M. Short's Blog, page 12
November 28, 2020
Life Lesson #27
The Ass & His Driver
An Ass was being driven along a road leading down the mountain side, when he suddenly took it into his silly head to choose his own path. He could see his stall at the foot of the mountain, and to him the quickest way down seemed to be over the edge of the nearest cliff. Just as he was about to leap over, his master caught him by the tail and tried to pull him back, but the stubborn Ass would not yield and pulled with all his might.
“Very well,” said his master, “go your way, you willful beast, and see where it leads you.”
With that he let go, and the foolish Ass tumbled head over heels down the mountain side.
The Moral of the Story: They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own way against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they, are on the road to misfortune.
As you read the Aesop Fable you can see how this could easily be you on either side of the coin. Sometimes your the Ass. Sometime your the Driver. Try your best not to be the ASS
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
November 27, 2020
A Glimpse into the Future
An Excerpt from my sixth books in the series, A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries, titled “Forming the hedge“
Comms reported 30 centurions Starship contacts at one parsec moving toward the Penthesia border.
Roy said, “Did you say 30 Centurion Starships Comms? That is not the force they need to make a successful attack against our numbers. They must want to see if we will move from our positions to engage them? Comms tell the kingdom we will hold our positions here. If they come within six million kilometers we will engage them at that time.”
After a few minutes Comms replied, “Message sent Sir. They will be sending everything they have to the border to form a hedge as the Centurion Starships get closer.”
Roy asked, “Navigation what is the expected arrival time of the 30 Centurion Starships at the border?”
Navigation replied, “Sir they are moving at 12X. At their present distance they will be at the border in 90 days give or take a day.”
Roy said, “All righty then, Keep the scans at one parsec. If there are any others, they should be coming into contact soon.’ As Roy was looking at the front screen, he saw the formation of the Centurion Starships. He said, “Navigation can you magnify the Centurion Starships?” Navigation magnified the screen where Roy could now clearly see a V formation of five ships six deep to form what looked like the head of a spear. Roy thought to himself, “A V formation of five ships six deep. They are not turning around at the border this time they are going to try and punch through with that spear head.” Roy said, Comms have Engineering Director Able come to my office s soon as possible.” As Roy was finishing his statement to Comms Navigation reported another 60 Centurion Ships are at 3-10K only 2 hours behind the first 30 Centurion Starships. Roy said under his breathe, “Well that evens the odds doesn’t it. Comms send a message to Headquarters priority Red of our situation. Is Director Able heading this way?”
Comms replied, “Yes Sir.”
Roy said, “Helm take the CON.” Roy stood and went to his office. A few minutes later Engineering Director Able entered the office saying, “What’s up Senior Roy?”
Roy replied, “Ninety Centurion Starship is what’s up. Where are we with the beaming cloaking devices for the rest of the Group?”
Able said “The last one will be finished tomorrow at the latest.”
Roy asked, “How long would it take to have the targeting software for beaming on all of the Helenistic ships?”
Able responded saying “It would go quickly once we have an interface with the Warrior Class Starship’s targeting computers. We would need some time to do that.”
Roy asked, “How much time?”
Able replied, “Hard to tell until we get a team on it. My best guess would be less than 90 days.”
Roy said, “Let’s shoot for 60 days. The first wave of Centurion ships will be here in 90 days.”
Able replied, “You realize that there is no way we can have cloaking capabilities for the Hellenistic ships by then?”
Roy said, “Understood Director Able. I just need the Helenistic ships to be able to throw as many torpedoes at the Centurion ships as possible to take down their shields so we can keep sending our little packages of joy their way. Keep me posted on the interface’s progress. Thank you Director Able.”
Able stood with a smile saying, “Always a joy Senior Roy. Always a joy.”
Life Lesson #26
The Oxen & the Wheels
A pair of Oxen were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along a miry country road. They had to use all their strength to pull the wagon, but they did not complain.
The Wheels of the wagon were of a different sort. Though the task they had to do was very light compared with that of the Oxen, they creaked and groaned at every turn. The poor Oxen, pulling with all their might to draw the wagon through the deep mud, had their ears filled with the loud complaining of the Wheels. And this, you may well know, made their work so much the harder to endure.
“Silence!” the Oxen cried at last, out of patience. “What have you Wheels to complain about so loudly? We are drawing all the weight, not you, and we are keeping still about it besides.”
The Moral of the Story: They complain most who suffer least.
Their is a joke about pilots that goes like this. When a jet airliner pulls up to the terminal and the engines are shutdown, what continues to whine? The Pilot.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg . They make great gifts for only .99 cents each. what a great Christmas present for the Science Fiction reader in your family or in your circle of friends. You can’t buy a coffee for that.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
November 25, 2020
Happy Thanksgiving!
I would like to thank everyone who has liked and or followed my Science Fiction blog over the past few months and express my deepest appreciation for your support. I truly count you all among my blessings that I have received this year.
As the Holiday season is now upon us I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving as you share this special day with family and hopefully some friends. I hope you will look back on this year and find things for which you can truly be thankful. Blessings come in many sizes and shapes. Search for those blessings, they can bring hope for the future and a smile to your face. We need smiles and hope.
