Richard Paolinelli's Blog, page 40
June 12, 2020
FREE READ FRIDAY: Atlantic Island Universe
Its Friday!!! That means its time for you to download another free book for your Kindle device!
This week it is: Atlantic Island Universe: A Sci-Fi/Fantasy Anthology
Enter the Atlantic Island Universe, an anthology of stories introducing new elements of the worlds protected by the MMEA!
Including:
Mosaics: Shattered by Dawn Dagger
A high school student in the near future has his difficult life turned upside down when a young woman appears out of nowhere and asks him to help save the world.
Odyssey: The Fated Ones by AJ Kurtz
A woman recovering from a breakup with her girlfriend begins to travel in her dreams. She attracts the attention of the MMEA, and learns there might be more to the breakup than she realized.
Manifest Destiny by LaLa Leo
A secret research base below Atlantic Island holds survivors of the Event. Trapped for months in their watery prison, the residents of the Ophiuchus must decide if the greatest threat is to leave or stay.
The Guardian: Reflections by Rennie St. James
A young man returns from Atlantic Island, but his memories won’t fade and he can’t readjust to normal life. He learns the answers he seeks may be hidden in the ruins of the Maya civilization.
Also featuring a sample of the upcoming Atlantic Island: Multiverse Academy by Fredric Shernoff!
June 11, 2020
From The Fields: The First Century Edition
Five years ago I released, From The Fields: A History of Prep Football in Turlock, California. That book covered the first 95 years of the game in my hometown. I did make a promise to one of the players from the 1957 team that if I was still alive and kicking after the 2019 season, the 100th played by Turlock High’s football team, I would do a First Century edition of the book.
Well, I ,like to think I’m a man who keeps his word so:
Starting today you can order the print version of the second edition of From The Fields or you can pre-order the Kindle version which comes out on June 16th. Kindle Unlimited subscribers can start in on the book on the 16th as well.
The Kindle price is the same as first edition was, $9.99, but the second edition of the book is priced one dollar higher than the first at $20.20. If you are wondering why the odd price well its simple. Turlock started playing football in 1920 ($19.20 for print copy of the first edition) and since 2020 is the 100th Anniversary of that season then it seemed only right to go for $20.20.
Here is the link to buy the book: From The Fields: The First Century Edition
Here’s is the full print cover:
[image error]
June 6, 2020
1K Weekly Series: The Calling: Chapter 14
A Work Of Star Trek Fan Fiction By Richard Paolinelli
© 2020 RICHARD PAOLINELLI . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO COPYING OR ANY OTHER REPRODUCTION OF THIS STORY IS PERMITTED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. This is a work of fan fiction based in the universe of Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry. It is not intended to be sold, to be used to aid in any sale and is not to be copied or used in any other way by any other party.
CHAPTER 14
Caught by his brother’s surprise attack, Bari took a step back and to the left, dodging Francesco’s initial thrust. The momentum of the attack carried Francesco beyond Bari, who took advantage of the opening with a crisp backhanded blow to his brother’s head. The force of the slap drove Francesco to the marbled floor face first in an undignified heap.
“Enough, brother!” Bari barked, his sword still in its scabbard. “Would you really leave our parents with just one living child?”
“They already have only one child,” Francesco wiped a smear of blood from his nose. “You are no true Forelni, traitor!”
“The only traitor here is the one whose words I hear coming from your mouth, brother,” Bari replied. “You have taken in unwise counsel. I ask you once more to abandon this madness now. I have no desire to fight you.”
“Good,” Francesco snarled as he rose back to his feet. “It will make it all that much easier for me to kill you!”
He lunged once again but this time Bari was ready, swiftly drawing out his sword in a single smooth move that easily parried Francesco’s attack. Another backhanded blow landed on Francesco’s head, this one with the flat of Bari’s blade just above Francesco’s right ear. The younger Prince howled in pain, clapping a hand to the injured area.
“That would have been a death blow had I wished it, Francesco,” Bari spoke with an eerie calm. “You are no match for me Francesco, not in this arena nor any other. I say it again, stop this madness!”
