperor, and it might be worth a whole lot of dough on the other side of the galaxy, if Lance could somehow manage to take it there.  But, how does a guy, who owes the hospital a lifetime’s worth of earnings, manage to travel across the stars? Turns out, he can do it for free. Not only that, but he can get three squares a day, an apartment complete with roommates, and two sets of clothes, albeit in spandex. It’s like prison, but with benefits. It’s SpaceForce.  In the meantime, on the other side of the galaxy, Ailana is stuck next to her hated cousin, Embo in their grandmother’s sewing shop, forever listening to the old woman wax on about her glory days as a Royal Seamstress.  No matter how she tries, Ailana can’t break free of Grandmother and her needling, even after the old woman is dead. However, it will be through her needle and thread, that Ailana gains admittance into the privileged world of the nobility, where fate will introduce her to a man that bears a striking resemblance to the face on Lance’s coin.  Amyr's Command: Lance thought his life was going well. He had his own ship, the Flying Mule, an awesome crew including his best friends, Wen and Nood, a lovely and intelligent, teenage daughter, Sandy, and lucrative contracts hauling coconuts between two warring planets.  When a twist of fate sends the Flying Mule to an unscheduled stop at a nearby spacebase, Lance’s almost-perfect world goes spiraling out of control. His daughter disappears, a leak in the hydraulic system temporarily grounds the ship, and a SpaceForce safety auditor, who just-so happens to be sleeping with Lance’s ex, is demanding a full audit of his cargo.  Lance is forced to take evasive action. To find his daughter, he’s got to leave the spacebase fast, but the only way he can is by kidnapping the SpaceForce officer, and allowing a strange, alien guy, with a propensity to light fires, to join his crew.  Now, Lance is at the mercy of the alien guy, who not only knows where Sandy has gone, but is taking the cargo to somewhere else, to a planet in turmoil on the other side of the galaxy.  Three Kings: Sandy is heading off to college as brand new cadet at the SpaceForce Academy when something goes horribly wrong with the transport plane. Two hundred teenagers are trapped with only a drunken captain and a mechanical droid, who is programmed to do nothing more than serve tiny cups of soda and non-legume snacks. Fortunately, the Flying Mule is in the vicinity and a rescue is only moments away. That’s until the transport plane is sucked into a worm tunnel, whisking everyone across the galaxy. Back on Rehnor, Dov has moved Ailana and her young son to his duchy in Kildoo, after the destruction of yet another palace. As no one else is sitting the throne, Dov has declared himself the new king, despite his lack of an army, lack of funds, and lack of subjects. Ailana has contracted a disease and has requested to see her son Amyr before she dies. Sir Bennet is now tasked with locating the elusive young man and dragging him back to Rehnor kicking and screaming. In the meantime, in Karupatani, King Rekah frets about his own lack of funds to provide for the many immigrants returning to his shores. If only they had something to sell, something upon which they might build an economy.