November 24, 2020
Excerpts from Frontier Space Chronicles
Over the next six months Mia was acclimating to her new position head of MID. Anthony as well was settling into his new position as the Northern United Forces Commander. Their belongings were moved from Space Station B-908 to their new home not too far but not too close to their parents. Ryan and Michael now had a backyard and Anthony made a set of swings for them to play. As Anthony was swinging the boys in the back yard, memories of his dad pushing him in the swing they had in their yard came flooding back, along with the memories of the radio room and the other grownups that use to live in the house before the Stones. Memories that had been forgotten so long ago.
Anthony in a low voice said, “They are not my parents.”
Anthony called for ground transport and told Mia that he had to go to his parent’s.
Mia said “It is almost time for lunch. Can’t you go later?”
Anthony responded saying, “No I have to go now.” Mia was confused but knew by the sound of Anthony’s voice that to him it was important. When Anthony arrived at his parents’ house, he set in the ground transport for a few minutes, thinking of what he was going to find out in the next few minutes. He went to the front door and knocked. The man that he had known for all his life as his father opened the door. When Stone opened the door, he saw Anthony’s face on the brink of tears.
Stone asked, “Is something wrong with Mia or one of the boys?”
Anthony replied, “When I was pushing Ryan and Michael in the set of swings, I had made for them I suddenly remembered you pushing me in a swing and then I remembered the radio room and the people that lived there before you and mom moved in. Were they my parents?”
Stone said, “Come in Anthony. It is a long story.” Stone called Carrie and told her that Anthony remembered the people before we moved into the house on Earth and told Carrie to get the adoption papers.
Anthony exclaimed, “Adoption papers. I am adopted?” All three sat at the kitchen table and Stone began to tell the story of how Anthony and Nancy came to be adopted by Carrie and himself.
Stone said, “Your mother and I were just married when we became suspicious of a Walking Pilot of being a spy for a terrorist called Vendetta. The people who came to Alice Springs Colony (ASC) on Earth, Bruce and Doris brought you and Nancy posing as a family from Mars. Bruce was a Walking Pilot and joined the GRiM Clan. Vendetta was terrorizing the Colony raiding our mining sites with precision that could only be from information that was coming from within the Clan. Soon we were able to find the person feeding Vendetta information through the radio room that was in the house you and Nancy lived before we moved in. Bruce was confronted, resulting in him being shot and killed. After the Security office investigated the killing, they found that Doris was a felon wanted back on Mars and that you and Nancy were bought by Bruce and Doris from a corrupt orphanage administrator. When your mother and I heard this, the first thought was that we needed to take the both of you in and protect you and Nancy from any more horror in your lives. Territorial Governor, your Uncle Reggie had the adoption papers drawn up and the next day, you were our children. Your mother and I have cared for you ever since. While we may not be your biological mother and father, we are your mother and father in the ways that matter. We cared for you, nurtured you and loved you as our own, because in our minds you are our son and Nancy our daughter.”
Anthony with tears welling up in his eyes asked, “Is Wynona adopted as well?”
Carrie replied, “No, I was pregnant with Wynona when we adopted you and Nancy. You were six and Nancy was only three.”
Anthony said, “You were pregnant with Wynona and you still wanted to adopt us?”
Carrie leaned over and gave Anthony a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, “We fell in love with you and Nancy as soon as we saw the both of you. We love each one of you as much as we love Wynona.”
November 23, 2020
Excerpt from One’s Evil Desire
https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg
Paul intercepted Veronica saying, “Ms. Scott. I’m Paul a member of Mr. Hilton’s security detail. Mr. Hilton has been receiving death threats as of late and he has been limiting his open-air exposure. He sent me down to meet you and show you to your room.” Veronica knew that Paul was lying. This hotel was selected specifically for its location away from his adversaries and the fact that they had always met in the same room for the last five years. They never met in the lobby only in their room. At that moment she was on her guard. Her uncle had worked with her on self-defense and how to remain situationally aware no matter where she was or who she was with.
Veronica said, “I was wondering why I did not see Warren when I entered the lobby. By all means Paul, lead the way.”
Paul smiled saying, “Please follow me.”
Paul walked to the elevators and pressed the call button. When the elevator door opened Veronica entered followed by Paul. Veronica stepped to the rear of the elevator with Paul in front of her. While the elevator was moving toward the fifth floor Veronica slipped a thin six-inch dagger from a sheath in the small of her back and held it in her right hand with the blade against her forearm. As the elevator door opened Paul motioned Veronica to go ahead. To hide the dagger from Paul as Veronica exited the elevator, she brought her right hand to her face as if to scratch her nose.
As she started to lower her hand she asked, “What room are we going to Paul?”