“Never!” Francesco all but screamed and lunged again.
The Princes swords clashed and clattered against each other over and over again. At times those gathered inside were hard pressed to avoid getting inadvertently caught up in the battle. Francesco never seemed to find a way through the older Prince’s defenses. But time after time, the flat of Bari’s blade found it mark: An ear here, a side of the face there. An exposed forearm , the small of the back. It seemed anywhere Bari wanted to strike, he did so, demonstrating with ease that if he wanted his brother dead, he could accomplish it at any time.
“Why doesn’t the King stop this?” Archer tore his eyes away from the fight to look at his companion.
“Challenge was made and accepted,” Mansi replied sadly. “Even if the King overrode the rules of challenge, he would only be delaying the inevitable. I have no doubt he is relying on Bari’s skill to wear Francesco down without killing him. If Francesco yields, he can never again challenge his brother in this fashion.”
“Will he yield?”
“He is a stubborn fool, Captain,” Mansi shook his head in despair. “But even a fool must eventually realize when he is beaten.”
The battle raged on for another ten minutes, Francesco pressing the attack without result and Bari clearly fighting a defensive fight to wear down his brother and his brother’s wrath. But even with all of the training both had received, with all of the superior skill Bari possessed, one fateful misstep ended the battle in tragedy.
Fatigued and frustrated, Francesco feinted to his left, intending a quick step and slash to his right, but got his footwork all wrong and tripped over his own feet. Bari, anticipating such a move, had not taken the bait and had shifted to meet the slash. But Francesco’s blunder put his chest right in the path of Bari’s moving blade. The sharp sword penetrated the skin, slipped through the ribs and pierced Francesco’s heart.
The mortally wounded Prince, his right arm frozen in mid-sweep, looked down at the growing stain of crimson on his tunic in shock. His sword fell to the floor. His eyes drifted up until they met the horrified eyes of his brother. No one in the hall moved.
“Don’t move,” Bari commanded, his left hand settling on his brother’s shoulder, trying to ease him to the ground. “If the blade is removed you will die.”
Francesco’s right hand gripped Bari’s shoulder.
“Go to hell,” Francesco rasped and shoved Bari away as hard as he could.
Bari, fell back a few steps from the force of the shove. The sword was still in his hand as he watched Francesco crumple to the floor. He was likely dead even before the first guard came to his aid and was most certainly gone by the time the Queen reached his side.
Stunned, Bari look around until his gaze fell upon Antonius. In a flash, he crossed the short distance, grabbed the older Council member by the collar and had his sword at the man’s throat. He ignored the outburst from those assembled.
“This was your doing, Antonius,” he growled. “You murdered him as surely as if it was your own hand that drove this sword into his heart. I charge you with his murder and with treason against the crown and I find you guilty, Antonius. It is time for you to meet your ancestors in hell.”
“No!” Antonius screamed in unison with the King’s commanding bellow.
“You object to losing your head?” Bari asked his prisoner, ignoring the King.
“I most certainly do,” Antonius squeaked out, seeing nothing but his death in the Prince’s eyes.
“Then I will give you one alternative, you poisonous snake. You resign your seat on the Council, right now, and retire to you estate. You are never again to set foot in this city or within these walls for any reason. If I see you here ever again, or if word should reach me that you were seen where you should not be, I will remove your head from your slithering body. I will have it placed on a pike and mounted at the highest point on the castle as a warning to any more of your kind. Choose now, snake.”
“Your Majesty,” Antonius gasped out as Bari was not releasing his grip. “Members of the Council, I hereby resign my seat and accept my banish…” he choked as Bari tightened his grip briefly. “…my retirement from public life.”
“Guards,” Bari commanded the two nearest men. “Take him into custody and pull back his robe.”
The guards quickly obeyed, exposing Antonius’ tunic. Bari held up the blade, still wet with his brother’s blood. Antonius’ eyes flared wide in terror. Bari quickly wiped the blade clean, one side on each side of the exposed fabric.
“My brother’s blood is on you as much as it is on me. You will carry that stain with you for the rest of your days, never taking that tunic off even to clean it else you will feel my wrath. Do you understand me, Antonius?”
The old man merely nodded his head, not daring a single word.
“Escort him out of the city,” Bari ordered and the guards quickly hustled the former Council member away, probably fearing the Prince would change his mind.
The Prince walked slowly toward his fallen brother, eyes hooded, his face drawn in pain. He did not look up at his father, could not look at his mother. He brought his sword up and placed it in his left hand, his right still tightly grasping the hilt. Closing his left hand around the blade, he snapped the sword in half, the sound of it carried as if a bomb had exploded in the hall. Dropping the two halves to the floor, the Prince turned on his heel and strode out of the hall, leaving a trail of blood dripping from his hand in his wake.
Previous Episodes:
June 5, 2020
FREE READ FRIDAY: The Shadow Order
Its Friday!!! That means its time for you to download another free book for your Kindle device!
This week it is: The Shadow Order: A Space Opera
[image error]In a fight, Seb is unbeatable. But in this galaxy, there are a million ways to lose…
Seb Zodo has never backed down from a fistfight. After all, he’s been gifted with powers that make losing impossible. But lately, Seb’s gift seems more like a curse…
Seb’s fearlessness leads to stupid decisions, short-lived jobs, and unwanted attention in dangerous places. In a desperate bid at a fresh start, Seb swears off fighting. But it may be too late…
When a run-in with an electrifying thief and the head of a shadowy organization sends his life spiraling out of control, Seb has no choice left but to go down swinging…
The Shadow Order is the first book in a series of fast-paced space opera adventures. If you like bold characters, planet-hopping, and edge-of-your-seat action, then you’ll love Michael Robertson’s thrilling series starter.
So get your copy now. Did I mention that it is free?
And, speaking of free, tomorrow morning the 14th chapter of The Calling, my Weekly 1K Serial series, drops right here on my blog and it too is absolutely free to read. There’s only one more chapters after tomorrow in the Star Trek: Enterprise saga then Part One of The Calling concludes. Then Part Two, the Star Trek: The Original Series saga, begins the following week.
June 2, 2020
PAS: Luna Up For Cover Of The Month
Its a multi-round process and round 1 runs from June 1-7th. Lets the get the word out and see if we can keep advancing all the way to the final round!
And thank you for voting for this amazing cover!
Here’s the link to go vote at: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/8194/
[image error]Polar Shift
May 30, 2020
1K Weekly Series: The Calling: Chapter 13
A Work Of Star Trek Fan Fiction By Richard Paolinelli
© 2020 RICHARD PAOLINELLI . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO COPYING OR ANY OTHER REPRODUCTION OF THIS STORY IS PERMITTED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. This is a work of fan fiction based in the universe of Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry. It is not intended to be sold, to be used to aid in any sale and is not to be copied or used in any other way by any other party.
CHAPTER 13
The Grand Hall on Etalya was filled to capacity. As official guests of the crown, Archer and his crew had been allowed inside but tens of thousands of other Etalyians were not so fortunate. They gathered around the palace with more arriving by the minute from every corner of the globe. It seemed all of Etalya wanted to be present for this moment in history.
They were waiting for the arrival of Prince Bari, whose shuttle was on final approach to the pad. The fleet had pulled into orbit less than two hours ago as the entire planet seemed to be talking about how it had brought the Klingons to their knees while only losing one Etalyian ship in the campaign. Clearly, all present wanted to hear how the Prince had pulled it off.
“Quite the spectacle today, isn’t it?”
“Indeed it is,” Archer agreed as he turned to the source of the voice. “Mr…..?”
“Orlando Mansi,” the older man introduced himself with a slight bow. “Royal Weaponsmaster and father of Paulo Mansi, the Executive Officer aboard the Sicilia. At your service, Captain Archer.”
“You must be very proud of your son, especially on a day such as this.”
“Of course. I am proud of them both. The Prince and my son have been close friends almost since the cradle. I trained both of them from the time they could barely lift a sword.”
“You did well, sir. Especially in tactics.”