Paul passed her saying, This room right here.” There Paul made a FATAL mistake, turning his back to her as he started to swipe the key card over the sensor. When Paul was beginning to swipe the card, Veronica made a swift motion putting her left hip into Paul’s backside and her left arm around Paul’s neck pulling him backwards inserting the dagger into the base of Paul’s skull with her right hand and falling with him onto the floor to maintain the position of the dagger blade severing his spine. Veronica immediately got up, opened the door and dragged Paul’s limp body into the room. She searched Paul’s body removing a communicator, ID papers and a wallet. As her adrenaline levels were starting to recede, she started to ask herself if Warren had sent someone to kill her. She could not come up with any logical reason why Warren would do such a thing, but her uncle always said that when emotion or money was involved killing became more logical very quickly. Veronica then decided it was time to call her Uncle Bart. Using Paul’s communicator, she called her uncle.
Bart answered his communicator saying, “Yes.”
Veronica said “Uncle Bart, this is Veronica. Someone just tried to kill me.”
Bart exclaimed, “ARE YOU HURT.”
Veronica replied, “No, but I cannot say the same for the dead guy on the floor.”
Bart smiling said, “That is my niece. Where are you?”
November 22, 2020
Excerpts from The GRiM Clan
https://books2read.com/u/bQdJ7P
2B was killed in a simulated live fire training exercise in the field. To prep for these training exercises, all the rockets or bullets were removed from the weapons. A steel plate was placed over the weapon’s barrels or rocket tubes. These steel plates had non-lethal lasers on the front of the plate and a sensor on the back of the plate. The sensors on the back of any machine gun are an optical sensor that detects the recoil or rotation motion of the barrel. The rocket sensors on the back of the plate detects electrical current that would simulate setting off a rocket to launch from the tube. To prevent reloading of ammunition, the reload motor was to be deenergized.
The problem with 2B’s accident was in the fact that the rocket load motor was not deenergized. A rocket was loaded into the pod of 2B’s robot (bot). The rocket was energized and exploded in the rocket pod when it hit the steel plate. The explosion was the perfect storm for the accident. It’s location on the inside lower portion of the pod sent scrap metal and flames into one of the huge hydraulic reservoirs of the bot. This ignited the hydraulic fluid and flames engulfed the entire bot.
The Pilot Emergency Locator Beacon (P.E.L.B.), a modern ejector seat, did not activate. This left 2B in the cockpit to endure a painful and gruesome death by fire. His cries of pain and his immense suffering were heard by all on the training channel.
November 21, 2020
DUCK DUCK CRASH
The main enemy of helicopters flying 500 feet or below in altitude are what is referred as B1RDs, birds. Depending on the size of the B1RD it can take out a helicopters tail rotor, or even break through the windshield.
One grey day during the migration of ducks in South Louisiana I was flying solo to pick up some passengers in the west Delta area of the Gulf of Mexico, when suddenly appeared a large flock of duck in front of me. As I was trying to steer clear clear of then, I heard a loud CRASH. Pieces of plexiglass where hitting my left side. I looked to my left and in the seat next to me, there was a dead duck (no pun intended). Feathers where everywhere with the cold winter wind rushing through the large whole in the windshield. I counted my blessings that he came in through the other side and not on my side. If the duck had. you would not be reading this story.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg in all formats. They make great gifts for only .99 cents each.
November 20, 2020
The Farmer & the Stork
A Stork of a very simple and trusting nature had been asked by a gay party of Cranes to visit a field that had been newly planted. But the party ended dismally with all the birds entangled in the meshes of the Farmer’s net.
The Stork begged the Farmer to spare him.
“Please let me go,” he pleaded. “I belong to the Stork family who you know are honest and birds of good character. Besides, I did not know the Cranes were going to steal.”
“You may be a very good bird,” answered the Farmer, “but I caught you with the thieving Cranes and you will have to share the same punishment with them.”
The Moral of the Story: You are judged by the company you keep. The road to perdition is paved with good intentions.
Research UGH!
Research is like hitting your head with a hammer. The only redeeming quality is that once you stop hitting yourself you will feel better. Research has that same effect. When you stop, you will feel much, much better.
In my sci-fi series. A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. I have outlined ten books that tie Earth’s civilizations such as Greek, Roman, Easter Island, Hopi Indians, Navajo Indians, and many other Earth civilizations to newly discovered civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy. Google and I are best of friends. Hours of researching names for my characters and Earth’s ancient history linking the newly found systems and civilizations back to Earth, all play a role in giving my sci-fi books that thread of truth needed for the reader to believe the storyline. I also use my experience in combat to try and communicate the attitudes, feelings and fears of the main characters of the series that progress from father to son or daughter and from mother to daughter or son making the series multi-generational.
I use a lot of myth, legends and ancient history in my sci-fi series. I was told many years ago that every myth or legend has a sliver of truth in it to make it sound believable. I also agree that people never remember history, especially their own. In my sci-fi series while it is fiction, there is enough truth to the myths and legends along with enough historical facts to make it believable. Only research can bring forth that result.
Make Google your friend. Keep that sliver of truth in you science fiction writing and have fun torturing yourself. Writing is in its self a masochistic sport.
Don’t forget to check out my Science Fiction four book series: A Saga of Dogs of War-A Story of Mercenaries. Paperback is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B08JQRR122 My eBooks are available at Books2Read at https://books2read.com/u/4Dglpg in all formats. They make great gifts for only .99 cents each.
Remember! A donation of likes and follows keeps me feed. Thank you all for your support.