“Tactics? I taught them how to properly use any weapon, Captain. But in the art of tactics I feel I might have been more the student than the master when it came to the Prince.
“Even at a young age,” Mansi continued. “It was clear to us all that there was a cunning mind behind those young eyes. Our task was to see that cunning used for right and just causes. We needn’t have worried on that account. A brilliant tactician with a strong moral center, our Prince.”
“I see why he is popular with the people,” Archer remarked.
“Quite right, Captain. The people know he will always do what is right by them and by those he calls friends. Just don’t play a game of chess with him. On that field of battle he is as ruthless and without mercy as any I have ever seen.”
“So, I’ve been told,” Archer chuckled.
“I wish today was a chess game,” Mansi remarked quietly. “The stakes would only be a lost game if it were.”
“I’m not sure I follow?”
“I have told you that the Prince and my son are close friends.”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps I should have described it more as closer than brothers.”
“I have found that to be common even among my people,” Archer replied.
“Yes, but in this case there is an actual brother who resents that relationship because it is not shared with him by his own brother.”
“Francesco?”
“Yes,” Mansi sighed. “I trained him as well and watched as the two brothers grew further apart. Unfortunately, that drove Francesco to the waiting arms of the half of the Council that, quietly, opposes the Royal Family.
“Francesco has been listening to Marcus Antonius too much lately,” he continued. “Much of the strife between the Princes can be laid at Marcus’ feet. When Bari enters to give his official report to the Council, do not be surprised to hear Francesco be critical. It will be his voice, but it will be Marcus’ words.”
“Can the situation be diffused?”
“I doubt it. This is a powder keg that has been waiting for its very short fuse to be lit and today may be that day. In addition to some bad advice, Francesco tends to be more, shall we say, bloodthirsty. His temper, once aroused, does not allow for cool reconsideration once action is taken. It does not surprise me that Bari would find the appropriate point to stop operations once the objective was attained. Francesco does not have that ability. The two will clash here today, Captain, mark my words.”
Just then the rumble of a shuttle passing overhead shook the Hall and the cheering of the massive throng outside could be clearly heard. Only two minutes passed before the Court Chamberlain stepped inside the hall.
“You’re Majesties,” the old man bellowed impressively. “Members of the Council and honored guests. His Highness, Prince Bari.”
The Prince swept into the room in full dress uniform and the gathered crowd broke in applause. His left hand resting casually upon his sword as made his way to the front of the Hall when the King, Queen, Prince Francesco, and the other eleven members of the Council were seated. Bari’s own Council seat was empty. As he reached a spot a few yards from the King, he stopped and knelt, head slightly bowed and the room fell swiftly into a hushed silence.
“Rise, Prince Bari,” the King intoned. “All Etalya welcomes you home in gratitude for your service and that of your fleet.”
“Gratitude,” Francesco muttered under his breath, drawing a stern rebuke from the King.
“Perhaps we could allow your brother the courtesy of making his report before we make any judgments, my son?”
The older Mansi show Archer an “I told you so” look.
“My King, my Queen, members of the Council,” Bari rose to his feet as a murmur passed through the crowd at the omission of the younger Prince. “I bring news of a great victory for our people. The Klingon responsible for the attack on our ship, the kidnapping of our Queen and the very hand that murdered Princess Gianna is dead. The Klingon fleet lies in near ruin. I daresay we may never again hear from the Klingons. While our enemy suffered great losses, we have returned home having lost only a single ship. That ship sacrificed itself to take out a major shipyard. The Klingons will not be able to replace what they lost for decades.”
The Hall burst into another round of applause that lasted several minutes until the King finally raised a hand to bring it to an end.
“An impressive campaign indeed, my son,” the King replied. “Yet, there are some who say you did not go far enough.”
Every eye in the room looked at Francesco and then at Antonius before returning to Bari.
“Of that I have no doubt, father,” Bari replied sadly. “Let them have their say then.”
“As if that would change your mind,” Francesco pounced on the opening. “Would the entire universe tell you that you were wrong, would you admit it?”
“I’d like to think I am not that stubborn, brother,” Bari replied with a cold smile. “Or that foolish. What would you and your friend Antonius have had me do? Our mission was to punish the Klingons for what they did. Are they not punished? If the Romulans forced the issue they will be hard-pressed to fight them off with what little fleet remains to them. They will not dare test our steel again, for they have seen the price that foolishness cost them.
“Would you have had me slaughter innocents? Reduce every Klingon world to a charred cinder? And why stop there? The Romulans are little better than the Klingons. Surely if we are justified in the practice of genocide in the case of the Klingons, are we not with any species that may threaten us? Where would you have the bloodshed end, Francesco?”
“I care little about the Romulans or the rest of the galaxy,” Francesco shot back. “Your mission was to remove the Klingons as a threat to Etalya.”
“Which I accomplished.”
“Indeed? Qo’noS is not burning and the Chancellor and the High Council lives.”
“No,” Bari corrected. “They do not live.”
A collective gasp raced around the Hall.
“On our way back we intercepted a transmission,” Bari reported. “There was a coup on Qo’noS shortly after we departed. The Chancellor and the entire High Council were slain. There is a new Chancellor and Council. They have ordered all ships to stay well clear of our space. We accomplished our mission, brother, and will be considered by all outside our space to have done so within accepted bounds of warfare.
“Yes, I could have slain every Klingon and burned every world,” Bari continued. “But now that we have made contact again with the rest of the galaxy we cannot just think of ourselves. We will be joining that galaxy now. Would you have them fear us as bloodthirsty savages? Or as a civilized people who will strive for peace but will defend ourselves when we must?”
Francesco said nothing and Bari let the silence hang in the air between them.
“That is why, brother, you will never sit on our father’s throne,” Bari charged and only then did the anger he felt at his brother show. “No matter how many ill-conceived alliances you form with those not fit breathe the same air as he.”
“You accuse me…” Francesco sputtered, his face going crimson.
“Not just you,” Bari cut him off, looking right at Antonius.
“That will be enough!” the King commanded, standing up. “The Council has heard the report of the action against the Klingons from its commander and accepts it and his reasonings for ending the campaign. It is indeed a great victory and this is a time of celebration.”
“You call me unfit,” Francesco growled, his hand dropping to his sword. “I call you a coward. Afraid to finish what you began and covering it in the flowery language of ‘peace’, brother. I say it is you that has no place on our father’s throne.”
“Are you challenging me, Francesco?”
“Yes,” he snarled. “Only one of us will take the throne and it will not be you. Today, you will take your rightful place; In your grave!”
Francesco withdrew his sword and lunged.
Previous Episodes:
May 29, 2020
FREE READ FRIDAY: Pilot Error, A Galactic Cold War Story, by Dan Moren
Its Friday!!! That means its time for you to download another free book for your Kindle device!
[image error]This week it is: Pilot Error, A Galactic Cold War Story, by Dan Moren
It’s been six months—six endless months—since former starfighter pilot Eli Brody helped Simon Kovalic and his team of Commonwealth covert operatives take on a terrorist organization on his home planet of Caledonia. But instead of being swept up in a new life of intrigue and excitement, Eli has instead been tasked with sharpening his rusty piloting skills on routine asteroid mining missions.
But, as he’s about to discover, those missions can quickly become anything but routine…
So get your copy now. Did I mention that it is free?
And, speaking of free, tomorrow morning the 13th chapter of The Calling, my Weekly 1K Serial series, drops right here on my blog and it too is absolutely free to read. There are only two more chapters after tomorrow in the Star Trek: Enterprise saga then Part One of The Calling concludes. Then Part Two, the Star Trek: The Original Series saga, begins the following week.
May 27, 2020
It’s About Time
One the biggest highlights of my newspaper writing days (1991-2011) came when I got to interview John Glenn, former U.S. Senator and astronaut, for a special section the AV [image error]News put out to mark the end of the Space Shuttle program.
I was five-years-old when Apollo 11 launched to put the first men, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, on the Moon. But the names I grew up hearing were Alan Shepard and John Glenn. Shepard was the first American to launch aboard a U.S. rocket and Glenn was the first to orbit the Earth after the USSR’s Yuri Gagarin. Unlike the heroes on the silver screen, these were real-life heroes.
So when Mr. Glenn agreed to spend an hour of his time on the phone with me I was ecstatic. We talked about his days with the Mercury project, his finally getting back to space aboard the Space Shuttle over 30 years later and then we turned to the future of the U.S. Space Program.
And that’s when I found out what it is like to be around a legend when he gets good and mad. We were shutting down the Space Shuttle without a replacement mode of transport in place and ready to send U.S. astronauts into space aboard U.S. rockets from a launch pad in the U.S. He was furious with both the Bush and Obama Administrations for this decision to rely on the Russians to haul U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station that would never have been built had it not been for the Shuttles.
[image error]It has taken nine years, but this afternoon, from the same pad that sent Apollo 11 on toward its destiny, an American-built rocket, carrying American astronauts will launch from U.S. soil and send these two men to the ISS. I imagine somewhere, John Glenn is saying its about damn time.
As for me, I’ll be watching today’s launch with the same excitement that I had back in 1969. It’s a great moment and one that should be remembered by us all. So godspeed to both astronauts, may their journey be safe and successful and may they return to the same heroes welcome reserved for Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins.
May 25, 2020
Guest Post: Ray Daley on Space Force
I’m Ray Daley. I contributed “For The Duty”. That wasn’t my first sub to the anthology, but after a quick rejection Doug suggested I write something based on my military experience.
My time in the RAF during the 1990’s wasn’t exactly what you’d call “fun” what with the first Gulf War and a conflict with Bosnia as UNPROFOR staff. I wore many hats during my relatively short 6-year career. A good amount of my time was spent on my war role (Operational Message Clerk), in a nuclear bunker. Anything up to
[image error]
fifteen hours spent underground per day on rolling day and night shifts meant you had to be adaptable.
I was young, able to sleep whenever I needed it. I kept my mental health problems between me and a friendly bottle of Jack Daniels I kept in my room.
My interactions with US Space Command were probably my favourite parts of that job.
Just so you understand, I’m still bound by The Official Secrets Act. Once signed, your bound until you die. So if I’m vague in places, that’s why. OpSec is still a thing.
Part of my job was the sending and receiving of secure comms (Voice & data). I’d get calls to mostly receive stuff in the wee small hours, a lot of onward direction for folks who couldn’t find any NATO staff awake at 3 AM in the UK for the obvious reason. Several of those calls came from the good folks in Cheyenne Mountain.
I was mostly interacting with these folks after 1994 so the Stargate movie was globally known, and they’d probably heard every joke and throwaway comment about it by the time I was speaking with them. Apparently, they didn’t get many Wargames references though.
The character of SAC Ray Daley is me, or was me. I worked in Air Staff Registry for almost two years, the largest registry in the Royal Air Force. Anything involved in combat flight went through us, both fixed-wing and helicopters. You went on Exercise Red Flag to Nevada? Thank me and my colleagues who worked their asses off, frequently after hours, to ensure you and your jet/ground crew got to the States. You’re welcome. Where the hell are the Oakleys/beers/coffee/chocolate you promised us? Yeah, we never got your thank you cards either.
You may see me reference the movie Behind Enemy Lines. You can read my involvement in that on my blog:- https://raymondwriteswrongs.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/a-message-to-former-usaf-captain-scott-ogrady/
That’s not classified, it was just off-book, done as a favour from one air force brother to another. If you know Captain O’Grady, feel free to mention me to him.
While I may have left the Royal Air Force in 1996, it’s never really left me. Heck, I’m still writing stories about it! My first ever sale was something based on a signal I’d seen during the Gulf War (now declassified, you can call off the Provosts!) and a recent sale was a science fiction retelling of my recruit training at RAF Swinderby.
I’m always happy to share old war stories if you want to pull up a sandbag?
[image error]Not The Official Seal of the United States Space Force. This is a proposed seal for the USSF circa 2120 created specifically for this anthology.
Guest Post: Chris DiNote on Space Force
New Author Chris “MOGS” Dinote takes over my blog today. He is one of 11 authors in the military sci-fi anthology, Space Force: Building The Legacy , edited by Doug Irvin and published by Midlands Scribes Publishing. The book is available today in both e-book and print editions at the link above. MOGS’s story is: Frickin’ Guard Guys!
We’ve all seen the memes, right? The minute the world started talking about the mere idea of a United States Space Force, we were all instantly greeted by “LOL, Space National Guard/Space Force Reserves!” Notably, many of these parodies feature poor Jek Porkins, and that guy just can’t catch a break.
All joking aside, the irreverent interservice banter and, shall we say, “robust,” back-and-forth on social media reflects the very real, and very important, national-level discussions about creating a new military service branch. Part and parcel of building a military service, is how to organize, train, and equip its reserve component (or components, if we end up following the three-component model of the present-day US Army and US Air Force). As the anthology’s theme is “the first 100 years of the Space Force,” what we decide to do now and in the next few years will set the tone for those first 100 years. That’s not a small thing.
[image error]
Regardless of whether we construct one or more reserve components to the US Space Force, the development of a unique reserve culture will inevitably follow. Currently, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units comprise the majority of reserve component space capabilities. If those organizations “swap patches,” then Space Force reserve culture will resemble the parent service components for a long time to come. However, as in the present day, reserve culture isn’t quite the same as the active component, and that’s perfectly okay.
I think the Guard in particular, with its unique dual-status existence, will still and always be “the Guard,” which is also perfectly okay, and that idea formed the basis of my story in this anthology.
The relationship between the parent services and their National Guard components is something I’ve experienced personally for about 14 of my 21 years in uniform so far. I’ve seen it go through many, many ups, downs, freezes and thaws. I recently completed a two-and-a-half year sentence assignment at the Pentagon, so I had a front row seat with the extra jumbo-sized popcorn to some of the conversations, staff work, research, arguments, politics, thinking, and pontificating on the Space Force itself, and the still unsettled questions about the role of the Guard and Reserve in its formation. As a professional, I’ll protect the integrity of what I bore witness to, but trust me, I do also have my own opinions.
While my story doesn’t take itself too seriously, it deals with some very serious experiences and issues, albeit with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Guard units are like families, and in many cases, they literally are families. They are often the closest and most direct community interaction that most of parts of America ever have with the US military, given that the majority of units aren’t on an active duty post and instead live in tiny armories and readiness centers, or on regional airports scattered throughout the country. Missions change, aircraft change, names change, but usually, the people don’t. To them, the unit is that much a part of life, and many if not most will stick it out unless the organization is no-kidding disbanded or moved so far away that commuting to drill isn’t a viable option for them. The dual lives of most guard members provide the military access to diverse skills, ideas, and perspectives that you often can’t readily find in the active component, in combinations that sometimes need to be seen to be believed.
Transitioning from the active-duty Air Force to my first Guard unit in 2006, the culture shock was very real. Then, as a full-time guardsman, later a staff officer, and as a squadron commander, I experienced and presided over drastic unit conversions, something else I briefly touch on in my story. Personally, I think there will be a Space National Guard in some form or another, and not just because the Guard’s actually been doing space missions since about 1995. Over time, the expansion and integration of space into the economic and social fabric of our states and communities, our daily lives, will only grow. Just a few short years ago, conventional wisdom didn’t see much of a role for the Guard and Reserve in cyber. Today, that role is significant, and rarely questioned, and that is largely because domestic cybersecurity demands emerged from our states, territories, and communities that few in the national-level defense establishment readily understood or foresaw. I think the same thing will happen with space, and that will spawn second, third, and nth-order effects we haven’t even thought of yet. I bet the Guard will be there for it too.
Christopher “MOGS” Dinote , has served twenty-one years so far in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard. Chris is currently serving an extended active duty tour in the Florida Panhandle. He has deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Noble Eagle. The views expressed in this article do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense of the U.S. Government.
[image error]Not The Official Seal of the United States Space Force. This is a proposed seal for the USSF circa 2120 created specifically for this anthology.
